BrainFuel

Have you ever been working on a design and need to insert a placeholder image to show where a graphic will go? The typical process is something like this: open photoshop, create a new image, enter the size you need, change the background color, add some text and then save it. Here’s a handy web-based tool to replace that process: http://placehold.it/ .

Mundane task, done in less time, equals a happy designer.

These designs are just flat out amazing to me. Love the vibrant color, detail, typography, effects. Designed by Moxie Sozo for Leap Organics and scheduled to launch spring 2010. Can’t wait to see them in the wild.

An fully-animated video showing some of the cool things you can do these days with video animation.

Hat tip: Josh Pigford.

This year marks the 4th annual Ketchup Week! Originally launched here on BrainFuel, the idea came to me a few days before Christmas, in 2005. For the first two years, it was very simple and didn’t gain much publicity. Now, tools like Twitter and Facebook make it easier to get the word out about Ketchup Week.

What is Ketchup Week? It’s one week where you can “catch up” on all of the projects you’ve been putting aside. It’s the one week when all of your customers are on vacation, and when the phone rarely rings. It is the one week when the office is quiet and distraction free.

So take the mantle, er, the ketchup and get to work on those personal dreams. Start a new business, or make a craft, or just spend time away from the mundane. Have a great Ketchup Week, everyone!

You can follow Ketchup Week on Twitter, or become a fan on Facebook.

Brian Shaler pointed me to this sweet video which he dubbed the Grandfather Grandfather Clock.

Here’s how Brian describes it: “You put your grandfather IN the grandfather clock!”

A couple of the guys in our office are big fans of Converse shoes and so when I saw their new web site I knew I had to share it with you all.

The entire site is made with Flash and besides the great product photography, they have some great background textures. And most of the textures are fabrics like those from Converse shoes.

Many of the products have hand drawn illustrations for a backdrop. It works surprisingly well and fits the theme of the site.

Here at the office we’ve been looking over these awesome images from artist Christian Faur. He creates art with interesting materials like paper and crayons. Thanks to Kent who spotted this.

I’m extremely pleased to introduce the new BrainFuel to you! This has been a team effort from Kent Downer and myself at Tornado. We’ve been planning a re-launch of this site for a while and are excited about the changes.

As you know, BrainFuel has been publishing since 2001 and our desire is to share the best of web design. With tips, tricks, and profiles of cool sites we see in the wild. A new feature will be a monthly interview with a designer.

Thanks for being a reader and be sure to grab our RSS feed, or follow us on Twitter!

BrainFuel is a production of Tornado in Phoenix, AZ. We’re also the makers of Minuteglass.