I know, I know - it’s not polite to brag. But please, cut us some slack here, because we really do have something exciting to brag about!

Yes, for the 3rd year straight, 76design has been made an Official Webby Honouree for the work we did conceiving, designing and building the Ottawa Public Library’s new children’s website.

This was a really innovative project and it definitely feels good to get this recognition. In case you don’t know the Webbys, they’re kind of like Oscars for the Web. We didn’t actually win a Webby - we got the equivalent of 2nd place. But considering our co-Honourees in the youth category include the likes of Disney Channel, Barbie and MTV, we figure we’re in some pretty elite company.

What’s even more amazing though, if I do say so myself, is that this is the 3rd year running that one of our sites has been a Webby Honouree. Last year it was our corporate website, and the year before it was the site we built for Maisonneuve Magazine.

76design is not a huge shop. We don’t charge as much as the big international agencies and our clients’ budgets tend to be - well - just a tad smaller than Disney’s. But the quality of our work speaks for itself. Year after year we rank alongside the world’s top interactive agencies in the toughest competition there is.

Next year we’re aiming to crack the final frontier and become an official Webby award winner. Which of our clients will benefit from that acclaim, and be the proud owner of one of the best websites in the world?

It could be you.

These guys have been blogging since June but I just heard about them today! (thanks Amie)

Aviary is in the midst of releasing a suite of tools for creatives that is entire web-based (yes, web-based!).  If you look at the list of applications they’re working on you’ll see they have an incredible range of products that cover everything from photo editing to video to 3D to music to font editing.  They’ve even got some more business-y tools like a word processor and a distributed file system for storing data. And how could you not love those charming feathered icons?

From the looks of it this is production quality stuff — not just some lame rip of Adobe’s tools.  Check out the examples on their blog to see what’s possible.

I haven’t played with any of them myself (yet) but it looks like they’re all built in Flash.  Very cool!

We recently redesigned the Portrait Gallery of Canada’s website, including a flash exhibition of fascinating collection highlights. Happily, our work was mentioned in an article about the Portrait Gallery in today’s Globe and Mail. The Portrait Gallery doesn’t yet have a new physical home, but we’re pleased that people are noticing its new virtual home.

You can find the Globe and Mail article here. And you can find the Portrait Gallery of Canada website here.

A beautiful way to discover what the world of travel has to offer!

P.S. It’s a 76design site!

Thank the Mighty Corporate Gods that allowed Adobe and Macromedia – both Gods in their own rights – to come together in perfect (albeit until now, not so Macintel-friendly) harmony.

Our patience has finally paid off. We gave these two some time to play around behind closed doors (to the two or three of you that thought about naughty things – for SHAME.) and now the collective Company has brought forth upon us Designers a true Deity, one to call our own and worship. And we shall call it…CS3.

(Okay…wow…that was a bit melodramatic. I think I actually heard French horns in the background.)

It’s true though, what the Prophecy of the Internet has told has come true. Creative Suite 3 (or, the “Tré”, as I like to call it. [ED NOTE: This Institution reserves the right to keep 5 cents for any reprints of that, or any other subsidiary slang]) is truly a blessing.

First up, Photoshop CS3. Okay, so it’s CS2 like we’ve come to know and love but with a FEW innovative features. I personally can’t wait to see what a Photoshop animated creation would look like exported directly to SWF with that better-than-ever-before look of “Yeah, I do that now.” Other than that, I couldn’t really say how many new features there are to discover, but if it’s half as good as discovering the hidden gems of CS2 (because honestly, who knew?), I’m in.

Illustrator…yup. Still here. Added features: Check. Cool new look: Check. Full integration with Flash…mmmm….them’s sounds appealing. I’ve always been afraid to try taking a native AI and just dumping it into Flash. I just dropped one in there and boo-ya, layers, shapes, everything, perfect. Ahhhhhhh…now I can get on animating this letter-loving-lizard…

InDesign CS3? Slow clap. That’s for you, buddy. Awesome.

The best thing hands down is the integration. You get virtually the same interface elements across the whole Design platform. Dreamweaver, Flash, Illustrator, InDesign, Photoshop. I mean…native PSDs in Dreamweaver? Not GoLive? (Because, honestly.) That alone makes me want to personally thank the man who brokered their corporate merger.

So Thank You, Adobe/Macromedia. (mAdobe? Macdobe? There’s just no cool name, so enjoy just being Adobe I guess.) We are already salivating for some bug fixes for this new baby of yours, so get to it! (Why the *blank* can’t I associate .indd files with InDesign??? I mean Vista just won’t let me! I’ve tried editing my Registry and everything! Stupid Vista!! Curse you and your inability to understand what the heck I’m trying to get you to do!)

To recap. Adobe: Good. Vista: COME OOONNNNNNNN!!!

(Seriously. If you know how to make it open my InDesign files in…gee why not INDESIGN…please start a comment thread! I’m talking to you, Shawn! Thanks!)