Just when I have fooled myself into thinking I have some type of handle on the scope of what designers are designing, I come across something like this. These organic, three-dimensional typographic illustrations by designer Luca Ionescu of Like Minded Studio redefine (to me) what is possible. Old dog. New trick?
Example 1: from Texas Monthly magazine...
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While we're on the subject of innovative informational design (my previous post), take a look at Newsmap—an application that "visually reflects the constantly changing landscape of the Google News news aggregator."
It is the brainchild of design engineer Marcos Weskamp.
Not surprising Weskamp is also a Senior User Experience Designer for the Adobe Index group...
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Beginning in 2005 Seed Magazine began publishing a series of what they label "cribsheets." The formal explanation goes like this: "Scientific issues and innovations are figuring into everyday conversation more than ever before. Recognizing that we could all use some brushing up, Seed offers its Cribsheet."
It appears the last edition (#18 Biofuels) appeared in 2008. The series is both interesting and innovate for its content and design.
Cribsheet #11 Plate Tectonics...
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This morning, Seth Godin points us to a new project—Brands in Public—"a collection of interesting, accessible, public-facing dashboards for your favorite brands - from Zappos to Virgin America to In-n-Out Burger. Each dashboard organizes a hot list of what's being said about the brand around the web, via Twitter and blogs and YouTube and Google Trends and more. As well as polls and debates and commenting for people who want to do more than just watch."
What is most interesting to me is the fact that the owner of the brand is invited to control a portion of the page contents.
It gets right to the heart of the questions I posed in my recent post, "The most important design and marketing questions of a generation."
They are: Can your client's product, service, or idea survive virtual scrutiny? When it is illustrated, diagrammed, and dissected—revealed for its true self—will it continue to command the audience it commands today?
Brands In Public could be the type of consumer/corporate coexistance necessary for brands to honestly, publicly address the inevitable, increasing scrutiny they will encounter in the days to come.
The Brands In Public cover page...
The brand owner's interface....
The most important design and marketing questions of a generation....
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I don't have a clue about the subject matter here but Aaron Horkey's illustrations and hand-lettered word groupings are fabulous.
BTW, anyone know of an official term for the assembly of individual words into a composition—the process of putting together the pieces of the puzzle? Seems as if there should be a term for it other than "word grouping."
His portfolio on Rock of Eye...
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That is the beauty of the web—every so often you stumble on something really phenomenal. My latest happy discovery is this amazing collection of posters, photos and prints from the collection of Jaap Best, the Netherlands' largest collection of circus memorabilia. 3,500 colour lithographs and thousands of other pieces. Amazing stuff.
The Circusmuseum.nl cover page...
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This site, to me, is interesting on at least three different levels. First, it uses a standard metaphor—the printed page—in a slightly different way. When you click "Preview" at the top right of the screen, the entire page shifts to reveal the surface underneath it.
Second, I like the subtleties of the folds and light manifest as different shades of yellow.
And third, the icons ain't bad either!
Royalty-free vector icons, glyphs, and symbols based on the Helvetica Bold typeface...
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If you have all five weights of Museo...you might be a graphic designer.
If your computer monitor has a name...you might be a graphic designer.
If you need a forklift to move your back issues of Communication Arts...you might be a graphic designer.
If you know a style sheet is not something found in a linen closet...you might be a graphic designer.
If you would intentionally watch a video titled "Exotic Fold Ideas"...you might be a graphic designer.
Thanks to John McWade for introducing me to Folding Fanatic Trish Witkowski and her interesting, informative site at foldfactory.com.
Among other things, she offers a collection of video clips that show how different types of folds work.
And (of course) there is the crazy-weird bobblehead thing (bottom of the page)...
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I got a question this week that led me to believe that the writer did not fully embrace that fact. They asked, "Is creating a direct mail piece more effective than using something like Google Adwords?
My answer: I would have no way of knowing unless I knew your marketing DNA--what you're selling, who your prospects are, the options for reaching them, what your offer is, who you're competing against, what the current market conditions are, and so on.
My point is success is circumstantial. You should run in the opposite direct of anyone who offers generic yet "foolproof" advice, formulas, or solutions that do not acknowledge the importance of understanding and addressing the many inherent differences in each situation.
Its the old problem of the client who spends 95 percent of their budget on the phone directory ad space and five percent on the message. Whether you're creating a brochure, a web site, a direct mail piece, a radio spot, or whatever else, you need to understand the brand.
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Bill Blinn's picture is at the bottom of each page of his podcast web site--Techbyter Worldwide. It shows the bearded, somewhat graying author with a caption that reads, "This explains why TechByter Worldwide was never on television, doesn't it?"
That sense of humor is one reason I enjoy listening to his podcast--another is his perspective. It is not an "old" perspective by any stretch of the imagination--it is an educated one. He's the kind of person who shows you the flower, but who also (obviously) understands the root system of the plant.
Blinn speaks on a variety of computer-related topics. You can listen to each podcast (the player is near the bottom of the page) or you can read it and look at the illustrations.
I will point you to two discussions of Adobe products.
Commentary about Adobe Illustrator (CS4)...
About Adobe InDesign and InCopy (CS4)...
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If you're interested in graphic design and publishing you are (no doubt) familiar with America's Test Kitchen and its parent: Boston Common Press. The publications, books, television shows, and web content it publishes are among the best I've seen. The content seems well-researched, well-written, and well-designed--their web sports an impressive, intuitive user interfaces.
(BTW, if you're a foodie, these are also terrific products.)
Their online and print newsletter is CooksIllustrated.com...
Here you'll see the depth of their offerings...
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We all know that sound research can help us avoid many of the mistakes typically necessary to arrive at good solutions to common graphic design and marketing problems.
One source of such research is the Software Usability Research Laboratory (SURL) at Wichita State University. This group specializes in software/website user interface design, usability testing, and research in human-computer interaction.
I'd like to hear of other sources of graphic design and marketing research--all types. Do you have a source to recommend? A favorite study? A particular statistic that had a significant effect on your work?
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Traveling the web as much as I do, I see lots of "can't see the forest for the trees" issues. Problems and opportunities that seem obvious to the visitor that you, the site designer, might never figure out for yourself. A reaction. A technical bottleneck. An seemingly obvious deficit of information or direction.
One way to harvest the ideas of those who have that all-important, arms-distance perspective is (simply) to ask. Here, for example, is a form offered by the Smithsonian's Museum Studies site.
(I know that this is restateing the obvious, but sometimes what is obvious to you is not obvious to me.)
The page it originates from...
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