Some people get excited about the next new greatest ever you gotta have these features release of Adobe’s latest software. I used to be one of those people. In fact, I bought Photoshop when it was one of the first apps to run on a Power PC in ‘93, and again when the jaw-dropping layers feature came out in ‘94. I was very excited when Adobe incorporated all the Macromedia products I love with the Adobe products into one big X-mas package.

Over time I’ve become a tad bit jaded. I dropped a load of change on the last round of creative suite so I could get the apps I use on a daily basis and ended up with some I have hardly opened. (I’m a PSD gurl, Illustrator makes me itch). I’m in a rut, sure, but I know my tools and I’m comfortable with ‘em.

So you can imagine I’m not doing cartwheels about the new release of Adobe CS4. I breathe a huge sigh of relief as I write this after having read this review from OnWired. From now on I’m with that “every other release” crowd. If my designers want upgrades great, but for me, I think I’ll wait.

Let’s face it, being stuck with only a handful of fonts can be limiting for designers and frustrating for clients.Of course there’s Flash or even sIFR, but there’s another option. facelift (FLIR)is a javascript image replacement script that doesn’t require Flash or even a graphics editor. All you need is to be able to run a php config file and add some JavaScript to your page. Can’t run php? No problem, they offer a hosted solution as well.

Of course you can do a whole lot more than headings. Take a look at the quickstart and see where your instincts take you.

As designers, we have a unique opportunity to make an impact on how the world sees things. Here are 10 (ok, 11) ways to make a difference in the world through design.Technorati Tags: design for change, design, web design

Anybody who knows me is aware that I love Flash. Say what you will, but it’s grown a long way from the baby animation tool it was when I first started using it. I admit that sometimes it’s use is not warranted, but the way that Flash is being used for graphing and visualization tools just can’t be beat.

Here are just a few links to peruse:

Fidg’t
Visual Complexity
Flare
Open Flash Chart
Social Circles

Who says Flash is just for animation?