nickstaroba.com

57 US Quarters

Nick — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 18:22:39 +0000

I’m unsure how useful this might be to anyone, but I’ve compiled vector versions of all the new US Quarters. Only one is shown here but there are 57 altogether:

nickstaroba.com_09-08-11_57-US-Quarters_AI.zip (Zipped AI CS4)

nickstaroba.com_09-08-11_57-US-Quarters_SVG.zip (Zipped SVG)

Sites I Like: Fonts500.com

Nick — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 23:10:27 +0000

I have a problem. I can never pass up free fonts!

Take a look at Fonts500.com and its list of the top 500 free fonts that are floating around the Web these days.

Now if only I could find the time to organize and clean out my massive font collection…

Drill: Exercise Your Skills

Nick — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 12:20:21 +0000

A couple days ago I realized that I’ve been doing a weekly exercise for the last 5 months. Every Monday I create a letter sized flyer for an event held the following Sunday. I try to limit the time I spend on this to 30 minutes and I create it in one color (I only have a black & white laser printer where I make this).

The result has been an unexpected improvement in my overall skill and speed.

So if you’re looking to hone your skills or just keep in practice, try it out:

Create a letter sized, black & white flyer that uses the same basic text in under 30 minutes every week.

Here’s an example:

Give it a go. You might be surprised.

Detroit Skyline 2

Nick — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 22:51:14 +0000

I needed a better Detroit Skyline for a promotional piece I did recently so I’ll share:

nickstaroba.com_09-03-12_Detroit-Skyline-2_AI.zip (Zipped AI CS4)

nickstaroba.com_09-03-12_Detroit-Skyline-2_SVG.zip (Zipped SVG)

Bittbox.com

Nick — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 01:50:30 +0000

I’ve been following BittBox since the early posts and it’s been a great resource as well as inspiration for my own site. It’s a one stop shop for tutorials, free artwork, textures, fonts and more but with the best part of the shop left out: the cost.

Check it out…you might find something colorful and interesting.

BittBox.com

42 Shield Shapes

Nick — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 22:06:57 +0000

There is a versatile and widely used shape common to many designs whether it’s a promotional piece or a logo: the shield. Here is a collection of 42 common and not-so-common shields.

They are basic shapes in vector format and I hope they will give you a good start on your next project:

nickstaroba.com_09-02-22_42-Shield-Shapes_AI.zip (Zipped AI CS4)

nickstaroba.com_09-02-22_42-Shield-Shapes_SVG.zip (Zipped SVG)

Detroit Skyline 1

Nick — Thu, 25 Dec 2008 14:00:40 +0000

One thing I’ve always had trouble finding has been a vector skyline for Detroit, so here’s a couple I whipped up:

nickstaroba.com_08-12-23_Detroit-Skyline-1_AI.zip (Zipped AI CS3)

nickstaroba.com_08-12-23_Detroit-Skyline-1_SVG.zip (Zipped SVG)

Realistic Photo Print

Nick — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 14:13:14 +0000

I’m not much of a “shopper” but I found a great tutorial on making a Realistic Photo Print. So, as my first freebie I’m offering up the template:

nickstaroba.com_08-12-23_Realistic-Photo-Print_PSD.zip (Zipped PSD CS3)

All you need to do is select the “Mask” layer and paste in whatever image you would like to use. Delete or hide the original “Image” layer then manipulate that new layer to fit and that’s it.

The original image in the template can be found at Wikimedia Commons.

Enjoy!