A good friend of NoD and Flash guru Chris Georgenes has just authored another of the super popular “How to Cheat” series. We are giving away a copy of his new book How To Cheat In Adobe Flash CS5. To win the book, post a link below to your favorite example of flash animation. The animation does not have to be yours, just one you like.

We’ll pick a winner on Monday and announce it here.

Also, check out this interesting video interview with Chris Georgenes over at the Sessions College website where he teaches Flash Animation.

Communication Arts, the leading professional journal for visual communications, has launched a new Typography competition to celebrate the best use of typography as the primary visual element in design and advertising, plus new typeface designs, calligraphy and handlettering.

Jurors include Stephen Coles, type director at the FontShop and editor of Typographica; Allan Haley, director of Words & Letters at Monotype Imaging and past president of the New York Type Directors Club; and Ellen Lupton, designer, curator, critic and author of Thinking with Type. Their selections will be showcased on www.commarts.com and reproduced in the January/February 2011 issue of Communication Arts. More than 50,000 copies of the issue will be distributed worldwide assuring important exposure to the creators and publishers of these award-winning projects.

Entry deadline: September 10, 2010.
Submission requirements and FAQs can be found at CommArts.com/competitions/typography

Good 50×70, the social communications project is back for 2010 for its fourth edition. Asking the communication design community to support social issues the project is definitely one of the most prominent social oriented activities in the industry. Good 50×70 asks communication designers to respond to a series of creative briefs that support the issues of a number of NGOs and charities. Poster submissions will be judged online by a jury including Jonathan Barnbrook, Lars Müller, David Berman, Woody Pirtle and Massimo Vignelli.

For more information about the briefs and the project, visit Good50x70.org. The deadline has been extended until Tuesday 22nd June at 00.00 GMT time.

Are you a 2010 graduate designer? Plan-B Studio founder Steve Price has a challenge for you! Since the beginning of 2010 Steve has been undertaking a rather intriguing challenge, Project 10; 10 projects in 10 months working with 10 NFP/NGO organisations or projects. Rather than sending out press releases to promote the endeavor, he has been using the London Newspaper Club to create a limited-edition mail-out to 100 industry leaders and press contacts. The content is contributed to by writers, designers, artists, illustrators and other generous people, who team up and work collaboratively on the content itself.

For the June issue, Steve’s picking ten graduate designers for a carefully created issue that celebrates the best of the design industries newbies. To get yourself and your work in to the paper you must source, organise and interview your design industry hero/heroine for the paper SPECIFICALLY about the notion of collaboration in today’s industry. Contact Steve with your plan/idea, and then you’ll be asked to supply up to 500 words for the interview, images to support the interview and/or examples of your own work.

Deadline is Tuesday 8th June 2010.
For more information contact: project10@plan-bstudio.com

Have you created a fabulous trade show exhibition design lately? If so, you should let the world see it! Exhibition Magazine’s 23rd Annual Exhibit Design Awards is accepting entries.

Designs that were launched between Dec. 1, 2006, and Dec. 1, 2008, can be entered in several categories, which include categories: Green Exhibits (designs that reduce the negative impact on the environment, as realized through sustainability, eco-friendly or recycled materials, and/or a reduction of energy consumption.) Elements and Details (Innovative elements or materials that are part of a larger exhibit. Look here for examples) and Small Budgets and Small Spaces (Custom exhibits measuring 10-by-10 or 10-by-20 feet with a budget of $15,000 or less.)

The 2009 competition will offer one EDGE Award (for Exhibit Design and Graphic Excellence) and multiple Gold, Silver, and Special Merit Awards. Winners will be featured in the May issue of EXHIBITOR magazine, read by 30,000 marketing professionals in the trade show, corporate event, and meetings industries. To apply and find out more go the magazine’s web site.

It seems like Obama’s supporters are determined to make him go down in history as the candidate with the hippest signage ever. (Or perhaps the recent decline in enthusiasm among young voters is making them nervous.) Design and graffiti legend Shepard Fairey has teamed up with artist-designed t-shirt peddlers Upper Playground and Move On to host the “Manifest Hope Art Gallery” at the Democratic National Convention. The gallery, open from Sunday, August 24 through Thursday, August 28 2008, will feature both known and new artists all supporting Barack Obama for President. Moreover, should you feel so inclined, your work can be a part of this project. The groups also launched a related contest today, calling for entries of visual art from grassroots supporters of Senator Obama. Read the rest of this entry »

Designboom, together with partners DA Design Association of Japan and Tobu Department Store, is calling for entries for their international Green Earth graphic design competition. The competition is divided in two themes, and you may enter projects in one or both categories. The first theme is called ‘Green’ and competitors are asked to create a graphic artwork that illustrates environmental protection and how human beings and nature could coexist in a greener world. The second theme ‘Earth’ is based on the idea of giving the gift of a greener world at Christmas. Entries should be a graphic artwork that creates a link between this festive time of year and a call to help our planet’s survival. Use of iconic Christmas motifs such as rein deers and trees are allowed and encouraged.
Read the rest of this entry »

The British Council’s initiative Creative Economy, which aims to help establish global networks in creative fields, is announcing the launch of its new UK Young Design Entrepreneur award. The purpose of the award is to create networks between young design entrepreneurs and the design industry in emerging economies. The three finalists of 2008 will travel to India to meet leading industry figures and participate in meetings, tours, talks and workshops with the goal of establishing future collaborations. Read the rest of this entry »

This is a last minute call for HOW’s 10th annual Interactive Design Awards.

The competition is open to all designers from anywhere in the world. Any interactive, interface or motion designs for the web, for kiosks, for broadcast or for use on Macintosh or Windows platforms, including CD-ROMs and DVDs, are eligible. Projects created between January 1, 2007 and July 15, 2008 are eligible. Entries will be accepted in 12 categories including the new In-House category.

The competition’s Best of Show winner will be profiled in HOW’s 2009 International Design Annual and will win a trip to the 2009 HOW Design Conference. All winning entries will be featured in the International Design Annual, and some may be showcased on the HOW website. Entry fees are as follows: $75 Regular Entry and $50 Student Entry. Entries must be postmarked by July 15, 2008. Late entries will be accepted until August 1, 2008.

For more information, rules and official entry form, visit here or send an email to how-competition@fwpubs.com.

A still from the “Hands” campaign for Hewlett-Packard, the 2007 first-place winner. AGENCY: Goodby, Silverstein & Partners; DESIGN FIRM: Motion Theory.

We know the submissions deadline is not until November, but it’s never too early to give yourself a head start for PRINT magazine’s prestigious Creativity + Commerce: The International Business Graphics competition. Some of the reasons to enter: you would be awarded serious bragging rights, your work would be displayed in a special section in the October 2009 issue of PRINT and there are cash prizes totaling $9000.

Submitted work must have been produced between July 1, 2007 and November 1, 2008, and should fall within print graphics and interactive/motion categories. Enter here

In the meantime, we can look forward to the announcement of the 2008 winners in October and read about last year’s winners here