WWW.ALLGRAPHICDESIGN.COM
A one-stop site for all your graphic needs.

This well-linked resource was formerly known as www.deezin.com. The new, improved site is more aptly named but contains the same amount of information on graphic design aimed at both the student and the professional. You can find free downloads and other information resources for filters, fonts, images, templates, plug-in ware, etc.

This website takes you a step further with tips, tutorials, and articles that could be extremely useful for whatever level of practice in graphic design you have achieved.

The archived articles provide even the most seasoned artist with a wealth of art, graphics, and web designs from other talented professionals. "Training Your Creative Self: Five Tips for Ultra-Creativity" by Angela Booth could help those who need to get their creative juices flowing. "Why Art" by Joseph Devon, can help those needing to understand why they are in such a creative field. Are you lost in the world of insider lingo? Do you know what you want but can't find it anywhere? Check out the section on "Software Specific Tips" and learn more about Canvas or Flash or any of the other programs. Click on "Artist in the Spotlight" and "New Portfolios" and prepare to be blown away by the work of graphic artists. If this doesn't inspire you, nothing will.

A graphic design enthusiast could learn much on this site, but be prepared to spend a lot of time discovering all of its different components. This is truly one site you won't want to miss.

Reviewed by R & RC Staff Member Nancy Thorne – O.C.

The Business & Technology Authority For the Sewn Products Industry

Who is the most profitable apparel company? How is this measured? What are the latest developments in global sourcing technology solutions for U.S. apparel manufacturers? Apparel: The Apparel Industry Magazine (formerly known as Bobbin Magazine) answers these questions with enough left over to fill an overseas shipping container. This trade publication is essential reading for managers who need to stay informed of the latest in business and technology developments that affect the sewn products industry. It's also very interesting reading for people who are just entering this field or the related industries of fashion, merchandising, and retail sales.

Apparel covers the hot topics in the industry with timely articles on every aspect of the apparel business including:
• Financing
• Sourcing
• Textiles
• Manufacturing
• Inventory Management
• Distribution
• Retail Stores

What is heating up the industry? None other than Hot Topic, the chain of retail stores that has seen a 30.7% increase in sales in just one year, all by selling music-related clothing to teenagers. As for the most profitable apparel firm, Nike makes the most money (net income of $589.7 million in 2001) and has the highest sales rank, but it's Abercrombie & Fitch that has the highest profit margin. Whether you are keen on producing nanotechnology pants that repel spills and stains, you need a way to streamline pre-production, or wonder where all the teenagers bought those metal-studded belts, Apparel is your source for the latest apparel industry information.

Reviewed by R & RC Staff Member Jon Worona – S.F.

The Science of Shopping:

Why is milk located at the back of the supermarket? Why does the Gap use wide, flat tabletops more often than racks and shelves in their displays? Why does Sephora put merchandise out despite the inevitable damage? Paco Underhill's entertaining book, Why We Buy: The Science of Shopping, answers these and other questions you've probably never thought to ask. Geared towards retail executives and shoppers alike, this book sheds light on common mistakes in visual merchandising, tips for stimulating retail sales, and ways to improve the shopping experience.

Some of Underhill's findings include:
• One or two salespeople should be bilingual to help with foreign shoppers.
• The more shopper-employee contact, the greater the average sale.
• People walk toward the right when they enter a store.
• People slow down when they see reflective surfaces.
• If the average customer comes every two weeks, then store windows need to be changed that often.

Underhill is the CEO of a retail market research firm whose "spies" watch shoppers' every move. Creepy, yes, but look how much can be learned! The book is peppered with insights. Why didn't that senior citizen buy that bottle of aspirin they needed? (Because raucous teens kept raiding the soda cooler nearby.) Why did the young dad pushing the baby stroller forego the jeans he was eyeing on the wall shelves? (Because he couldn't get the stroller past all the racks of clothing in his way.)

This data should be taken seriously, but the text is so witty that you forget you're learning! Even if you're not a vice president of a retail company or a window designer, you're probably a shopper. And after reading Why We Buy, you will never look at the shopping experience the same way again.

Reviewed by R & RC Staff Member Kirstie Harless - S. F.