Posted on May 3, 2007
Filed Under Design, Misc. Stuff, Web Development | Comments Off
Bruce Nussbaum, Business Week’s assistant managing editor, recently wrote a really compelling article about the nature of design today. With all of the customiztion tools of websites like MySpace and other social networking sites, free graphics applications, online design tools, etc., almost everyone and their grandmother is a “designer” of some sort these days. Whether it’s a product design, a print piece, a website or even an architectural project, many professional designers are having to be more interactive with their clients when it comes to design. It’s becoming more of a “Design Democracy” if you will. As Bruce puts it, a shift from “designing for” to “designing with” a client. Maybe it’s time to change your thinking. Then again, maybe not.
I can’t say that I agree wholly with what Bruce is saying. I belive that as designers we should always strive to involve our clients as much as possible in the design process, listen to them intently, and do our best to intepret their vision. I disagree with the notion that all controls regarding design should go out the window just so everyone can have their place in the “design sandbox”.
Earmark a few minutes to read and consider this piece. If you’re a professional designer, you’ll more than likely get your feathers ruffled by some parts. Stick with it though, it seems just a little off balance but he raises some interesting points and there are some well thought out comments you’ll really want to read as well.
Posted on May 3, 2007
Filed Under Design, Fun Stuff, Misc. Stuff, Web Development | Comments Off
A lot of “designers” seem to overlook type as a true design element. It’s relegated to just blocks of boring copy when it could shine ever so brightly. What a shame. I’ve become increasingly enamored with type-based designs and the powerful images they can create. I know Matt has a passion for type as well so he’ll probably enjoy this. Typo Generator will get your juices flowing. Just type in some text, press the button and see what kind of interesting artwork you can come up with. Not happy with the first version? Make a few tweaks and go at it again. I guarantee you’ll end up with something you’ll like. Go ahead. Go be inspired by type. You know you want to.
If you want to know more about designing with type, here’s a super resource to get you started.
Posted on April 22, 2007
Filed Under Design, Web Development | 2 Comments
Adobe has finally released the majority of it’s new Creative Suite 3 (CS3) applications. A few of the versions are still forthcoming, but here’s a quick run down of Adobe’s new offerings.
Exactly which applications CS3 contains depends upon which version of the suite you choose. When it ships it will be available in six different configurations, targeted at three different user bases (full details of which are at the end of this article). There will also be a Master Suite, which will contain everything but the kitchen sink.
Posted on March 31, 2007
Filed Under Misc. Stuff, Web Development | Comments Off
CSS Superdouche is a handly little tool to well, clean up your sloppy CSS files. A friend referred me to this the other day, and I’ve been using it ever since.
It’s basically a web app where you enter the URL to your CSS file, select from a few options like “remove all whitespace, indent CSS, & newline before opening brace”, the click the submit button to have it grab your CSS and pretty it up. It’s that simple.
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Posted on March 28, 2007
Filed Under Design, Misc. Stuff, Web Development | Comments Off
Lauren pointed me to this letter today by an unknown author. It’s a really clever metaphor for how clients perceive website designers and developers. There is still some kind of mindset that either causes them to devalue our time, our processes and ultimately our expertise.
It’s a constant battle trying to educate the clients and manage their expectations, and to ultimately deliver a quality product when we’re faced with expectations not so much unlike these.
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