Brazil 2014 World Cup Street Paintings

Featured on Google this week is a brilliant Google Maps interactive view of some painted streets and houses in Brazil celebrating the World Cup starting tomorrow.

Check them all out here:

https://www.google.com/maps/views/streetview/brazils-painted-streets

Convert .AI files to Freehand

Just a quick guideline for any graphic designers out there who also prefer Freehand to Illustrator but may be sent AI files to work with. I'm not sure exactly what it is but I'm just more used to Freehand and in particular the pen tool action.

So for this you will actually need both programs, Adobe Illustrator and Macromedia Freehand, as well as the AI file.

1. Open the file in Illustrator.

2. Release compound paths by selecting all objects and click 'Object>Compound Path>Release'

3. Save as an Illustrator file, choose version 8 in the Options dialogue:

4. You should now be able to open the fully editable AI file in Freehand!  Good luck and please comment if this didn't work or if you know of any other tricks.

Linking your Pave email with the Gmail platform

This article is specifically for Pave Graphics clients who are accessing email as set up for them on the Servage server by Pave Graphics

Use Google's Mail Fetcher feature to keep all your email in one place

If you're having problems retrieving and sending with Servage mail settings, you may wish to try linking your email account with a Gmail account.  There are many useful features you can use there and it's efficient and always improving.

If you already have a Gmail or Googlemail account, great!  Continue with the steps below.  Otherwise you'll have to set one up at www.Gmail.com

What is Mail Fetcher?

Mail Fetcher downloads all your old emails as well as new emails to your Google email account. Once you've set up Mail Fetcher, Google will check your other account(s) on a regular basis, and new mail will appear automatically in Gmail. Very handily, you can also choose to send email using the non-Gmail account.  Gmail checks each account at different rates, which are based on previous attempts to fetch new messages; you can't choose the frequency.

How to set up Mail Fetcher:

1. Once logged in to Gmail, click the gear icon  in the upper right, then select Settings.
2. Open the Accounts and Import tab. (For Google Apps domains, open the Accounts tab.)
3. In the Check mail using POP3 section, click Add POP3 email account.
4. Enter the full email address of the account you'd like to access, then click Next Step.
5. Gmail will populate sample settings, but please replace the details with the following
• Username - same as your email address as sent to you by Pave.
• Enter the password as sent to you.
• For SERVAGE
• POP server: incoming.servage.net
• port 110
• SSL Option Unchecked
• For PAVE-WEB
• POP Server: minicooper.dnshostcentral.com
• port 995
• SSL Option Checked
6. You can also decide at this stage if you'd like to:
• Leave a copy of messages on the server (e.g. if you're not sure if you'll stay with the Gmail format)
• Label incoming messages from the new account to distinguish between your accounts
7. Click Add Account.
8. Once your account has been added successfully, you'll have the option of setting it as a custom From address. This allows you to compose messages in Gmail, but have them appear to be sent from your other email account. Click Yes to set up a custom From address.  If you're happy for your Gmail address to show up on your sent emails, skip the next steps, your done!
9. Enter your name how you wish it to appear on your sent messages and un-check the Alias option.
10. Click 'Next Step' and select the 'Send through Gmail' option.  Click 'Next Step' again.
11. Click 'Send Verification' and 'Close Window'.
12. Now open a new window or tab and go to http://webmail.servage.net (Servage) or http://www.pave-web.com/webmail (Pave-Web).
13. Enter your username (same as the email address) and password as sent to you
14. You should have an email from 'Gmail Team' with a verification code and a long convoluted confirmation link.  Click the link and you're all good to go!

The Gmail system may have some getting used to; often the emails are grouped in threads or conversations.

Olympic Games Logo Designs

http://mydesignstories.com/88-years-of-olympic-games-logo-design/

Great view over the history of the Olympic Games logo designs.  Personally I like Wolff Olins' 2012 design, although it's come under lots of fire.

View Pave Graphics logo design services at http://www.pavegraphics.com

Drying Saris in India

Drying Saris

Photo: Rupak De Chowdhuri / Reuters

Rainbow Cakes!

SEO Success Story

I just had a meeting with Aberdeen Money about his various websites - we're doing amazingly on the search engines for various search terms!

Do a search for 'financial adviser aberdeen' or 'aberdeen ifa' or just about any combination, and you'll find at least one of his websites top. For some search terms such as 'aberdeen pension adviser' we've got 3 different websites on the front page. We've just published some more websites with important cross-server links so if it could get a better placing it would! We're also going to plug in their new Facebook profiles.

Search Engine Optimisation is a hugely complex science and on this blog I'll be sharing some of the secrets which helped to get Aberdeen Money a few leads a day through their various websites.