• Feb292008

    Logos of the Techies

    Posted by Gene in Design, Branding

    The Neatorama blog has a really interesting article discussing the history of tech companies logos. It’s pretty neat to look back over the past as these companies logos/brands developed. My favorite is the Apple logo (of course).

    apple

  • Feb182008

    The Call To Action (CTA)

    Posted by Gene in Marketing

    Fadtastic has an excellent post on Calls to Action or CTA’s as we in the biz know them:

    Many web designers argue that the commonly used “click here” is inadequate as a CTA because it does not convey why the user should take such an action.

    It is commonly acknowledged that an effective CTA will inform the user as to why they should follow it. For example if we came across a “register now” CTA it informs us as to WHY we need to click it. “Click here” is an expression which fails on the informative front.

    He goes on to say:

    The best word to use is “Free”. Marketeers all agree that “Free” is the most powerful word. So whatever it is, whether it is a free product or simply free information. A killer call to action then would include the command “click here” with the incentive of “free”. “Click here for a free sample” for example.

    Matt makes a good argument for both “click here” and other informative words for your CTA — which is the common thought in design circles. I think either one could be effective, you have to make sure you usage is on target in both cases. The key seems to me to make sure you offering is worth clicking for, start there and the clicks will follow.

  • Feb142008

    Happy Valentine’s Day

    Posted by Gene in Random Stuff

    1950

    Cool 1950’s children’s valentine’s day cards, check them out..

  • Feb122008

    Edward Tufte Loves the iPhone

    Posted by Gene in Design, Usability

    You can head on over to Edward Tufte’s website and watch his screencast of why he loves the iPhone.

    The iPhone platform elegantly solves the design problem of small screens by greatly
    intensifying the information resolution of each displayed page. Small screens, as on
    traditional cell phones, show very little information per screen, which in turn leads
    to deep hierarchies of stacked-up thin information–too often leaving users with
    “Where am I?” puzzles. Better to have users looking over material adjacent in space
    rather than stacked in time.

    In case you’ve never heard of him: Edward Tufte has written seven books, including Visual Explanations, Envisioning Information, The Visual Display of Quantitative Information, and Data Analysis for Politics and Policy. He writes, designs, and self-publishes his books on analytical design, which have received more than 40 awards for content and design. He is Professor Emeritus at Yale University, where he taught courses in statistical evidence, information design, and interface design. His current work includes landscape sculpture, printmaking, video and a new book.

  • Feb072008

    UI-Patterns.com

    Posted by Gene in Design, Usability

    http://ui-patterns.com/This is a great site (ui-patterns.com) for people in the business of designing websites and web applications, It’s not the first library of User Interface Design Patterns I have seen but this one sure looks good. I hope they really push this site and fill it to the rim with patterns and reviews of interaction design in the wild.

    Collections of software design patterns are standard reference points for the experienced programmer. But why not for the experienced User Interface (UI) designer? This website seeks to better the situation for the UI designer, who struggles with the same problems as many other UI designers have struggled with before him.

    are not the first to create a UI design library. While other pattern collections are useful, they are far from coherent and complete. The purpose of this site is over time to fill some of the gaps - especially by providing code examples as to how how the different patterns can be implemented: to join theory with practice.

  • Feb042008

    What does the typeface used in a candidate’s logo say about the candidate

    Posted by Gene in Branding

    logos

    Obama’s type is contemporary, fresh, very polished and professional. The serifs are sharp and pointed; clean pen strokes evoke a well-pressed Armani suit. The ever-present rising sun logo has the feeling of a hot new Internet company. His sans serifs conjure up the clean look of Nike or Sony. This typography is young and cool. Clearly not the old standards of years past.

    McCain uses type that is a perfect compromise between a sans and a serif, what type geeks call a “flared sans.” Not quite sans and not quite serif, sort of in between, moderate, not too far in either direction. The strokes have contrast between the thick and thin, creating the feeling that the ends are going to have cute little serifs, but they just flare out a little, not forming actual serifs but wanting to. The military star centered and shadowed is a not-so-subtle touch. And McCain just says “President,” as if to say he’s already been elected. Everything about this logo says you can buy a car from this man. From the perfectly centered star to the perfectly spaced type, the entire design looks like a high-end real estate company. McCain has done something no other candidate has done, he uses all blue, no red - not even a dash. If we were to predict the results based on typography and design, we would pick McCain and Obama.

    Check the full article here, it’s really neat to read about a fellow designer’s opinion on the logo choices of our presidential candidates.

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