February 04, 2006 @ 11:19 AM
Boris Artzybasheff’s Jan 10, 1964 Time magazine cover featuring a geodesic Buckminster Fuller.
Among the South by Southwest 2006 Web Award Finalists is a web site featuring Time magazine cover art (portraits specifically) of many of the last century’s most influential people in sports, media, civil rights, politics, entertainment and technology. The navigation gets a little annoying, but the artwork is well worth the effort. The exhibit is only part of the permanent collection at the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery.
From the NPG website:
“The portraits displayed in this site represent the compelling variety of personalities and art that have distinguished Time covers for more than three-quarters of a century. Heroes and rogues, queens and presidents, popes and pop stars, singers and athletes - all have been ensconced, in one form or fashion, within Time’s trademark red border.”
Mac fans should be sure to check out the… ...(more)
February 03, 2006 @ 1:19 PM
The best web design tip I’ve read all week: “In design, if you don’t know why you’re putting something somewhere you’re likely making a mistake.”
Andy Rutledge does a terrific job examining Google’s interface from a design and architectural perspective. His solution, in my opinion, makes Google’s home page cleaner, more usable and less visually anemic. Using Google’s home page to make a point - a page that consists of so few elements to begin with - makes the design principles he cites easy to follow.
“If an element of the layout serves no specific purpose or if the visual or spacial properties of any element are chosen for no particular reason the result will be bad design. Don’t do that.” Words to live by!
Doing things right 80% of the time simply hands your competition a 20% window of opportunity. Thinking about design and usability on this finite level is what separates good home pages from great ones - good designers from great ones.… ...(more)
January 31, 2006 @ 5:05 PM
Letterhead Font’s collection of retro designer fonts are addictive. Purchasing is fast and easy, and they provide a gallery of real world samples, tips and tricks, and even a “type tester” for previewing your headline or logo. My personal favorite is Royal Script (Revised) as seen in “creative juice” and on Bixby’s Original Peanut Brittle. Just had to pass along these great fonts.
Conversely, check out the valiant effort to permanently extinguish the use of Comic Sans over at BanComicSans.com
Favorite excerpt from the site:
“...You might be interested to know that I am a college instructor in history. As I was grading essays today on the rather somber subject of slavery and the mental anguish it can cause, I came across an essay written entirely in Comic Sans! Ridiculously inappropriate to say the least. I instantly wanted to toss the essay in my paper shredder, but couldn’t get… ...(more)
January 31, 2006 @ 11:55 AM
They say “If you can’t be found online your business is already dead - you just haven’t noticed it yet.” Now, 11 days after launching my site, Google can see me. Findability is key to any site’s success. Here are 5 easy ways to be sure your site gets found.
Create findable content - This seems obvious, but thousands of great companies bury their content in sexy (occasionally annoying) Flash animations or objects. If done wrong (as a majority are) it renders their content and links completely invisible to search engines. I believe 90% of SEO can (and should) be done during the design of a site.
Good ‘n plenty - Often companies make redesigning their website the central focus of their marketing efforts, only to abandon it after it’s completion. Your website is not finished when you launch it. It’s not finished ever if you want to continue to be found online. Regular content updates, links to related content and links back to your site are not only search… ...(more)
January 20, 2006 @ 6:31 PM
My Dad has spent years perfecting his recipe for what many consider to be the World’s greatest peanut brittle. Every Christmas my mother’s kitchen becomes his laboratory where he carefully refines his process. This year he made 40 lbs. that were given to his friends, family and coworkers. With retirement on the horizon, I’m trying to talk him into a joint venture - selling his delicious creation over the internet.
Before this can happen I first have to convince my father that - A.) People will pay $14.95 for a pound of the World’s greatest peanut brittle. B.) No one will choke on, be blinded by or assault someone else with his brittle - subsequently suing him for liability. And C.) Blogs actually do work. If you bake it they will come!
To the last point, DL Byron and Scott Benish have done a masterful job of productizing and marketing an invention through their own blog. I see two obvious advantages in their product. First, it solves a problem.… ...(more)
January 18, 2006 @ 12:32 PM
If you like having lots of bulky source books that collect dust and bow your bookshelves, then AIGA’s new online Design Archive is not for you. Gone are the days marking page after page with sticky notes, and wondering “who’s got Volume 25?”
In addition to being wicked fast, AIGA’s new Design Archive provides over 1,300 design samples of identity systems, corporate communications design, typography, package design, etc… Each piece includes in depth project information, and a truly amazing zoom feature. Members can create and manage their own lightbox of images. You can also email each piece to a friend (or yourself) right from the site.
Who needs this? Advertising agencies, freelance creatives, and in house art departments can all benefit from a little fresh perspective and inspiration from time to time. How much does it cost? This is the best part. Absolutely nothing. AIGA’s online membership and Design Archives are totally free.
January 18, 2006 @ 8:42 AM
Welcome to my new website! At first glance, you might think it’s all about me. And you’d be mostly right. But it’s also about great design, creative, strategy and branding.
If you know me, you know I’ve recently left a terrific job with a large New Mexico tech company to work for a new boss. Myself. Since September business has been booming, and I’ve gotten the opportunity to work with some really remarkable people. I’ve also been working diligently on this, my own website.
I couldn’t have done it without help and inspiration. I’d like to thank my good friend Anna Brown for generously sharing her technical knowledge, and helping me navigate much uncharted territory.
I’d also like to thank bloggers like Chris Pirillo and Dave Taylor, who have inspired me to think differently about the web, and to build a home for content and conversations. They’ve also given me plenty of great stuff to read along the way.
… ...(more)January 17, 2006 @ 11:05 PM
MyMicrobots Brand Robots™ are only “robots” in the sense that pet rocks were “pets”. Still, they’re pretty fun to look at under a microscope.
HT Micro, a precision fabrication company in Albuquerque New Mexico, needed to showcase their ability to make really small things. As is the case with most start-ups, there was no budget for costly demos, buying ad space in trade publications, or shotgun direct mail campaigns. And there in resided the challenge.
Create an engaging campaign that showcases a one-of-a-kind technology, and appeals to a niche market of engineers (geeks with microscopes). Oh, and uh… it can’t cost anything. The microfabrication space still suffers from stigmas associated with nanotechnology. Investors are scarce after having been burned by the big hype over all things small.
I still remember the conversation (nearly 2 years ago) with my creative partner in crime Vincent Thome. While it remains unclear who said it first, the phrase “Pet Robots” was uttered, and the rest was history… ...(more)
January 17, 2006 @ 9:55 PM
I recently visited Milwaukee (home) for the first time in 4 years. Two of the more remarkable things I saw were the Rembrandt Exhibition - housed by - Santiago Calatrava’s Burke Brise Soleil, the new addition to the Milwaukee Art Museum. Well, new since the last time I’d been there.
Entering the exhibit was a little like stepping off the bridge of the Starship Enterprise and into 1640’s Netherlands. A wild juxtaposition of innovation, and anachronism. Two masters intertwined, yet separated by over three and a half centuries. While the Rembrandt Exhibition has since ended, I’d highly recommend visiting the museum if only to see the new wing.
This exhibit in April looks pretty terrific too: Masters of American Comics.
January 17, 2006 @ 7:54 PM
Tazo is not the world’s greatest tea, but the people who drink it would tell you it is. Most things being equal, what inspires a consumer to choose one product or service over another?
Joe Duffy of Duffy & Partners explores the fusion of design and advertising, with a behind the scenes look at some of today’s most admired and effective brands, in his book A Brand Apart. Only $40 for One Club members.
