Best of the Web – July 2009

Jul 31st in Web Roundups by Grant Friedman

Each month we round up some of the best vector content on the web and post it here for everyone to enjoy. This month we had a lot of fun identifying the best vector tutorials, freebies, and articles. Take a moment and review some of the best vector content from around the web for the month of July.

Author: Grant Friedman

Grant Friedman is the creative mind behind Colorburned Studios, a freelance graphic and web design firm. Grant got his start as a designer in 1999 when he began drafting electronic newsletters for organizations he was involved with. Over the years he has worked for a number of businesses, organizations, and individuals. His primary design tools are Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, Fireworks, and InDesign.

Tutorial Wrap

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  Create a Character Mascot with Adobe Illustrator CS4

  Mascots are becoming increasingly popular in web and graphic design. This intermediate Illustrator tutorial by Rype, from my website (Colorburned), will show you how to create a vector character mascot from a sketch. The techniques that you will learn can be easily applied to other illustrations, icons, and design elements.

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  Creating a Snarling Panther Icon Using Simple Shapes

  One of the best things about Adobe Illustrator is the ease in which you can create basic shapes. Using these basic shapes to your fullest potential however can take practice. This tutorial from Bortonia demonstrates how to use simple geometric shapes to create a snarling panther icon.

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  Create a Stylized GPS Icon

  Location based software peripherals have become quite popular these days. This beginner/intermediate tutorial from Vectips will show you how to create a stylized GPS icon using simple shapes and gradients. Using these basic techniques, you can easily create other icons, logos, and illustrations.

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  Ultra-Easy Pattern Making – Illustrator Tutorial

  Creating seamless patterns in Illustrator can be fun and challenging. This tutorial from PeHaa shows how to create a simple, seamless zigzag pattern using Adobe Illustrator. She then goes on to explain how to convert your tile to an Illustrator and Photoshop pattern swatch.

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  Mastering Illustrator Effects

  Illustrator effects are powerful tools that can be used to create a variety of different styles. This tutorial from Web Designer Wall explains how to use several different effects to help you save time and work more efficiently in Illustrator.

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  How to Draw Cartoon Eyes Using Adobe Illustrator

  When you’re creating a character the eyes can often make or break the illustration. Drawing eyes however can be easier than you think. This short tutorial from Hungred demonstrates how to draw cartoon eyes in Illustrator with just a few steps.

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(FREE!) Download Picks

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  Free Vector Doodles – Women’s Clothing & Fashion

  While this article may have been published in June, it was published slightly after last month’s Best of the Web article was written so we thought we would include it. This vector freebie from Spoon Graphics includes some excellent doodles of women’s fashion and clothing.

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  Witch Ornament Pattern

  Vector patterns are incredibly useful resources for your design work flow. This gorgeous pattern tile from Craftsmanspace on DeviantArt can be used to create beautiful backgrounds or overlays for your designs.

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  10 Free Grungy Spray Vectors

  You can never have too many vector sprays in your arsenal. Vector sprays have an unlimited amount of uses. This set of 10 grungy vector sprays from My Ink Blog and Fuel Your Creativity will make an excellent addition to your collection of design resources.

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  Vector Flower Illustrations

  Creating illustrations from basic shapes is always fun and exciting to do. This gorgeous set of vector flower illustrations from Nicegrfx contains several illustrations of various objects including a heart, cat, bunny, and telephone; all created from flower shapes.

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  Drips and Splatters Vector Symbols Library

  When we said that you can never have to many sprays in your arsenal, we weren’t kidding. This set of vector drips, splatters, and sprays from AiVault will make an excellent addition to your collection of design resources.

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Vector Inspiration

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  Fonts Used In Logos of Popular Websites

  Ever been curious as to which font was used to create some of the most visible logos on the Internet? This fantastic post article from Build Internet investigates which fonts were used in the logos of some of the most visited websites.

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  Design Trends: 40 Awesome Illustrative Web Designs

  There are a lot of design trends out there these days. This inspirational post from Spyre Studios showcases one of the coolest trends around – illustrative web designs. Illustrative techniques can add character and depth to an otherwise dull design. Check out this post and see what we mean.

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  Lessons from Swiss Style Graphic Design

  Swiss Style is more than just a design style originating from Switzerland. Its roots stem from the art of several talented Swiss designers. This article from Smashing Magazine showcases a variety of designs created in the Swiss or International Style.

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  Ultimate Retro Graphic Design Inspiration

  The retro style continues to influence contemporary graphic designers. This inspirational post from Abduzeedo showcases the work of several artists who were influenced by 1970s and 1980s style and culture. This post is a fantastic read for anyone interested in retro-style design.

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  Weekly Vector Inspiration #26

  Each week our friends at Vectips publish a fantastic list of inspirational vector graphics. Check out this amazing list of inspirational vector graphics from the early part of July. It is definitely worth a look.

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