Welcome to Issue #9 of GIMP Magazine! We are pleased to announce Richard Buchanan II as our new Editor. Richard edited this issue of GIMP Magazine and is also working on upcoming issues. In addition to being a GNU/Linux user, Richard is also a fine-art photographer whose work spans the abstract, landscape, and documentary genres. You can view his portfolio at http://richardbuchananii.com, and follow him on Twitter at

http://twitter.com/rbiiphotography. I'm happy to welcome Richard, and look forward to building this great magazine with him on the team.

We have a lot in store for you in this issue of GIMP Magazine. This month is devoted to teaching you about design, and provides handson training for applying type effects to a print or digital layout. This issue will allow you to create attractive designs for both amateur and professional pursuits, and covers design concepts and creating type effects. To get you started, I've included a basic exercise called

"Getting Started for Calligraphers and Illustrators."

Creating “type effects” was what first attracted me to GIMP. I have studied calligraphy for over 30 years, and turned to GIMP when I transitioned into the digital environment. My artistic background has influenced my work in graphic design, infographics, desktop publishing, and even professional cartography and visualization.

While my profession strongly emphasizes data analysis, it also has a great need for attractive and understandable data presentation. Design has always been intuitive for me, but I've recently enrolled in

more formal design training, and want to share some of this training with you here.