September 2006 (#127)

CA126 ON SALE NOW!
No Limits Design

For many designers today a job producing an illustration for an add campaign just isn't going to cut it in terms of challenges and financial rewards. The current generation of designers are more likely to match commercial work with a whole load of side projects which really stretch their talents and imaginations which could be anything from interior design to fabrics to installations.

In this month's main feature we take a look at No Limits Design and explore the almost endless creative opportu8nities available to designers determined not to be tied to one creative discipline

Elsewhere, as the growing trend of mixing illustration with photography gathers steam, we take a look at directing photo shoots and producing your own stunning photographic source material with help from master of the art, Sarah Howell.

Enjoy!
Paul Newman, senior editor

COVER STAR
Classic character design from Jon Burgerman

One of the design world's best known and best loved entrepreneurial doodlers, Jon Burgerman is leading the charge back to distinctive, intricate hand-drawn work.

Burgerman's work has graced the pages of The Guardian, Grafik, Pictoplasma and Creative Review. He has also recently picked up a D&AD Silver Award nomination for his work for Levi's.

Typifying the current generation of entrepreneurial designers prepared to try their hand at anything and everything. Burgerman was a total shoe-in in terms of illustrating our No Limits Design feature.

PROFILE: Fold7
Getting multidisciplinary with London's Fold7

To understand Fold7's truly multidisciplinary approach to design it's probably better to ask them what they don't do.

The Soho-based design group lists print design, video, web, interiors and exhibition among its skills and is determined to add more.

According to founder Simon Packer, whenever the company is offered a project is consider to be a creative challenge, kit take the works on - whether it's a web site for an architecture firm or a video trying to find the "fun side" of miserable old Goth band The Cure.

Find out how they got on in Computer Arts 127.

CUTTING-EDGE TECHNIQUES
Sixteen pages of creative advice and inspiration

Update your design skills with the tutorials in issue 127.

This month's Computer Arts is packed with the usual tasty mix of practical tutorials giving you the chance to try something new or polish up you design techniques.

First off we're going back to basics and looking at how to utilise the old neglected office photocopier to add gritty textures to clean vector images with stunning results.

Elsewhere we look at using scripts to generate graphics in Illustrator, look at speeding up processes in Photoshop, create illustration suing Flash and, in the final installment of our Illustrator partworks on digital Japanese-style skin art, look at the process of adding colour.

WHAT'S ON THE CD
Get Quarked up

This month's CD is, as always, jam-packed with creative goodies to keep you busy for days.

We've got a demo of the long awaited QuarkXPress 7 alongside an essential QuarkXpress XTensions toolkit including a trial version of Badia's OpenNowPro and freeware including PageFrame, Vistas and ReplaceInPlace.

Our Designer Series of video interviews continues with some sound advice on careers in the creative industry from illustrator, writer and educator Lawrence Zeegen.

SPECIAL READER OFFER
Subscribe to Computer Arts and save 30%

Why run the risk of missing an issue of Computer Arts? We're currently offering a 30 per cent discount on a year's subscription. That's a saving of £24 a year or the equivalent of three albums from the iTunes Music Store.

Subscribers also get a special edition of the magazine without any coverlines and, believe us, they look pretty damn special. Just see this issue's glorious full-bleed coverline-free Burgerman cover. Oops, you can't. Unless you subscribe, of course...

Hit www.myfavouritemagazines.co.uk and fill out the form to see what you're missing.

COMPUTER ARTS PROJECTS
What's hot in Computer Arts' sister magazine

Computer Arts Projects explores something close to every creative's heart this month - design for the music industry and to celebrate this area and all its designer goodness we've packaged the magazine in a brilliant and highly collectable 12" shrink-wrapped cover.

Inside we've got tips and tutorials from some of the best in the business, advice on breaking into music design from some of the industry's best known names, profiles on Big Active, Ninja Tune and Tom Hingston and a trawl through some classic sleeves.

Grab your edition from all good newsagents or call +44 (0) 870 837 4722 today to reserve a copy.