Dingbats to Go: Production Graphics with Wendy Peck at webreference.com

Dingbats: Design Elements to Go

Danceman/Davy's Other Dingbats
PhotoShop Charcoal/Layer Effects

Foopy 7: PhotoShop Mezzotint/Layer Effects

Davy's Other Dingbats: CorelDraw Artistic Media Tool/Fill Enhancement

Putting a site together has never been the difficult part for me. Once I have the look, the content, the graphics ready, it all flows pretty quickly. Getting the design ideas is usually a matter of choosing which one of many would be better. Again, not a challenge.

But creating the right graphic elements quickly … now that is one that can make me pull my hair out. I can see it, not in final form, but I have the concept in my mind. Not quite solidly enough to sketch it, but I will know it when I see it. Usually, I am looking for a shape, a mood. . . or an inspiration.

Dingbats can save you hours when you stop thinking of them as text, and see them as graphic templates. What is a dingbat, if not an outline? An outline just begging to have your style applied to it.

And they come in sets. Find one that sets the right tone and you usually have many other outlines in the same style to choose from. Design the first one, save a set of actions and click, click, a design set - in your style.

This article is intended to give you a set of ideas. From here, apply the graphic techniques that you use to put your signature on a piece. There is a step-by-step example for both PhotoShop and CorelDraw, and a quick one for Macromedia Flash (Flash and dingbats were made for each other).

And don't forget to let us know what you have done with this technique. Send URL's, small GIFs or JPGs (post large ones to a site and send URL) to [email protected].

As a starting example, take a look at this classy little heart made from "Y" in Webdings. I have a passionate dislike for most animated graphics, but this one is so subtle. When I first saw it, I looked at it three times before I noticed it was moving. I just could not help returning to it, perfect for a press release. Effective animation. Thanks to Marion at Numanet.com for sharing this with us.

"Greg Brown gives benefit concert for In Harmony ... and donates all the profits from his new Solid Heart CD."

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Dingbat Tutorial Index

Dingbat Tutorial Start
Viewing and Selecting
Working with Dingbats
PhotoShop Basics
Create Actions for Sets
CorelDraw Basics
CorelDraw for the Web
Flash Symbols
Resources and Special Offers