A great site from.... Hyundai?!?

I never thought I would use the word cool and Hyundai in the same sentence but their site for the new Santa Fe is impressive. It has a very unique black and white hand drawn style that really pops off the screen, it's fun to explore and has a lot higher quality than anything else I can remember seeing from this brand.

The new Hyundai SantaFe

VISIONARY DESIGNERS - Tokyo Plastic

No one is better at proving that Flash can be a cinematic art form than Tokyo Plastic. Their Drum Machine animation is a masterpiece and a classic. Their new animation The Little Fella is yet another brilliant fusion of 3D animation and Flash that is created with their unique and humorous animation style. Their main site TokyoPlastic.com is a showcase for some of the best Flash animation out there.

For me the greatest thing is that their site has become so popular that they have created limited edition Vinyl figures of their main characters. You can find the sold out figures like the geisha in white, red or black on eBay on a fairly regular basis. I have all the geisha figures because I think there were a real collectibles since a web design has never spawned a line of toys before and it was just too cool to pass up.

TokyoPlastic.com

That's not a GIF. THIS is a GIF.

AKQA have launched an intricate one-page site for MSN Messenger consisting of an insanely complex looped .GIF file, a single line of copy and a link to download MSN Messenger.. The GIF was created by British artist Will Sweeney who must be a really patient guy.

MSN Messenger: The Way The News Spreads

VISIONARY DESIGNERS - AKQA

AKQA proves that big firms can do great work. They have won every award that isn't nailed down, have offices in 5 cities around the world and clients like Nike, Mini, Microsoft, and VISA. They are the kind of firm that if they were hiring a creative director in the U.S. I would send them enough resumes to wallpaper their office.

Also check out their book "AKQA Ideas: Vol 1" which has 21 recently launched projects presented as a case study. I personally own this book and it's only available through the UK version of Amazon.com for about $50 with delivery and usually takes about 4-8 weeks for delivery.

AKQA.com

Heineken Netherlands

Heineken Netherlands has laucnhed a new summer promotion site but it wasn't the site that got my attention. I really like the design of the age verification which is has eliminated the usual drop downs and form fields in favor of a simple visual design.

Heineken Netherlands

ESSENTIAL TOOL - Xscope

Xscope is a simple application I use on a daily basis. The screens feature lets you choose the screen size and browsers you are targeting to get the right width and page cutoff. It is only for Mac OS 10.3+ and costs $17 but it is well worth it.
- Rulers - On-screen rulers that measure distances and angles
- Screens - A dynamic view of smaller screen sizes and web browser content areas
- Loupe - A magnifying glass that gives you a close-up view of your work
- Guides - Markers for precise horizontal and vertical alignment
- Frames - Markers for precise width, height & origin alignment
- Crosshair - Finds the exact location on screen

Get Xscope now

Sony PSP + Macromedia Flash = Untapped channel

Since August 2005 I have kept an eye on the Sony Playstation Portable (PSP) because I thought it could be the next hot youth marketing channel. For the non-gamers in the crowd, the PSP is Sony's handheld gaming system with a display size is somewhere between a Palm pilot and small Sony notebook.

Sony has used a series of firmware updates to upgrade the functionality of the PSP. In August of last year they combined the PSP's wireless functionality with a firmware upgrade that added a decent web browser to the device. The glaring omission was that the browser had no Flash Player support. That omission was fixed this past April with another firmware update that allows the PSP to play Flash 6 content. You are still limited by the PSP's small 32MB memory but it is more than enough for small Flash site and games.

This is the first device to put a web browser and Flash into such a small youth target piece of technology. Sony is selling around 1 million PSP's a month worldwide and the possibilities are intriguing. There have been a few lame attempts to market to PSP's users by brand like Reebok but no one has even begun to tap into the real potential of this new channel.

RESOURCE - TASCHEN Books

I am not big on interactive design books. I am never inspired by the designs I see and they are usual painfully out of date by the time they reach the bookstore shelves. I have recently found a series of small, cheap ($10 a piece) and well designed books from TASCHEN that make a great desk reference for inspiration. They cover everything from web's hottest design teams to the power of Flash.

Web Design: Studios
Web Design: E-Commerce
Web Design: Flash Sites
Web Design: Music Sites
Web Design: Portfolios

Creativity vs usability

For years now there has been a raging debate between the interactive design community and usability experts. Design vs. usabliity. Art vs. engineering. Creative expression vs. standards.

The visual design is the immediately visible part of the web site and helps craft the customers interaction with the clients brand. But on the other hand what does it matter how wonderful a design is if it fails at the goals for which it was created?

The best and most successful sites are found when the design and usability are blended together to focus on the whole user experience. For interactive to finally be seen as a equal to print and broadcast the medium needs to embrace a user focused design strategy and not always focus on the latest technology or production techniques.

The legendary architect Frank Lloyd Wright said it best “Form follows function – that has been misunderstood. Form and function should be one, joined in a spiritual union".

Fun with swatches - Thibaud's portfolio

This site is a fantastic example of a non-traditional user interface that does not compromise usability at all. The way you interact with the swatches is very well thought out so content is not hidden and the work, not the technology or the production technique, remains the star.

http://www.thibaud.be

Leo Burnett - Big pencil. Big Web site

I have to applaud Leo Burnett. They are the first major agency to understand that a Web site can be a window into an agency's culture and can showcase for their creativity. For years I have railed against the endless string of forgettable agency sites that are nothing more than a mission statement and an endless line of postage stamp sized images. The site uses their agency icon of the big black pencil as the heart of the interface and it is effortless fun using it to explore the site.

http://www.leoburnett.ca

VISIONARY DESIGNERS - EVB

I have been a huge fan of EVB (formerly Evolution Bureau) and their work for years because long before it was trendy, they approached interactive as a broadcast medium. I completely agree with this because a large part of my success is based on my ability to merge my traditional advertising background with my broadcast design and video experience. No one is better than EBV at combining beautiful site design and cutting edge web technologies to create a seamless and compelling brand experience. Some recent samples of their work include:

liveonthefly.com - Leap Frog
whensheshot.com - Old Spice
redwoodcreek.com - Gallo
skiicon.com - Best Buy

See all their work - EVB.com

RESOURCE - SeatGuru.com

If you travel then this site is a life saver and you will never get stuck with a bad seat again. Pick your airline and the type of plane you will be flying (check your reservation). Each plane has a complete layout including seat reviews and power outlets.

http://www.seatguru.com

RESOURCE - The Greeking Machine

On the road working on a comp and can't find your Greeking file? Never fear - The Greeking Machine is here. Just enter the number of paragraphs you need and pick a language. You can choose between Classic Latin, Hillbilly, Marketing, The Matrix, Metropolitan, Psuedo German and my personal favorite Techno Babble.

http://www.duckisland.com/GreekMachine.asp

RESOURCE - SU63.com

Over the past few years I have been luck enough to have been able to travel and work with clients all over the world and have been able to see design through a lot of different cultures and perspectives. It made me realize that my way of looking at advertising and design was from a very narrow and regional perspective. Since then I have tried to seek out sites that features the best design from all over the world and SU63.com is based in Asia but features work from all over the world.

http://www.sj63.com

Practice safe design. Always use a strategy.

The single largest problem that continues to hinder interactive design from really coming into it’s own is the fact that designers allow their work to be led more by technology or production techniques and not creative thinking that creates a user experience or concept that will resonate with the consumer. 

As a creative director I have had tons of interactive portfolios come across my screen over the years and I see the same problem over and over again.  Designers who think that technology is an idea.  Unfortunately most of this work has been produced in Macromedia Flash and that technology has taken a huge amount of criticism over the years. I personally believe that pointing to Flash as the reason for ineffective user experiences and online advertising makes about as much sense as blaming paper for creating junk mail or the telephone for creating the solicitors who call during dinner.  The fault should fall to the designers who have not taken the time to use a creative strategy as the basis of their work.

A good on-line creative strategy should define the values and brand attributes that need to be communicated to the consumer in a distinctive and compelling way that takes advantage of the medium.  I use answers to the following list of questions as a starting point when I meet with a new client or start on a new project.

What are we advertising and why?
When you meet with your client about a new project, get a thorough understanding of the focus of the communications efforts such as: the brand, a specific product or service, a promotion or new news. Make sure you understand their reasons for wanting to be on-line.  Often the rationale clients provide are expressed as marketing objectives not as communications objectives. Communications change the way people think and influence their behaviors.  That is the difference between a marketing objective and a communications objective.  What is it they are trying to achieve?  Increase market share? Drive awareness? Increases frequency or penetration?  Increase sales? Focus on uncovering the single most important obstacle the communications must overcome.

What is the brands communication past?
Get a clear understanding of where the brand has come from and where it is now is critical to determining where the brand needs to go. Look at the brands past advertising to gain a solid understanding of the it’s positioning, personality and focus.  Research if the target of the brand’s activities have shifted and why.  What are the reasons for this change?

What do we need to do?
It is a simple as it sounds.  What are the deliverables that need to be created to fulfill the clients marketing and communications needs?

Who are we talking to? (Demographics)
What are the physical characteristics of your clients market?  Your client should be able to provide you with some statistics that provide a snapshot of the consumer you will target with the creative work.  Common demographics include: age, gender, religion, income level, education, and family composition.

Who are we talking to? (Psychographics)
What are the mental characteristics of your clients market? Your client should again be able to provide you with some information that provides a snapshot of the consumer’s mindset regarding: their personal values, their beliefs, their habits and their activities. Psychographics are often more powerful influences upon how a consumer views your clients category, brand or product as attributes often affect behavior, and attitudes typically cross age groups.  Take time to know your consumer so your creative will be more impactful.

What is the personality and tone?
A brand’s personality should be a reflection it’s behavior, character, and manner. This personality should drive the style and tone of all our communications in writing, photos/illustrations, typography and style.

What is the selling idea?
The selling idea is a way of saying the most persuasive thing you can say to get consumers to alter their behavior towards a client’s category, brand or product. The selling idea should be the starting point for the development any compelling, original, and successful creative ideas. The selling idea can be about: ways of using the product, disadvantages of not using the product, satisfying needs (physical, social, psychological, new ways), product heritage / where or how it was made or generic benefit you want to own.

What do we want the consumer to do?
With any advertising you want to be able to evoke and emotion or action.  What is the emotion you want them have?  How should they feel about the brand?  What do you want them to do?

This list is just a starting point.  To create a great strategy you have to be able to distill and refine the answers to get at the insights and core brand attributes.  The more accurate and concise you are able to become the better your ideas will be.  I also recommend if possible to share your answers and thinking with a team of your peers or co-workers because the more people thinking about a project, the more new ideas can be generated.

Truth in web design

I havn't seen a really funny Web site in ages and now two in one week! This site will take you back to the feeling you got watching the "Truth in Advertising" viral video from a few years ago. You choose video clips for six different members of a web design firm and when you are happy with all your selection it is composed into a "greeting" card for your boss.

http://www.gringo.nu

Who knew shaving was funny?

If you haven't seen it already, the new site for the Norelco BodyGroom is one of the funniest I have seen in a long time. It is a fantastic blend of a great concept, really funny writing and a great use of the technology. This is a project were the designer firm did a great job but HUGE credit goes to the client who took a chance on an idea like this and showed that Norelco isn't your father's razor any more.

http://shaveeverywhere.com

INISGHT - Macromedia XD Blog

It's worth checking out the this blog which is run by Josh Ulm and the experience design team at Macromedia. Subjects cover Application Design, Mobile, Process and Concept and Tips. It doesn't have posts that often but the info is good.

http://weblogs.macromedia.com/xd

Search in a SNAP

I came across this new search engine this week and it is the first one I have seen in a long time that found it's way into my bookmark toolbar. It was created by Bill Gross at idealab who was the guy behind the ad model behind Google. Start type and suggestions will appear for posible terms. When you get the results you can flip through the results and see nice large images of the sites before you go there.

http://www.snap.com

Bad Design Kills

I love everything about this site. It is funny and full of really well designed posters and other propoganda from a wide variety of talented designers. It hasn't been updated in a while so please send them content keep this site going!

http://www.baddesignkills.com

A Creative Creative - What a concept!

A designer who actually put some thought and design into his website - what a concept. We are our own worst clients and I am just as guilty as anyone. I see hundred of portfolio's every year and after a while all the small thumbnails just start to blur together. Thiis is a site that stands out from the crowd and gets noticed. We could all take some notes from this.

http://www.noedesign.com/2005/index.html

Can you resist?

Don"tClick.it is a fantastic usability experient that take a whole new look at interaction design. The entire site is navigated only with the use of your mouse. Check it out and see if you can resist clicking...

http://www.dontclick.it/

Now that's a cool search engine

I came across this search engine which will scrape data and images from Amazon.com in the U.S, Canada, Japan or the U.K. Just pick which Amazon.com you want to search, enter a search term, what you are looking for and the results will form the letters of your search word.

http://amaztype.tha.jp/

The Ego is Blogging

Welcome to the all singing, all dancing, testament to my self worth.

I know that this is far from an original trip that I am embarking on in creating a a blog, but I could not enter into this without taking the time to stop and look what goes into making a blog dedicated to nothing but my opinion.

This isn't the first time I have tried something like this. My current site houses a section called 'Rants' was a collection of all kinds of thoughts about a variety of subjects but in the end it was too long form and too much work to keep up with so this blog was born.

I think that artists and designers are especially drawn to creating this kind of space since we feel that we can't just settle for having our work and opinions represented as a part of the agency shell that houses our talent. We want to make a name for ourselves, and try to get some of the validation we don't always find for our designs at work.

We need something to feed our ego, and try to find some sense of permanent and lasting life in our work and opinions. We are asked to take a blank piece of paper or screen and imbue it with a piece of ourselves. After all of this many of our designs will only last until the next web site version upgrade, catalog re-print, or ad campaign re-design. The days of careers and lasting works like Monet and Picasso are over. Who believes that MOMA will have an exhibit of the greatest web designs in 50 years?.

For me my web site and this blog have been a long struggle to come to grips with my career, my work, my future, and some way to put it all on display. It always seems to be that way. We are our own worst clients. I would have burned any budget ten times over by now if I had gone about this like all the other projects I work on. Somehow I keep trying to find the layout or typeface that represents me, that will amaze all who see it, and make some future agency run to the phone to hire me. I think that may be asking allot of a typeface in the end.

Maybe it took so much time with so many versions because I have seen too many sites copied straight out of the last Communication Arts that do nothing but talk about how original they are. Maybe it took so long because now my work is on display with my name attached to it, and the protection of an agency is stripped away and I have lost the comfort of being able to disappear into a larger group. Maybe in the end I am struggling with the brief nature of this industry, and how to feel like my life and work made a difference.

I know that this can never sum up who I am. It can never be anything more than a collection of screenshots and that if you squint hard enough may blur together to make a self-portrait of the person behind the work.