Design / Development Tools
Font Director
The largest directory of free font sites we have encountered, mostly without those annoying popup windows. To access the directory, click on "Font Links".
Eyewire
A great collection of royalty-free photos and illustrations. The advantage with this website is that it searches multiple collections, including Digital Vision, Image Club, RubberBall, PhotoDisc and Object Photos. Also available for purchase are photo collection cd's.
Visibone Webmaster's Color Lab
This website enables you to create a custom web-safe palette for your website. Add and remove colors as you wish.
World Wide Web Consortium
The W3C, or World Wide Web Consortium, is THE organization that sets the standards for the internet. They are working hard to make the world wide web the place it was meant to be: a resource of information accessible to everyone, and with no browser incompatibilities (thank goodness).
Ecommerce
Site-etc
Co-developed by a programmer and a web designer, Site-etc is the perfect shopping cart development tool for web designers. Totally customizable templates are available for ecommerce, easy inventory management for the client, plus many more free add-ons, such as electronic greeting card capability, updateable calendar, and many more. This is our recommendation for medium to high-end ecommerce websites, or any website with a very large inventory to sell online.
CC Now
Perfect for companies that have an extremely tight budget, and/or very few products to sell. This is not a recommended solution for companies whose inventories are constantly being updated, nor for companies that require a high-end, professional appearance (as the user leaves the website during the checkout process).
Environmentally-Sound Paper
EcoSource Paper, Inc.
What more friendly to trees than tree-free papers? EcoSource produces paper entirely made from hemp, one of the world's most renewable resources. Hemp paper recycles 8 times, as opposed to 3 by tree papers. Use tree-free papers for brochures, posters, stationery and office use.
Vision Paper
More clearcutting alternatives from this company that makes paper from Kenaf, a flowering plant that, like hemp, provides easy-to-grow fiber. Chlorine-free.
Living Tree Paper Co.
Living Tree offers papers for office or offset printing. Their most environmentally friendly solution is a paper made from 90% post-consumer recycled material and 10% hemp or flax. Process chlorine-free and acid-free.
Quest
Quest is most environmentally-sound line of papers by Fox River Paper, a conventional paper manufacturer. With an unbleached 100% post-consumer content, this paper is has a speckled texture. Acid-free.
TreeCycle Recycled Paper
TreeCycle offers several grades of recycled paper, from 30%-100% post-consumer content. Several are bleached in hydrogen peroxide instead of chlorine.
Environment
Environment is the most environmentally sound division of Neenah Paper, another large conventional paper manufacturer. All 100% recycled, but post-consumer content ranges from 30%-100%. They offer partial tree-free solutions with 50% sugar cane paper.
Local: Continuing Education
City of Santa Cruz Parks and Recreation
Lots of classes, whether you want to learn to swim, paint or use a computer.
New Horizons Computer Learning Center
New Horizons offers many computer classes, including basic office software to more advanced design software.
Cabrillo College
Cabrillo College offers affordable classes, that are available to the public, on a wide variety of subjects which can help you if you're considering to learn a new skill or change your career.
UCSC Extension
University of Santa Cruz California also offers continuing education courses for anybody considering a career change, needing refresher courses, or wanting to learn new skills. Classes are held in Santa Cruz as well as San Jose.
Local: Other Resources
Santa Cruz Public Library
An online, searchable database of all the books and videos available at the Santa Cruz Public Library system, including what branch the title is currently located, and whether or not it is available. If you have a library card you can also request it online, and have it send to the branch closest you.
Digital Eve Monterey Bay
The local Santa Cruz/Monterey chapter of Digital Eve, an international group of women in technology who provide each other support and information, in the form of an e-mail list. This chapter offers monthly meetings with guest speakers, who share their knowledge of design, marketing, programming and more. Special events sponsored by DEMB have included a free 'Beginning Macromedia Flash' course, and the first ever 'Health Tech', a yearly event introducing holistic health practices such as yoga, and acupuncture, to the local high-tech community (Aurora Design is proud to have contributed to the conception, and organization of this event).
SUGGEST A LINK
To suggest a link by e-mail please provide us with the organization name, URL and a brief description if necessary. Please bear in mind that the sites listed here are limited to useful tools, and beneficial resources to aid people in organizing their design project, or business. We reserve the right to accept or deny any suggestions made. Thank you!
