ariane c design, a communication design studio specializing in art direction, graphic design, logo identity, copy editing, proofreading and web design

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  • Apr26

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    Hotel Tonight for iPhone, Android

    Posted in: Apple, iTunes, Lodging, Software, Technology, Toronto, Vancouver

    If you’ve ever run into the scenario of being stranded at an airport due to flight delays, or been convinced to stay “just a night longer” while visiting friends, there’s now an app for spontaneous travel decisions like these.

    US cities

    HotelTonight is a last-minute hotel booking app currently available in over 30 American cities. It will launch in Canada on April 26th for the Vancouver and Toronto markets, with more cities to follow. Here’s a great solution to booking for a same-day stay. The app promises to find and book a deeply-discounted (up to 70%) room at one of the hottest local hotels for you. Sounds good so far.

    Here’s how it works:
    Each day at noon local time, HotelTonight releases three featured deals for that night in each city (via the free iOS and Android apps).

    iPhone HotelTonight screen shots

    You can scroll through each hotel’s details and book in “just three taps and a swipe.” You’ll have until 2 am to complete the reservation, and will be able to book one to five nights at a time.

    iPhone HotelTonight screen shots

    Notable hotels include Toronto’s Cosmopolitan Hotel and Thompson Toronto, and Vancouver’s Moda Hotel and Pan Pacific.

    This will be great for visiting friends and family who are looking for a great deal and perhaps have already booked their flight weeks earlier, in order to take advantage of a cheaper fare.

  • Dec16

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    HP Photosmart 6510 e-All-in-One

    Posted in: Product Reviews, Software, Technology, Vancouver

    HP Photosmart 6510 printer

    This week, I’ve been test-driving the HP Photosmart 6510 e-All-in-One printer. This model forms part of the new revolution in wireless printing, with a wealth of features packing a punch at US/CDN $150.

    HP Photosmart 6510

    I like the combination of matte and glossy black finish and sleek design of the printer.

    HP Photosmart 6510 app screen

    It’s the amount of features that perked my interest in reviewing the 6510 in the first place:

    - Automatic two-sided printing
    - Access apps directly from the touchscreen for printing recipes, colouring pages, and games without a computer
    - Make the most of fun and useful templates for calendars, games, and other projects using HP Quick Forms
    - Print photos and documents, make quick copies, scan and get access to apps from print to the web

    - Produce lab quality photos; scan using the 3.5 inch colour diagonal screen
    - Print on photo quality or plain paper (plus a variety of media types) using the automatic paper tray
    - Access online photo libraries
    - Onboard memory slots to print photos without a computer
    - Uses four individual inks, expandable to high-capacity cartridges to save on usage costs

    - Print photos and documents while on the go
    - Set preferences to who can access ePrint, a service available as a wireless network
    - Integrated wireless networking allows cloud printing from multiple computers
    - Access a suite of mobile printing solutions (via connecting the e-All-in-One to a wireless network)
    - With AirPrint™, print wirelessly from an iPad, iPhone or iPod Touch

    - Consumes up to 50% less paper with two-sided printing
    - ENERGY STARⓇ qualified
    - Utilizes less than one watt of energy in Off mode

    For the purpose of experiencing a typical install, I’ve outlined the steps I took in getting the 6510 ready for action.
    Read the rest of the post »

  • Dec6

    1 Comment

    meshwest Vancouver 2011

    Posted in: Business, Education, Events, Inspiration, Networking, Social Media, Software, Technology, Vancouver

    meshwest 2011 stage

    Mesh is a Toronto based organization started five years ago by five friends who believed that an event was needed to get people talking about the Web. Launched in Toronto as a two day conference, Mark Evans, Rob Hyndman, Mathew Ingram, Michael MacDerment and Stuart MacDonald (the “mesh gang”) have brought their conference out West to include Calgary, Edmonton, and Vancouver.

    Each of the past five conferences have brought sold out successes to the group, and in 2009, meshMarketing was founded. meshwest is the one day version of the conference, one that I hope will see many future years! By all accounts, the tweets, questions posed to the speakers, as well as positive feedback I was overhearing (and contributing to!) during the day, this will certainly happen.
    Read the rest of the post »

  • Oct28

    3 Comments

    Merging Media 2011: Day 1

    Posted in: Branding, Business, Education, Events, Inspiration, Networking, Social Media, Software, Technology, Vancouver, Web Design

    Merging Media Conference Day 1

    Here’s a mash-up of yesterday’s Merging Media Conference panels and speakers, divided up into their respective sections. The two day event is taking place at SFU Woodwards Goldcorp Centre for the Arts, and has thus far proven a perfect opportunity to meet with talented gamers, developers, and media makers from Canada, the US, and beyond. I missed a couple of panels, but most are covered here.
    Read the rest of the post »

  • Oct18

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    livemenu Preview at LIFT Restaurant

    Posted in: Branding, Dining, Events, Gadgets, Photography, Software, Technology, Vancouver

    With the runaway success of Apple’s iPad, many companies have been busy launching third party applications and coming up with intelligent uses for the tablet device. Binnj, a one and half year-old Ontario startup, has brought major restaurants to the iPad with their interactive menu software. livemenu™™™ aims to replace paper menus once and for all.

    Binnj livemenu launch at LIFT
    Read the rest of the post »

  • May28

    2 Comments

    Adobe CS5: Illustrator

    Posted in: Adobe, Graphic Design, Illustration, Print Design, Product Reviews, Software, Technology, Typography

    Following my recent Photoshop and InDesign reviews, I’ll cover a few of the many new features Illustrator CS5 has to offer.

    Dash Adjustment
    Dashes that don’t exactly fall where you want them can now be altered to fit correctly. Illustrator will calculate the dashes to make them flow around the artwork. The options are in the stroke panel. Segments where paths containing dashes meet no longer look awkward, and the dashes will adjust to corners and path ends, adjusting their lengths to fit.
    Read the rest of the post »

  • May27

    3 Comments

    Adobe CS5: InDesign

    Posted in: Adobe, Graphic Design, Product Reviews, Software, Technology

    Here’s part two in a series of three reviews covering the latest features in the “big three” CS5 Design Premium programs: Photoshop, InDesign, and Illustrator.

    Multiple Page Sizes
    Multiple page sizes is great for keeping a series of different size elements (e.g. a brand identity package) within the same InDesign document. It’s great for creating book spines as well. Pages of varying sizes can also be based on the same Master Page, by selecting Show Master Page Overlay and then repositioning the artwork to where you’d like it to be on the new page.

    Show Master Page Overlay
    Read the rest of the post »

  • May26

    5 Comments

    Adobe CS5: Photoshop

    Posted in: Adobe, Photography, Product Reviews, Software, Technology

    Millions of Adobe fans tuned in anxiously to the CS5 Launch event, and I was no exception. Having watched the multitude of new features across the suite packages that promise to make our creative lives more fun, easy, and productive, I thought it best to focus this review on the “big three” apps for designers: Photoshop, InDesign, and Illustrator.

    Part 1: Photoshop
    I still can’t believe Photoshop turns 20 this year! Here are a few of the major Photoshop enhancement tools for CS5.
    Read the rest of the post »

  • Apr27

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    Adobe Creative Suite Apps for the iPad?

    Posted in: Adobe, Software, Technology

    Apple iPad

    [photo credit: Solid Blogger]

    I came across an interesting series of comments this morning on Markzware’s blog.
    Read the rest of the post »

  • Apr19

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    David Blatner’s InDesign Secrets Live Tour

    Posted in: Adobe, Events, Graphic Design, Networking, Print Design, Software, Technology

    David Blatner is no stranger to the software world. He’s the author of over 15 software books including InDesign, Photoshop, Quark XPress, co-hosts InDesignSecrets.com, and serves as Editorial Director for both InDesign Magazine and The InDesign Conference. He’s also created InDesign Tips, a convenient InDesign plug-in for both Mac and Windows operating systems. I’ve been a fan of his since the early days of Quark Xpress.

    The Vancouver InDesign Group is proud to have David present the InDesign Secrets Live event this Wednesday at the Vancouver Film School. There are still tickets available for the all-day event. He’s sure to bring up some of the features of newly-launched InDesign CS5. Attendees will also receive a one year subscription to InDesign Magazine, several plug-ins and other valuable tools to make the most out of InDesign. The event is sponsored by InDesign Magazine, InDesign Secrets, and DTPTools.com

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