Montreal vs. Toronto
Curious about the pros and cons of living and working in Toronto versus Montreal? Check out this fun infographic that I designed on behalf of the UNISEO agency for their client Proforce, a recruiting firm. Of course I had to include some cute vector characters and fun illustrations. Click here to view it at full size. (Note: if you’re using Safari, you need to click […]
Mad Men inspired patterns
Having a designer for a partner can be a real pain. Especially when it comes time to decorate a new home. Nothing off-the-rack will do. On top of which, everything must undergo rigorous UX testing and UI approval prior to any purchase: no rough edges, no awkward angles, no unbalanced forms. There really should be an endurance […]
Best Offline Coding Classes for Women in USA and Canada
Offline classes are a lot more social than online classes, even if they’re less convenient. More importantly, those social connections are your future network of fellow-coders. Following up on my previous post on the Best Online Coding Classes for Women, here is a list of offline classes for women in the USA and Canada: CANADA […]
FreshBooks & Xero: Why I Still Love Them
Three years ago, I wrote a comparison review of online accounting software. I thought it would be a good idea to share which ones have stood the test of time, and remain my favorites. 1) Freshbooks.com At times I have grumbled about the $20/month price tag. But when I compare it to the alternatives, or doing […]
Book Cover Design Tip # 1: Avoid Lazy Graphics
I see a lot of non-fiction book cover designs that fall into the trap of using lazy graphics. These will kill your book sales faster than a 1-star review on Amazon. (Why listen to me? I just won an industry award for non-fiction book cover design for this cover.) What on earth is a ‘Lazy […]
Easy Peasy Panoramic Photos for your Header Banner
Finding a panoramic photo for the header of your blog or website can be a real pain. You can try cropping a photo in Photoshop, but the elements don’t always fit within the squat format. You could download an app or buy a special lens add-on, but that’s expensive and adds yet another item to […]
Which Mobile Stylus is the best for iPad? Intuos Creative or Bamboo Stylus Solo or Pencil?
Which mobile stylus is the best for use on an iPad? Most of them will work as a basic stylus for typing and clicking (or launching an Angry Bird or two) on any touch screens (Android included). They will also work, kinda-sorta (see yellow check marks), in all drawing apps, but there are some differences […]
Comparing Slide Presentation Software: Keynote vs. PowerPoint vs. Prezi vs. Google Docs
It makes no sense to re-invent the wheel. So here’s the best (and funniest) comparison review of slide presentation software I’ve seen on the subject. Excerpt: “There’s also the rising trend for browser-based presentations. As if browsers aren’t abused enough. Google’s online presentation tool is essentially PowerPoint 97 in a browser. Sound like a bad […]
Why in God’s name do I need Instapaper? Or Pocket? Or Readability?
Because your time is precious. Ever watched a squirrel? Something distracts them for a second, they freeze, then go right back to chewing that nut or running up a tree. Why? Because winter’s coming and if they don’t store enough nuts, they die. They have important work to do. And so do you. If you’re easily […]
The Power of Smell for Businesses
Realtors swear that baking cookies before an Open House is guaranteed to put buyers in the mood. Think you wouldn’t fall for it? Really? Have you been to a Williams Sonoma store lately? Did you stay longer than you’d anticipated? Did you buy something? They’re not cooking those tasty samples for the joy of it. […]