After the lecture on Tuesday I really felt the need to comment on this website. It's one of the best websites I've looked at this week and I feel responsible for fighting it's corner. I think some people didn't consider who IDEO are and what they are trying to achieve. I was confused by peoples comments about the navigation being hard to use. These arguments nearly always reverted back to user expectations and 'we want a header and a horizontal menu'.
As a global design consultancy they need to create the sort of image for themselves that will appeal to large clients. They need to differentiate themselves from the million other design agencies and their own website is their platform to do this.
If I refer back to Shaun's lecture today and the 'principles of design' article. The most important point Shaun made was the need to give the user exactly what they want, as quickly and as blatantly as possible.
So I looked at the page and the first place my eye falls is the IDEO logo and it's description of itself:
We are a global design agency. We create impact through design. (Can't get much clearer than that)
This sort of introductory element, stating what they do and hopefully making you catch a glance at their logo, is positioned in one of the two main hot spots of the normal scanning process, since we tend to scan from top-to-bottom and from left-to-right.
The home page is designed so that there are literally only four places that can attract your eye. The menu items are straight to the point and give a potential client exactly what they are looking for. They can then choose from a small sub menu within these tabs or click on a highlighted page to navigate where they want to go.
It's complicated but simple at the same time, it's original, it looks great, it makes good use of space and it demonstrates their design philosophy.
There was a lot of information in the first of James Shorthose's lectures so I thought I'd make a note of some of the key points before I forget.
James spoke a lot about current trends within the creative industries and the growing need for networking. He explained that networks are starting to replace the 'conventional organisational structure' and this has lead to a 'barter economy' whereby creative practitioners often operate in terms of 'a favour for a favour'. Long-term jobs are being replaced by 'portfolio careers', giving more people the opportunity to be self-employed and work within their own network of practitioners.
The creative industries sector is the second largest industry in the west, growing at a rate of 15% per year. James suggested that the creative industries will not only suffer least throughout a global recession, but they will also recover first.
While heavy industry relied on mass production, where companies benefited from being extremely large in order to achieve economies of scale. The shift towards creative industries and cultural industries has generated the need for 'economies of speed'. This means that it is more important to be responsive to changes in industry conditions, rather than becoming proficient in turning out the same thing over and over. For example, making use of a new technology before your competitors.
James also spoke a lot about about acquiring public funding for projects. He explained that funding is available for arts and culture if it has a broader purpose that fits government agenda. He suggested that we do two things whenever applying for public funding:
1. Pretend you are talking to someone who has no knowledge or interest in the arts.
2. Explain how funding you will help to do their job for them.
Thats everyhting I can remember for now, I'll probably post another entry on monday reflecting on the second lecture.
James spoke a lot about current trends within the creative industries and the growing need for networking. He explained that networks are starting to replace the 'conventional organisational structure' and this has lead to a 'barter economy' whereby creative practitioners often operate in terms of 'a favour for a favour'. Long-term jobs are being replaced by 'portfolio careers', giving more people the opportunity to be self-employed and work within their own network of practitioners.
The creative industries sector is the second largest industry in the west, growing at a rate of 15% per year. James suggested that the creative industries will not only suffer least throughout a global recession, but they will also recover first.
While heavy industry relied on mass production, where companies benefited from being extremely large in order to achieve economies of scale. The shift towards creative industries and cultural industries has generated the need for 'economies of speed'. This means that it is more important to be responsive to changes in industry conditions, rather than becoming proficient in turning out the same thing over and over. For example, making use of a new technology before your competitors.
James also spoke a lot about about acquiring public funding for projects. He explained that funding is available for arts and culture if it has a broader purpose that fits government agenda. He suggested that we do two things whenever applying for public funding:
1. Pretend you are talking to someone who has no knowledge or interest in the arts.
2. Explain how funding you will help to do their job for them.
Thats everyhting I can remember for now, I'll probably post another entry on monday reflecting on the second lecture.
Labels: SPP
hellosoursally.com
0 Comments Published by David Kingsnorth on Wednesday, October 22, 2008 at 6:27 AM.
The quality of interaction and visual style is really impressive. The site is marketing premium frozen yogurt, therefore it will carry a premium price and require a superior brand image. In keeping with current design trends, the site has an organic hand-drawn style and uses a black, white and bright pastel color scheme.
The relatively extensive environment gives the impression of depth and strongly encourages exploration. I was impressed by the quality of the animation and the way in which the animation responds to interaction. The navigation is simple and very effective, while occupying the minimum amount of space. The menu is collapsible and as a result doesn't encroach on the main environment.
I think the sites main purpose is to have some sort of viral impact and generate brand awareness. A high quality site would probably be considered a neccesity for any company trying to establish or maintain a premium brand image.
Joel Schafer: 'I'm into minimalistic clean design'
0 Comments Published by David Kingsnorth on at 4:36 AM.
Firstly I think Joel Schaffer is a great designer and I really like the style of his work but I found the responses in this interview quite brief and the advice he gave fairly standard. However, I'll definately be looking out for the magazines that Joel recommended and I think it's good to recognise the importance of consuming a lot of design based material such as magazines and feeds.
Read this article
Read this article
Dan Saffer: 'Interaction design is an applied art'
0 Comments Published by David Kingsnorth on Tuesday, October 21, 2008 at 6:07 AM.
Dan Saffer makes some good points and offers helpful advice for aspiring designers. I think it is useful to recognise that interaction, along with other aspects of our course, are applied arts. There is room to be artistic but there are certain constraints. We will almost always be required to focus heavily on usability and meet specific needs and this limits your creative freedom to a certain extent.
I really agree with Saffer when he talks about the ability to teach yourself certain subjects effectively while others require guidance and feedback. However, I think teaching yourself is almost always a slower process.
Saffer stresses the importance of relevant hands on experience. Although theory is an essential part of design, you must remain well practiced in order to be a good designer. He vaguely touches on the benefits of being observant and drawing on your own day to day experiences as inspiration. It is clear that he values the idea of having a very wide skillset, even if you have a good level of expertise in your primary field.
Read this article here
I really agree with Saffer when he talks about the ability to teach yourself certain subjects effectively while others require guidance and feedback. However, I think teaching yourself is almost always a slower process.
Saffer stresses the importance of relevant hands on experience. Although theory is an essential part of design, you must remain well practiced in order to be a good designer. He vaguely touches on the benefits of being observant and drawing on your own day to day experiences as inspiration. It is clear that he values the idea of having a very wide skillset, even if you have a good level of expertise in your primary field.
Read this article here
Displaying Source Code
0 Comments Published by David Kingsnorth on Thursday, October 02, 2008 at 9:30 AM.
As you can see I've been posting images of my source code or just not bothering. Ideally I'd like to post a lot more code on my blog so that I can use it as a reference. AS3 has finally started to click for me and a lot more of my posts are likely to be code related from now on.
I found a really good javascript based utility on google code called syntaxHighligher. It formats your code so it is readable, highlightable and looks nice.
I fully plan to use this method of displaying code when my wordpress is up and running but for now I have found a site that converts your code. Doesn't look as pretty and theres no scroller so I still only really post snippets or it will take up the page. However, it's quick and it works so it will do for now.
I found a really good javascript based utility on google code called syntaxHighligher. It formats your code so it is readable, highlightable and looks nice.
I fully plan to use this method of displaying code when my wordpress is up and running but for now I have found a site that converts your code. Doesn't look as pretty and theres no scroller so I still only really post snippets or it will take up the page. However, it's quick and it works so it will do for now.
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<site>
<links>
<link name="Home"/>
<link name="Blog"/>
<link name="Portfolio"/>
<link name="About"/>
<link name="Contact"/>
</links>
</site>