I’ve been working very hard, which hasn’t left much time for blog posts. I’ve decided to start posting quick tips here — the solutions to problems I’ve run across in my work. Some of you are working designers, and these tricks may be helpful to you. Some of you are design aficionados, in which case these kinds of posts may not be interesting , but I’m working up a new feature for you, too, in the near feature.

Problem: You create a JPG image in Photoshop that has the same background color as you’ve specified for your web page. The goal is to make the image background blend into the page, so that the image is not boxed.

The page looks great in Firefox (and other browsers), but when you open Safari, the background colors don’t match. You double check — the hexadecimal codes are the same. What gives?

Solution: Check to see if your Photoshop JPG has saved a color profile with the file. Safari, unlike other browsers, will respect this setting and actually change the colors in your image to match your specifications. It’s pretty sophistiated of Safari, but it’s usually not what you want when you’re designing a web page. Save all of your Photoshop JPGs without an attached profile, and you should fix this problem.

ETA: Here are some example screenshots:

JPG image on color background in Firefox

JPG image on color background in Safari, saved with profile

JPG image on color background in Safari, saved WITHOUT profile

You can see these pages at http://www.leslietanedesign.com/example/ (with profile) and http://www.leslietanedesign.com/example/test2.html (without profile).

Quick — what is this?

If you said a yellow fetus floating next to three red blobs, you’re in agreement with my mother and me.

If you said a drink called “The Normandy,” you’re correct.

The usually redoubtable New York Times Magazine used this picture in its weekly food article, this one about Calvados. It’s hard for me to believe that someone found this image appetizing.

What do you think? Are we seeing things?

I love failblog.org. If you could use a laugh, check it out. I’ve posted some of my favorite design related fails below. Bad design always reminds me that good design really is important. Some of the best design is the kind that you hardly even see, or at least notice. You wouldn’t give that Vermont Maple Syrup Sign a second glance if it was designed correctly.

see more pwn and owned pictures

see more pwn and owned pictures

see more pwn and owned pictures

see more pwn and owned pictures

We’ve been having a 1970’s revival in graphic design for the past few years. Orange, brown and yellow? 70’s color revival. Graphic patterns, featuring colored circles and swirls? 70’s revival.

1970's era design, via http://www.berting.nl/seventies/

2008 image, via istockphoto (http://www.istockphoto.com)

As in all things design, things change. And, as much as I hoped this wouldn’t happen, the 70s are making way for the 80s (again). I was in high school in the 1980s and the fashions and styles of the times are burned into my memory in a horrific mishmash of leg warmers, thick shoe laces, Bon Jovi, big hair, belted oversize shirts, pegged pants, neon, and acid wash jeans. See below — and please note, this is NOT me. (If you’re a real glutton for punishment, check out the Flickr group 80s.)

http://flickr.com/photos/hepe/483361489/

Why do I think 80s are on their way back? Here’s just a taste of what you can find in stores today:

Target and Urban Outfitters

Urban Outfitters

So what does this mean for design? I’m forecasting jewel colors (sapphire blues, ruby reds, emerald greens), a return of thicker typefaces from the ultrathin ones we’ve seen recently, neon (I hope I’m wrong about this!), drop shadows and outlines. Here’s what graphic design looked like, circa the 1980s:

I’ll be very interested to see how this plays out in the next three or four years. Done right, the best of the 80s could translate into new, interesting design. After all, ten years ago few people were looking at 70s design (avocado green appliances! bell bottoms! orange!!) and longing for its return.

What do you think? Are there styles (design, fashion, home or otherwise) that you’re hoping will come back? Are there pinstriped jeans in your future? Are you too young to have fully experienced 1980s fashion and are looking forward to a nice pair of Ray Ban aviators? Or are the 80s a bad dream?

The award for most boring cover design on a fiction title goes to… America, America: A Novel by Ethan Canin. Snoozefest.

The cliche art, the clunky transparent white area behind the title, the uninspired choice of De Vinne for the type, the flat black and white text colors, the blah placement of the text. This looks like a completely uninteresting book.

Surprisingly, though, that doesn’t seem to be the case. The reviews I’ve seen about this book are all raves. There are no less than 29 enthusiastic blurbs on the Amazon page. And my local Barnes & Noble hung a giant version of the cover in its front windows (which is why I noticed it in the first place).

Usually a book by an acclaimed author that gets the full PR push from the publisher tries a little harder in the cover department. I wonder what went on here?