+ These photos are just cause I thought you needed some magic in your day. Long exposures of Japanese fireflies in the blue light of dusk. Via Its Colossal.

+ My Design Dispatch is up at Studio Sweet Studio! Lots of great design-y resources!

+ Local (and young!) talent Lillian Davenport has been struggling with an intense bout of cancer for the last year, her doctors have just discovered a new tumor in her brain and healing it comes with a 10k price tag. Read more about Lillian’s story and offer your financial support here.

+ This week also marks World Cancer Day (Feb 4th) and Canadian band Two Crown King has just released a new song in support of their friend Ben’s fight with cancer. Learn more about Ben and his song here. And for just 99¢ please download from iTunes. Thanks to my friend Jacqui Oakley for the tip on this one!

+ Finally, on a lighter note, the thoughtful folks from Alt Summit have put together a fantastic line-up of online classes on blogging. So if you didn’t make it to Alt this year, there’s plenty you can learn right from the comfort of your own couch.

See you next week, friends!

Guess what, guess what?! I’m writing a biweekly column for Studio Sweet Studio and it’s launched TODAY! Margot’s Design Dispatch is a digest of all things (you guessed it) design-related. It takes a similar format as my Friday Links posts, but with a little extra snazz (that’s the, uh, highly technical term) for even more fun times. Meg & Tuesday have put a lot of thought into growing their content by putting together an excellent batch of contributors, each with our own specific topic area. Breanna of Moxee writes about self-employment with Be Free, Lance, Elana Schlenker covers all manner of print and publication issues with Pressing Matters, and Mike Smith spotlights bright young talent in the industry with Honor Roll.

You’re just going to have to go, go, go to there!

Three of of my buddies have excellent Kickstarter projects out right now:

+ Jana Kinsman wants to bring beekeeping to the masses with hives sprinkled all over Chicago. She plans to build a custom-made trailer and bike across town to care for her bees. Backers may rent hives, but pledging at $55 or higher means you score a jar of the honey itself. Mmmm yes please!
 

+ Nickd sees a dearth of long-form design & technology critique and he wants to launch a quarterly publication of essays from some of best brains in the biz. Distance will be the kind of intense know-how that only seems available at conferences, but without the $800 price tag. Get smart, my fellow nerds.
 

+ Dee Clements is headed to an artist’s residency at the Penland School of Crafts where she’s hoping to design and weave her own line of textiles. Backers support goes to her residency & material fees and in return for a beautiful handwoven scarf, throw, or even coasters!

Good luck guys! I hope you get to take my money and do awesome things with it.
 
 

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+ Hear: Aimee Mullins‘ story on the Moth Podcast. Aimee is a double amputee who also happens to be an athlete, model, actress and comedian. She even got to be in Matthew Barney’s Cremaster, with custom designed faun legs (above, eat your heart out, Gaga). Easily my most favorite Moth podcast in ages. There’s also an awesome Ted talk here where she talks all about her pairs of legs.

+ Ways to help minimize your Photoshop layers from my favorite tutorial site, Method & Craft.

+ I finally caved and I’m on Pinterest now! So far I really like it, but I wish it would get married to Gimme Bar (“it’s basically an internet ShamWow”) and have ten hundred babies together.

+ Why Louis CK thinks the next Steve Jobs will be a chick over at Fast Company.

+ Fontshop’s and Myfont’s best typefaces of 2011. Oh, so very much to love here.

+ All of the Illustrator shortcuts! See similar for inDesign as well. Most of the shortcuts I use I discovered by accident or by watching someone else work inside the program. Regardless, forcing these infographics into my brain would certainly be a good exercise in streamlining workflow.

Happy 2012 all! I did a lot of blog & content planning while I was away from my computer over the holidays and now I have all these fun blog ideas. Just in time for my trip to Alt…which is in just two weeks! So, so soon! Time to get crackin.

+ I just launched redesigned a logo & header for Anni Cee Photographie!

+ Fresh new work, fresh new site from Jesse Brown.

+ Swiss Miss posed a really interesting question that I’m constantly hearing from my clients: what are some tools for people who want to build a strong personal brand but can’t afford to hire a designer? In the ensuing comments I found Improving your Design Appeal in 7 Steps and A Logo is Not a Brand both of which nail some key fundamentals that all of us can incorporate.

+ Today’s festive illustration by Mary-Kate McDevitt is the perfect sign-off. Whether you prefer a low-key holiday or the go for the full nine yards, hope it’s a great one! Sending my best tidings & cheer your way. Talk to you next year!