The Novelty Curve

I really like this graph (what? did i just say that?) by david armano. it really sums up how i usually feel about social experiences on the web (read: myspace, twitter, etc). just make sure you "think you're in love" before the rest of the world has "moved on."

Design Auction

this bad boy is "an event to raise funds for the Lincoln School of Art & Design 3rd year Graphic Degree Show." there is some pretty sweet design up for grabs, and hell, they even got themselves a special guest auctioneer. (unfortunately) i won't be across the pond for this event, but it looks like they're going to be successful. visit the site to see all the lots.

SEO Rapper: Design Coding

Required training video?

Eggstraordinary

I came across this great logo design via David Airey's blog. At first I just thought, "hey look, an E." But then, then! I took a gander at the company's name (Egg-in-Spoon) and it all made perfect sense to me. Bravo.

Haagen-Daaz Loves Honey Bees

honestly, i'm not a huge fan of bees. whenever i see one it freaks me out and it then starts following me around. lovely. but i also know that they are incredibly important to nature and our food supply. it turns out that they've been mysteriously vanishing in recent years, and haagen-daaz has made a great site in order to help out.

the nav bar is pretty sweet (parden the pun), and as you explore you get to learn about the plight of the honey bee, the impact on our food supply, and what we can do. then you can go out and get some dulce de leche.

Compfight: A Flickr Search Tool

finding the perfect photo for a comp is such a timesuck. how long do you spend sifting through the pages and pages of thumbnails at [insert stock house here] when you're not even sure an idea is going to fly? or, for that matter, when you know you're going to have a photo shoot anyway, but you still need to find a great stock shot to sell the idea to a client. ugh.

now there's another tool to help you out: Compfight is a Flickr search tool that lets you enter tags and then immediately searches to millions of photos on the site and serves them up to you. If you get weak results you can search by "text only" which will then pull from descriptions and titles as well.

of course, there is a downside here. as our art buyer warned us: for legal reasons we can't actually use Flickr photos in our ads, so we wouldn't want our clients falling in love with a photo they can't have. but! i'm thinking this could be a great tool for finding outdoor environments to put our ads on (say, a bus shelter). happy searching.

viral...durex...it's too easy.

Have a minute to waste? Here's a new viral game for Durex called Pleasure Ball. No, it's not the first time i've seen a web pinball game, but this one has some great sound fx. Well worth a quick pit stop.

Free Vector Turntable

i've decided to offer up an illustration or two if you are so inclined. in my spare time (ha!) i like to play around in illustrator, whether it be making patterns for Naked and Angry or just practicing different tools. This turntable was originally for a project i had been working on, but never made the cut. i was having fun with it so i decided to complete the illustration.

It's available here, at Vecteezy.

The Lost Ring, Alternate Reality, and the 2008 Olympics

The Lost Ring is an ARG that's been sponsered by the International Olympic Committee (oh, and McDonald's). I haven't spent too much time sniffing around, but it looks like a lot of man hours went into creating it. There's an extensive cast of characters and lots of content to explore.

Dreams Of Flying

Jan von Holleben is a photographer with an interesting project called Dreams Of Flying. He works from a ladder, manipulating the angle and perspective of the shot. I think, however, that i might like the inspired photography that (was taken by kids!) even more. i think it's probably because i secretly want to do one, too.
















(and an inspired piece:)

Creating a Successful Online Portfolio

Always of the mind to pass on interesting reads, I came across this article on Smashing Magazine. It's a great piece on all things portfolio sites: design, user experience, and even promotion.








one of my favorite pieces of advice?

6. Plan Your Portfolio Project
One of the key ingredients to creating a successful portfolio is to approach it like you would a client project. Manage this project as professionally as you would any other web project you take on. Set aside the time needed to achieve the goals you’ve outlined for the portfolio. Make sure you set up deadlines so that you have key targets to hit.

makes me feel pretty good about the amount of time and planning i'm currently putting into my new site.

CTRL+Z

Jacob Cass, guest author* on Gino Orlandi's design blog You The Designer, has put together a great list of keyboard shortcuts that every designer should be using. Perhaps i'm a bit of a nerd when it comes to these, but i find that they really do save time. Who doesn't want to shave a few minutes off of their work day?

See the list here.

And thanks Jacob!



*as understood from the post. perhaps this post was written by Gino?

I anti-heart Evite

let's face it: it's got a major case of the uggs. does anyone really like the design and UI of Evite? sorry guys, but i just don't. so here are a couple of more design-oriented alternatives to the handy invite program:








Pingg

the designs available here are simple, clean, and just a whole lot more appetizing. they've got the whole email/sms/web/print/social networking sites upload availability. plus there are no annoying banner ads (har har) that come with them. you can even design your own, make a PDF, and upload it directly to the site for use. not bad.




















Coordinatr







self described: "Coordinatr helps you create and manage small, last minute events, such as happy hours, barbecues and weekend getaways. We like to call these "microevents". We provide you with just the necessary tools so the process is as simple and efficient as possible." simple and efficient? worth a look.

just make it BIGGER

this is actually pretty old, but it still makes me laugh. if it's new to you, all the better. Listen.

A little Sony lovin'

we've been hard at work on some Sony Playstation sites/advertising here at the agency, and i thought now might be a nice time to get a link or two (or three) in. have a look.

Ratchet and Clank







Buzz!








Hot Shots Golf

and i swear he's not made of plastic

as it happens, i've had my totally awesome plant Spike since c. 1995. so i'd like to think i'm alright at the caregiving part. but just in case you'd like to take "talking to your plants" about five steps further, take a look at Botanicalls. "It offers a connection to your leafy pal via online Twitter status updates that reach you anywhere in the world. When your plant needs water, it will post to let you know, and send its thanks when you show it love. "

now, honestly, i've been having trouble getting into the whole twitter thing. it seems like i can update my status everywhere, so why would i make yet another stop online to update there? your plant twittering YOU, now that's a different story. awesome.

Little Paper Planes

If ever you'd like to buy me a present, head straight to Little Paper Planes and purchase just about anything. I love the t-shirts, especially this one.

it's also always awesome to support the indie artists out there. This site was started by Kelly Lynn Jones as a way to sell her (and her friends') handmade artwork. Its been expanding over time and includes a bunch of really talented artists.

size large, please.

so you think you have a web presence...

good job! welcome to yesterday. since everyone is trying to spread the word on their latest and greatest blog or portfolio (uh-hem), i've been looking into self-promotion. what's the best way to get visitors? how do i reach peru without dropping a dime? okay, that does assume i have something worth looking at, but wouldn't we all like to think we do?

one very important way of getting your website or blog out there is by getting involved in other like-minded sites. actively participating in advertising and design blogs, for example. and an even better way of leaving your stamp on a post is by offering up an image next to your name. i introduce to you Gravatars, or Globally Recognized Avatars. These are "quite simply an 80×80 pixel avatar image that follows you from weblog to weblog appearing beside your name when you comment on gravatar enabled sites. Avatars help identify your posts on web forums, so why not on weblogs?"

get one while the gettin's good.

Behind the Beats

I've been working on a new project for one of my clients and i'm getting pretty excited about it.

number one, it's a slightly recycled idea that was "really great but not for right now" about a year ago. my partner and i were pretty into the concept, but the client ended up buying off on something else at the time. (that 'something else' ended up really awesome, so i'm certainly not sad they went with it). this time around we revamped the idea, made it even cooler, and managed to sell it through. gotta love a respin.

number two, the developer that's building it is totally rad. he's the kind of guy that you hope and pray will work on your stuff because he just gets it. he wants to add his own flare and make things even better. you know, "wouldn't it be cool if..."

number three, i always like it when i have the chance to do some of my own illustration.

anyway, it's going to be a while before i can unveil the new work, but i thought i'd give a little tease. why not, right?

Another Day, Another 'Tube

now, don't get me wrong, i love me a new pair of shoes, but i wouldn't say i'm quite ready to break into the world of Shoetube. it's amazing to me that there's enough of a niche for an entire video site dedicated to people obsessed with shoes, but here it is. Don't be fooled by its name, it goes way beyond the realm of YouTube by offering so much more than user-generated content: professionally written blogs, sponser-created content, discussion forums, articles, anything the shoelover might need to stay afloat in the market. They even partnered with the shoe charity Soles4Souls, encouraging users to get involved with shoe needs around the world.

If nothing else, now i'm even more excited for Diesel's new line of footwear this season.

from hero to zero

i saw this in its original version, can't say it meant to much to me when i don't speak the language. now the english version is here and ready for action. go check out The Coke Zero Game. not enough time right now for my thoughts, so how about you come up with a few of your own?

Links, Week 6

perhaps it seems like a copout that i'm only offering up 3 links this week, but we didn't have the time to discuss last week's so I certainly don't want to overload us this time around. that, and i'm terribly busy at work. such is life.

so let's get right into this:

thinkdust
instead of featuring images/thumbnails of recent work on the home page, they’ve created a sort of news update. A short blurb on what’s current, including a short list of new work. Not showing it does create a bit of interest, I must admit. It would be awesome if the list was clickable, however. As is, i would have to sift through the “work” section and find it on my own. You’re assuming I’m more interested than I am.

I do like the blur rollover. It’s a new one, and it’s pretty snazzy.

I also like the layout and design. Very simple with a large workspace. Just what I’m looking for in my own site. there are a few extras that I think some people would appreciate, but I don’t tink are necessary (the “duration” in the bottom left, your mouse location, etc)

I was surprised by the infusion of color in the “info” and “contact” pages. What do you think about this, lotus? Nice? Tacky? I thought it was a little out of character for the look/feel that had been set up, but I’m also not convinced I don’t like it.


crisvector
sooooo the homepage doesn’t have any cool new updates or recent news, or anything fresh for that matter. Except for a nice new shape on the thumbnails. They kind of look like venetian blinds, and I like it. I’m so used to seeing squares and horizontal rectangles that this choice actually stands out as new and fun. When really it’s the same exact thing. Score one for you, mr. vector.

Also, is the whole thing one of those plug-ins you were referring to? Seems that way to me. Makes things easy, no? ‘cept his is all fancy-like.

Sidenote: this guy is super talented.


Hello Color
the way the thumbnails animate in make me seize a little. I also think they are too small, I’d like to see more, well, color. The rollover is interesting though: the thickened stroke I’ve seen (and like), but I haven’t seen the covering up of another adjacent thumbnail to offer a small description. Not that I want to do this, I just don’t think it’s necessary, but! Something to keep in my back pocket for the future, perhaps.

brainstorming amongst the conifers

personally, i'm sick of concepting in a drab room with nothing on the walls (except maybe the tears of creatives past). oh, how melodramatic. but really. how am i expected to be "creative" when i'm surrounded by nothing but white walls and stale air? well my friends, i've found the answer! [drum roll please]

Kapsel is the multi-sensory functional and changeable workspace. You can custom design these bad boys over and over to fit your needs—from look and feel, to touch, sound and smell. Create a "tranquil space to recharge and re-focus employees" and never go brainstarved again.

extended reality

designers have pretty much scrapped sharpies for wacom tablets, so it's about time graffiti artists went virtual too. or, "Nextwall" as the case may be. Tagged in Motion is a project that shows us just that: spray paint no longer needs to be applied to a solid surface. In this video, famous graf artist and co-creator of Nextwall, DAIM, shows us how to bridge the gap from cement wall to thin air. Using Motion Capturing, three cameras, video glasses, and a whole bunch of bluetooth, he is able to create three-dimensional graffiti that floats in space. sweet.

don't shoot till you see...the grains of salt?

here's a re-enactment of recent history of war, from WWII to the present, using foods from respective parts of the world. i know, reading that description doesn't sounds exactly appetizing, but the short film is worth the watch. it's kind of eerie in its simplicity. i could get into my feelings on conflict and the state of our world, but i think i'll refrain from sharing my political views and just share the vidd.