Technology Design Redux

The speed with which technology has progressed in the last century is matched in pace by technology design. The black and white television of your youth has only a faint resemblence to its modern counterpart. If you want a sense of how quickly we age, visit the online Panasonic Design Museum, and stroll through a display of technology design from the past 90 years. You may see your old 8-track player or rotary-dial telephone in the collection!

The Return of Good Taste?

One of the impressions that a trip to France made on me was the striking difference in the way Europeans and Americans dress. This is especially evident in casual clothing. I can remember being in Paris, and being able to pick out the American tourists primarily because they were the only ones wearing sweatsuits and gym shoes. The French prefer to retain a measure of elegance and good taste even in casual wear. You rarely see a t-shirt or flip-flops worn in public. Also, they do not bare as much skin as seen in casual American attire.

With that in mind, it is a refreshing change to see a modest, tastefully attired woman on the cover of an American fashion magazine as shown above. Good taste was once in fashion in this country. It would be nice to see it make a comeback!

Stunning Insect Photography

As a web designer and novice photographer, I am constantly searching for creative inspiration from the work of my online contemporaries. Every one in a while, I come across the work of a photographer that truly defines the medium. Leon Bass specializes in insect photography. And, in doing so, he reflects a mastery of the color and environment that surrounds his subjects. Stunning work, worthy of a visit!

Cheap Stock Photos - A New Source

Online microstock is a boon for web designers who must work with clients on a very tight budget. They provide stock photos at very low cost for immediate purchase and download. While typically the quality of the photos are not consistently high, with a bit of research suitable images can be found for almost any application.

I am always on the lookout for new sources of good microstock. I discovered a new source of microstock that from my initial sampling seems to have good quality photos, pixmac.com. Add this to your list of microstock sources for your next web design project on a slim budget!

I Got A Samsung Omnia!

Although my occupation as a web developer demands good technical skills, I am not a true gadget freak. I like to use software and hardware that I have become comfortable with and can count on day after day. This is especially true of cell phones. I use them only to make calls, treat them roughly, and will replace one only when it falls apart. However, being creatively driven, I do appreciate well designed technology.

My brother (and business partner) is a gadget nut, and convinced me that our business needs new cellphones. Not just cellphones, but state of the art smartphones with every technical innovation known to man. Well, he did a very good job of convincing me. I am now the proud owner of a spanking new Samsung Omnia!

The Samsung Omnia is such a work of art that I cannot simply treat it the way I normally treat a cellphone. I would never want to scratch its pristine surface. Its sleek lines command the loving care due a work of art. Also, I joked that I will need to attend a 2-year course at Samsung Academy to learn how to use all the features of this technical marvel.

I have already ordered a case for it. Not your typical thick vinyl carrier with a sturdy belt loop. That would never do for such pretty technology! I ordered a form-fitting designer "skin" that is practically weightless, perfectly color coordinated, and will allow the suave, sculptured lines of the Omnia to be accentuated. Great design can have a strange effect on us . . .

Inside The Type Designer's Mind

I have a great admiration for type designers. It is an art form I dabbled with obliquely, through a love for Calligraphy that kept me obsessed for the better part of ten years. I do not regret the many hours spent mastering the lost art of handwritten letterform. It has taught me the artful arrangement of type and whitespace, a skill I call upon in my current role as a web designer.

Type design is a more rigid and exacting art than Calligraphy. And, it requires the same degree of obsession to master! I appreciated a recent online interview with Jos Buivenga, a self-taught Type designer who makes his work available for free online. Many of his designs are reminiscent of classic typefaces. Yet, they have a vigorous character of their own.

Jos was asked why he designed type. "It has grown on me. It’s now more or less like breathing to me. I can’t help it. I just want to do it. It allows me to be highly involved—or even lose myself—in a creative process."

Jos's answer perhaps sums up the creative drive that spurs on so many of us "creative types." We "just want to do it." Be sure to visit exlibris, the font foundry started by Jos Buivenga, and download a handsome typeface or two.

A Lesson Learned From Joe Ades

There is much truth to the expression "anything worth doing is worth doing well." Sometimes a good living can be made by becoming very good at what may be considered a mundane task. Joe Ades aka The Gentlemen Peeler, who recently passed away, is a sterling example of that. A consummate salesman, I remember the rather striking image he conveyed when I first saw him, pitching vegetable peelers on the corner of 42nd Street and 5th Avenue in New York City. He was always impeccably attired in a Saville Row suit and expertly groomed. In a heavy British accent he sold what most would consider a forgettable product with real gusto. His starched shirts and silk ties contrasted with the potatoes and carrots he used to demonstrate the $5 vegetable peeler. He would quickly attract a large crowd, turning many of them into customers. Boy, did he sell a lot of vegetable peelers!

Joe Ades held an apartment in one of the most exclusive areas of Manhatten, and routinely dined at New York's finest restaurants. How? By being very, very good at selling lots of peelers on the streets of New York!

As a web designer, I take a lesson from that. Take pride in your work, no matter how menial it may seem to onlookers. Be as good as you can be and always look for ways to improve. It worked for Joe Ades! Vanity Fair did an article on Joe you may enjoy reading.

A Fresh New Web Design In the Oven!

It seems that as time passes, the web design projects we work on become by necessity more complex and demanding. That is a challenge I enjoy to a large degree. I want to continue to improve as a web designer, and find satisfaction in the progress evident in my work.

Since you have not seen a new addition to our web design portfolio recently, I wanted to give you a preview of new work that will soon be released. This design will "go live" quite soon. It is one I am quite excited about as it reflects the continued effort to create design that has an emotional appeal to consumers. In this case, the web design is meant to appeal to women primarily in the 25-55 age group. It reflects the Japanese origin of the unique health and beauty product it promotes while still having an American aesthetic sensibility. I will let you know when the full website is released!