From the origins of neon, through a contemporary shop layout, Neon: The Next Generation covers it all: gas, electrical and air supplies, gas burners, vacuum pumps, manifolds, bombarders, bending, pumping, ...
Not all clients can visualize. Maybe some new software will put your vision into focus.
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By Mary Scoviak
If you're a parent of school- or college-age children, you've probably spent the better part of the last couple weeks in stores or online trying to get everything on your back-to-school shopping list. Don't worry if you didn't finish. A survey conducted by The National Retail Federation says 41 percent of us didn't. So while you're standing in line with nearly half the procrastinating population waiting to check out those last few essentials, ask yourself, do you have the supplies you need to pass your next business test?
Even in the shadow of recession, we wouldn't think about sending our kids off to class without a fresh back pack, books and the right technology. But we're not so proactive about we need every day. Take software. Unless your office is different than most, you're probably working with less staff. Software has to fill in the gaps, helping fewer people be more creative more of the time.
But it does more than that. The images you create are sales tools, especially for clients who can't visualize your concepts. I was curious about which tried-and-true and which new solutions designers are using, so I asked my discussion group on LinkedIn. Here's what's on their screens:
You'll also need to do some homework. Blogs like Hongkiat based in Malyasia present a tempting list of new solutions as well as some tutorial help. They're at www.hongkiat.com/blog.
But after work, consider playing-even if it's just a busman's holiday. Alawar Entertainment's Hotel Mogul is a new "casual business sim" that plays like an arcade title. You can construct and renovate buildings as well as manage the real estate as you take on the role of the title character trying to reclaim her family business from her conniving husband. Read more at www.alawar.com/game/hotel-mogul and take a little virtual recess. Then try out your new tools on some new client bases: senior living centers, cruise lines and the new wave of hospitality applications to complement hospital settings.
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