Author: Paris Vega

  • Actions do more than words.

    —

    by

    Paris Vega
    in ,

    Use words to source actions. As an independent contractor/freelancer I’ve realized that selling plays a critical role in business. Like it or not, it’s a necessity, but it’s not my strength. In an effort to learn more about sales I signed up for a sales-related email newsletter filled with quotes, inspiration and advice on sales…

  • The world’s simplest phone

    —

    by

    Paris Vega
    in

    I love this. The world’s simplest phone in a sleek little black box. It’s called John’s Phone. Consider it the anti-iPhone. No apps or hi-res screen. Just a phone with buttons that works really well. A better user experience through LESS experience. Has anybody used one, or seen it in person?

  • The next stage in Google’s redesign

    —

    by

    Paris Vega
    in

    Checkout the next stage in Google’s redesign http://t.co/IiaG7MAE.

  • “Terminator”-Like Contact Lens

    —

    by

    Paris Vega
    in

    “Terminator”-Like Contact Lens making way takes augmented reality to another level http://t.co/mCxd5PNL

  • How to Eat More Fat

    —

    by

    Paris Vega
    in

    How to Eat More Fat http://t.co/gq2fn3Hh This has to do with the primal or paleo diets.

  • The User Experience Hierarchy of Needs

    —

    by

    Paris Vega
    in

    The User Experience Hierarchy of Needs http://t.co/fUVdDwdf #ux #ui #design

  • The Never Ending Project: How to Prevent Scope Creep

    —

    by

    Paris Vega
    in

    Have you ever worked on a project that would… not… end!? Me, too. Poorly organized fixed-rate projects quickly turn into hourly-rate eating monsters that even Falkor couldn’t save you from. What is Scope Creep? Scope Creep is any work requested by the client that isn’t included within your original agreement. It can happen at any…

  • Solar panel for microwaves

    —

    by

    Paris Vega
    in

    Since visible light is just part of the electromagnetic spectrum, could other wavelengths generate electricity with the right materials? Rectenna: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rectenna DIY: http://www.ac-grenoble.fr/yre/agency/library/missions/missrep1997/online/rap-nuc2.htm – power a light by getting it close to an active microwave Possible inventions: Microwave oven with built-in rectenna to generate/save power. Residential rectenna to harvest microwave energy from kitchen and ambience

  • Section 508 / WCAG 2 AAA Compliant Color Schemes

    —

    by

    Paris Vega
    in

    Color Contrast Checker that tests against Section 508 & WCAG 2 AAA compliance: http://www.snook.ca/technical/colour_contrast/colour.html

  • The wisdom of craftsmanship

    —

    by

    Paris Vega
    in

    I came across this interesting piece of Scripture while reading the Bible this morning: 1  AND THE Lord said to Moses,2  See, I have called by name Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah.3  And I have filled him with the Spirit of God, in wisdom and ability, in understanding and intelligence, and…

  • My first dribbble post: Strategic Arrows

    —

    by

    Paris Vega
    in

    The first shot I posted on dribbble! Thanks to Joshua Pekera for the invite. These grainy arrows were part of the Selective Marketing website’s hero image slider. These arrows were part of the Strategy slide.

  • Google+ will improve your social media experience, even if you don’t use it.

    —

    by

    Paris Vega
    in

    The Question My friend at Good Web Work asked the question,”To what problem is Google+ a solution?”. I started to write a comment on his post, but after the scroll bar popped up on the comment form realized this was blog post material . I have no idea what I’m talking about I haven’t used Google+ yet…

  • How to fix the Netflix DRM Error N8151 in Google Chrome for Mac

    —

    by

    Paris Vega
    in

    Quick Summary: * Try watching after each step. You may not need to go all the way through the process to fix the problem. Delete the PlayReady folder (This step fixed my problem) Uninstall & Reinstall Silverlight Create a new user Contact Apple Check Browser’s Rosetta settings Check for corrupt fonts The Troubleshooting Process This…

  • Old-School Dark Color Palette: Sportomatic

    —

    by

    Paris Vega
    in ,

    Inspiration Cruising through designspiration.net I found an old poster of a Porsche 911 “Sportomatic” at the Nurburgring in 1967. I was drawn to the green monochrome photo and the overall color scheme. The green and orange reminded me of old video game cartridge labels. The Porsche poster’s dark background and muted colors are a theme I’ve…

  • Discovering Synecdoche

    —

    by

    Paris Vega
    in

    I’ve learned a new word: Synecdoche. Synecdoche is a word that’s both fun to pronounce and understand. The Greek word it comes from means “simultaneous understanding”. In english it is a figure of speech expressed in several ways. Basically, a synecdoche occurs when the word for a part is used to refer to the whole…

  • An Inconvenient User Experience: Gmail Drafts

    —

    by

    Paris Vega
    in ,

    Summary I love Gmail. If you accidentally discard a draft its gone forever. I think Gmail should send discarded drafts to trash. You can vote for that feature here. I love everything about Gmail except one thing… Discarded drafts are unrecoverable without warning. I accidentally clicked the Discard Drafts button while scrolling by a different part…

  • I’m a podcast junkie.

    —

    by

    Paris Vega
    in

    I love listening to podcasts while I work. Especially if the task at hand is monotonous or design related. Now if I’m coding, I usually just listen to instrumental music. Hearing words and writing code don’t mix. I’ll end up typing what the person says somewhere in the code. That breaks things. I love my…

  • Mid-Century Modern Color Palette: Modern Hero Suit

    —

    by

    Paris Vega
    in ,

    Inspired by the hero graphic on hulu.com for The Colbert Report (as of 4/12/11), the color scheme really connected with me. Calm, powerful, and bold. I had to create a color palette in tribute. Enjoy.

  • Book Review: The Four Hour Work Week

    —

    by

    Paris Vega
    in

    Summary Overall, my mental and emotional experience reading the The 4-Hour Workweek by Tim Ferris felt something like this: I’m having a chat in a coffee shop with Tim, the author. He suddenly flips over the table, screams “Eighty Twentyyyyyyyyyyy!!!!!!!!!!”, punches me in the face, injects an adrenaline shot into my neck, and throws me into a Ferrari…

  • Fitts Architects Website Design Process (2009)

    Fitts Architects Website Design Process (2009)

    —

    by

    Paris Vega
    in

    Fitts Architects in Tuscaloosa, Alabama hired me to redesign and rebuild their website. Here is the story behind the project and the process we went through to polish their brand on the internet. Respect at first sight In college I lived within 100 yards of the Fitts Architects office. Every time I drove by I…

  • How does social media impact SEO?

    —

    by

    Paris Vega
    in ,

    SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization …and yes, social media does affect SEO. To better understand how SEO works, let’s look at the story of Billy Joe Awesome and his Pappy’s Comb. Pappy’s Comb Billy Joe Awesome needs a new comb to stroke his cherished mullet. The houndstooth-patterned mullet comb that Pappy gave him was lost…

  • How to rip the faces off WordPress hackers… their cheeto-encrusted life-sucking evil faces.

    —

    by

    Paris Vega
    in , ,

    How to deal with website hackers Find hacker that attacked your site and destroyed the efforts of your labor. Insert hand grenade into hacker mouth. Pull pin. Kick in the nuts. Run, laughing as their head explodes. If that doesn’t work, here are some plugins to protect your WordPress site from future hacker evil. WordPress…

  • How to Write Object Oriented CSS

    —

    by

    Paris Vega
    in

    * Image taken from the cover art of the world-famous Tetris video game. Objects Shmobjects. The first time I heard about Object Oriented CSS was from a tutorial on NetTuts. At the time, I viewed OOCSS as just another random framework somebody was imposing on the web community. I had not given it much thought since…

  • Interview with Designer and Entreprenuer Casey Doss

    —

    by

    Paris Vega
    in

    After interviewing Casey Doss recently, I found myself humbled and inspired by the way he manages work and family life. He doesn’t let being extremely busy get his priorities out of order; an on-going battle for anyone, especially freelancers. Who are you? Casey Doss. 28. Married and father of two girls. What do you do?…

  • Goodbye, office ninjas.

    —

    by

    Paris Vega
    in

    I was looking at the asphalt walking slowly to my car, thinking, “This is it. This is the end.” I’m not dying. But, it’s true. I’m moving to a different company. Starting Monday morning I’ll be sipping coffee, about 15 minutes across town from the people I’ve worked with the last 3 1/2 years. Good…

  • The Beard of Legend

    The Beard of Legend

    —

    by

    Paris Vega
    in

    I’ve been published!!!! My photo is used to represent the Biblical character Goliath. Halarious.

  • 5 places freelance designers go to find jobs

    5 places freelance designers go to find jobs

    —

    by

    Paris Vega
    in

    Here are 5 places I visit regularly to find freelance work. Of the sites listed below, only Sortfolio and Coroflot have given me actual projects. I think my prices were too high for most of the jobs I applied for on the other sites. It’s hard to compete with Asia, but for now, there are…

  • 3 Free Desktop Wallpaper Backgrounds of Flowers

    —

    by

    Paris Vega
    in

    This month’s freebie is a collection of 3 elegant desktop wallpapers featuring flowers. They can also be used as Twitter backgrounds. These photos were taken by me during the spring and summer a few years ago. They are the most popular photos on my fickr stream. Feel free to download them for personal use. If…

  • 10 Essential WordPress SEO Plugins

    —

    by

    Paris Vega
    in

    Which WordPress SEO plugins get the best results? I shouldn’t be giving you this information. As Spider Man’s uncle said, “With great power comes great responsibility”. If you don’t know what you’re doing, you’ll hurt somebody. Keep that in mind if you choose to install the following plugins on your WordPress website. Make the wrong…

  • What’s the best computer for graphic design: Mac or PC?

    —

    by

    Paris Vega
    in , ,

    What kind of computer do you suggest for graphic design? Mac? PC? My laptop is too slow to do a lot of what I’ve been doing lately so I’m looking for a new computer. Lots of people say “go with a Mac”, but I could build a PC with a much faster processor and better…

  • Say no to spec work… even in France.

    —

    by

    Paris Vega
    in

    I recently got a request to design a logo for someone in Paris, France. They found my site while looking for logo designers in Paris. How did they find me? Guess who’s number one in Google for the keyphrase “Paris logo design“. That’s right. As of 3/26/2010, ParisVega.com ranks number one for that search phrase.…

  • How much should I charge as a new freelancer getting started?

    —

    by

    Paris Vega
    in , ,

    This is the first article in a new category I’m starting for my blog: Reader Questions. I’ll be answering questions that I’m often asked by young designers just starting out in their careers. If you have questions about freelancing, graphic design, web design, or anything really, I’ll do my best to find the answer for…

  • Goodbye, Internet Explorer 6. Enjoy hell.

    —

    by

    Paris Vega
    in

    This week I received an email so beautiful I had to share it with the world. It said that Google will no longer support Internet Explorer 6. This means that maybe… just maybe, the day when I can completely ignore that buggy browser is a bit closer. If you didn’t receive this hope infused email,…

  • Illustrator: Matthew Lewis

    —

    by

    Paris Vega
    in

    Saturday night I ran into Matthew Lewis, an old friend from high school, who is also an amazing illustrator. We reminisced about ancient times while I drooled over his sketchbook. You can view his portfolio at www.lostkeep.com. He also publishes a sketch blog at http://lostkeep.blogspot.com/ Here are some examples of his work:

  • Why freelancers should use digital contracts with esignatures

    —

    by

    Paris Vega
    in ,

      Word of mouth agreements are too risky There is no reason to waste time and money by running your business on word-of-mouth agreements. The risk is too high, and the cost of integrating contracts into your business is getting lower everyday. I use a simple PDF e-signature contract that is sent to the client…

  • My True Father

    —

    by

    Paris Vega
    in ,

    My father told my mother he didn’t want any more children. SURPRISE! I was the last of his nine kids. When I was 2 months old they separated. Other than a few phone calls, I never saw the guy again. In 2005 I found out that he died alone in Costa Rica in 2003, two years…

  • Retro Vintage Color Palette: Vinyl Polaroid

    —

    by

    Paris Vega
    in ,

    All the faded luminescence of photographs from the 60s, 70s, and 80s expressed in a simple swath of muted hues. I created this mellow palette on COLOURlovers.com after being inspired by this beautiful photo of a woman flipping her hair: COLOURlovers is a great place to find inspiration. I visit the site often when deciding…

  • Free Desktop Wallpaper Background: Black Boxes

    —

    by

    Paris Vega
    in

    My latest free desktop wallpaper design is an arrangement of dark gray blocks on a black background similar in layout to Piet Mondrian‘s Composition II in Red, Blue, and Yellow, that he painted in 1930. I’m not saying its as revolutionary as his painting, only that it shares the same balance of visual weight. If…

  • Typography Diagram

    Typography Diagram

    —

    by

    Paris Vega
    in

    While rummaging through my old files I came across this typography diagram I designed in a typography class way back in art school at The University of Alabama. We had to create a diagram based on our recently gained knowledge of the intricate parts of letter forms. Looking back I realize my design was a…

  • The Best Watch Design I’ve Ever Seen.

    —

    by

    Paris Vega
    in

    This extraordinary minimal wrist watch designed by Iskender Asanaliev, features a clear LED display that shows the current hour with a hand built from the minutes. The minutes are ultra slick numbers fashioned into the shape of the hour hand. This watch is not currently in production. The designer is still looking for a manufacturer.…

  • How to edit your host file on a Mac

    —

    by

    Paris Vega
    in

    Changing the contents of a computer’s host file is extremely helpful skill for web developers to have. You can basically manipulate the way your computer looks at the internet. I use it to keep Google Analytics from counting me as a visitor on my site (or any site for that matter). Whatever your reasons for…

  • The Off / On Coffee Mug

    —

    by

    Paris Vega
    in

    This coffee mug changes color as you pour hot coffee into its temperature sensitive core. It also happens to be exactly what my brain looks like as I down my daily dose of wake-up juice.

  • How to beat Desktop Tower Defense

    How to beat Desktop Tower Defense

    —

    by

    Paris Vega
    in

    Desktop Tower Defense is a simple little strategy game that hacks into your basic human instinct to stop creatures from going from one place to the other. Protect your lands! Protect your village! Protect your house! Protect your garden! Whatever the scenario, this game captures that basic mechanic well. The image above is the layout…

  • The Email Standards Project… Thank God!

    —

    by

    Paris Vega
    in

    If the US government needs a non-violent method of torture to replace water-boarding, I would like to suggest email design. The detainees would be required to design an email that uses HTML, CSS, and images and works in all the major email clients. I am convinced that all terrorist activity would cease immediately after only…

  • Awesome Designer / Developer Video Tutorials

    —

    by

    Paris Vega
    in

    I LOVE KNOWLEDGE! Today my wonderful employer, Evision Marketing Group, purchased a premium subscription to lynda.com, the video tutorial site. Every designer / developer skill that I could ask for is bundled into easy to digest videos. Its awesome. Basically, I’m getting smarter (and more valuable to my company) by watching TV. Thank you God…

  • Green Website Hosting: A carbon-free solution

    —

    by

    Paris Vega
    in

    What do I mean by “green”? Over the past few years the word “green” has grown from simply describing the color we see in the visible light spectrum with a wave length between 520 – 565 , into a word that suggests environmental responsibility, renewable resources and sustainabiliy. Of course, marketing gurus have wasted no…

  • Gulf South Solar | Logo Design and WordPress CMS

    —

    by

    Paris Vega
    in

    About the Client:Gulf South Solar is the leading solar provider in Louisiana. They are based in Baton Rouge and have been installing solar for 5 years. They provide a wide range of solar power systems. The Process:It has been a pleasure working with a company that’s changing the world by spreading the use of clean…

  • Red Ribbon at the Beach

    —

    by

    Paris Vega
    in

    A straw hat with a red ribbon sailing in the wind at the beach is being held by my wife. We were in the Gulf of Mexico a few years ago, enjoying the white sands and blue-green waters. This photo would make an excellent desktop background, or background graphic for an ad. Contact me to…

  • Free High Resolution Wallpaper: Black Burst Design

    —

    by

    Paris Vega
    in ,

    Black Ray Burst Wallpaper Here is a free wallpaper background I designed. It contains a dark gradient with rays beaming from left to right. I use it on a Mac to highlight my Dock that I’ve positioned on the left of my screen. If you download this wallpaper, enjoy. If you use it in your…

  • Present: past’s future

    —

    by

    Paris Vega
    in

    pre-sent. This suggests that what is, became, as a result of something that has already happened. What you do now is literally creating tomorrow’s present. What will tomorrow bring? Well, what did you send?

  • The Mazda Furai explodes my face.

    —

    by

    Paris Vega
    in ,

    Check out this wild concept car: The Mazda Furai. The Mazda Furai concept car [1] is a beautifully designed piece of machinery that will melt your face. The swooping curves built into the exterior, the lighting in the grill, and the overall shape of the car shocked me when I first saw it in TopGear magazine. The…

  • Scientists Invent Holodeck!

    —

    by

    Paris Vega
    in

    FINALLY! Every gamer has dreamed of the day of real virtual gaming. Well, my cheeto-loving friends, our day has finally come. The VirtuSphere let’s you run around in what looks like a huge plastic soccer ball that sits on rollers. With a headset over your eyes and a gun in hand, you can literally run,…

  • Myspace Sucks

    —

    by

    Paris Vega
    in

    I think all designers would agree that Myspace sucks. A usability nightmare, Myspace is the perfect example of those money-hungry banner-ad-loving sites that cares more about squeezing pennies out of pixels than creating a sane user experience. I know they’ve got to pay the bills, but… they suck. Appropriately, Myspace recently got #1 on PC…

  • The Father’s Love Letter

    —

    by

    Paris Vega
    in

    Growing up without a father in my home, I eventually viewed the Christian God of the Bible as my father. I looked to the Bible’s principles for wisdom. It helped me avoid many pitfalls in life, and make better decisions. This “love letter” from God based on verses from the Bible is an interesting way…

  • Open source software in schools could save taxpayers billions

    —

    by

    Paris Vega
    in

    Open source software is all over the place. Google Apps being a prime example. If schools switched from paying for software to these open source alternatives, the savings would be substantial. It could also provide enormous opportunities for the home-grown technology sector based around open source software. So contact your representatives and let’s change the…

  • Solar and Wind Leaf Photovoltaic Shingles

    —

    by

    Paris Vega
    in

    While the future of solar technology seems to rest on nanotechnology innovation, these GROW panels by SMIT are fairly remarkable. Inspired by leaves, these tiny generators do one better than their biological counterparts, drawing power from the sun, but also capturing energy from the wind as they are jostled by the breeze.  

  • Fusion Power by 2035 …ish.

    —

    by

    Paris Vega
    in

    If scientists can perfect fusion power, they will usher in a golden age for power production, with systems providing all the benefits of nuclear reactors and none of the drawbacks. -read full story

  • Google goes solar funding $1 per watt solar panels

    —

    by

    Paris Vega
    in

    Googling Green Recently Google posted an article on there blog about encouraging green energy. They also made it obvious that, as usual, they were ready to put their money where their mouth was. Where is Google’s mouth? Well, at moment Google’s billion dollar mouth is salivating all over a change-the-world sandwich. First bite: The way…

  • Body Clock ‘Control Switch’ Found

    —

    by

    Paris Vega
    in

    Our DNA amazes me. It is a complete language describing how to build a human. Beautiful. The good ole BBC came out with this interesting story a day or two ago. “Researchers say they have identified the chemical switch that controls the genetic mechanism regulating our internal body clock.” Read on with the links below.…

  • Merriam-Webster’s Word of the Year 2007: w00t

    —

    by

    Paris Vega
    in

    That’s right. Digital Culture has exploded in large part to the success of video games and the evolution of online gaming. According to Wired.com, “This year’s winning word first became popular in competitive online gaming forums as part of what is known as l33t (“leet,” or “elite”) speak—an esoteric computer hacker language in which numbers…

  • Light to Shrink Computer Clusters

    —

    by

    Paris Vega
    in

    IBM is looking to replace the well-known copper circuitry in computers with beams of light. What are the benefits of using light instead of clunky copper wiring in computers? Here are a few: 100 times faster more powerful much smaller produces less heat and uses less energy How? Well, since they replaced the copper wiring…

  • The University of Alabama Permanent Collection, 2005

    —

    by

    Paris Vega
    in

       The first curious steps into Sarah Moody Art Gallery quickly transformed into a journey through some of the most popular names in contemporary art over the last 100 years.  Picasso, Rauschenberg, and Chuck Close hung within inches of each other. This impressive collection only grew more interesting after passing Krasner, Dali, and Richard Long.…

  • Choosing a path

    Choosing a path

    —

    by

    Paris Vega
    in ,

    One day while daydreaming as usual in a college math class, i made a list. This list was different from most lists because i never got past number one. I had been struggling again with stressing questions like: What should i major in? What do i want to be? What should i do with my…

  • Metamorphosis

    —

    by

    Paris Vega
    in

    Change is constant and definite. To be is to change. Everything in the physical universe is changing from life to death. It is a cycle. The first half of all life grows, and the second half deteriorates that growth. From positive to negative we fall. Unlike the outside world, however, the inner human man/woman can change…

  • Lean Back

    Lean Back

    —

    by

    Paris Vega
    in

    Every breath like rumbling rivers Repel from conversation. Its public solitude.