Adobe have unveiled “Muse”, their new web design tool which promises the ability to publish websites without writing any HTML code. Designers will be able to design and build sites using a piece of software which is similar to Adobe InDesign. If you’re familiar with Adobe’s other products such as Photoshop and Illustrator, then you’ll know all about palettes, toolbars and other floating boxes. Muse looks and feels somewhat similar.

Adobe Muse is available in beta form right now from Adobe for Windows XP or newer and Mac OS X 10.6 or newer, so long as the Adobe Air 2.7 framework is installed. Muse is a codename, as Adobe have not announced a definitive schedule for release of version 1. The Muse website (which itself was created using Muse) says a version 1 release will happen in early 2012.

The website production process using Muse is defined as:

• Plan
• Design
• Preview
• Publish

Plan allows designers to define all pages on a site. Master pages allow the designers to create templates for different parts of the site such as headers, footers and logos.

Design allows the user to layout images, text and other content from services such as YouTube and social networking sites, as well as creating slideshows using widgets.

Preview enables users to test their site.

Publish requires an Adobe Business Catalyst account. The site is published and hosted by Adobe. However, Adobe says once Muse’s trial phase is over, designer will be able to pay Adobe to host their site, or importantly choose to host sites at other providers. You can currently export HTML to output the HTML and CSS files and upload to a host of your choice.

It sounds very promising and I was glad to read that the sites can be published to any host. In my own experience teaching web design, I find that after learning Photoshop and Illustrator, students tend to hit a bit of a wall when we move into Dreamweaver in terms of placing text and images on screen. Using Dreamweaver requires a shift in thinking when it comes to layout and using DIV tags along with CSS can seem quite laborious compared with a click and drag of the mouse as happens in the other Adobe programs.

You can download the free beta of Muse now on the Adobe site.

So I’ve decided to close down and dissolve Laughing Lion Design. It’s officially been a company since 2006. I’m doing this for a few reasons and it has nothing to do with a downturn or lack of business, there seems to be plenty of work out there if you’re willing to find it.

What ultimately prompted me to make the decision, is that my husband, who I’m completely bananas about has been sick and there is nothing that helps you prioritize faster than having a loved one not doing so well. Let me say he will be fine in time but it’s made me think that I’ve been spending far too long in front of a computer or with a laptop stuck on my knees. I can’t ever see myself looking back and thinking “I wish I’d spent more time on the internet.”

My second reason for shutting up shop is one that I’ve known for a long time and that is: I’m a really crap business woman. I’m good at design and making things look nice (and a few other things) but I quite literally agonize over talking about money, invoicing, forms and all that stuff. I have a great and patient accountant who speaks to me in baby language and I still don’t understand it. The “business end” of the business of design has always flummoxed me and I’ve never really come to terms with it, so I’m bowing out now while I still have my sanity.

I’m in a very lucky position in that I’ve had a steady job teaching design for nearly eight years now – Photoshop, illustrator, Indesign and web design – even while I was running (or attempting to run) the company so I’m not out of work  and I also have my writing job for Sitepoint’s Design blog (so no need to send those food parcels and cheques just yet, although I do love food parcels).

So thanks to everyone who has hired (and paid) me to design websites, brochures, posters, business cards, logos and all the assorted bits and bobs over the past few years. It’s probably going to take a few weeks/months to wind the company up, apparently there are many forms to fill out and hoops to jump through, but I am no longer doing any more design work for the company.

I feel quite relieved now that I’ve finally made this decision and have no regrets about either starting or finishing it. I tried it and it wasn’t for me so now I can move on.

I would like to mention that I’m still interested in design and illustration collaboration projects for fun and doing things I really enjoy like photography as a hobby.

Finally this blog will continue with design news and tutorials. I started this before I started the company and it doesn’t really cause me any stress and I think people find the tutorials useful so that makes me happy too.

Till next time

Jennifer

Trumpet blowing time. I was delighted to receive an email from Megan at HOW Magazine’s blog telling me that Laughing Lion is listed in the May Top 10 websites for designers. So I’m very happy about that. It’s always nice to get a link but extra nice when it’s from an organisation like HOW that I’m a big fan of.
You can check out the other websites listed this month here.

I bought this little book a few weeks ago and have been intending to mention it here on the blog. The Victoria and Albert Museum in London has a massive archive of designs for textiles, decorations, wallpapers and prints. This book is a small collection of 70 patterns from that collection created during the 1950’s. Some of the artists included are Joan Miro, Paul Klee and Alexander Calder. It’s a small hardback book and each page is given over to one image with some info about the creator.

Masks furnishing fabric, by Robert Stewart (1924-95), for Liberty & Co. Screen-printed linen and cotton. London, England, 1954.

At the back of the book there is a CD which has high-resolution images of all the patterns featured. The images are copyright Victoria and Albert Museum, London and are available for personal use but by contacting the museum it may be possible to use the images for commercial use. According to the V and A “our commitment to inspiring design means that securing permissions should be both reasonable and quick”, which sounds pretty good to me.

There’s a Flickr stream called Advertising that has tons of photographs of retro packaging. I just love looking at this stuff and graphic design from the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s. The packaging is generally brightly coloured, although often with a limited palette per item. The fonts and typography are very cool and the illustration quirky . The pictures in this stream are by Roadside Pictures and you should check out their cool American roadside photography too.

Here’s a couple of my favourites from the Advertising set.

For your viewing pleasure and inspiration, here’s a few links to some beautiful and interesting type design. (All images in this post are copyright of the designers).

The Best in Custom Letters 2009, from Lettercult. 15 (yes fifteen) pages of beautiful hand done type.

Lovely website on graphic designer Lester Beall. The first graphic designer to have a one man show at the Museum Of Modern Art. The site includes a section on his surrealist typography.

Neue is an online magazine/project concerned with two things, type and cities. The entire site is based on typographic submissions from designers.

Designer Michael Paukner’s Flickr Photostream is filled with goodies, like this atheist Christmas card.

The wonderful work of Christian Northeast (what a cool name) found via the Jealous Curator.

Google before you tweet is the new think before you speak. (via We Love Typography)

What do you think of these?

Please feel free to add links to typography you love in the comments.