The internet is often the keeper of accidental treasure and inspiration. While searching for some photography online through the Library of Congress two years ago, I stumbled upon an exceptional gem of a resource. Buried deep amongst pages of digital layout lies a remarkable little darling of pure, hand-painted, graphic design. Originally untouched by Adobe Photoshop or a digital printer, the product of authentic artistic talent.

The Library of Congress online catalog of WPA posters is a sure source of visual stimulation. Created by President Hoover in an attempt to provide relief to millions of unemployed Americans during the Great Depression, the administration provided thousands of projects for out of work artists.

Once upon a time Designers used pencils and paint to hand draw precise letter-forms and produce effects that are similar to that of Photoshop filters.The accuracy and style was phenomenal. No Pen tool was available to get the curves just right and no “cut and paste” to recycle pre-produced graphics. Each letter drawn with exhaustive care rather than being instantaneously spit out by a blinking cursor. While one would think this could only produce work that pales in comparison of what the mighty Macintosh helps assemble today, the contrary is actually the case. The Artists of the WPA helped to enlighten generations of designers to come.

What fascinated me when looking through these posters was the direct connection between the stylization of the 1930s and what you see now in advertising. Whether we consciously realize it or not, the work of the WPA left a lasting impression in the world of visual communications.

So when the daily grind of being in the creative industry is getting you down take a moment and check out the Library of Congress Collection. Take in the ornate simplicity of a poster created for the Philadelphia Zoo, or contemplate the rich curvature of Charles Vershuuren persuading you to attend the Water Carnival in Central Park. Why not take advantage of this repository for creativity, these works belong to all of us.

[techtags: WPA Posters, Vintage Design, Library of Congress, Inspiration, Poster Art]

There are different levels of expertise when it comes to the Google Search.

The E-creeper. This is the uber- advanced Googler who can find your X-girlfriends Wedding Photos and tell you the current street address of your third grade teacher. They usually are savvy enough to know how to track the IPs of those who come to their myspace account, so dare not to outsmart them. While this sounds like a sketchy MO, its good to know an E-creeper in desperate situations. Never date one, they have the possibility of making your life sheer hell.

Advanced Searcher. Track down a photo? Find that campaign mentioned in a blog? No problem for this smart search engine explorer. Finding relevant information is what this person excels at… using quotation marks and search engine commands when seeking answers. They have a solid awareness of how the web works and often can take control of their own destiny by using search engine optimization on their personal web ventures.

Basic Finder. These people are thinking big and getting big unfiltered results. Like using an atomic weapon to solve a rat problem, you are going to find what you searched for but hit everything else in the process. Most people fit here, using google as a tool, but really having no idea the magnitude of power they can leverage from its enormous capabilities.

You can Google that? These people are completely oblivious to the fact that a search engine can provide many of the answers to life’s mysteries. Sure they use the internet, but they would never consider leveraging its power. The ignorant and lazy often fall into this category, not realizing they can get the answers all on their own. It frightens the crap out of me how many people I encounter who are on this level.

So why does it matter what category you fit in. You may not even know what you don’t know, and that is exceptionally dangerous. As a designer, developer, internet professional, or human being it is your duty to become involved in the world of interactive media. There sits this fantastically wide ocean of pure knowledge. It is littered with static, garbage, and porn, but when you are capable of diving in and pulling out that gem of information you will become that much smarter than you were before. Search engines are your guide. Get to know your guide on a more personal level and they will show you where all the locals hang out. The Locals always know where the best Fish tacos are. And what is a successful trip to the sea of knowledge without some good-ass fish tacos?

[techtags: Google Searching, Search Engine, E-Creep, E-Creeping]

Reworking a website is never my favorite task. Its always more fun to start a site from scratch writing the HTML super clean. A few times I have been given the task to rework other’s sites. If you write any HTML you will know that everyone has their own style. This usually causes me to curse out-loud and blame ridiculous habits on those who are no longer working at the company. I am one of those coders who talks out her code verbally asking aloud “why are you not floating left… float LEFT!”. When it is someone else’s code I usually say something along the lines of” what the hell was #&!@ thinking when he wrote all of this inline CSS?

Today I am reworking one of my sites that is about 2 years old. It is one of the first sites I ever coded quasi-on-my-own. After a bit of procrastination and fear of what may lie beneath, I peaked under the hood to find mountains of
tags. Gasping in horror… “how could i have written this?!”. Looking away in denial I thought to myself “maybe i can just not touch it, no one would notice”. While wrestling with these disturbing feelings the truth percolated through my conscience. It was too late,the image of excessive tags had been burnt into my brain. The embarrassment of ill kept code began to eat me up. Something must be done.

While I don’t mind the revisions, it is the embarrassment of having written it in the first place that hits me hardest. After beginning the process of rebuilding, I started to think about it. It could be worse. These could be tables or non breaking spaces. This code that I am wading through could be horrible given the circumstances. I was designing exclusively for print only a few months prior.

There is a more hideous scenario: Two years after writing the erroneous code I could see nothing wrong with it, making no progress at all. Back then my attitude was like “sweet i know CSS, I can make a website”. Now that attitude is ridiculous and I have learned to stay mindful of what I don’t know. This goes along with a theory I have had for some time. If a potential employer asks you to rate your Photoshop knowledge on a scale of 1-10, and you say 10… he/she will know you are full of yourself. Not even the most badass designers will admit to saying they are Grand Masters of Photoshop. If you do say 10 and the employer is ok with it, then it is someone you don’t want to work for because they have no understanding of the industry.

Whether it be Photoshop, web development, businesses, or design if you think you know it all you are selling yourself short. I hope to continue to be desperate and hungry for web knowledge. The threat of falling behind is looming over us all. In an industry that moves so fast it is often discouraging to keep up. A run on the treadmill may knock the wind out of me but I hope a little bit of HTML never does.

[techtags: HTML, CSS, BY, Web Development, Code Habits]