designers favorite chrome extensions

The wait is now over…. Google Chrome extensions are now live on the Mac compatible version of Chrome [download link]. I can now make Chrome my official dedicated web surfing browser!

While I’ve been using Chrome for a few months now and blown away by the speed and simplicity the one thing that was holding me back was that I couldn’t install Xmarks to sync my obsessively organized bookmark collection across my other used browsers. I was using Xmarks to sync Firefox and Safari (also sync to my iPhone via MobileMe), but until today couldn’t keep my Chrome up-to-date — and that bothered the hell out of me.

Now that Chrome is extension-ready on the Mac, I’d thought it would be interesting to hear others top 5 Chrome extensions. Feel free to share in the comments below. Anyways, here are my top 5:

1. Xmarks (surprised?) – sync your bookmarks across multiple computers and browsers. And as you read from the above, I couldn’t work/surf without this one.
2. Bit.ly Shorten Url – Shorten any URL also send a Tweet or Facebook status update from it. I like how it adds the icon to the address bar for a quick click to shrink.
3. Add to Amazon wish list – I’m always adding “things I want” to my Amazon wish list, so this makes for easy updating.
4. ChromeMilk – great way to display and update my Remember the Milk tasks. I’m a huge fan of RTM, and if you are unfamiliar read my reasons why I like it.
5. Lorem Ipsum Generator – quick way to access dummy text to use for website filler while designing.

new slab on the block

Hoefler & Frere-Jones have done it yet again with the new beautiful modern day slab serif, Vitesse.

Described as confident and stylish with responsive engineering and riding, this slab is definitely worth taking for a ride and purchase. Read more about Vitesse on the H&FJ website.

In other exciting news this morning, visitingphilly.com just received a much needed stylish and striking redesign done by the talented folks of Happy Cog East. The large and beautiful photography really captures the essence and feel of Philadelphia — will definitely help attract new visitors to the site and city.

judging books by their cover

Who ever said that “you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover” was obviously never a designer. Check out this awesome archive of beautiful book cover designs: The Book Cover Archive.