sign up form example ZURBnews remove me comments? ZURBnews :: JANUARY 2003 A NEW YEAR Perhaps you've dropped by my gallery space, worked with me on a project for your company, sent me an email or survived as a student in one of my classes. No matter how you got here, I hope you'll find something of interest. I'm embarking on yet another challenge-yeah, one is not enough-this time it's putting together the premier issue of ZURBnews-a newsletter that I hope will be interesting to write and, more importantly, interesting for you to read. If you're on this list by mistake, or feel that you can live without my ramblings on art, design and life, it won't hurt my feelings if you remove yourself. Just scroll down to the bottom of this e-mail and click the magic 'remove me' link. Still reading? Cool. Thanks for sticking with me. Let me just put your mind at ease by saying I won't sell, rent or barter your e-mail address. Also, I'll be filling your inbox with my musings on a monthly basis, and no more. If you need a fix in the interim, just drop an email to me at and we'll go from there. ZURBart KEEPS GROWING, AND GROWING, AND... Online and in the 'real world,' ZURBart is growing. In the next few weeks, Isn't that Life? studio in Sausalito will be featuring a new collection of images I've created over the past year. For those of you not close to Sausalito, head on over to www.zurbart.com where I'll be posting web-ready renditions of the images. In addition to these photo impressions, I'll be selling original acrylic paintings on the website, with the goal of experimenting more with this medium. If you're in the area, feel free to stop by and browse through the collections, buy a gift or just say 'hello.' TAKE A LOT AND FORGET ABOUT THE CAMERA In the United States, digital cameras now make up more than 40% of new camera sales. And why not? They're growing cheaper by the day, are easy to use and create images in a ready-to-share format. But which one is right for you? I've received several emails from people looking for a good digital camera, and I typically send them to two websites: www.dpreview.com and www.photo.net. Both sites offer non-biased information for all skill levels-from the digital photography novice to the digital photography pro. My advice? -I usually tell anyone looking for a digital camera to find a reasonably priced starter camera and, if you use it enough, upgrade later. You'll save money initially and, with cameras constantly coming down in price, may even save a couple of dollars by holding out for your 'next' camera. Good photos aren't dependent on having the best camera available-more important is properly framing a scene in your photos-capturing the essence of what you're photographing in the best possible viewpoint. My final piece of advice? Take a ton of photos and don't worry about your camera's brand name or lack thereof...it's the learning experience that counts. Speaking of shooting photos, check out two new series of photos that I've posted at www.zurbphotos.com. These two photo sets are of Baja California and the mothball fleet in Vallejo, California. The mothball fleet photos are a bit darker in tone than most of my other subjects; let me know if you enjoy them. HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ZURB ZURB's 'unofficial' 5th birthday is right around the corner...but not many people know the story of how ZURB got to be 5. Started in 1998 as 'ZB design,' ZURB was initially a part-time gig, where I'd take on side projects for friends and small companies. Like many entrepreneurs, I found that my full-time job was not allowing me enough time to explore my design interests; I took ZURB full-time in 1999 and helped companies create logos, websites and other branding pieces. 3 years later, ZURB is going stronger than ever, focused on providing a complete branding solution to companies that want to use good design and good information to increase their sales and meet their business goals. From web development, identity work and advertising to product design, illustration and information design, ZURB seamlessly integrates everything together. And ZURB does handle it all. Working with the Versitas team, we recently launched a new version of their corporate website, www.versitas.com. We started from scratch to create a new brand and identity materials, including the aforementioned website. They've received overwhelming positive feedback. Could you use a fresh look at your old brand? Send me an email at z@zurb.com and let's talk. THE RETURN OF ZURBwords Before the advent of Blogger, (www.blogger.com) there were either diaries or formal published written works--not much in between. ZURBwords was a chance to explore this new paradigm. I've recently realized that I do have more to say, so I'm reviving www.zurbwords.com with my own web tool that will allow me share blogs, thoughts and articles. In it, you'll see various musing concerning design and information architecture and how these concepts relate to human beings. Unleash the inner writer in you over the next year with blogger then check out ZURBwords to get my take on how design affects us all. Coming up in the next ZURBnews:   * Where Did it Come From? The Name ZURB   * A New ZURB Revealed   * Public Relations: It's Not Just for the Big Boys Anymore   * ZURBart, ZURBphotos, ZURBwords and ZURB updates   * Reader Feedback Questions, comments, rants? Please email me at or feel to call me at 650.533.0469 If you would like to be removed from ZURBnews, click below: /newsletter