Impact font used to be a joke in a bad way. Now it’s a joke in a good way.
The website “I Can Has Cheezburger?” made this sans-serif font famous by juxtaposing captions with pictures of hilarious cats. It used to be taboo in design to use Impact (along with Papyrus + Comic Sans), but did the popular Internet Meme give it some form of credibility?
If you want a great technical review on the iPad, check out Engadget’s post. Mine is more of a personal review.
I am always wired, whether it’s at work, designing on my own time and making art. I have a MacBook Pro and iPhone already. Today I picked up an iPad and have been very pleased so far. For me, it’s the perfect middle-ground between an iPhone and laptop.
How did I justify the $600 I spent on the 32 gig iPad? I thought about the amount I would use it within a year…everyday for me. That comes out to less than $2 a day if it were a rental. By the time a new model comes out, this one will definitely be worth everything I paid for. Sadly, I spend more money of coffee a day then that.
Lots of people say that the iPad is merely a big ass iPhone. In a way, it is, but more. It’s the same reason people buy a plasma TV as opposed to having a smaller TV—the screen size! The UI of the iPad is pretty slick though, particularly with how Safari functions.
Here’s why I bought the iPad:
A great device to use as a portfolio; to show work to clients and collectors.
When I want to go to a coffee shop and just read. Sometimes I want to go read with a friend without having to be distracted with my laptop.
I travel a lot and want to watch movies on the plane. The battery life has been very impressive.
Marvel Comics app :: I don’t collect comics anymore and don’t want to devote an entire closet to store them. The Marvel app is amazing; allowing you to zoom in on each frame to read. Honestly, this was one of the main reasons I bought the iPad.
Apps I like :: Marvel, NPR, TweetDeck, Pandora, ABC (can’t wait to watch Alyssa Milano’s show Romantically Challenged on it).
Apps that suck at life :: NetNewsWire (for $9.99, you can get an awesome RSS reader that crashes upon loading). It will be great once it actually works though.
You could probably buy a Kindle or cheaper netbook/reading device, but it’s not for me. I see Apple products as the designer jeans of tech. They cost a bit more, but they last long, are comfortable and you really love them.
It’s not all hype. The iPad is a great device and I’d recommend it to anyone, whether you are always connected/working or if you just want an electronic reading device that can do more.
If you go to a lot of networking events or mixers, there’s a good chance you compile a ton of business cards from people you meet. But what do you do after that? Most of the time people just exchange cards and nothing happens after that. Consider striking while the iron is hot. Here are a few things I like to do.
Email them as a reminder :: More often than not, you don’t remember everyone you met at a party or mixer, so you shouldn’t just expect people to remember you. I like to email people I met from the night before, even if I don’t see any potential business with them. You never know what they might be doing years later. I remind them where we met. Ex: “It was nice meeting you at the Twitter Conference. I was the guy in the blue bow tie and we talked at lunch.”
Potential work :: People like to brainstorm and talk about working together on projects, whether they are collaborators or clients. A lot of times it can be friendly daydreaming, but some are serious about working on projects. Having a few rum and cokes with someone isn’t always the best time to have a business meeting. I don’t like to contact the person and talk as if a deal is done. Consider emailing or calling them and have them meet up with you to talk about the project in detail.
Potential homegirl/homeboy :: Maybe you meet a person at a mixer you’d like to get to know on a personal level. Sorry, I don’t advise on this.
Following up is good…shows people you remember them or are thinking of them. It does not hurt to send a quick note once, even if you don’t see any potential prospects in the person.
So don’t just pile up those cards, turn people you meet into contacts, and perhaps friends.
Yes I did it, and yes I’m serious; David Hoang iPhone skin!
After a lot of research, I decided to go with GelaSkins to print my stuff. The quality is world-class and I am very satisfied with the price/result. I totally recommend using them.
So why did I decided to pimp out my artwork on skins? Simple…for you. Some of you may not want to spend hundreds of dollars (or have it) on my original art, but I want something you can enjoy. I will be unveiling a few different skins for the iPhone and MacBooks; other products in the future as well.
I’m still in the beta phase. The proof of Darth 40 Hands turned out quite nice. I emailed GelaSkins about including me in their featured artists list, but didn’t year back yet. If you’re on Twitter, please tweet @gelaskins and tell them you want @davidhoang to be a featured artist and link to this post.
I’d love to be featured because that means you could buy straight from GelaSkins. If not, I will save up some money to buy them in bulk and you can get them from me.
So what do you think? Which pieces would you like skinned?
