“Are you sick of signing up for every web 2.0 application that comes out, just to find out whether or not it is actually something you will use? Cut out the middleman and visit DemoMarks for the latest screenshots, tutorials, and reviews on upcoming web technologies. Our walkthroughs will give you a complete head to toe look at a service without ever signing up!”

Cool. A whole issue of Idea dedicated to Mr. Tschichold, including:
Works of Jan Tschichold
I Studies and Early Works [Leipzig 1902-1926]
II For New Typography [Berlin 1926, München 1926-1933]
III Typographic Posters [München 1926-1933]
IV Modern Revival of Traditional Typography [Basel 1933-1946, 1950-1967, Berzona 1967-1974]
V Reformation of Penguin Books [London 1947-1949]
VI Writing and Publishing
VII Designs for F. Hoffmann-La Roche & Co. Ltd,
VIII Design of Sabon
IX Interests in the East
X Miscellaneous [p.196 special contribution by Baumann & Baumann

“(*Smartest, Prettiest, Coolest, Funniest, Most Influential, Most Necessary, Most Important, Most Essential, etc…) The essential strength of a magazine is its ability to amplify. An idea, or an image, or a story, set within the pages of a magazine and assembled by the right hands, can become the grist of breakfast chatter, dinner-party conversation, or elective body debate around the world. Until recently, with the advent of USA Today and the national editions of The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal, newspapers were by and large local endeavors. Magazines were national, and as they became international, their power of amplification grew exponentially.”

Seen via MeFi Projects: “Okay I own a lot of domains. Most of them have websites running on them, and I was having trouble keeping track of all of all them. Domain Log Book is the place for you to track all your domains, simply add them to your log book, and see their Google page rank, and Alexa traffic rank on one page. More stats are coming in the next few weeks.”

“When I was last at Junkudo, I spotted this terrific book, THE SECRET SENSE OF JAPANESE MAGAZINE DESIGN. It was put together by CAP — the company behind most of the great layouts you see in Japanese magazines these days — and covers the history of Japanese magazine design by spotlighting 12 or so magazines (titles like POPEYE, ESQUIRE, and STUDIO VOICE). The intro is bilingual, and the rest of the text is Japanese-only, but don’t let this stop you from picking it up, since it’s all about the layouts found within, and that’s what you mostly get here.” (Thanks Coudal Partners!)

Cameron Moll: “With both remorse and relief, and I bid farewell to life as a freelancer. It was a blast while it lasted, and who knows if it’ll be the last time I ever freelance. For archival purposes, noted here are a few final lessons learned over the course of 540 days of self-employment. (See also ‘10 things in 180 days’ and ‘10 more things in 360 days’.)”

“If you’re like me, you live your life on post-its. Everything from grocery lists, to new ideas, to super important phone numbers that I should never, ever lose. It means that when I’m looking for that super important number, I have to look through every other post-it to find the one I want. Enter the OVERnote. The OVERnote is something I came up with to help me navigate this paper sea. Now my notes are self-catagorizing and I can find things at a glance.” (Thanks Magnetbox!)

“Increasingly, many UX professionals feel that they have the experience and insight to wield more authority and make a larger impact on the products they help to build. Product management is garnering more interest from interaction designers (IxDs), information architects (IAs), and UX designers looking to increase their influence and ensure user-centered product development. Becoming a product manager is a logical move for many UX practitioners, as it requires many of the same skills, traits, and competencies involved in crafting a user experience.”

Rodrigo Sanchez on designing Metropoli: “A quick cover will take me two hours, maybe less. The most laborious one can take two weeks. And, as always, everything is relative. It’s not the same to design a cover in which all the elements solely depend on you as opposed to depending on other people: photographers, illustrators, writers, etc.”

“First of all, my disclaimer. Music is quite a personal thing. Everyone has their own favorites, what music helps them get through their workload. This article aims to contribute to your choices to possibly improve productivity through your music choices.”

“The goal of the Urban Curators project is to engage the public in the celebration of the decaying urban environment, recognizing its inherent aesthetic qualities as well as the important role that it plays within our cultural habitat. The project achieves its goal by elevating common, overlooked objects and spaces within the city of Providence, Rhode Island to the level of high art.”

Illustrators takes drawing by kids and turn them into the wild, imaginative creatures that kids can’t quite draw themselves.

“The Word of Mouth Marketing Association has some great statistics and presentations available on their site. The title for this post comes from the finding that 76% of consumers think that businesses don’t tell the truth in advertising.”

“What do corporations expect to reap in return from their zines? Not direct sales. Filled with the typical zine fare of rants, comics, interviews with musicians, and poetry, U Don’t Stop—like most other astroturf zines—doesn’t openly sell its patron’s products.”

“When you start a company, eventually you are going to have to choose a company name. You may not take the decision that seriously - but trust me, a great name can make all the difference. As the online marketplace becomes increasingly cluttered it is more important than ever to be memorable and to stand out. The name of your company is a critical factor in this.”