Sc.ripted.com is is an archive of curated links of creative interest updated on a daily basis.

I tweet interesting articles and resources on a daily basis on Twitter, and not just the usual links that are retweeted to death or that most people will have already found (from the larger sites). I know this is a large reason as to why so many people follow me.

However I’ve never taken the time to archive or keep note of these finds (I stopped using Delicious some time ago). I felt it could be very beneficial to create a way to share these links with people without relying on them following me in real-time. This is why (the new) sc.ripted.com was born.

I’ve had the domain for over a year, originally it was bought to be the hub of my website network, but in reality it just lay dormant once I had installed WordPress, installed a simple theme and added some initial content. I love the domain and decided to revitalise the site for something much more useful.

On Tumblr

Quite a few people on Twitter questioned my move from WordPress to Tumblr, but it’s rather unfair to dismiss the platform without acknowledging it’s strengths. For Sc.ripted.com I wanted a site that required no back end maintenance and could be updated in just a few seconds. I’ve used Tumblr before and always loved it’s simplicity and features, so it was my first choice when it came to choosing a platform. I also love the community that surrounds Tumblr.

There are now over 100 posts linking to a variety of awesome creative links and resources, so now is the time to make Sc.ripted one of your go to destinations for inspiration.

How To Follow

Website: http://sc.ripted.com
Twitter: @5cripted

I’d love to hear your feedback and suggestions for the site, so please get in touch via the comments below!

Announcing My New Project – Sc.ripted.com is a post from: Hi, I'm Grace Smith

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As 2010 is now behind us, it’s time to look back on a memorable year in this blog’s short life. This is a hand-picked collection of the best (and most popular) articles over the past year.

X. Nine Dribbble Invites To Win – Get Drafted!

Dribbble invites are like gold dust. I had been a member for several months and only just got my first two invites this particular week. Several friends also offered up invites and this proved to be my most commented post of 2010 with over 169 comments!

VIIII. How To Attract Quality Freelance Clients

One of a series of special posts where I answered readers questions. This post dealt with a question about how to attract a better quality of clients, which is important for any freelancer, as by addressing how to attract a higher quality of clientele you can significantly reduce the number of ‘problematic’ clients in the future.

VIII. Mac OSX Productivity Series: Part One & Part Two

A two part in-depth series which showed how you can get the best out of both the in-built features and the applications available in OS X, to take your productivity to the next level. Part One gets inside QuickSilver and Spotlight before part two discusses Applications and Spaces.

VII. 50 Things You Didn’t Know About Me

I compiled 50 funny, shocking and downright mad facts about myself that I hoped would inspire others to share something about themselves in the comments to break down the barrier between blog author and reader.

VI. 10 Blogs Every Freelancer Wish Existed

We all have our favorite Freelance blogs which consistently produce quality, insightful content. However in an alternate reality what if an entirely different set of freelancing blogs existed. With tongue firmly in cheek, I presented a humorous look at the top 10 blogs every freelancer would like to exist.

V. The Benefits Of Sketching As A Designer

In order to gain a thorough understanding of how beneficial the process of sketching can be, I asked a small selection of talented designers and illustrators to share their process, advice and tips.

IV. An In-Depth Look At My Wireframing Process

I decided to expand on my points in a Mashable article I had contributed to and write an in depth walkthrough of my wireframing process. I personally believe it’s one of the most important stages in the design process as it allows for rapid prototyping and helps me pinpoint any potential problems.

III. What Cheap Web Design Really Looks Like

Following on from my in-depth look at Why Web Design Doesn’t Cost £40 (the previous week), I wanted to get more of an insight into what ‘cheap web design’ actually looks like. So what could you potentially get for that £40? It’s time to find out….

II. Why Web Design Doesn’t Cost £40

Detailing my experience after receiving an email from a local business asking to discuss creating a website for them. The email was very polite and professional until half way through the email I read this: “I was chatting to a lad who can do it for £40…”

I. How To Say No To Spec Work Requests

My most popular post of 2010 details the encounter I had with a very respectable firm who asked me to ‘do a couple of mock pages for their site so that he could see my ideas and vision’, they would then choose the best one from the 3 designers they asked to do this. The Spec Work Email Template is my most successful download on the site ever.

If you have a particular favorite, let me know in the comments below.
Image Credit.

Rundown Of The Best Articles of 2010 is a post from: Hi, I'm Grace Smith

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2. A Look Back At 2009 & My Plans For 2010
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Apologies for the delay in announcing the winner. However I can now announce that Adam Cartlidge has won this gorgeous iPhone case. The winner was chosen using Random.org. Laura from Late Late Gifts will be in touch with you to confirm all the details.

A huge thanks to everyone that entered, I know I’ll be getting one of these for myself as it’s both beautiful and functional. Make sure to subscribe to have a chance to win more swag like this!

———————-
Thanks to Late Late Gifts, I have one of these georgous iPhone cases, worth $45, up for grabs.

This Limited Edition, ultra chic luxury iPhone case is handmade in Austria using premium materials. Your phone will remain secure between two layers of Asphalt grey 100% wool felt with the case also featuring a brown leather lower trim section which has been tanned using natural vegetable dyes, making each case slightly different and unique from the next.

Late Late Gifts is the ultimate next day delivery gifts guide, helping you find those perfect last minute presents – and gets them delivered pronto!

With 270+ shops, you’ll find everything from flowers to lingerie available. The site tells you what each sells, what express delivery costs – and what time to order by for guaranteed delivery to avoid disappointment.

Entry & Deadline

• Leave a comment below giving one reason you should win.
• The deadline for entries is Wednesday 13th October.
• The winner will be announced on this blog post on Thursday 14th October.

Best of luck everyone!

WIN: A Beautiful Heritage iPhone Case (Closed) is a post from: Hi, I'm Grace Smith

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The new Digg is much more streamlined with a clean, refined design and with a renewed focus on building personal recommendation networks.

The first 5 people to click on the image below will grab an invite, so be quick:

Be sure to connect with me – Postscript5 once you’re in! I’d also be interested in hearing what you think of the new Digg, let me know in the comments below.

5 Invites To New Digg Up For Grabs is a post from: Hi, I'm Grace Smith

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Typography should be every designer’s best friend as it is such an important aspect of modern design, that mastering how to use it effectively is essential.

When typography is neglected it can leave you with a sub standard design and impact on the rest of the project which will leave you and your client unhappy with the end result.

You don’t have to look far to see modern typography as it’s all around us as billboards, shop windows and product packaging for example carry some truly inspirational examples of typography.

Here are fifteen outstanding typographic posters that will interest and inspire you in your own projects.

Are there any typographic resources you could recommend? If so, please leave your suggestions in the comments below.

This is a guest post from the talented:

Paul Maloney is a UK based web designer/developer and runs the design agency Tropica. He particularly enjoys using and working with WordPress and has a keen interest in typography. You can follow Paul on Twitter.

15 Invigorating Typographic Posters is a post from: Hi, I'm Grace Smith

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Earlier this week I published my Top 20 Essential Apps for the iPhone, however no iPhone is complete without a variety of weird and wonderful games to pass the time. From first person shooters to puzzles and role-playing games, the iTunes store has them all.

I’ve always been a ‘gamer’ and am probably guilty of spending a little too much time on some of the apps below.

Without further ado, here are the games that I’ve come to love, thus far:

• 1. Angry Birds

Is there anyone with an iPhone that doesn’t own this?! Easily one of the most addictive games available, at times you really will get angry with those birds!

• 2. DoodleJump

This is another game I find it hard to put down. Switching between some of the cool themes available, it will have you playing for hours to get a higher and higher score.

• 3. Canabalt

It’s as simple as tapping the screen to jump, but this game is just heart bursting, dark and intense in it’s gameplay. It also has my favorite in-game music.

• 4. Minigore

I’m the first to admit, I suck at this game, but it doesn’t stop me from wasting too much time trying to unlock all the gore’s!

• 5. Guitar Hero

The interface feels both responsive and efficient and for the money, I think it’s the best music game of it’s nature available.

• 6. Need For Speed Shift

I love racing games, always have and NFS is without doubt my favorite game of this type. I previously bought Undercover and would also highly recommend it.

• 7. Rally Master

Another racing game, though this one is actually much more difficult. It does take time to master this game, which makes it highly addictive and enjoyable.

• 8. Talking Carl

My nephew gives this the thumbs up as it’s the one app he always ask to play! Carl is cute as a button and you’ll soon find yourself finding weird and wonderful things for him to say!

• 9. Hungry Shark

This is a cute, fun and simple game that’s pretty hard to put down, the deeper you go into the game, the better it gets.

• 10. Warships

It’s a simple, pick-up game that is a new twist on the classic game. I especially like the ability to play with other players via bluetooth. It’s a must get free app.

• 11. Fling

A unique puzzle game that I really get a kick out of. It’s not as easy as it looks, and once you get into the higher levels, you really do have to plan your way through those little furballs!

• 12. Flick Kick Football

As some of you may know, I’m a bit of footie fan. This is a highly addictive game which really delivers with the highly sensitive controls.

• 13. Fruit Ninja

Silly concept, great game! Who would have thought slicing and dicing fruit could be so enjoyable. I’m pretty rubbish at this game, but that doesn’t stop me from trying.

• 14. Words With Friends

Probably the best multi-player game (IMO) for the iPhone that you can find yourself playing for hours. A great gaming experience that actually feels educational.

• 15. Grand Theft Auto Chinatown Wars

I’ve been a GTA fan for many years and just had to buy Chinatown Wars when it was released. The controls could be better, but overall it delivers as most RockStar games do.

• 16. Amateur Surgeon

It hasn’t been updated for some time, but I still find this game entertaining (if a little gruesome). The controls can be difficult to master though.

• 17. N.O.V.A

Pretty much like playing Halo on the iPhone, this is an excellent first person shooter. Although it may be slightly too easy for any of you hardcore gamers!

• 18. Helsing’s Fire

This is no ordinary puzzle game, it’s a lot more exciting, colorful and unique. It’s an original game that features puzzle, action and a fun story at a low price.

• 19. Eboy FixPix

This has got to be one the easiest ‘games’ available, however I actually bought it not for the game, but to have the amazing pixel images as my wallpaper!

• 20. Ace Attorney

The storylines are weird, the characters even weirder and the endless dialogue can be annoying, but I love it because it forces you to think over every single detail.

Do you have any games you could recommend? If so please leave a comment below, I would love to discover some new apps!

20 Fantastically Addictive iPhone Games I Love is a post from: Hi, I'm Grace Smith

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1. 20 Essential iPhone Apps I Can’t Live Without
2. 9 Must Have iPhone Apps For Font Addicts

After my contract finished recently I decided it was the right time to upgrade and decided to go for a lovely White 32GB 3Gs and skip ‘antennagate’ iPhone 4!

The best thing about the iPhone is of course – the apps. However with hundreds of thousands of apps to choose from, it gets pretty difficult to find the ones that will suit my needs.

Without further ado, here are the apps that I’ve found essential, thus far:

• 1. Twitter

It’s been my pick of the Twitter apps both on my mac and iPod Touch since it was released and it’s just as efficient on the iPhone.

• 2. 1Password

Perfect for secure mobile browsing, as it saves my web usernames and passwords, has a browser built-in and syncs with 1Password on my Mac.

• 3. WordPress

This is an essential app for any blog owner, it allows me to moderate, edit, or reply to comments as well as easily composing posts.

• 4. Flickr

As a passionate amateur photographer, Flickr is a site I visit pretty much everyday. The ability to post straight to Twitter is pretty fly.

• 5. Reeder

I’ve tried many RSS readers on the iPhone and iPod Touch, but Reeder is the best of them all. It’s elegant, minimal interface is stunning.

• 6. Ego

I’ve been using Ego since it was released, it gives me one central—and lovely—location to check web statistics and RSS numbers.

• 7. TaskPaper

The ultimate in Task Lists (IMO), this syncs perfectly with my Mac version and provides a beautiful and unobtrusive interface.

• 8. Dropbox

Allows me to access my Dropbox files on the go with the ability to view files offline and share links. This is another essential app as it syncs with my iMac.

• 9. Fring

Free video calls, calls, live chat and IM make Fring one of my most useful apps, especially as it centralises all of my networks in one place.

• 10. NTRConnect Viewer

This is perfect for when I need to reach files that are on my office iMac, I can easily move items into my Dropbox folder and then retrieve them on my iPhone.

• 11. The Guardian

This gives me my daily fix of news with the latest stories, galleries and audio from a respected Newspaper.

• 12. AroundMe

An indispensable app that allows me to quickly find out info on the facilities close to my location.

• 13. PayPal Manager

As a small business owner who uses PayPal for nearly all transactions, this is an extremely useful app for quick management of my account.

• 14. FTP On The Go

You wouldn’t think you would have much need for an FTP client on the iPhone, but i use this quite often. I can edit files directly on the server, with a handy built-in browser.

• 15. iStat

This nifty app lets me monitor all the vital statistics on my Mac including CPU, fans, memory, disks, uptime and more.

• 16. Downloads

This is a recent app I’ve discovered, it acts as a fully featured download manager and basically allows me to access the iPhones file system, which is invaluable.

• 17. Analytics

Gives me instant, mobile access to Google Analytics with detailed reports at a glance and support for multiple accounts and sites.

• 18. Instapaper

Essential for anybody that works on the web, this lets me save web pages for offline or later reading.

• 19. Pastebot

This is a powerful clipboard manager that stores text & images copied from my iphone and much much more.

• 20. Stanza

A wonderful app that I use to read e-books, but also allows me to drag and drop PDF’s into the File Sharing section in iTunes.

It wouldn’t be a proper list without a bonus:

• 21. Google Mobile

I love the search by voice function, but find the links to other Google apps like Calender and Docs to be extremely useful.

So after one month’s use, those are my favorite iPhone apps so far. Do you have any particular apps you could recommend? Then please leave a comment and share your picks.

Don’t forget to check back on Wednesday for my Top 20 iPhone Games!

20 Essential iPhone Apps I Can’t Live Without is a post from: Hi, I'm Grace Smith

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The giveaway has now ended and the winner has been chosen via random.org. I’m happy to announce @pixeldeath is the winner!

Thanks to everyone who entered but don’t get too sad you didn’t win as I have a fantastic giveaway coming up next month where you could win some rockin’ t-shirts, so make sure to subscribe to stay informed!
————————————————————————————————————————–
I love awesome Mac Applications, but I love free mac apps even more! Which is why I’m excited to announce a giveaway of the entire Mac Sale bundle of 10 applications, available for $49 but with apps valued at over $500 to one lucky winner!

Mac Bundles are how I’ve discovered some of my favorite applications (including Shovebox), which I might not have bought or used otherwise. It’s a great way to look and try a range of apps that could eventually become mainstays of your day-to-day computing.

Without further ado, the applications up for grabs are:

• PathFinder – The ultimate file manager for your Mac.
• Shovebox – A place to put… everything!
• Supercard - Application development does not get any easier.
• StoryMill – Want to be writer? You need StoryMill.
• MiniOne Racing – Addictive and fun game, Mario Kart for your Mac!
• inkBook – Great notetaking app, with support for tablets!
• VideoConverter Pro – Easily convert your movies to watch on your iPhone/iPod.
• Slideshow – Create standalone presentations for Mac and PC!
• MacGourmet Deluxe – Hosting a Dinner Party? Avoid a poisoning lawsuit.
• Finance 6 – Organize your finances and stay in control of your accounts.

How to win:

Tweet this article on Twitter including the hashtag #gracesmith (or just copy and paste the line below on Twitter):

The $500 Mac App Sale Giveaway: http://gracesm.it/h/z – #gracesmith

Make sure to follow me on Twitter, @gracesmith, so I can direct message (DM) you if you are the winner chosen at random on Thursday, March 11th. So get tweeting!

$500 Mac App Sale Giveaway – Closed is a post from: Hi, I'm Grace Smith

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So what better way to keep ourselves entertained, enlightened or just plain amused with Type than with these 9 Typography based apps.

• 1.The Font Game: Website | iTunes Store

Think you know your Century from your Myriad Pro? Well The Font Game will most definitely test your typography knowledge! There are three levels to choose from, beginning with ‘Somewhat Difficult’ through to the incredibly challenging ‘Exceedingly Difficult’, with a Hall of Fame which holds the latest and greatest scores. It was created by the Typography obsessed John Boardley, Kari Pätilä and Justin Stahl.

• 2. KERN: Website | iTunes Store

KERN is a challenging and thoroughly addictive game with the aim being to place a missing letter into a falling word while avoiding unnecessary ligatures. The letter appears at a variable point size and as the leading begins to shrink, you navigate the missing letter to the proper space and release its handle to lock it in place. It’s a wonderfully designed app that will bring out the Typography addict within.

• 3. Typography: Website | iTunes Store

This uniquely interesting app uses a random set of letters published on Flickr to display the message you input, which can then be emailed directly to a recipient of your choice or uploaded on the public gallery. Each image is linked to the respective Flickr page and you can view the photo’s credit by rolling over the image. It’s a fantastic combination of Flickr, Typography and communication.

• 4. What The Font: Website | iTunes Store

What The Font is the brainchild of MyFonts which helps you identify the fonts in a photo or web graphic. Ever seen a great font in a magazine ad, poster, or on the web and wondered what font it is? Whip out your iPhone and snap a photo, and WhatTheFont for iPhone will identify that font in seconds. The app connects directly to MyFonts’ font identification service which I’ve used personally on many occasions.

• 5. The Typography Manual: Website | iTunes Store

Do your eyes light up when conversations turn to ems, kerning, and baseline grids? If you answered yes, then The Typography Manual is for you! The Typography Manual is a superb resource for designers and includes a visual type anatomy glossary, a font size ruler, an em calculator, and enough content to fill a 60-page book. It has all the essentials of a desk reference in a regularly updated pocket resource. This is one Typography app every designer should have on their iPhone.

• 6. Type Drawing: Website | iTunes Store

TypeDrawing is a wonderful app that lets you draw with letters. You start by typing a sentence, word or letters you want to express, and then just draw. It allows you to make stunning typographic artworks and wallpapers. You can specify the font, size, color and opacity as well as the background and later save your artwork to a Photo Album or Email it. You can also join the Flickr group and upload your drawings.

• 7. Font Shuffle: Website | iTunes Store

FontShuffle was created by The Font Shop and offers a unique way of finding and comparing typefaces, and composing text samples. It’s a fantastic source of typographic inspiration, with hundreds of font families sorted by visual similarity into a visual family tree. The FontShop selects the best fonts from its huge assortment, from the world’s most respected type foundries, so the FontShuffle catalogue is constantly updated.

• 8. Type Photo: Website | iTunes Store

Type Photo combines your creative imagination with Typography and Photos. Make your friend’s photos into great typographic art with the words you want to say together. TypePhoto is really simple to use. Just type a sentence, words or letters and choose a font, then select an image (from either your photo album or with your iPhone camera) and that’s it, Type Photo creates beautiful typographic art. Type Photo also supports saving your arts as high definition images (1920*1920 pixels) and you can print them out or set them as wallpaper on your Mac and iPhone.

• 9. Font Browser: Website | iTunes Store

Want to know what the Malayalam letter Gha looks like? Do you need to know the key code for a left arrow? Or wonder what fonts are installed in your device? This app is for you. Font Browser is a unicode font browser, color browser, and keyboard keystroke browser. You can browse through more than 19,000 characters in the Unicode font, 9,600 named colors and 1,900 X11 keyboard codes.

Further Typography Resources

• The Principles of Beautiful Typography
• Five simple steps to better typography
• 21 Typography Web Apps You Can’t Live Without
• 101 Typography Resources for Web Designers

Have you tried any of the apps listed? If so I would love to hear your experience and your recommendations in the comments below.

9 Must Have iPhone Apps For Font Addicts is a post from: Hi, I'm Grace Smith

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The major news of the week is the acquisition of AppJet by Google. AppJet are the creators of the collaboration word processor EtherPad. The news was met with a wave of negative feedback from the users of EtherPad when it was announced it would be disabling key functionality (like creating new pads), and planning to shutdown the service completely in March 2010. AppJet had to issue a statement they have re-enabled this features until they have made the code open-source.

The AppJet team will be incorporated into Google Wave early next year. It’s definitely a rather interesting acquisition from Google, who have already spent much of this year acquiring other companies such as ReCaptcha, AdMob, On2 Technologies and Teracent.

I’ve called this the Design Hell edition after the first link which was my favorite article of the week. It is a familiar story to all designers who face a client who takes your wonderful designs and asks for something from circa 1995!

• How A Web Design Goes Straight To Hell
  Hilarious comic that all designers can relate to! It shows how a project starts and rapidly goes rapidly down hill with the resulting design going straight to hell!
• As a web designer, are you leaving money on the table?
  An interesting article on using a retainer fee structure on your web design projects because a website should be presented to the client as a living, breathing article that will require much ongoing attention.
• Smashing Magazine – Realigned
  Smashing Magazine is one of the best resources for designers and developers online today. However the site needs better Information Architecture and there are a few usability issues as well.
• Step Away From Design and Design
  Brian Hoff speaks about something which I do myself – taking time each week to dedicate a few hours to just designing (just for ourselves not a client). It brings back the joy and excitement into the work we do.
• What does browser testing mean today?
  A thoughtful article from Andy Clarke discussing what browser testing actually means today, in the face of an ever more diversified browser and device landscape.
• Make an Editable/Printable HTML Invoice
  A fantastic lightweight editable HTML invoice from Chris Coyier. It uses real form elements so it you could also use it as an online invoice form. It’s available as a free download, so go grab it.
• Grid Based
  This is a beautiful gallery which showcases some of the world’s best websites designed with grid-based approach and beautiful web typography.
• Mnmlist
  A fantastic site from the amazing Leo Babauta of Zen Habits. ItIt’s about minimalism, and why it’s important today. It covers a wide range of topics besides simplicity, including productivity.
• There Is No Page Fold
  A simple yet bold page which states that the web is an interactive medium where scrolling behaviour is a standard and that there is no page fold. We should simply love our scrollbar!

That’s a wrap up of the twenty-eighth edition. Were there any links you thought deserved a mention? If so drop a link in the comments so we can check them out.

Weekly Web Roundup: The Design Hell Edition #28 is a post from: Hi, I'm Grace Smith

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