A couple of FREE stress relieving flash games.

So … here, I have compiled 3 entertaining, funny, stress relieving flash games for you to play at your leisure from your desktop computer.

Smash time! What can I say I am lover breaking stuff and what better way to vent some anger than by smashing up a fictional PC. Take that Bill!
http://www.funny-games.biz/beatup-pc.html

I remember coming across this a few years ago. Click on the objects around the cubicle and watch the magic happen, very entertaining.
http://www.whackyourboss.com/

Well, I could not help myself; this is a hidden object game where you have to find a coin in the room. See if you can find the hidden coin. Illustration and game by me.

screenshot

http://www.jimmsdesign.co.uk/websitedesign_interactive_find_the_coin.html

Thanks for reading.

Show Me Inspiration - Where To Find Some!

Need Creative Inspiration

Hello! We have all been there; you have been sat at your computer stuck for hours on end not really producing anything worth showing to anyone. You sit staring at the screen with your mouth hung open gawping at a piece of work that means absolutely nothing... it lacks sustenance, meaning or any real thought, you rely on your computer to have vision!  The birds chirp in the trees, sun sets – sun rises. You think, “I know, I’ll make hot cuppa!’ you make a brew and still nothing comes, apart from a few rubbish concepts if lucky (You can never pass off a rubbish idea, everybody knows a rubbish idea when they see it.). It’s as if your brain needs an idea injection, that moment of long awaited genius but ... it doesn’t come. I know, it is almost as if I (you) have started the wrong way round; designing first, thinking after, not a great way of going about things but we’ve all done it – and probably still do from time to time!

Get away from the screen

Especially applies for my freelancing time and even working In-house, this 'non-working' working time is when my best thought processes come about, the ideas that come from nowhere or so they seem. Go for a walk in a park, get some fresh air, take some food maybe even take your camera and take some snaps.

Read something - a creative magazine! I recommend a magazine over just going to a blog because you’ll usually get a better quality content (Oh the irony!) and if you are reading a blog, you're still looking at a screen –  in work function unproductive mode. Read books, look at photos, research topics, talk to industry pro’s, take a holiday, take a shower – sleep! OK enough of the fluffy general bit, a list of helpful online resources, which is probably one of the main reasons that you have read this far.

Links
Design - Creative
http://abduzeedo.com/
http://www.icanbecreative.com/
http://www.hongkiat.com/blog/

Web
http://smashinghub.com/
http://www.smashingmagazine.com/
http://www.cssbake.com/ingredients/
http://www.csszengarden.com/
http://www.icanbecreative.com/showcase-of-creative-flash-websites.html

404 pages
http://www.hongkiat.com/blog/49-nice-and-creative-error-404-pages/
http://webdesignledger.com/inspiration/35-creative-404-error-pages

I hope these help - and this http://www.creativeboom.co.uk/ really helpful for all round.

Regards,

Jimbo!

Postcards - x 4 bunny - pencil work - Madman's Throne

I have 4 postcards available (limited stock). These were initially printed for an exhibition in Looe. The White Rabbit was featured (although friendlier) in the Yoillo Annual Xmas Calender.  

The Prisoner - pencil drawing of prisoner

Mary King's Close (inspired by Edinburgh's MKC)

*The White Rabbit - based on an omen behind the Jolly Sailor in Looe

*The Madman's Throne - parasitic entity living on it's host.

The parasite is the madness.

Postcards are £1 each
or £3.50 for all 4

BUY Order/Get in touch>

Gadget Factory Theme - Satzuma

The Story
In conjunction with the brand. We developed a back story and established a creative process from there – step by step.
The Satzuma men come from their own world, where they make these wacky-cool-stylish gadgets (the products) , an exciting prospect to begin with. The Satzuma people, need to build and source the gadgets. From there, we took a few logical steps; a warehouse? Too limited, overseas? Very literal and not very exciting, we need something where the user experience can be greater, pull them in and walk them around the Satzuma world, this concept is to engage the fans and the businesses - this needed to be the next step from Gadget Garden… A factory!

With all that leaping about spitting ideas about the place in a mammoth brainstorming session, (not all on one day and there might have been actual spit) we needed to consider how this would work in terms of brand, construction and applying the Satzuma effect. This idea needed to push the brand and ultimately, sell the product.

From The Ground Up – Planning
Step 1) Products – how will the theme frame and display the products
Step 2) Brand – Stick to brand guidelines whilst stretching them, remembering it has to be commercial.
Step 3) User experience – how will this make the user feel and imprint our brand as one of the memorable experiences of their day at the trade show.
Starting with the Diamante products, the creative process evolved from there, the crystals would be mined ( where else could the Satzuma people get those semi-precious gems!) or quarried, giving an excellent starting point from a theme, the factory gets its raw materials.

What about the other products? That zing, that craziness which epitomizes Satzuma, Where do they come from what is the origin of this madness… the Satzuma Juice! The products are pulled from this viscous orange liquid that is chemical composite of fun, gadgetyness and placed into the range, still warm!
So based on this back story we needed; Conyeyor belts, mad machines, logos, juice, boxes, pipes,signs, engines, steam, vacuum chutes and pressure gauges and so on!

Below are some examples of artwork used in the project Copyright Satzuma LTD.

Conclusion(ish) – Design – UI – Marketing – Interaction - the entire process
The chance to conceptualize and develop a wacky theme idea into the existing brand has been an exciting experience, the Gadget Factory has proved to be challenge in terms of practicality and how we would deliver this in a real world environment. We needed to make this work across multiple platforms in print, exhibition design, Illustration, marketing artwork and online media (flash animation and interaction) there will be more of this to come in the near future.

Free Stock Image : 4 guns + bullet, outlines

FREE STOCK IMAGE

Stock image - please feel free to use. Designed by me.
p90, SA 80 (british army), Sniper Rifle, Ingram/or uzi. (PNG) eps to be
added to my site in the future.

Ho-Ho-Ho White Rabbit for calender

Dear all

Have a Merry Christmas. Here is an Illustration that was on the Yollio advent calender.
The White Rabbit. Time to head round to the caravan for some gas heat, drink and cheer!

Illustration Meet Ups in Central London - network with other creatives and expand your business

Yoillo! Illustration Networking

Last Wednesday, I attended another Yoillo meet up in the quiet upstairs pub of the Yorkshire Grey. A traditional comfy pub tucked away in the back streets of central London. I sat there drinking my cider, waiting for the other attendees; slowly they trickled in, with the organizer Rob Barrett being the first.

The 'Yoillo meet ups' are basically the chance to network with other artists and illustrators and talk about random everyday stuff, or your latest project with like-minded people. I work as a Designer and Developer in gadget company producing artwork web bits, so I'm always looking for edge. In other words, I work across a wide area of creative projects; they call me ‘Art Guy’ at work, a Mr Crayola of the company. I found this get together to be an refreshing way to chat and network in an informal and relaxed way with industry professionals. These types of artists ranged from cartoonists, gothic artists, designers of various genres. This was great way of feeling inspired and keeping your ear to the ground.

On both occasions (October and November) 6 + people have turned up to the event, (25 plus at its biggest so I’m told) we exchanged business cards, flyers, did a bit of show and tell and picked each other’s brains about the industry and what is going on in the world at present. Ultimately it’s a great chance to get out the house for a chat and drink... so come along and bring others.

Professionals and hobbyists welcome! Usually around the middle of the month after 7pm.

Thank you Rob!

My character illustration and freelance work

**the group**http://www.yoillo.com/