George Ryan, President, Printing Association of Florida and host of the 2009 annual Graphics of the Americas Exposition and Conference joins Inside Digital Design TV at the opening ceremonies.

Gary Brunelle, Director of Sales at Monotype Imaging Inc. joins hosts Scott Sheppard and Gene Gable for an overview of Monotype’s latest fonts and font management tools. Monotype Imaging represents the core type brand libraries of Monotype, Linotype, and ITC. Gary explains that each library releases an average of 15 new typefaces each quarter from a range of popular and new type designers.

One of the main issues designers face daily is font management, Gary explains how the latest versions of FontExplorer® X Pro and FontExplorer® X Server can address those challenges. Gary describes some of the features and details for managing and completing your type libraries. For designers or agencies requiring access to a range of font licenses, Monotype offers bundles and annual subscription programs for larger firms requiring 20+ license seats.

Gary shares some examples of font licensing issues and how FontExplorer X Server can help manage deployment and proper licensing. Monotype also offers a product called Fontwise which is a client/server font auditing tool that helps determine font usage and can help fill in any collections that might require additional license seats.

For more information and a free trial, visit: http://www.fontexplorerx.com/download or http://www.monotype.com.

Design News of the Week

Gene and Scott tackle the tough issue of copyright infringement, fair use, and derivative works this week discussing the recent arrests and legal suits filed between artist Shepard Fairey and the Associated Press. Fairey, whose celebrated “Hope” poster of Barack Obama seems to be based on a popular AP Photo taken by Mannie Garcia and claims Fairey is guilty of infringement. Fairey responded to the accusation by filing a suit against AP to affirm that his use of the image is protected by the fair use provision of the copyright law.

In a related discussion, Scott shares a site created by Paste Media Group “Obama Me” that allows you to upload an image and create your own version of the now infamous poster. Check it out at: http://www.obamiconme.com.

Chris Allen, Leading Open Source Flash Developer and Program Developer of this year’s Flash on Tap Conference joins hosts Scott Sheppard and Gene Gable for an in-depth look at their unique event featuring the best of Flash tools and design and a Flash focused beer tasting festival. The Flash on Tap conference combines world-class sessions with the best developers and networking opportunities built around casual locales offering fine brews and barbeques.

Chris explains the highlights, topics, and their all-star speaker lineup which includes sessions on Adobe AIR, red5, Flex, case studies, animation, actionscript, and inspiration. The speakers represent experienced visionaries of Flash development including; Dr. Woohoo!, tink (Steven Downs), Joe Berkovitz, Aldo Bucci, Trevor Burton, and of course, Chris Allen.

This year’s event is being held May 28-30, 2009 in Boston, Massachusetts at The Castle and Boston Park Plaza Hotel & Towers. Tickets are on-sale for $595 through April 28th, and several package, party, and session bundles are available. To sign up visit: http://flashontap.eventbrite.com/

For more information, details, and complete registration pricing visit: http://www.flashontap.com. Check out Chris’ blog at: http://blog.ff9900.org/

Design News of the Week with Jay Nelson

Jay joins us this week with some tips and reviews on font management tools. He recently completed some hands-on reviews including Monotype’s Font Explorer X, Extensis Suitcase Fusion 2, and Insider Software’s FontAgent Pro 4. Jay describes some of the unique features of these applications including floating font previews, and enhanced interfaces. Are font management tools critical to your workflow? Jay explains why using a font manager keeps you organized and your system running more efficiently.

For more on Jay Nelson and his Design Tools topics visit: http://www.design-tools.com