I hate clipart

Is it just me or do others *absolutely loathe* the clipart & templates bundled with MS office and other apps? Type in 'England' on the MS clipart and what do you get? Beefeaters, red buses, London bridge, Big Ben and so on. Is that how they see us?
I also hate the templates that come with some DTP apps...whimsical calendars with puppies or insert a picture of your granny...barf! Letterheads and flyers that look like they were designed in the 80's. Photos which were obviously rejected by the photographer. The only way to be sure to be original is to design your own! [Thank you XARA X]
The reason I say this is because of the comments made recently re. The non-pros [myself included] moving in and doing there own stuff.
Just thought I’d vent my spleen at the amount of "different but the same" crap flying around these days.
Any comments?

Eric [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_wink.gif[/img] [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_wink.gif[/img] [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_wink.gif[/img]

Is it just me or do others *absolutely loathe* the clipart & templates bundled with MS office and other apps? Type in 'England' on the MS clipart and what do you get? Beefeaters, red buses, London bridge, Big Ben and so on. Is that how they see us?
I also hate the templates that come with some DTP apps...whimsical calendars with puppies or insert a picture of your granny...barf! Letterheads and flyers that look like they were designed in the 80's. Photos which were obviously rejected by the photographer. The only way to be sure to be original is to design your own! [Thank you XARA X]
The reason I say this is because of the comments made recently re. The non-pros [myself included] moving in and doing there own stuff.
Just thought I’d vent my spleen at the amount of "different but the same" crap flying around these days.
Any comments?

Eric [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_wink.gif[/img] [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_wink.gif[/img] [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_wink.gif[/img]

Well Eric
I certainly don't want to stereotype England. But you do have beefeaters and red busses and Big Ben do you not ? Are those not famous symbols of the country? I know you don't have the London Bridge anymore because that is here in Arizona. [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_wink.gif[/img]

The quality of clip art in the main is rock bottom and cartoony. Most of this clip art is given "free" in word processor/desk top publishing etc. programs and is just bloat ware.

Bruce...Don't tell the half a million commuters that cross London Bridge each day that it's not there any more, you'll cause a major disaster. It's just that we sold you the old one;-)

Egg

I actually have a piece of the old London Bridge here in Nova Scotia. I just did a quick look and couldn't find it. When I locate it I will scan it in and show all. That rich guy from Arizona didn't take home the whole thing.

Speaking of relocated landmarks, it is a little known fact that the city of Montreal actually had negotiations in the 1970's to purchase the Eiffel Tower to move it to Montreal.

Regards, Ross

PS - Does Canadian clipart look like canoes, igloos, mounties, snow shoes??

<a href=http://www.designstop.com/>DesignStop.Com</a>

Have you tried Hemera's Photo-Objects? Hemera

The version I have has 50,000 scalable images, including two red buses. They are not cartoons. Sorry, no Big Ben or London Bridge.

Did you ever see National Lampoon's European Vacation? My favorite part is when they are driving around in a circle in front of Big Ben and Parliament.

I'll have to agree, I hate going to resteraunts and seeing "clipart" on their menus that I have seen before in Publisher, very unprofessional!

And on the subject of stereotypes, anyone ever seen "Canadian Bacon". A stupid (but funny!) comedy about America going to war with Canada. It definentally has many-a-canadian-stereotype in it, I'd recommend it to all!

Steve Newport

i like it when Chevy chase reverses his car into stonehenge and all the pillars fall down like dominoes...priceless!

Canadians. whats your best [and worst] uk tv?

Brits. does anyone remember the name of the canadian comedian who was on Clarkson about a year ago?

When I was a young teenage boy I used to like to watch Benny Hill. Haven't seen it in years but suspect I'd still find it funny (or funnier).

Regards, Ross

<a href=http://www.designstop.com/>DesignStop.Com</a>

My mom is a big fan of British television. She watches Coronation Street, Heartbeat, All Creatures Big and Small, Poirot, Murder She Wrote and a couple of lawyer shows that haven't aired recently - Cavannah and oh - what was that other one called? Rumpold? We get a lot of GOOD educational programs like the one called "Life of Birds" that David Attenborough produced. Most of it airs on CBC, so I'm pretty sure the USA isn't getting it.

Ross said:
"PS - Does Canadian clipart look like canoes, igloos, mounties, snow shoes??"

Don't forget beavers and maple leaves.

We used to get Benny Hill and Monty Python here.
I also used to watch second city tv, or what ever that show was with the Makenzie brothers. They were great along with John Candy and celebrity blow up !

So what does american clip art look like?
White House, Ben Franklin, Liberety Bell, Statue of Liberty, etc. etc.

The UK also gave us the Teletubbies. We dare not forget them. La-la is my favorite.

Regards, Ross

<a href=http://www.designstop.com/>DesignStop.Com</a>

We get quite a few British Shows in the US. Mystery, Poirot and Keeping up Appearences are among my favorites. I used to love Absolutely Fablous too.

I alway wonder though, how old the shows we get are?

Judi
P.S. Loved Benny Hill!!!!

Keeping up Appearences is one of my favourite situation comedies. Patrica Rutledge reminds me so much of my late Mum.
They are just releasing a new series of Ab Fab after a 15 year break (I believe) in production.
Egg

I think the last series was only five or six years ago. Very welcome nonetheless.


Mike Engles

I wrote above that when I found my piece of the London Bridge I would scan it in. It measures about 1.5" x 4" x 0.75" and is granite. I don't know what part of the old bridge it is. Hopefully it isn't part of a keystone! [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_wink.gif[/img]

Regards, Ross

<a href=http://www.designstop.com/>DesignStop.Com</a>

Hi Ross
I guess that is one piece that we don't have in Arizona. [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_wink.gif[/img]

The story has it that the guy that bought London Bridge thought he was getting tower bridge...
The London Bridge that was demolished wasn't that old, 1920's if I recall.
I agree with Eric. Most clip art is associated with large American corporations and shows their view of the world. i.e. stereotypical

Tony

My piece of granite is many millions of years old [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_wink.gif[/img]

Regards, Ross

<a href=http://www.designstop.com/>DesignStop.Com</a>

Egg, if you really like Patricia Routledge in "Keeping Up Appearances," you'll be pleased to know she is an excellent, classically trained, singer with a marvelous voice. We have a KCET store (our local PBS) that sells VHS tapes and DVD's of all of their shows. We also have a program here in LA called "Classical Arts Showcase" that runs midnight to 6:00 a.m. They feature shorts from all areas of the arts: dance, opera, Broadway, television like old Ed Sullivan guests, excerpts from movies, etc., and they showed one of her performances. After hearing her "real" voice, her tone-deaf singing on "Keeping Up Appearances" is truly a great bit of acting!

"As Time Goes By" with Dame Judith Dench is also a winner. Unfortunately, two other great shows, "No, Honestly" and "Duck Patrol" were short-lived and only filmed four to seven episodes, so they came and went very quickly.

What I appreciate about the Brit-Coms is the actors total lack of inhibition about looking foolish. American actors THINK they're uninhibited, but you always get the impression they're very concerned that their make-up is not smeared! (Hehehehe...can you tell I'm a bit of an anglophile about this subject?

I was working at a dot com last year (now bust!). They picked one or two stock photos of people for key adverts and promos. But then the same faces started appearing in other company's adverts. Big embarassment/annoyance.

www.thelondonhouse.co.uk

I don't know whether I count cos I'm a brit living in Britain but my favourite British made comedy has to be Red Dwarf.

I beleive there's a film coming out soon, starring all the original cast... can't wait (but I'm *really* looking forward to the release of The Lord of the Rings [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_cool.gif[/img] )



Michael Ward
http://LeighCenturions.net

I'm probably showing my advanced age, but anyone remember the British show "On the Buses" back in the late 60s or early 70s? It was too funny.

Bryan

"I 'ate you butler!!!"

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>"I 'ate you butler!!!" <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Eric, heh heh, I was going to specify that line in my post but couldn't decide how to "spell" it. I seem to remember it as

"Ah 'ate you But'lah'!!"

Or

"Would'dya' lac a bit 'a cake Olive?"

at the dinner table. Heee heee.

Later,
B

Benny Hill... The Avengers... Coronation St... but my 2 favs are/were:

Red Dwarf &... DR. WHO !!! hahahaaa wooooweee! [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif[/img]

First on the subject of clipart... I have to agree that most of the stuff that's came free with ANYthing I've bought has been drek. A few of the 'collections' I've bought were good enough that I've used them to dress up simple DTP projects like newsletters done on the cheap. (Newsletter for user group comes to mind!) More often, I take a bit of clipart from one thing, and combine with a bit of clipart from another or substitute my own 'tweaking' for those kind of projects. (Example, last Christmas ran a humor article on Bill Gates as Santa Claus in 'Twas the Night Before Christmas.' Found a fairly simple B&W clipart of Santa with some reindeer and substituted some mice for those.)

Been using Xara to do those kinds of tasks for the past 6 years! Makes pulling those things apart and putting them together to achieve what you want FAST!!!

For projects where I'm getting paid, I don't like to rely on clipart. For a number of years, I've kept a few sample 'menus' in my briefcase for whenever I ran into that situation. (Nothing like showing them the difference on the spot!) Has lead to some jobs here & there, but not a whole lot.

Someone else mentioned Hemera's Photo Objects, which is FABULOUS! I would not class that in the same ballpark as ordinary 'clipart.'

Last, on to British TV. Shows that I REALLY enjoyed were the Avengers, Monty Phython & Dr. Who. (Gee, what does that combination have to say about my psychic!) My kids are now hooked on Who's Line is it Anyway (both the American - Drew Carey version, and the British one when they can catch it on Comedy Central - cable TV network here in the states), and Junkyard Wars.

Speaking of which, can someone tell me what 'bodging' something up means? I think that's how you spell it.
[img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_wink.gif[/img]

Push yourself to notice the extraordinary in the ordinary.

Irene M. Kraus
www.design-comp.com

means to cobble something together ... to make a poor effort of a task.... a temp. fix
Egg