Posted by James Donaldson
By using as many dark colors on our standard monitors as possible we can reduce energy consumption by 20%, and while this may not be noticeable for a single user it can really add up when dealing with numerous computer terminals. According to Stephen at Stephen’s Lighthouse:
“White and bright colors (especially in backgrounds) can use up to 20% more power than black or dark colors. Unfortunately, e-mail and word processors tend to use white backgrounds, so your workstation uses considerable power while you are in these programs, which you are during much of the day. Because black-on-white is the most familiar (it’s just like the newspaper), selecting alternate combinations may not be appealing. However, you can change your desktop background to something efficient. You can change your background by selecting Start, Settings, Control Panel, Display, and Appearance tab. The ‘Item’ field should say ‘Desktop’. Under color, select one of the colors at the right that has a rating below 65W and then click ‘OK.’”
So I have made some simple dark wallpapers using a retro wood theme that may reduce your energy footprint. There are fullscreen, widescreen and iphone sizes - and each has a version with the EcoStatement and one without. There are also some darker versions that are black and white. Enjoy.
WIDESCREEN
» Standard
» Blank
» Dark
FULLSCREEN
» Standard
» Blank
iPHONE
» Standard
» Blank
» Dark
Tags: Designer, desktop, eco, ecowallpaper, energy, green, James, James Donaldson, Paragon, paragon design group, royal, saver, wallpaper
Categories: Blogging, Graphic Design, Just for fun, Sustainability
Posted by Andrew Davies
(Image from sxc.hu.com)
The game has changed for marketers. I know, I know, that’s become a cliche statement by now, but it bears repeating since the rate at which the game is changing (or has changed depending on how you look at it) hasn’t really allowed some of us the time to stop and take a look at how drastically things’ve… well… changed.
For the early-adopters out there the new media landscape is exciting. But for some of us more cautious-adopters (I prefer that to” late bloomers”) and those stuck in the traditional, out-bound, 1 directional, disruptive marketing frame of mind, it can be a bit daunting and sometimes downright scary. But Why? Well this post is my way, as a designer who’s hearing these concerns , of commiserating with any marketers, and brand custodians who’ve been apprehensive about this new social media whoosy-whatsit.
At the end of the day, I think it boils down to a couple of reasons:
1. You’re not in complete control - your users are.
2. The Rules of Engagement are evolving, quickly and constantly.
3. It takes a lot of Commitment.
4. The priorities are different.
5. It feels invasive.
Let me explain…
Read More of this post
Posted by Philip Joyner
With election time coming around it’s important to get out, vote, and let your voice be heard. But being heard is a problem that has plagued our democratic process for the last few elections. There are new digital technologies (the benefits are debatable) being used but not every polling station has access to such equipment. Instead millions will be using the old paper system. Dangling chads, loose larrys and all.
Read More of this post
Posted by Andrew Davies
I know it’s been 23 days since we last posted and it seemed like things were like a ghost town over here, but we have a good excuse… well several actually.
We’ll give more details as soon as we can but with expanding our staff, taking on huge projects in each of our service areas, getting published and ramping up our equipment it’s been a crazy 1st quarter.
And there are big plans for the next few months as well: Conferences, more portfolio reviews, more internal changes… sleep deprivation.
Sorry for the absence but we’ll have updates soon.. we promise.
Posted by Andrew Davies
It would be remiss for us to not mention the return of the event that brought about the Paragon Muse 1 year ago. That’s right, BlogSavannah’s UnConference 2008 is just around the corner. It was at last year’s event that the 3 of us discovered the wonderous blogosphere and inspired us to jump in head first.
This year’s schedule looks to be just as informative.
Posted by Andrew Davies
How busy do you have to be to have another blog post about your own project before you do? Thankfully, pretty darn busy.
But it was a great opportunity to offer our services to The Creative Coast Initiative by designing their blog’s new theme.
Coding expertly done by Chris from the shiny new Nicasio Design.
Posted by Susan Isaacs
One of my favorite of Craig’s photos: “Drying in the Souks” (Marrakech, Morocco)
This is just a quick shout-out to my good friend Craig who has just embarked on a 90 day journey around the world (well mostly Asia anyway) and decided to blog (myninetydays.com) about it. We’ve been friends for quite a number of years…he’s a fellow West Indian, who has roots in Barbados, Grenada, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines like me.
(For those of you who don’t know…”West Indies” is the geographical term for the Caribbean islands, and originated from Christopher Columbus’ “discovery” of what he thought was Asia, or the East Indies. When at cocktail parties, you can impress people from this region by referring to them as “West Indians” rather than “Caribbeans” or any of the other weird terms I’ve heard since living in the US. Click here for a little geography lesson.)
Read More of this post
Posted by Andrew Davies
I’ve had several opportunities to be “the new guy†throughout my life. Whether it’s being the new guy at school, the new guy on the job or the new guy in the country. Being a recent addition to any population allows you to observe certain things that those already involved might take for granted. So being a blogger infant has given me the opportunity to see certain patterns within the blogosphere, as it’s called, and they bear a striking resemblance to those I see in the offline world.
Read More of this post
Posted by Andrew Davies
One of the most integral stages of any design process is research. Which is why, even though I consider myself to be relatively tech-savvy, the decision to attend the Blog Savannah Un-con this past weekend before launching our own blog was a wise one. I thought I knew what blogging was, and through the discussions (and disagreements) of those 1.5 days, I realized just how much my conclusions were based on impressions rather than fact.
Read More of this post
