Dublicator

Happy Easter 2013

While Happy Easter 2013 wishes are resounding from all over the world – be it from the new pope, Francis 1, to the old new president of the US, Barack Obama, to the countless names flooding our Email boxes – how happy and profound this day and celebration eventually will be depends on us. Ultimately, happiness is not to be found outside – otherwise material wealth would equal happiness – it’s something we all carry within us.

Happy Easter 2013

This year, 2013, as any year I can remember before it, the Happy Easter time marks a change in the year. A new season is upon us down here at the tip of South Africa: autumn! Punctually, the first autumn storms and rains have arrived and although we still have beautifully sunny days with bits of blue skies and the surfers on Noordhoek beach are having a ball, there’s no doubt that the temperatures are cooling down, the nights are shorter, darker and colder and Nature prepares for much heavier rains than we had so far.

Good Wishes for Madiba

For me, Easter is a joyful time of love, laughter and union. Most importantly, it’s a time to go within, to meditate, and search for that light that so often gets obscured by the darkness outside. That’s why I chose the picture above, Chapman’s Peak taken just a few days ago, as a reflection of my thought.

Last but not least, let’s all join the worldwide community of those who pray and are sending good wishes to Madiba – South Africa’s pillar of light, a living legend of humanity and peace!

Miriam Makeba – Happy Birthday (1932-2008)

Happy Birthday Miriam Makeba – with a beautiful drawing to be seen on Google today!

Time goes by so fast… and sooner or later we all have to move on. What continues is what we gave, what we passed on – be it our love, our spirit, our thoughts, our writing, our music… and the way they captured and transmitted a Joy for Life, Hope when we needed it, Courage to trust the Unknown and move beyond our limitations, Inspiration to realize our Dreams… Those remain burnt into our hearts forever.

Miriam Makeba – The Emperess of African Song

Driving through a typically beautiful hot and sunny South African morning I enjoyed listening to “The Empress of African Song”, the first African woman to win a Grammy award, the great “Mama Makeba” . This African legend performed with musical legends from around the world like jazz maestros Nina Simone, Dizzy Gillespie, Harry Belafonte and Paul Simon just to name a few… and what marked her is that she always remained truthful to her Purpose and her Passion – and this until her last moment:
‘I will sing until the last day of my life!’

Miriam Makeba at the Jazz Festival 2008

Well, she did… and for us she keeps singing and reminding us that…

“Age is Wisdom if one has lived one’s Life!”

Mama Africa lived for her Music and its Mission. She sang what she felt from her heart, never mind the (political) circumstances. She represented the almost magic strength of the African woman, a strength that can achieve everything – without losing a sense of belonging, of compassion, of purpose.

Nelson Mandela’s Tribute to this Grande Dame of Africa when she suddenly collapsed and died on 10 November 2008 in Caserta, Italy:

“ The sudden passing of our beloved Miriam has saddened us and our nation.

For many decades, starting in the years before we went to prison, MaMiriam featured prominently in our lives and we enjoyed her moving performances at home.

Despite her tremendous sacrifice and the pain she felt to leave behind her beloved family and her country when she went into exile, she continued to make us proud as she used her worldwide fame to focus attention on the abomination of apartheid.

Her haunting melodies gave voice to the pain of exile and disclocation which she felt for 31 long years.

At the same time, her music inspired a powerful sense of hope in all of us.

Even after she returned home she continued to use her name to make a difference by mentoring musicians and supporting struggling young women.

One of her more recent projects was to highlight the plight of victims of land mines.

She was South Africa’s first lady of song and so richly deserved the title of Mama Afrika.

She was a mother to our struggle and to the young nation of ours. It was fitting that her last moments were spent on a stage, enriching the hearts and lives of others – and again in support of a good cause.”

Mama Afrika lives on in her Music and Rhythms…

Mama Afrika would have turned 81 years today… we wish she was still around ! At least her music lives on…

YORGOO Logo Design Ideas

With YORGOO becoming a limited company and soon celebrating a renaissance in a completely new shape – adapted to modern… meaning mobile times – a whole new branding has to be developed. As we work in collaboration – not competition – on this topic together as a team, here are a few of my own first YORGOO Logo Design Ideas with an emphasis on the name itself with an elegant touch and a lying 8, the sign of infinity.

A simple little favicon in 16 x 16 px could look like this, both developed directly from the logo:

YORGOO Logo Design Ideas

Strict rules in terms of the colour scheme – black, white, greys and red only – have been observed in these first YORGOO Logo Design Ideas, whereas the choice of fonts was entirely free. Obviously, this is very much a matter of personal taste, but we have to ensure that these fonts display perfectly both online and in printed matter.

In the above variant I chose a combination of black and very dark grey, perhaps not easily distinguishable here, or perhaps I’m going blind :). The same below, with a tick of red… but not necessary.

…and a totally different feel – I just had to do this and I could go wilder:

How to create a Logo

There are many ways to learn how to create a logo… and it shows if you’re ‘in the zone’ and having fun when doing so! It’s just the beginning that’s hard, when an idea wants to be born and projected into our physical plane!

So just get started with an idea and play and experiment around it!

That’s how I got to the cute little elephant above… right from the word “YORGOO”… in a different font and shape, also playing with RGB colours (as YORGOO stands for “Media Marketing Publishing”) :

…and also integrating our slogan “Together We Are Unbeatable” – which will appear as a fine red line, depending on the size of the logo:

You see: I got started and experimented… and this is how this totally ‘out-of-the-box’ logo developed. A really original and interesting idea… but we won’t stop there, but just continue to improve!

Although everything needs definition and detail work, this logo appears well as a little favicon:

Well, elephants always make their mark; I’ve grown up with them in Namibia, they truly blow you away :)

There are tons of informative articles on the web teaching you what to observe when creating a logo. It is essentially a process where you start with first sketches as I did here (although I do idea scribbles by hand first esp. if not working with a focus on fonts directly), and you add, change, adapt, and produce massively for your dustbin (or delete button) until you just know you’ve got it!

Show it around, ask others what they like or don’t like, and keep going until you are happy – or your client is! Logo development is a highly paid profession – just think of Apple, Coca Cola and IBM for example. And if you look where Apple started and into what the famous logo evolved this process can even take decades!

We won’t have that long, but at least this is a beginning! Hang in there for more to come…

Sunset on Chapman’s Peak

This digital photo of a Sunset on Chapman’s Peak was taken yesterday, 22nd September 2012, from my garden in Noordhoek, South Africa.

Sunset on Chapman’s Peak

In all the years I’ve been living here, I’ve never caught this stunning moment – at least not consciously – when the sunset appeared like a revelation of light right on the pyramid cap of Chapman’s Peak! It had been a very stormy, cold and rainy day (…and it’s still lasting today), but the wild cloud formations tore open and smashing beams of light filtered down and set my strelitzias on fire!

Usually, the sun sets far beyond the mountains, however, on or around 15th November it emerges and moves southwards. We enjoy the most spectacular sunsets right before us in the Atlantic Ocean at Christmas. Then it moves back northwards again and disappears behind the mountains on or around 15th February. It’s our personal annual sunset show and it never fails to fascinate us!

For those who are interested, Noordhoek is positioned on the following coordinates: 34.104°S 18.360°E

For a professional photographer it’s imperial to always know “where the light is or will be” when planning a photo shoot. This photo was taken with a simple NIKON Coolpix P90; I hope to upgrade soon and become ready for printed matter . . .

Sunset on Chapman’s Peak

This digital photo of a Sunset on Chapman’s Peak was taken yesterday, 22nd September 2012, from my garden in Noordhoek, South Africa.

Sunset on Chapman’s Peak

In all the years I’ve been living here, I’ve never caught this stunning moment – at least not consciously – when the sunset appeared like a revelation of light right on the pyramid cap of Chapman’s Peak! It had been a very stormy, cold and rainy day (…and it’s still lasting today), but the wild cloud formations tore open and smashing beams of light filtered down and set my strelitzias on fire!

Usually, the sun sets far beyond the mountains, however, on or around 15th November it emerges and moves southwards. We enjoy the most spectacular sunsets right before us in the Atlantic Ocean at Christmas. Then it moves back northwards again and disappears behind the mountains on or around 15th February. It’s our personal annual sunset show and it never fails to fascinate us!

For those who are interested, Noordhoek is positioned on the following coordinates: 34.104°S 18.360°E

For a professional photographer it’s imperial to always know “where the light is or will be” when planning a photo shoot. This photo was taken with a simple NIKON Coolpix P90; I hope to upgrade soon and become ready for printed matter . . .

New journey for Neil Armstrong

Wishing Neil Armstrong well on his new journey, I will never forget when, as a young girl, I waited patiently for a big moment to happen in world history. I remember that quiet, serene night. A large beautiful moon was reflecting in the Glienicker See, erasing the notion of separation, the fact that in those days Berlin was separated with a distinct and fiercely controlled border running through exactly this lake.

Lying on the carpet in front of the television, my head resting on basset hound “Mr.”, my eyes shifted between the developments on the screen – which showed pictures of Apollo 11 and Mission Control in Houston, USA, in black and white at the time -  and that bright moon shining through the open window, setting my imagination totally of fire! Being here and there at the same time, thinking ‘realistically’ beyond limits – what a thrill!

The rest of the house had gone to bed; I was far too excited! I wanted to be in the moment and see that extraordinary first step onto the moon, the ‘real’ man in the moon’!

Back then, having just arrived from South West Africa, it was also my first contact with television! Those were the days…

New journey for Neil Armstrong

Neil Armstrong had to take over manual control and the historic landing on the moon took place at 20:17:39 UTC on 20th July, 1969! Needless to say that by that time – in the early morning hours in Berlin – I was wide awake and my eyes were glued to the screen!

About seven hours later, after completing all their technical tasks according to a specific program planned to the minute, Neil Armstrong was the first man stepping onto the moon and his words will never be forgotten: “That’s one small step for (a) man, one giant leap for mankind.”
He took most photos himself on a single Hasselblad camera.

A little later, Buzz Aldrin joined him and they planted the flag of the USA on the moon. President Richard Nixon called “the moon” from his office, speaking for about 1 minute; Neil Armstrong responded for about 30 seconds.

When his proclamation was rebroadcast by BBC, the world population was about 3.631 billion people and the estimated global audience at that moment was 450 million listeners.

Neil Armstrong died on 25th August, 2012, aged 82 years – in the middle of the ‘digital age’ with a world that has totally changed since that first step on the moon. When this brave US astronaut spoke in Congress in 2011, he said ”ideological differences fade in the presence of the overpowering force of pride in what we do”.

These words contain a big Truth that holds much of what would help struggling countries to find their identities and get back on their feet again today.
We think of this great man on his new journey.

New journey for Neil Armstrong

Wishing Neil Armstrong well on his new journey, I will never forget when, as a young girl, I waited patiently for a big moment to happen in world history. I remember that quiet, serene night. A large beautiful moon was reflecting in the Glienicker See, erasing the notion of separation, the fact that in those days Berlin was separated with a distinct and fiercely controlled border running through exactly this lake.

Lying on the carpet in front of the television, my head resting on basset hound “Mr.”, my eyes shifted between the developments on the screen – which showed pictures of Apollo 11 and Mission Control in Houston, USA, in black and white at the time -  and that bright moon shining through the open window, setting my imagination totally of fire! Being here and there at the same time, thinking ‘realistically’ beyond limits – what a thrill!

The rest of the house had gone to bed; I was far too excited! I wanted to be in the moment and see that extraordinary first step onto the moon, the ‘real’ man in the moon’!

Back then, having just arrived from South West Africa, it was also my first contact with television! Those were the days…

New journey for Neil Armstrong

Neil Armstrong had to take over manual control and the historic landing on the moon took place at 20:17:39 UTC on 20th July, 1969! Needless to say that by that time – in the early morning hours in Berlin – I was wide awake and my eyes were glued to the screen!

About seven hours later, after completing all their technical tasks according to a specific program planned to the minute, Neil Armstrong was the first man stepping onto the moon and his words will never be forgotten: “That’s one small step for (a) man, one giant leap for mankind.”
He took most photos himself on a single Hasselblad camera.

A little later, Buzz Aldrin joined him and they planted the flag of the USA on the moon. President Richard Nixon called “the moon” from his office, speaking for about 1 minute; Neil Armstrong responded for about 30 seconds.

When his proclamation was rebroadcast by BBC, the world population was about 3.631 billion people and the estimated global audience at that moment was 450 million listeners.

Neil Armstrong died on 25th August, 2012, aged 82 years – in the middle of the ‘digital age’ with a world that has totally changed since that first step on the moon. When this brave US astronaut spoke in Congress in 2011, he said ”ideological differences fade in the presence of the overpowering force of pride in what we do”.

These words contain a big Truth that holds much of what would help struggling countries to find their identities and get back on their feet again today.
We think of this great man on his new journey.

New journey for Neil Armstrong

Wishing Neil Armstrong well on his new journey, I will never forget when, as a young girl, I waited patiently for a big moment to happen in world history. I remember that quiet, serene night. A large beautiful moon was reflecting in the Glienicker See, erasing the notion of separation, the fact that in those days Berlin was separated with a distinct and fiercely controlled border running through exactly this lake.

Lying on the carpet in front of the television, my head resting on basset hound “Mr.”, my eyes shifted between the developments on the screen – which showed pictures of Apollo 11 and Mission Control in Houston, USA, in black and white at the time -  and that bright moon shining through the open window, setting my imagination totally of fire! Being here and there at the same time, thinking ‘realistically’ beyond limits – what a thrill!

The rest of the house had gone to bed; I was far too excited! I wanted to be in the moment and see that extraordinary first step onto the moon, the ‘real’ man in the moon’!

Back then, having just arrived from South West Africa, it was also my first contact with television! Those were the days…

New journey for Neil Armstrong

Neil Armstrong had to take over manual control and the historic landing on the moon took place at 20:17:39 UTC on 20th July, 1969! Needless to say that by that time – in the early morning hours in Berlin – I was wide awake and my eyes were glued to the screen!

About seven hours later, after completing all their technical tasks according to a specific program planned to the minute, Neil Armstrong was the first man stepping onto the moon and his words will never be forgotten: “That’s one small step for (a) man, one giant leap for mankind.”
He took most photos himself on a single Hasselblad camera.

A little later, Buzz Aldrin joined him and they planted the flag of the USA on the moon. President Richard Nixon called “the moon” from his office, speaking for about 1 minute; Neil Armstrong responded for about 30 seconds.

When his proclamation was rebroadcast by BBC, the world population was about 3.631 billion people and the estimated global audience at that moment was 450 million listeners.

Neil Armstrong died on 25th August, 2012, aged 82 years – in the middle of the ‘digital age’ with a world that has totally changed since that first step on the moon. When this brave US astronaut spoke in Congress in 2011, he said ”ideological differences fade in the presence of the overpowering force of pride in what we do”.

These words contain a big Truth that holds much of what would help struggling countries to find their identities and get back on their feet again today.
We think of this great man on his new journey.

New journey for Neil Armstrong

Wishing Neil Armstrong well on his new journey, I will never forget when, as a young girl, I waited patiently for a big moment to happen in world history. I remember that quiet, serene night. A large beautiful moon was reflecting in the Glienicker See, erasing the notion of separation, the fact that in those days Berlin was separated with a distinct and fiercely controlled border running through exactly this lake.

Lying on the carpet in front of the television, my head resting on basset hound “Mr.”, my eyes shifted between the developments on the screen – which showed pictures of Apollo 11 and Mission Control in Houston, USA, in black and white at the time -  and that bright moon shining through the open window, setting my imagination totally of fire! Being here and there at the same time, thinking ‘realistically’ beyond limits – what a thrill!

The rest of the house had gone to bed; I was far too excited! I wanted to be in the moment and see that extraordinary first step onto the moon, the ‘real’ man in the moon’!

Back then, having just arrived from South West Africa, it was also my first contact with television! Those were the days…

New journey for Neil Armstrong

Neil Armstrong had to take over manual control and the historic landing on the moon took place at 20:17:39 UTC on 20th July, 1969! Needless to say that by that time – in the early morning hours in Berlin – I was wide awake and my eyes were glued to the screen!

About seven hours later, after completing all their technical tasks according to a specific program planned to the minute, Neil Armstrong was the first man stepping onto the moon and his words will never be forgotten: “That’s one small step for (a) man, one giant leap for mankind.”
He took most photos himself on a single Hasselblad camera.

A little later, Buzz Aldrin joined him and they planted the flag of the USA on the moon. President Richard Nixon called “the moon” from his office, speaking for about 1 minute; Neil Armstrong responded for about 30 seconds.

When his proclamation was rebroadcast by BBC, the world population was about 3.631 billion people and the estimated global audience at that moment was 450 million listeners.

Neil Armstrong died on 25th August, 2012, aged 82 years – in the middle of the ‘digital age’ with a world that has totally changed since that first step on the moon. When this brave US astronaut spoke in Congress in 2011, he said ”ideological differences fade in the presence of the overpowering force of pride in what we do”.

These words contain a big Truth that holds much of what would help struggling countries to find their identities and get back on their feet again today.
We think of this great man on his new journey.

New journey for Neil Armstrong

Wishing Neil Armstrong well on his new journey, I will never forget when, as a young girl, I waited patiently for a big moment to happen in world history. I remember that quiet, serene night. A large beautiful moon was reflecting in the Glienicker See, erasing the notion of separation, the fact that in those days Berlin was separated with a distinct and fiercely controlled border running through exactly this lake.

Lying on the carpet in front of the television, my head resting on basset hound “Mr.”, my eyes shifted between the developments on the screen – which showed pictures of Apollo 11 and Mission Control in Houston, USA, in black and white at the time -  and that bright moon shining through the open window, setting my imagination totally of fire! Being here and there at the same time, thinking ‘realistically’ beyond limits – what a thrill!

The rest of the house had gone to bed; I was far too excited! I wanted to be in the moment and see that extraordinary first step onto the moon, the ‘real’ man in the moon’!

Back then, having just arrived from South West Africa, it was also my first contact with television! Those were the days…

New journey for Neil Armstrong

Neil Armstrong had to take over manual control and the historic landing on the moon took place at 20:17:39 UTC on 20th July, 1969! Needless to say that by that time – in the early morning hours in Berlin – I was wide awake and my eyes were glued to the screen!

About seven hours later, after completing all their technical tasks according to a specific program planned to the minute, Neil Armstrong was the first man stepping onto the moon and his words will never be forgotten: “That’s one small step for (a) man, one giant leap for mankind.”
He took most photos himself on a single Hasselblad camera.

A little later, Buzz Aldrin joined him and they planted the flag of the USA on the moon. President Richard Nixon called “the moon” from his office, speaking for about 1 minute; Neil Armstrong responded for about 30 seconds.

When his proclamation was rebroadcast by BBC, the world population was about 3.631 billion people and the estimated global audience at that moment was 450 million listeners.

Neil Armstrong died on 25th August, 2012, aged 82 years – in the middle of the ‘digital age’ with a world that has totally changed since that first step on the moon. When this brave US astronaut spoke in Congress in 2011, he said ”ideological differences fade in the presence of the overpowering force of pride in what we do”.

These words contain a big Truth that holds much of what would help struggling countries to find their identities and get back on their feet again today.
We think of this great man on his new journey.