Hi, I’m Grace Smith

Right off the top, a great idea you have here. My comment/question is this, of the designers I follow on Twitter or via RSS feeds you are one of the very few who will post about other topics such as Andy Murray at the Australian Open or soccer in the UK or anything other than design. It seems to me that your reader base is broadened by being a multidimensional person, yet so many other designers who are prolific posters never stray form the industry. I was curious about your thoughts on this matter.

Take Care
Gerry

Well, since you offered… I have two questions:
1) I use Windows at work & on my home laptop but want to own a 27.5″ iMac for no reason other than because it is beautiful, elegant and I want it. I’m considering justifying my purchase by using it as my sole TV/DVD device (I am no audiophile so sound quality isn’t an issue). Should I do this or is a Mac-as-tv a rubbish idea?

2) I love working with and around design esp graphic design but am not a graphic designer and know my limitations. I understand design (used to teach in a different field of design), and in fact I’m a very good designer of business processes and love linking them to technology solutions. How would you recommend that I sell myself to get a job working with a design firm where, in daily life, (and related to q1) I can use a Mac instead of a PC and talk about design all day with people who think it matters (as opposed to, say, with govt employees who think design = decoration)? In other words, what have I got that (graphic) design firms might want/need/hate doing that I love doing?

@grumpycow on Question #1

As an owner of the beautiful 27″ iMac (and as a graphic designer/web developer) I can agree that it is a beautiful piece of machinery with awesome specs, especially if you get the Intel Core i5! But purchasing it mainly for a TV/DVD device is a bad idea in my opinion. It only supports DisplayPort video and has no VGA, HDMI or DVI outputs. There are USB devices that you can use for TV Tuning though and their are whispers that DisplayPort interfaces are on the way since October ’09.

Grace, hope you don’t mind me jumping in on this one.

What do you use Fireworks or Photoshop or both and why?

@Jason – thanks for posting that, it’s helpful information. Now I will have to look for another excuse!

Im pretty sure that a client has never gone with one of my preferred designs.. and I have at one time or another ended up publishing designs that i really didn’t like at all just because it what was what the client wanted.

I know there are different schools of thoughts on whether a designer should do this. What are your thoughts and what ‘tactics’ do you employ (if any) to sway a client towards a particular design