Mac OS X QuickTips #25

CreativeTechs QuickTips #25

Week of January 31, 2004

Tip One: How to add a Favicon to your website.

A favicon is a little icon for a website that shows up in your bookmarks and next to the URL when someone visits your site. Below are some examples from a variety of websites:

Download the Windows Icon (ICO) plugin:

Favicons must be saved in a ICO format. So, before you start, you'll need to download and install a special Photoshop Plugin. You can download an ICO plugin from the website here:

http://www.telegraphics.com.au/sw/

Create your favicon:

1. Create a 16x16 pixel canvas in Photoshop. Experiment a bit to create the most expressive icon you can in this limited space.

2. Save the file in a ICO (Windows Icon) format. Name it "favicon.ico"

[Note: If your document is not 16x16 pixels, this format will not show as available even if the new plugin is properly installed.]

3a. Upload the graphic to the root directory of your website. If the file is named "favicon.ico" most browsers will locate it automatically. Or...

3b. Upload the graphic to another directory and add the following code in the <head> element of your HTML:

<link rel="shortcut icon" href="/favicon.ico" type="image/x-icon" />

Note: You should replace "/favicon.ico" in the above example with the actual location of your favicon.ico file, for example, "/images/favicon.ico" if you have placed it in your "/images/" directory.

[Note: We've added a simple favicon to the web version of this newsletter: http://www.creativetechs.com/tips/quicktips_25.html]

Send this Tip to a Friend
Sign Up for Weekly Tips

Tip Two: MaverickLabel.Com: Short-run custom stickers.

MavericLabel.com provides a service we've never seen before. From their website you can order fast, short-run, stickers and labels of almost any shape and size. Their unique production process gives you the ability to create complex custom-cut shapes as easily as you would create a square label.

We used MaverickLabel.com to quickly create the stickers for a series of fun candy bottles we give out at CreativeTechs events. Their online quoting system allowed us to specify the colors and material we wanted the labels printed on. We uploaded Illustrator EPS files to their system. A couple days later we received a roll of custom printed labels. We typically order batches of 50 labels at a time, however you can order as few as a single label if you wish.

This is a pretty remarkable resource for unique client projects. Check it out!

http://www.mavericklabel.com/

[Source: The bottles shown in this example were designed by Chris Holt at Coolstone Design Works . For a closer look at Coolstone's sense of humor and clever copywriting, we've included a link to larger versions of the labels here.]

Send this Tip to a Friend
Sign Up for Weekly Tips

Share tips and win music! Each week we're giving away a pair of $15 iTunes cards to a randomly chosen new Seattle-area subscriber PLUS the friend who referred them. Pass this newsletter along using the "Forward to a Friend!" link at the bottom and tell your friend to give you credit when they sign up! Last week's winners: xxx.

QuickTips is a free weekly e-newsletter from CreativeTechs, Inc. Each week we publish a fresh mix of left-brain and right-brain tips based on our real world experience supporting hundreds of creative teams in the greater Seattle area. For a complete archive of previous tips, visit www.creativetechs.com/tips

Your referrals wanted! CreativeTechs relies on word-of-mouth introductions. If you know a Seattle-area creative team who might benefit from our unique mix of computer support for creative professionals, please introduce us. We are never too busy for your referrals. Email help@creativetechs.com, or call us at 206-682-4315.