Tuesday
Jan052010

Why the Proctor Silex Coffee Maker Model: 48524 Sucks Ass

DateTuesday, January 5, 2010 at 11:32AM | Print ArticlePrint Article |

For those of you that have ever battled technology in any given form I humbly submit the following:

Why the Proctor Silex Coffee Maker Model: 48524 Sucks Ass

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Wednesday
Dec302009

Usability Testing You Can (Finally) Make Money On

DateWednesday, December 30, 2009 at 8:57AM | Print ArticlePrint Article |

Client – "Yes, and additionally I'd like to get some usability studies done prior to launch."

You – "Fuck." (I'd advise simply thinking this part)

Let's face it, if you've been designing websites, applications or prototyping interfaces for any length of time you always get the dreaded request for a third-party usability study. Normally this means a pass-through cost that you'll never see, and endless rounds of revisions. Well a new service "Usabilla" now allows for you to serve up your work for a test audience with relatively minimal expense. Yes, you're still stuck doing a 1k rounds of revisions based on the feedback. But you'll be able to stomach the revisions knowing at least you're being paid adequately for your efforts in taking the time to test it.

The premise is very basic. You create an account, and link your test pages (or screen shots respectively) to your account and then you assign questions against the work posted. The application itself has a number of 'pre-fab' questions you can add as well.

SIDE-NOTE: The fact that you can test static comps' and wire frames is [very] nice for designers and developers too as you don't have to the work through development (wasting hours, and often losing capital) to get some definitive third-party feedback. Start to think about creating large IA's and you'll start to see the nightmare that will be your life if you push it all up on a dev' server only to have the client something like "where's registration page?" Boo.

While I've not used the service I feel it would be a phenomenal asset given the results that you received. That will remain to be seen. I might participate with this application on both ends of the spectrum to see how it truly works – if so I'll report back.

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Tuesday
Dec292009

C´etait un rendezvous – My Love To You

DateTuesday, December 29, 2009 at 5:41PM | Print ArticlePrint Article |

Any real gearhead, auto/speed junkie will tell you that is you want pucker the "ass dyno" you look no further than the 1976 film C'était un rendez-vous. This cinéma-vérité classic shows a stabilised camera mounted on the bumper of a Mercedes-Benz 450SEL 6.9

C'était un rendez-vous ("It was a date") is a short film (under 10 minutes) made in 1976 by Claude Lelouch, showing a high speed drive through Paris. ~ Wikipedia

Others that have taken a page from this classic include The Ghostrider and even Jay Leno!

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Tuesday
Dec292009

Chase Jarvis on Cell Phone Photography

DateTuesday, December 29, 2009 at 4:10PM | Print ArticlePrint Article |

Well known advertorial photographer (and creator of "The Best Camera" iPhone application) Chase Jarvis has done a little memorable chit-chat regarding cellphone photography and the capturing of the moment. He's also a very active blogger and Nikon/iPhone enthusiest. And because I'm a brand whore and own both, I just wanted to point that out.

Chase Jarvis iPhone photo gallery.

http://www.thebestcamera.com

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Tuesday
Dec292009

Weapons for Hunting the Elusive Creative Job - v2.0

DateTuesday, December 29, 2009 at 7:45AM | Print ArticlePrint Article |

The Backbone: Not that this is going to come as a surprise but these sites are the first sites you need to work on. Get your resume, contact information and profile up-to-date as soon as possible. Don’t forget to setup alerts based on your search criteria; it’s best to get them sent every morning.

Creative Resources: Here’s the fork in the road. For creatives we need to get our work out there on the “interwebs”, almost as soon (sometimes sooner) than our resume. The following sites are important. These sites act as a place where you can post your resume information and, furthermore, most of them allow you a basic portfolio (for free) where your work can be seen. Some offer “upgraded” accounts, at cost, that allow you to post more work to your portfolio. Understand that not only employers search these sites but recruitment firms (head-hunters) do as well to cherry pick the best talent to pitch.

Social Outreach: Unless you just stepped out of a time machine from the past you’ll know that employers want to know you before they even pick up the phone. Social media sites play a REAL part letting employers get to know you, your interests, and your personality. WORK YOUR NETWORK! SimplyHired.com works to cross reference your LinkedIn account to see if you know anyone that’s working at posted job. This way you can reach out to that contact and do some critical due-diligence prior to applying.

Project & Freelance Work: There's a growing need for freelancers and consultants of all times in the design, web and advertising market. Once settled in this genre you can do quite well. So, if you’re ready to battle everyone with a copy of CorelDraw and a fistful of clip art I give you the following URL’s. Vaya con dios mi amigo.

Design & Dev:

Writers:

Developers:

Just Jobs: The following sites are a mixed bag of freelance and full time positions.

Portfolio Builders: Here are a couple of great sites to build your portfolio on.

Digital Asset Swapping: Interesting concept here if you’re interested in sifting your old comps', code and images. You never know you might even make some cash.

Geek/Design Dork Dating: The name says it all.

Additional Trusted Creative Job Resources:

Get Creative Articles Published:

Sites to post webdesign, CSS and grahic design to promote your portfolio:

Design Blogs Resources & Intel:

The Following Design Blog List Artfully Assembled by David Airey:

  • Design Observer: writings about design & culture
  • Smashing Magazine – a weblog dedicated to web-developers and designers
  • Core77 / design magazine + resource /
  • Authentic Boredom – by graphic designer, Cameron Moll
  • Coudal Partners: a forum for creativity and experimentation
  • CR Blog – News and views on visual communications from the writers of Creative Review
  • Design Notes published by Michael Surtees who tries to see life filtered through design as opposed to placing design on a pedestal
  • Dexigner – popular design portal featuring the latest design news
  • Hicksdesign – Journal of a small creative agency based in Witney, Oxfordshire, UK, authored by Jon Hicks
  • I Love Typography, devoted to fonts, typefaces and all things typographical.
  • Mark Boulton: Design Thinking. Web Delivery. By a designer based in Cardiff, UK.
  • Quipsologies – Corralling the most relevant and creative on- and off-line bits that pertain to the design community.
  • Randa Clay Design – Design, Marketing, Blogging, Branding and all things Creative
  • Russell Davies – incredibly diverse UK-based blog on topics associated with design
  • Speak Up > Design Dialog
  • Subtraction 7.0 – NYTimes.com’s Design Director, Khoi Vinh, blogs about design and other relevant info.
  • Swissmiss – tina roth eisenberg | swiss designer gone nyc
  • Typographica. A Journal of Typography.
  • Veer: The Skinny – provides visual elements for use in professional creative work
  • Veerle’s blog 2.0 – Webdesign – XHTML CSS | Graphic Design
  • You the Designer – Graphic Design Blog
  • Logo Design Love: a website dedicated to all things logo.
  • Ace Jet 170 – Found type, print and stuff
  • AisleOne – Design, typography and everything else.
  • Anamorphosis. learn design create
  • Be A Design Group – a blog for graphic designers, created in March of 2004 by Adrian Hanft and Bennett Holzworth.
  • Chris Glass, The Last 10 Days. A creative fella’s journal from Ohio.
  • Creative Curio – Learn, discuss and explore the realm of graphic design.
  • Designers who Blog – features blogs discussing graphic design, web design, illustration, marketing, photography, branding, writing and advertising
  • Design Adaptations | Charity Ondriezek
  • Design is Kinky – a proudly Australian blog on design
  • Design Sojourn | Strategic Industrial Design Blog
  • DesignM.ag — Articles and Resources for Web Designers
  • Design View: Articles, Essays and Opinions by Andy Rutledge
  • Elite By Design a freelance and web design community website
  • Fuel Your Creativity – Find your spark
  • Grain Edit – covers contemporary graphic design / illustration, as well as design from the from the golden era of advertising (1950s–1970s).
  • Graphic Define Magazine – focuses on the business of running a graphic, interactive, or web design studio.
  • Ideasonideas, a blog that invites dialogue on issues relevant to communication designers and brand strategists
  • Inspiration Bit – Get inspired and learn from the latest technology, art and design buzz on the Web.
  • Inspiredology – covers everything that inspires us.
  • ISO50 – The Visual Work of Scott Hansen
  • Jasongraphix :: A journal of art, thoughts, and projects by Jason Beaird
  • Noisy Decent Graphics by Ben Terrett, a Graphic Designer in London
  • Positive Space :: The Graphic Design Blog
  • Spoon Graphics – the personal project of Chris Spooner, a UK based Graphic / Web Designer.
  • Swiss Legacy – Graphic design and typography
  • The Dieline – packaging design blog
  • The Serif – Your daily dose of design inspiration
  • Things to look at – plenty of images, and oddly, things to look at
  • Type for you. A blog on typography, by Pedro Serrão, a graphic designer from Porto, Portugal.
  • TypeNeu dedicated to typography, fonts, lettering and typefaces
  • AdGoodness – advertising and design blog from Frederik Samuel
  • Andy Budd :: Blogography – based in Brighton, England
  • BittBox – Homemade vector freebies, design tips, tutorials and bitts.
  • Computerlove – Connecting Creative Talents
  • Creativebits | Apple orientated design community (must register to comment)
  • David the Designer – don’t underestimate the knowledge this man has acquired (and don’t call him Dave)
  • Elliot Swan survived three days without the internet
  • FormFiftyFive – Design Inspiration – the pet project of designers Glenn Garriock and Jack Daly
  • GraphicPUSH – “a sporadically but faithfully updated design blog”
  • Graphic Design Blog – graphic design, freelancing, illustration, advertising, web design
  • Laughing Lion Design : Web, Graphic Design & Illustration Ireland
  • Lealea Design: Blogblog: Design inspiration and introspection
  • Luz Cannon: The Work of David Brooks : Designer, Photographer and Audio Producer
  • NOTCOT.ORG – for your ideas + aesthetics + amusement.
  • SeptemberIndustry | a showcase of the best in international graphic design
  • SonSpring | Journal by Nathan Smith
  • We Made This (It’s Our Blog)
  • Your Brain on Design: A Graphic Design Blog | Leslie Tane Design
  • Binky the doormat – Thoughts on design and visual culture by Daniel Gray
  • CrazyLeaf Design Blog – Web Design and Graphic Design Blog
  • Creative Guy – tips, tricks, tutorials and discussion about Adobe Photoshop, InDesign and Illustrator for designers running Mac OSX
  • Designer Daily graphic design inspiration and resources
  • Gazelle Creative – by Elizabeth Jackson (a.k.a. Zabs)
  • Gradient dropshadow curve – by Henry Tapia
  • Just Creative Design – personal blog of Jacob Cass, a graphic designer in Australia
  • Outlaw Design Blog – A Graphic Design Blog
  • Reflections – the personal blog of Paul Enderson, a freelance web and graphic designer from England
  • Truly Ace – Graphic Design Blog
  • Tutorial Blog – Design Articles and Tutorials
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Monday
Dec282009

10 Highly Speculative 2010 Advertising Predictions Requiring No Proof On My Part

DateMonday, December 28, 2009 at 9:45AM | Print ArticlePrint Article |

  1. Webisodes – The future of TV gets [some] web exclusivity in 2010. Smarter television developers see that there's an increasing need for more than a once-a-week connection to their audience. This is where the webisode becomes the 'gap wedge' to your content golf bag. Watch as large prime-time shows create upwards to the same amount of "eye-time" for original programming, backstories, interviews, and fan discussion seeding with this medium.
  2. "In Content" Advertising – I've been preaching this for years so I might as well claim it's going to happen in 2010. Trumping the DVR is going to require increasing demand for television programs and advertisers to work together to find suitable content where their product can be shown in a positive light. Watch as the gaming industry figure this out and a new influx of part TV, part game come into play.
  3. Default Tactics added to every campaign in 2010 – The RFP's you knew and loved are going to require far more thinking than in the past to rope your next AOR account. Get ready for "Limited" traditional advertising supporting a 'story-seed' pushing attention to a foundational website; social media extensions; professional Twit (saavy internal voice that will voice your campaign against your social extensions); Mobile Advertising; oh and some clever concept.
  4. Agency/Talent Clustering – Watch as the best agencies in the world look externally to smaller niché focused shops for such tactics as social strategy, storytelling, and various executional and development tasks.
  5. Ninja TV – Slowly we're seeing television finally sneaking online (and mobile respectfully) as part of the content; Hulu, CNN, ESPN (Gamecast) etc. will be the grandfathers or this movement.
  6. Client Media Purchasing – With the ease of Facebook, BlogAds, Ad Mob and other publishing networks be forewarned that clients are going to expect their internal staff to do more of the buying of online media. Of course when the campaign goes to pot you're still to blame – not to worry.
  7. "Jumpseats" – Watch for advertising agencies to put more members of their team at the clients office full-time. Everyone's looking for the edge that will satisfy your clients increasing need for high-touch customer service and a smart extravert might just be the trick not to getting your ass on the list for a review.
  8. Measurement Required – Agencies, start looking hard for staffers that can look, understand and make core recommendations on web metrics. This is going to start to become a crucial team that will make definitive reco's during the running of campaigns to best optimize and structure results.
  9. Bulldogs – Watch larger clients higher staffers from the agency world as consultants to review, analyze, criticize and keep your markup as low as bootlegged Metallica t-shirts at a flea market.
  10. Keep Your Eye On Your Hands – Mobile is going to explode this year with not simply phones, games, and smaller utilities to (supposedly) make our lives simpler, but keep an eye on net-books and tablets aimed at keeping you portable as well as connected. Additionally, I foresee the tablet craze as being short-lived, perhaps a couple of years before it goes back in your pocket.
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