Written by Bianca Gubalke
Communication Design, Editor, Graphic Design Services, IT Consulting, Noordhoek, Online Communication News, SENSES, Semiomantics, Social Media Publishing, TASTE, TOUCH, WP Best eShop Theme, Web Design Consulting, Web Design South Africa, Website Publishing
Mar 11, 2010
Copyright © 2010
Bianca Gubalke. Visit the original article at
http://biancagubalke.com/south-africa/living-in-noordhoek-south-africa/.
Living in Noordhoek South Africa
Living in Noordhoek South Africa is so special that it inspired me to finally realize a project I had on my mind for a long time, namely to create a visually rich and environment oriented website or rather a dynamic blog called “mynoordhoek.com”. It won’t be just any website . . . :)
Living in Noordhoek South Africa
When living in Noordhoek, South Africa, you come across many little creatures that express their Joy of simply Being and certainly never fail to comment on your presence in one or the other way – just as this inquisitive squirrel when I took pictures of Noordhoek Common . . . a typical, idyllic view of graceful horses grazing on rich pastures, surrounded by white ibis… with the dramatic backdrop of the mountains against a deep blue sky.
MyNoordhoek.com
MyNoordhoek.com is mine!
To start such a dedicated project, one of the first steps is to secure the right domain name – in this case: mynoordhoek.com
To be continued. . .
| Author: Bianca Gubalke, Art, Media, Publishing.
Co-Founder of YORGOO, YCADEMY and Semiomantics.
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Copyright © 2010
Bianca Gubalke. Visit the original article at
http://biancagubalke.com/google-top-10/microsoft-powerpoint-2010-beta-2/.
Microsoft PowerPoint 2010 Beta
Working with Microsoft PowerPoint 2010 Beta is real fun and brings professional results when edited and published correctly as I will show you in a moment.
Yesterday, I did a short PowerPoint presentation featuring “Wild Things” by Rob ‘n Roll as part of our dynamic Noordhoek Music Scene… and today I created a CD Cover for a “jewl case” but cannot deliver the completed product – as done in the past – as it seems the action script got a bug, so you just see the front cover with the spine… and at over 38 degrees Celsius in March !!! and on a holy Sunday I won’t dig deeper today, thank you very much!
Microsoft PowerPoint 2010 Beta on Google Top 10
This is my result after publishing my article on “Microsoft PowerPoint 2010 Beta” – it went straight to Google Top 10 as you can see below and
HERE is the original link on Google… although these things are always shifting and I do not know when you actually check it… but right now it’s exactly identical with the screenshot below. Click on it to enlargen it for more ease when reading. Amazing – isn’t it?
Web Design Consulting by Bianca Gubalke
What is important to bear in mind is that while we all go for the look of a website… what happens behind the scenes in terms of search engine optimized website optimization is just as important: we need to be visible on Google, that’s the name of the game.
If you consider getting a high performing website with some elegant web design, get in touch with me here or on
Web Design Consulting (Contact Form). . . or check out the different scripts at
WP Best eShop.
| Author: Bianca Gubalke, Art, Media, Publishing.
Co-Founder of YORGOO, YCADEMY and Semiomantics.
If you enjoyed reading the above, please consider following future tips and strategies by RSS reader, Email delivery, or Kindle subscription. |
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by Bianca Gubalke
Sensuality
Sensuality has to do with our five senses – sight, taste, hearing, touch and smell – and our degree of awareness thereof; in other words our perception of Life and anything that happens around us.
Sensuality is what my Online Newspaper Touch Vision Talk was built on where we constrain ourselves to five main categories, referring to the five senses… plus obviously media-oriented categories like a photo gallery, a featured gallery, an art and presentation gallery and a media gallery for videos.
In the Digital Photo “Taste of Paradise” that I took of an adorable little sunbird on dark blue agapanthus blooming right now in Cape Town’s unique Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens yesterday – and the colors are absolutely untouched while I obviously turned this picture into a bit of Wildlife Art by creating and integrating other elements of my own personal taste – , I may assume that this Picture talks to more than just your visual receptors!
Sensuality in Images
In our previous article under the main topic ‘Web Graphics Design’, we spoke about “Pictures that Talk” and how to design “Images that Create Empathy” … and my simple answer to this is by creating digital pictures and images that appeal to one or more of our senses – and this irrespective of the topic. We can do this by expressing or translating our personal perception, understanding and skill in terms of :
- Taste and Finesse
- Aesthetics
- Humor
- Simplicity or Elaboration
- Accuracy and Photo Realism … or the exact opposite thereof:
- Absolute Freedom of Form and Shape etc…
in the style, technique and ways of our own choice.
As with anything of value, the closer we are connected to what we are doing – really within the process and part thereof – the more sensual the result and the response it triggers.
BEing in the NOW is the secret of it all – and the most important lesson to learn. Touching and being touched… that’s all there is.
| Author: Bianca Gubalke, Art, Media, Publishing.
Co-Founder of YORGOO, YCADEMY and Semiomantics.
If you enjoyed reading the above, please consider following future tips and strategies by RSS reader, Email delivery, or Kindle subscription. |
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Written by Bianca Gubalke
ART, Bird Art, Communication Design, Digital Art, Graphic Art, Graphic Design Services, SENSES, TASTE, TOUCH, Web Design Consulting, Web Design South Africa, Web Graphics, Wildlife Art
Jan 30, 2010
by Bianca Gubalke
Images that Create Empathy
An important function of Images is to Create Empathy in the viewer, meaning an emotion, a feeling, something that resonates and as such carries our message across and – as a consequence – triggers a reaction.
In Advertising, this reaction is carefully calculated and anticipated.
Images that Create Empathy
Images that Talk blur the lines between us and ‘the other’ – in other words the sender (say the artist) and the receiver (the audience) and they are always images that Create Empathy – Empathy translating basically into feeling and our capability to underestand and share someone else’s emotions.
Heinz Kohut put it like this: “Empathy is the capacity to think and feel oneself into the inner life of another person.”
What counts for us as Web Graphic Designers when it comes to Websites and Blogs is that our Artwork reflects what we want to express at a given moment, for a specific reason… which is mostly articulated in text format. As such Web graphics amd Images are much more than a decorative element of a website; they have a very clear goal: to captivate peoples’ attention and to mobilize a desired reaction.
Google has recognized the increasing importance of Images and gives us many ways to tag them and give our posts an additional boost to reach top level rankings.
| Author: Bianca Gubalke, Art, Media, Publishing.
Co-Founder of YORGOO, YCADEMY and Semiomantics.
If you enjoyed reading the above, please consider following future tips and strategies by RSS reader, Email delivery, or Kindle subscription. |
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Written by Bianca Gubalke
ART, Bianca Gubalke Images, Communication Arts, Design, Digital Photography, IT Consulting, Noordhoek, SENSES, Semiomantics, TASTE, TOUCH, Web Design Consulting, Web Design South Africa, Ycademy Seminars
Jan 25, 2010
by Bianca Gubalke
How to Create Rounded Corners
When creating a look that stands out a bit from the rest on a website – like we did for our new Semiomantics Shop at the smashing Ycademy Business Building Seminar this past weekend -, it’s all about details… even if it’s just about whether a corner is sharp at 90 degrees or rounded or swung in a decorative fashion.
With all Seminar participants professionally equipped with Adobe Photoshop, everything becomes possible for the knowledgeable web graphic designer, and here is a brief Web Graphics Tutorial as to “How to Create Rounded Corners” – ending with a picture like this:
How to Create Rounded Corners
Here is a step-by-step guide for you to follow and get the exact same result as I do – just click the images to get a bigger view in the overlay and simply observed what I have done… it should be really clear… :
1.
Open your Photoshop and pull in an image that you want to give some rounded corners, say at 15 degrees.
Open … and browse to your Pictures and select one.
2.
On the left side Tools bar, click the ROUNDED RECTANGLE TOOL.
3.
On the top horizontal bar, set the Radius to 15 px and see to it that you also select the rounded corner rectangle here of course.
Now place the cursor – which is a little cross now – a little to the inside of the top right corner and pull it over your picture, so that you have equal distances and a fine ‘frame’.
4.
Now you’ll be shocked that your picture disappears – duh! What happened?
No stress! Right-click on the layer – which now shows a Shape – and the Layer Styles with the BLENDING OPTIONS at the top open. Scale down the Blend Mode Opacity to 0… and you will see your picture appears again – like magic!
5.
Go to PATHS. If you don’t find them on the right side of your screen, click on Windows at the top, tick Paths and you have it. Whenever you miss a tool, chances are big you find them here.
Now right-click on the highlighted (blue) Shape 1 Vector Mask.
The Make Selection Popup opens – just as you see it on the picture here.
6.
Give it the values as on the screenshot – i.e. :
Rendering: Feather Radius : 0
Tick anti-aliased
Operation: New Selection
OK
You see the ‘marching ants’ now…
7.
At the top, go Edit > Copy Merged
8.
Then go File > New and open a new transparent picture; its size should be big enough for the picture you just worked on.
9.
Then go File > Paste
HOPPLA! Your picture with the rounded corners waits for you!
Now you can save it and use as you intended to!
Ycademy Workshop
I hope this was of help; if I missed something or wasn’t explicit enough, or you get lost somewhere… let me know! We will do this exercise and more about creating Web Graphics and Images at tomorrow’s Ycademy Workshop at 7 pm London time in yorGOtalk, our brilliant Conference Room by Microsoft!
I wish you much success in Creating your own Web Graphics!
| Author: Bianca Gubalke, Art, Media, Publishing.
Co-Founder of YORGOO, YCADEMY and Semiomantics.
If you enjoyed reading the above, please consider following future tips and strategies by RSS reader, Email delivery, or Kindle subscription. |
This page is wiki editable click here to edit this page.
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Written by Bianca Gubalke
IT Consulting, Noordhoek, SENSES, TASTE, Web Design Consulting, Web Design South Africa
Jan 10, 2010
Best Price Cape Town Accommodation
With Fifa 2010 drawing closer and the Football World Cup fans are preparing their trip to South Africa, the decisive question will be: where’s the Best Price Cape Town Accommodation?
Best Price Cape Town Accommodation
While not the capital of South Africa, Cape Town is a huge, international whirlpool of many cultures and many talents and it was on the ‘top favorites’ destination list as far as I can think back.
When looking for the best price Cape Town accommodation it’s advisable to explore the surrounding suburbs, especially along the Atlantic Seaboard – like Noordhoek.
2010 Noordhoek Accommodation
2010 Noordhoek Accommodation is just about 30 km from the city center of Cape Town, beautifully nestled on the mountain slopes overlooking 8 km of pristine beach with spectacular sunsets – better for the eyes, the lungs and the soul than any TV – guaranteed! And a perfectly tranquil haven after a hectic day of super football madness!
I just came back from Noordhoek Beach, where I captured the last glimpse of the setting sun while the storm brushed against the surf and ended the day on a dramatic crescendo!
IMAGINE… waking up to the sound of this surf, sipping a fragrant coffee overlooking the sea and feeling deep in the heart of Africa?
Yes YOU CAN!
With or without Fifa 2010 by the way. . .
Just watch this space. . . and if you want to place yourself with a high performing Website or Blog, talk to me! Just hit the picture to the left or go to http://web-design-consulting.biancagubalke.net
Written by Bianca Gubalke
Bianca Gubalke Images, Bird Art, Communication Design, Digital Photography, Facebook, Google Wave, Graphic Design Services, Media Marketing, Online Communication News, SENSES, Semiomantics, Social Media Marketing, Social Media Publishing, Social Network Marketing, Social Network Publishing, Twitter, Web Design, Wildlife Art
Nov 25, 2009
Criteria for Successful Blogs
“Working from Monkey Valley” has become the working title to discuss the four main criteria for successful Blogs … meaning when – or rather before – deciding to either create one’s own business website or blog – or to outsource this important task and expansion in case an offline Business Enterprise already exists, to a professional web designer.
We went into the significance of the hidden part – which gives us Visibility on Google to harvest the Traffic we all are in dire need of in order to become profitable or increase profit margins – and the Look, the Image, the Web Graphics and corresponding features and ingredients that people see when they find our website or blog, that hooks them, puts us on their ‘likeability list’ and triggers their reaction to buy from us rather than from the competition.
That’s the game, isn’t it?
We are all in the Fishing business. . . pretty much the same as it is in the normal world. . .
Working from Monkey Valley on Google Top 10
Before we go into the next criterium and just to complete our little exercise and record the amazing results, here’s the latest as to where “Working from Monkey Valley” went on Google Top 10… in fact, it went to Number One!
Results speak for themselves – that’s for Semiomantics Scripts!
Functionality of a Website
The Functionality of a Website or Blog is the third criterium we have to look at.
Content
First and most importantly, the content in form of articles, posts, images, audios, galleries, videos and the like has to be:
> original content (meaning write yourself or hire a ghost writer, i.e. outsource);
> regular (ideally daily, at least in the beginning until you are well positioned, then maintain);
> keyword-related in function of the website (AutoRentSA is about “Car Rental in Cape Town” and not scooters);
> well edited, eg. with the correct headers, tags and categories;
> well published, ideally with the Support of a Publishing Network (eg. YORGOO Publishing).
Additional Software
Secondly and depending on your product or service, you may want to add special additional software, for instance a Shop. Of course, there is a price tag to this as it includes not only the software itself but also license agreements and integration… and then someone spiffy and knowledgeable has to set it up and maintain it on a continuous daily basis.
If for instance kicks and sneakers are being sold like in the case of our friends, Global Sports US, then the latest items, Special Offers and Promotions have to be in the shop under the right and easy-to-find category…. with all the possible choices as to size, colors and blings. . . and ready to be bought with the click of a mouse and a PayPal button by anyone who wants them exactly NOW.
Speed is everything!
It doesn’t end there . . . a shop has to be maintained and sold products need to be replaced – ideally a person of the company familiarizes himself with the software and funtionalities, or a professional is hired – per hour or per unit placed on the shelf.
Time is Money!
As the owner of such a website I have to make my calculation to see what I can or should invest and how fast or at what point I break even. All this needs is a clear keyword-oriented focus on the product to be sold or the Service to be delivered.
In case of a car rental company I may need car leasing or reservation software to automatically check for availability and allow for quick execution of the orders. If on a shoestring budget, I may save these costs by feeding requests via a Contact Form to my Inbox or mobile phone or by integrating a ‘Call Me on Skype’ button and then take care of them personally myself – until the time where my business expands and the investment into relevant software makes sound financial sense.
Interestingly in this connection: in Japan people already pay via mobile devices instead of using the Credit card. It will become a trend everywhere and we have to prepare ourselves for it.
The fact is that since the Internet we have progressively grown into a ‘connected society’ – thus also the emphasis we put on connecting to Social Networks genre Facebook, Twitter and soon Google Wave in our Ycademy Seminars, the finale for 2009 taking place on 12 and 13 December 2009!
The Budget
Finally, it’s all a matter of Budget. That’s our last criterium.
The fact is that people are sick and tired of seeing the same stuff all over; they want to distinguish themselves from the masses; they want their own websites and blogs.
While finding the right web designer to entrust may present a problem, they are prepared to pay the price if the person has a good presence on Google (remember: control your own name…) and has a good track record within this particular field of expertise, and if the product is efficient and proven. Today’s communities and netpreneurs like the personal touch – however, they not only want the looks as was the case in the past, they also want conversion to cash – and this depends largely on the hidden part of the blog, the magic engine that leads to Google Top 10. At a price – there is no way inbetween.
To establish your starting point on your personal “Path to Profitability” it is important that you or your client know exactly:
> what you want,
>where you want to go,
>what your product/s and keyword/s are,
> what your competition does,
> where your target market is and finally….
> what your budget is.
A good website or blog have their price – there is no way around it – however, the good news is that once set up properly and promoted in the way we teach on a consistent basis, you get the money back through sales – and from there it’s just a matter of time: your online business will grow.
Ask Global Sports US – invisible = non-existent before as to the Internet barometer in terms of Google – everywhere they want to be NOW. Of course, with Semiomantics – what else?!
“In a few years’ time you either have an online business or you have no business.” Bill Gates
You decide where YOU want to position yourself and be ready for the future.
Written by Bianca Gubalke
ART, Communication, Communication Design, Digital Art, Graphic Design Services, Online Communication News, SENSES, VISION, Web Design, Web Graphics
Oct 6, 2009
Circle Experiments 1
Experimenting with Circles – just circles as a basic geometric form repeating itself ad infinitum all through the Universe fascinates me – and anything related to this. I even included aspects of it in my award-winning movie screenplay “Die Emscher Schlange” back in the early nineties when still living in Europe.
Computer Art
But I’m no mathematician. . . so when it came to Computer Art I watched and admired the beauty of Fractals rather from afar. . . especially those created by a wildly talented and generous scientist in Australia!
However, being without my PC and all that I had in store to work with, I was forced to fire up my laptop which I only used for Artwork, Graphic Design and learning experiments. And then I must have been bitten by a spider yesterday as I just started off with a circle in Photoshop – no special fractal software -, just a first circle… that repeated itself… and so on following an inner rhythm. Playing, learning… and observing my own first steps into the magic world of circular infinity.
Here are my first humble and purely ‘manual’ examples… the originals are obviously huge and I will come back with extracts and details, most probably in the Photo Gallery. The fact is that once one has gone through the hard labour of creating something reasonably satisfactory one has an enormous scope to do additional Circle Experiments and beyond – as I did here. . .!
Clearly, this is the opposite of ‘Grunge’. . . but just as imaginative and. . . surprising!
Circle Experiments 1
‘Circle Experiments’ are certainly something I will spend more time on . . . just a little step in learning more about the language of the Universe:
“Philosophy is written in this grand book – I mean universe – which stands continuously open to our gaze, but which cannot be understood unless one first learns to comprehend the language in which it is written. It is written in the language of mathematics, and its characters are triangles, circles and other geometric figures, without which it is humanly impossible to understand a single word of it; without these, one is wandering about in a dark labyrinth.”
Galileo Galilei (1623)
Written by Bianca Gubalke
ART, Communication, Communication Design, Digital Art, Graphic Design Services, Online Communication News, SENSES, VISION, Web Design, Web Graphics
Oct 4, 2009
Creating your own Signature
Creating your own Signature in your preferred Font is probably something you want to do sooner or later once you’ve experimented with the many stunning, easily recognizable and freely downloadable Fonts out there.
Creating your own Signature
It all looks so simple doesn’t it… and those Fonts are indeed so easy to use and we take them for granted… However, there’s a lot of work that goes into creating any form of balanced and attractive Typography, in fact, it’s an Art for top designers and master calligraphers.
If you don’t believe me, just try to get your name – meaning your signature – out there. Just as I do it for my Artwork . . . the rest I definitely leave to the pro’s.
Palm Prisms by Bianca Gubalke
How would you do this?
Create a new document in Photoshop or Gimp, make sure you start with a transparent layer and then work in layers above that one. Probably you have your chosen Font already, but it’s good to experiment and why not take the pen or brush tool and simply write your name yourself as you normally would on paper. While you may get quite excited doing this eye-opening exercise, you will soon observe where the difficulties are, especially as concerns a confined space like 500×80 pixels as may be the case for your header… and this without being a Graphic Designer and even less a Calligrapher.
When does one’s Signature look right?
Good Typography
While I studied Typography decades ago and the basic principles of good Typography like those of good Architecture never change… and poor letter spacing and kerning can still drive me up the wall… from there to doing something that looks good and dynamic within a short period of time and without killing the History or Undo button is a totally different story…
I know. I did it … and definitely, using a Wacom tablet is not the same as designing on paper… even if having quite a steady hand and tons of self-imposed Patience! The result? Nothing I’d be proud of… not within a couple of hours and without being properly equipped! But do I have a respect and admiration for the guys out there who know what they are doing!
So what’s the answer if you still want to give it a go?
Font Editing Software
Font Editing Software is a must if you are determined to create your own Fonts… but as there is quite a price attached to this, shop around first, look at what others do and possibly start with the TypeTool first, see whether Font creation is really for you – and once you know this is it… then dig into your wallet and upgrade to something like FontLab.
Alternatively, outsource to a professional. Having your own look in terms of typography as a business is a worthwhile investment. Just browse through all the mega brands – Coca Cola, McDonalds, Microsoft, Coco Chanel – and it jumps into one’s eyes – it’s a must and it needs to be professionally done. No matter what!
Written by Bianca Gubalke
ART, Communication Arts, Communication Design, Editor, Graphic Design Services, SENSES, Social Media Marketing, TOUCH, Web Design, Web Graphics
Sep 2, 2009
Copyright © 2009
Bianca Gubalke. Visit the original article at
http://biancagubalke.com/bianca-gubalke/postal-stamp-art/.
Postage Stamp Art
Postal Stamp Art
Announcing a brand-new Postage Stamp on “Art” based on an original painting by Bianca Gubalke, South Africa:
Stamp ART by Bianca Gubalke
More items in this private Postal Stamp Art collection can be seen
HERE. Please scroll down!
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