Civil . . . By Design

The dictionary defines civil as: adhering to the norms of polite social intercourse; not deficient in common courtesy. We live in a culture where a lack of civility is becoming the norm in so many mediums. Graphic and web design often mimics television in promoting the belief that what shocks sells. So-called reality TV routinely glorifies incivil conduct. Even the profanity laced slogan t-shirts worn by many today reflect a disrespectful view of bystanders doomed to view them.

I occasionally listen to the Diane Rehm radio show on NPR and continue to be impressed with the persistent civility that she exercises in interviewing a broad range of guests. That civility is a marked and refreshing contrast to most of what talk radio offers. Far too much of talk radio is barely disguised hate speech that spews bias and prejudice rather than reasonable discourse. If you have not had a chance to hear the Dianne Rehm show you may find it refreshing for its lack of strident, abusive dialog. Sadly, she is part of a rare breed in the entertainment industry!

China's Buick LaCrosse Is Cooler Than Ours!

Design is a highly subjective thing. With that in mind, I was a bit surprised to hear in the news recently that GM Buicks are among the most popular cars in China. What do they see in the design of this vehicle? Well, there is a good reason why it is so popular . . . The Chinese Buicks look much nicer than ours! See if you agree by making the comparision here of the new LaCrosse model.

Good Taste In Web Design

Good taste has been defined as the the human ability to judge what is beautiful, good and proper. In a culture where the ability to shock and outrage is considered a legitimate marketing tool, good taste is being challenged. This applies to web design as well. We are currently writing an article regarding the place of good taste in web design, and why it makes good business sense. We would like your thoughts on the matter, and would like to include them in the article. We will appreciate hearing your observations and opinions. Leave use a comment!

Cool Self - Promotion Tools for Web Designers

Self -promotion is like oil for the engine when it comes to new business development by web design creatives like myself. I saw something today that reminded me of a great application for MOO cards, a very stylish form of online card printing that can be used in concert with images uploaded to Flickr.



Neil Mccullough the illustrator genius behind Hand Drawn Creative uses Moo cards for self promotion (see image). He exploits quite nicely Moo's ability to print many different images in an small order of cards. For example, on a low cost 50 card order he can have up to 50 different images printed. Cool! Neil's stylish illustrations works quite well on these cards and make for great conversation pieces when printed.

Because most of my clients are long-distance, I rarely have a need for business cards. However, it will be nice to have a small order of full-color cards using my photography and web design for those occasions when I need to network locally. I'm getting Moo cards!

Web Design: Content Management For The Masses

Web designers have never enjoyed more software bargains than now. This is particularly true when it comes to our tools of the trade. A scant four or five years ago, a bare-bones Content Management System (CMS) would have cost upwards of $5,000. Now, sophisticated blog platforms such as Wordpress can easily accomodate the needs of enterprise level online publishing.

Having this low-cost CMS is a great way to offer small businesses the same powerful tools used by larger businesses. In our web design studio, we can offer more powerful and flexible web design and development options to even small businesses on a tight budget. With the well supported plug-in modularity of Wordpress, we can quickly upgrade the application while bypassing the cost of custom programming.



Wordpress is now more user-friendly than ever with a beautifully redesigned administration interface in Wordpress 2.7 (see video above). This allows web developers to help new clients easily master the platform for managing their content. Combine this ease-of-use with solid support from third-party developers and the best price in the business (free) and you have what must now be considered the web developer's killer app!

Wordpress is the premiere solution for Content Management on a budget!