BlogmyQuery – BMQ

If you like to spread your CSS over multiple files, as many people do (but I don’t), it is generally a good idea to concatenate them before deployment to reduce the number of HTTP requests.

There is one thing to be aware of when doing this – if you use any @import rules they must precede all other rules in that file, as per the CSS 2.1 specification. So if any other than the very first of the CSS files you concatenate has an @import rule, the combined file will violate the specification.

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Posted in CSS.

Copyright © Roger Johansson

When you think of sports, probably the last thing you think about is art or the freedom of expression. You probably think about the high energy. The excitement. The competition. The sweat. The blood. The tears. All of these tend to be associated with sports, from the most physical ones like football, to the least physical ones like golf. But art and sports are not mutually exclusive. Far from it, in fact. Just look at skateboarding.

Never have we seen a sport so closely linked to art as the skateboarding community. It’s a bit odd, because when you think of athletes, you might think of the stereotypical “dumb jock” and not of an “exceptional artist.” In that sense, you have to give your respect to the skateboarding community–without creativity or artistic freedom, skateboarding would probably be just seen as another crazy competitive sport. As it stands, it is also a powerfully creative force.

Skateboard Art

There’s a belief that skateboarding was a spin off of surfing culture; the guys want to ride the waves when there weren’t any waves, so they ended up shortening the board and putting wheels on them to ‘surf’ the streets. Of course, eventually, it evolved into less of a spin off and more of it’s own thing–it’s own community, that started to become popular in the 70′s and 80′s. From then to now, people had a real connection with their craft–it wasn’t just another thing to be good at, it was an extension of themselves and what they liked to do.

The ever growing popularity of the culture is great and as artists, it’s tough not to pay attention. Skaters have these great connections to their boards. They are aware that their board is part of them and they treat it as such. One of the most important things to a skater about their board is often the art on it. Most of the time skaters try to get a skateboard with art that relates to them or they customize them to continue to be a reflection of the individual.

This culture is built around, and promotes, creative individuals. Whether it’s by adding stickers to their boards, designing it in Photoshop or painting on them with acrylics or spray paint, skateboard art is a force to be reckoned with. There are some amazing things seen on skateboards that one couldn’t even fathom for canvas. Skateboard art and skateboard culture go hand in hand. Here are some examples of some great skateboard art from individuals and companies.

Art on Board

Zombunny by Klownhed

049: 112.1 by HateFuel

Rose Garden by YASLY

Bold is Beautiful by Jeff Finley

Buddy by Icanady

Eureka’s Castle Village Skateboard by David Diliberto

Dead Heart Skateboard by OptimusDesigns

Death is so Near by NOF ArtTherapy

The Exact Moment by Chuck Anderson

Gun Deck Skateboard by OBX Russell

Places You Can’t Imagine by Chuck Anderson

Rail Gun by Kiran-X

Retrocks – Board Collection 2 by JKohohen

Rihanna Skateboard by Artistlsak

Sk8 by God of Insects

Skate Branding by ChickenChild

Skateboard by FairyTale Thriller

Skateboard by Funeral Edition

Skateboard by Kitten-Nyo

Skateboard by Sir SiriX

Demon Hunter Skateboard by Stephen Tian

Skateboard Design 002 by Broken Brain Designs

Skateboard Design 4 by Tyra WM

Skateboard for Popdeck by TheHermitDesign

Skateboard Update by UnDead Amy

Spray Candle Skate Deck by Gwaraddict

Vector Skateboard Deck by Alvaro93

Wolf or Whale by Katie Major

Wood Morning Decks by Artendrju

Fierce Skateboard by Luis Diaz Artist

Conclusion

Skateboarding is really a sport like no other, one that promotes creativity and free thinking. It has sometimes blatantly, and other times silently, influenced many other cultures, especially in the realms of music, fashion and art. When one gets past the stereotype that the sport is for punks who are up to no good, it’s really easy to appreciate not just the physical and technical sport, but the art form. How do you feel like skateboard art and culture have influenced you?

(rb)

Packaging is considered to be one of the main influences in the marketer’s world, instantly forming the first impression. It also helps determine the initial success of the product, since customers are accustomed to making instant decisions. Thus, the more memorable the package designs are, the better the chances that the merchandise will end up in the cart. And when you are depending on the attractive outer shell, artistic package designs definitely run the show.

The clear advantage of creating illustrative packaging is that it will definitely stand out among other products on the shelf. Another great advantage is that people instinctively believe that the sophisticated and artistic cover brings with it a higher quality of product. But creating visually appealing design, packed with illustrations is not the easiest approach. Not everyone can rise to meet this particular challenge, providing customers with finely balanced design that reveals both the creative side of the designer and the essential aspects of the product.

The collection below showcases excellent examples of fully illustrated package designs that captivate with their originality and creativity, all the while providing the customers with all the necessary information.

Industrial Makeover

1. Burnt Sugar. At first glance the design has 3 memorable things which immediately catch the eye: bright, almost toxic background colors, radically different illustrations for each package and mind-blowing typography. This product is aimed not only to satisfy hunger cravings, but also intended to bring an aesthetic pleasure to the customer.

2. Active Packs uses an unconventional approach to drawing your attention to the various advantages and useful properties of the product by filling all available space with hand-written inscriptions and visual images.

3. Kiss. Unlike the two previous examples that are packed with abstractions, this one focuses only on a single illustration of a specific object, covering every part of the package.

4. Saturday Night Live: The Game perfectly utilises the approach of “the more, the better”, heavily applying character illustrations, catchphrases and rules. The package design serves two purposes. First, to make the game easy to understand to customers before buying it. Second, to convey the emotions and joy that are hidden inside the box.

5. Absolut Watkins is a really complex design that takes every detail into account. Affiliated with the famous Swedish illustrator, the bottle cover calls on fashion by using stylish figures and trendy colors. Moreover, the illustration has a clue where to buy this product that is hidden in the image of the airport.

6. Fisheye Black beautifully combines black and white abstract illustrations and colorful image installations, invoking mixed feelings.

7. Laranja Mecânica is a great example of how to properly use only two classic colors, black and white, in order to force the product to jump off the retail shelves. Although, the high density of illustrations makes the package looks a bit messy.

8. Interpack 2011 Exhibition Concepts uses monochromatic illustrations throughout these to-go carrying containers, presenting objects of everyday life that together tell the story of one girl.

9. Taste of Yellow Chocolate has an amazing background that is filled with yellow drawings that perfectly pop against a black canvas.

10. Penhaligon’s X’mas Gift 2011 is fully illustrated gift wrap that brings a note of a traditional British feel. With an illustration of classic a brick building as the core identity element on the front side and artistic drawings typifying the short stories on the back, the packaging arouses the vague feeling of British quaintness.

11. Mari Vanna, in contrast to package design No. 7 that also uses only black and white colors, this one has the perfect combination of a pure white background and elegant, clean black illustration.

12. Good Ol’ Sailor Organic Vodka effectively utilizes a maritime theme, providing the design with a range of vivid pictured marine inhabitants.

13. Tesco Standard Plus Cakes calls on sweetness, using a gentle color scheme and astonishing typography throughout the whole package.

14. Brains ‘n Bones comes up with an engaging and quite radical solution, creating frightening illustrations of zombies that, at first push you away, but then attracts with skillful execution and enormous attention to detail.

15. Burger King Global Packaging is the kind of design that you don’t see very often in the restaurant industry. Hand-drawn illustrations of the food and abstract interpretations of the beverages make the restaurant not only a pleasant place to eat, but also the place to boost your inspiration.

16. Moonstruck Chocolate has an amazing handcrafted nature illustration with a slight fairy touch. The embossed effect that is used to give the wrapper a more three dimensional look, emphasizes the beauty of the composition and creates a multi-sensory experience.

17. Captain Ahab gives the impression of a worn-out, slightly dirty packaging, which is obtained by leveraging the old-style typography with a warm colored, noisy background and abrasive illustrations.

18. Simone Fuchs Tea creates something of a fluid brand with its diversity amongst the package designs. Each product has its own unique, but at the same time similar, scratchy nature-inspired illustration, complemented with a rough typography peppered background.

19. Five Point Art Supplies uses awe-inspiring graffiti graphic elements to deliver their message. Hand-rendered typography together with bright colorful ribbons are intended to show artists the right way.

20. R3 Stories reimagines classic book covers. The brand uses comic style typography, old-school illustrations and a dingy textured background. To further the packages’ engagement with personality, every book cover has its own unique and memorable design.

21. Absolut London allows the consumer to dive into the world of London chic. The bottle is decorated with complex illustrations with a predominant use of a muted red and blue palette. The illustration represents 7 different characters, that by means of facial expression and distinctive appearance, tries to embody various fashion eras.

22. Naturade uses a bold and simple combination of typeface and abstractions in their packaging. It is a great example of the accurate implementation of vibrant textile textures and condensed graphic elements.

23. What On Earth. Despite having a simple round label that is not too different or has that enviable of typography, the overall design captivates with its background illustrations. The rough hand-made pictures of the organic world that are beautifully incorporated into the package design demonstrates the main purpose of the goods, and make it complex and attractive.

24. Moloko. The designer has done an amazing job building an identity that is noticeable. The regular milk package plays into a new vibe through the reproduced picturesque urban scenes made in 3 different color palettes.

25. Friggs Rice Cake relies heavily on traditional abstractions of nature and the countryside. With nothing superfluous, the package looks really sophisticated and vibrant, driving home the message of clean and simple food.

26. Paw Ridge is a most impressive printing, that is upscale without being snooty. The illustration, made in a natural style, consists of fictional characters that make the product adorable by evoking childhood memories. It is a great example of how small package illustrations can send powerful messages.

27. Rhythm screams urban art deco style by means of simply pictured inherent attributes of modern youth. Despite having a heavily illustrated background, the simple bold typography is well set and really speaks volumes about the product.

28. How Stuff Works Box Sets is another example of a heavily illustrated package design. With the use of muted colors and monochrome illustrations, tightly placed on the box surface, the design conveys a warm experience.

All for Now

As you can see, sometimes creating packaging designs can be the perfect solution to convey the brand essence, and establish a connection with customers on an emotional level. All the examples represented above have unique and catchy packages, that will definitely come get noticed. Now it’s your turn. Tell us which package designs excite you the most? Which brand, in your opinion, has the most engaging and revealing design? Sound off, we are eager to hear from you.

(rb)

For today’s collection, we have chosen Autodesk 3DS Max tutorials that will unlock the techniques you need so you can master your 3D Studio Max skills. With the help of the 3D visualization rendering, you can create the perfect feel and look you are wanting for your images. And the tutorials we have for you will help you to harness the power of this useful tool.

In this post, you will find over forty amazing and exceptionally helpful 3DS Max tutorials that cover all aspects of 3D modeling, from materials to lighting as well as animation. We hope that you will find this collection helpful to sharpen and show off your 3DS Max mastery. Enjoy!

Towards a 3D World

Creating Bicycle Model in 3DS MAX
This tutorial will show you how to use an editable poly to create a bicycle. You will learn how to use the editable poly and simple shapes like cylinder and box to create assets for the 3d mesh. It will also show how to manipulate turbo smooth modifier.

Clock Tutorial
In this tutorial, we will show you a few tips to create a clock in 3DS Max and render it with Fry render. Then, we will show you how to apply fry materials and how to make the light setup. Finally, we will show you how to work with the tone mapping and layer blending controls.

How to model an Iphone 4 with 3DS Max
In this tutorial, we will show you how to create an iPhone 4 in 3DS Max and VRay. We will cover both modeling and rendering.

Create a Wooden Toy Car in 3DS Max
In this tutorial, artist Hatice Bayramoglu will give us an overview of the process he used to create his Wooden Toy Car scene. Although the main focus of the tutorial is the modeling of the car, Hatice will also give us a brief look at the lighting and rendering settings he used to complete the scene. Let’s take a look.

Making of Ayasha
In this tutorial, we will be creating a 3D cartoon character “Ayasha” by using the 3DS Max, Mudbox, V-Ray and Photoshop.

Making of Realistic Kitchen
In this tutorial, we will show you the process of making a classic kitchen beginning with component modeling through applying textures and ending with lighting and Vray setup.

Making of a Victorian Building
In this detailed tutorial, you will learn how to create a Victorian Building in 3D max with the help of Photoshop and Vray.

Animating Wall-E Style LED Eyes In 3D Studio Max & After Effects
In this tutorial, you will learn how to create, animate and render LED style eyes for characters like robots or even some products while creating presentations. We will go through the theoretical part and explain why and where you could use this technique and what the benefits of the process are. We start by setting up the 3D scene, jumping in to After Effects, setting up the project there and then heading back to 3DS Max for the final animation and rendering.

How to model Bathroom furniture with 3DS Max
In this tutorial, you will learn how to model bathroom furniture. You will also learn how to create a basic room with illumination. At the bottom of the tutorial, you will find links to download samples of this tutorial in .max, .3ds, .obj formats.

Modeling Interior Lamps in 3DS Max
In this tutorial, we will model three lamps starting with a simple one and continue with more difficult ones using poly modeling techniques in 3DS Max.

How to Create a Car using the Polygonal Modeling
Artists have written this tutorial to help people who don’t know the bases of the polygonal modeling process. The example that he has chosen is to model a simple car starting by a standard primitive: a box.

Create Panorama Image
In this tutorial, we are going to show you how to create panorama (360 degrees) images with 3DS Max. These kinds of pictures can be used well for showing the inside and interior design of places.

How to model a HTC Tattoo, Android phone, with 3DS Max
In this tutorial, we will show you how to create an Android phone and the HTC Tattoo model in 3DS Max and VRay. We will cover both the modeling and rendering.

Creating 3D Logos In 3D Studio Max
In this quick tip, Sasa Posloncec will show you how to create great looking logos in 3D Studio Max in only a few minutes! You’ll learn how to create a vector of your chosen logo in Photoshop and how to export it into 3D Studio Max and make adjustments and add depth. Sasa will then show you how to add additional geometry so the logo will support subdivision. This is an extremely valuable technique that can be applied to logos, text or any other shape your project requires.

Modeling Pisa Tower
In this tutorial, you will learn how to do modeling of Pisa tower in Italy.

Particle Disintegration In 3D Studio Max With Thinking Particles & Krakatoa
In this advanced level tutorial, you’ll learn how to create a particle disintegration effect in 3D Studio Max using Thinking Particles and Krakatoa. While similar effects can be created using Particle Flow, Thinking Particles offers a robust node based system allowing you to truly fine tune your effects.

Making of Sanlik
This tutorial shows the process of creation of the character called “Sanlik�.

Studio Lighting Setup Video Tutorial
This tutorial shows how to create a Studio Lighting Setup, while using 3DS Max and Vray. Hope you find this 3DS Max Vray video useful, go and try this method.

Create A Snake Animation Using Spring Magic In 3D Studio Max
In this tutorial, Chandan Kumar will introduce you to Spring Magic, a very useful free script for animating bones or splines in 3D Studio Max. This script is extremely easy to use and will save you from doing the time consuming task of hand animating bone chains. As a practical example, Chandan will show you how this tool can be used to animate a snake model in only a few minutes.

Classic Chair 3DS MAX tutorial
See how this classic leather armchair with capitones was modeled from start to finish. It’s a classic chair with a capitone cushion. The video is 30 minutes long and takes you through every step needed to make this chair. Hope you enjoy it!

Creating Leather Textures
Many of you are asking how to make good looking leather. So we are showing here in a small tutorial a simple way how to make this kind of material.

Modeling Decorative Mirror
In this tutorial, you will learn how to create this decorative frame for a mirror.

How To Generate And Render Caustics In 3D Studio Max
In this tutorial, author Chandan Kumar will explain how to generate and render caustics in 3D Studio Max. Caustics are an essential element in adding a level of believability to your renders, and simulate the effect of light bending while passing through a transparent or semi-transparent medium such as glass or liquid.

Interior Lighting with 3DS Max Standard Lights
Learn how to light an interior scene using only 3DS Max standard lighting tools. Create a convincing day lit scene with Key, Fill, Ambient and Secondary lights. Setup soft and hard-edged shadows and light colors for added realism.

Modeling Sony Ericsson K530
In this tutorial, we will show you how to model a Sony Ericsson K530i in 3DS Max.

Create A Flock Of Birds Animation In 3D Studio Max
A flock of birds can add an extra level of believability and detail to even the simplest of animations. In this tutorial, Chandan Kumar will show us just how quickly we can setup and animate this type of effect using modifiers, offset animation, and the power of Particle Flow in 3D Studio Max.

Creating Normandy SR1 in 3DS MAX
In this tutorial, you will learn how to model the Normandy Space ship from Mass Effect.

Making of cafe by Tiziano Fioriti
In this tutorial, you will learn how to create a beautiful cafe table.

Glowing Material for 3D Studio Max
In this tutorial, we will explain how to create a glowing material through Architectural and standard materials. Additionally, it will explain how to use the Glare shader to improve glow effects.

Making of Spider
In this tutorial, we want to show you the making of a spider. Possibly you will expose something new on your own.

How to create a Kids Room with 3DS Max
In this tutorial, you will learn how to create a Room for kids. We will not be creating too many details, only the important parts as you see. At the bottom of tutorial, you will find links to download sample of this tutorial in .max, .3ds, .obj formats.

How to model Living Room Furniture with 3DS Max
In this tutorial, we will learn how to model Living Room furniture. You will also learn how to create a basic room with illumination.

How to model a Digital Photo Frame with 3DS Max
Here, you will learn how to create a Digital Photo Frame. The entire process will be covered, how to model, texture, create materials and render with VRay.

Making of Quad Bike
This will be a brief explanation about making of the quad bike.

How to model a DVD Player with 3DS Max
In this tutorial, we will learn how to create a Philips DVD Player. We will learn how to model the player, create materials and apply textures and we will also learn how to create a nice render.

Create An Audio Driven Animated Equalizer Effect
In this tutorial, you’ll learn how to integrate sound into 3D Studio Max and use it to drive an animated equalizer effect. You’ll start by learning some advanced techniques for processing and isolating sound frequencies using Sound Forge, and how these can be independently used to control animation data inside 3DS Max using Audio Float controllers.

How to model a USB Memory Stick with 3DS Max
In this tutorial, we will learn how to create a USB Memory Stick with 3DS Max and VRay. We will learn not just how to model the memory stick but we will also create some basic materials and studio render.

How to model a Table and a Chair with 3DS Max
In this 3D modeling tutorial, we will show you how to create a Chair and a Table using 3DS Max 2011. At the bottom of tutorial you will find links to download sample of this tutorial in .max, .3ds, .obj formats.

Creating Realistic Large Scale Smoke Plumes In 3D Studio Max With FumeFX
In this tutorial, you’ll learn how to harness the power of FumeFX to create realistic large scale smoke plumes. You’ll also get an in-depth overview of many of FumeFX’s features and capabilities and learn some tips on dealing with high resolution, CPU intensive simulations. This is a fantastic project for both new and experienced FumeFX users, and for those who are interested in getting more believability out of their simulations.

Create And Set Up Blueprints In 3D Studio Max Using Photoshop
Correctly setting up blueprints so they’re usable in your modeling work. Sasa Posloncec will show you the best place to find and download blueprints, how to correctly separate, scale and align them using Photoshop and how to get them up and running inside 3D Studio Max.

Creating HighPoly Beretta in 3DS MAX
In this tutorial, we will show the way of creating high poly weapon in 3DS Max.

An Introduction To UVMapping In 3D Studio Max Using The Unwrap UVW Modifier
So UVMapping… you hate it, we hate it. But unfortunately it’s a necessary step in the process of completing most CG projects. In this tutorial, we’ll look at creating UVs using the ‘Unwrap UVW’ modifier in 3D Studio Max, and discuss what UVapping is, why it’s necessary and some ways to approach it.

Creating A Realistic Sea In 3D Studio Max With Houdini Ocean
In this tutorial, you’ll learn how to create a realistic animated ocean surface in 3D Studio Max using the Houdini Ocean modifier, part of the free Houdini Ocean Toolkit (Hot4Max). Creating realistic waves and other water surfaces can be extremely difficult to achieve in 3D, but with the integration of this fantastic plugin, you’ll be rendering realistic ocean scenes in no time!

Interior Lighting by using Mental Ray
This video tutorial will explain you how to use Sunlight, Skylight in the daylight interior scene and render through mental ray. After rendering in 3DS Max, we will show you the color correction in Photoshop. In the end of the tutorial, we will give you some notes which will help you in achieving realistic results in future projects. Overall, this is very informative tutorial which will explain everything clearly.

HDRIs using VRay 1.5 RC3 Renderer in 3DS Max 9
In this tutorial, we’ll work out how to do decent lighting using HDRIs using VRay 1.5 RC3 Renderer in 3DS Max9.

Conclusion

With this collection, we aimed to showcase the most exceptionally helpful 3D Studio Max tutorials that will help you learn the techniques the program has to offer. Use the comment section below to let us know your thoughts on the post. You can also drop a link to a 3DS Max tutorial that is a favorite of yours that wasn’t in our showcase.

(rb)

A recurring problem when making sites fit in a narrow viewport is navigation. The most common approach on larger screens is to use a horizontal navigation for the top level items. Sometimes such menus are complicated/complemented by drop-downs listing sub-items, but I’ll leave that out of this post and focus on how to handle just the horizontal navigation bar.

Now, you could simply let the menu items wrap as they need to on small screens. In some cases that is a completely acceptable option, but often that can make the menu take up too much vertical space. One common design pattern (there are more, as evidenced by Brad Frost in Responsive Navigation Patterns) for avoiding that is to convert the navigation items into a select element on small screens. While doing so does save space and may initially feel like a smooth solution, there are a number of drawbacks, some of which Andy Clarke mentions in The select menu navigation pattern. I think there are better options.

I’ve always felt that using select elements for navigation is a bad idea, be it on the desktop, mobile, wide screens, or narrow screens. Form elements are simply not meant for navigation. So here is an alternative way of solving the problem.

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Posted in Accessibility, CSS, JavaScript, Mobile Web.

Copyright © Roger Johansson