People Skills Lead to Language Skills

I recently met a fellow who manages the local "Dollar Store" (my favorite Toblerone chocolate only .99 cents!) that I found quite interesting. Of Nigerian heritage, he was able to speak fluently not only with English speaking customers, but also Spanish and Portuguese as well. Evidently his language skills made him an ideal candidate for the job he held. Many of the workers he employs are from variety of non-English speaking backgrounds. And, many of his customers here in Phoenix, Arizona are Spanish speaking.

I took the initiative to strike up a conversation with him. I was impressed to learn that this man spoke sixteen languages, with a fluency in six. As my travels in Europe have often reminded me, Americans are generally unique in their ignorance of languages beyond their mother tongue. We do not consider learning a second language a high priority. We expect others to learn English. Sadly, that says much about how we feel about other cultures.

As a web designer, I find it very helpful to study the graphic design influences of other cultures. Doing so makes me a better web designer. However, to really benefit from what other cultures have to offer, I must first respect and value the people of that culture. It is much the same with learning a new language. You must value people to be motivated to learn their language. That was something else I also observed in that Nigerian manager. He had an ease and cheerfulness with people of all sorts. People skills enhance language skills.

I have recently taken the challenge of learning Tagalog, the Phillipino language and, look forward to learning Mandarin Chinese. I admire both cultures and see this as a way to expand friendships and horizons. Life is made so much richer when we widen our hearts to include people of different backgrounds. Making an effort to learn someone's language is a fine expression of hospitality. It shows our interest and respect in their culture and heritage. In turn, such efforts are often warmly rewarded. With the influx of immigrant groups that add so much to the dynamics of our cities, we have a wonderful opportunity to gain friends from far-flung corners of the earth without leaving home!

More Happiness in Giving!

As a self-employed web designer for more than ten years, I have worked with many new and aspiring entrepreneurs. Some are determined to acquire great wealth, others simply want to earn a comfortable income while having time for more meaningful goals in life. What role does our income play in achieving happiness?

"Money makes you happy—if you give it away," reads a headline in The Globe and Mail of Canada. Although most people surveyed predicted that spending on themselves would make them happier, those who used their money to help others—regardless of the amount spent—actually reported greater happiness. "Wealth is not a predictor of happiness, study after study has shown," says the newspaper. "Once people have enough money to meet their basic needs, getting more of it doesn't give them much of a boost."

A Web Designer's Thoughts on Bing

All the web pundits are trying to forecast the potential success or failure of Microsoft's new search engine Bing. I'm not smart enough to do that. I'm just a web designer. So, as a designer, I will share my thoughts on the "look and feel" of Bing.

I like the design of Bing. In fact, I would consider this the best designed product to ever come out of Microsoft. The home page offers an image a day that is truly interesting, and informative in a appealing way. There is a playfulness in the presentation that adds a bit of fun to the search process. I often find myself stopping to learn more about the cover photo or being distracted by something seen on a page during a search. The overall presentation is both clean and colorful, and makes excellent visual application of current web coding 'tricks of the trade.'

Comparing Google to Bing is like comparing a performance oriented BMW to the plusher Cadillac CTS. Google is pure performance with little fluff, Bing is a plush luxury vehicle with some performance enhancements. For now, Google is my preference for raw results. However, I am keeping a close eye on Bing, visiting at least once a day. The search engine race has suddenly become interesting!

The 25 Best Free Quality Fonts Blog is a great resource for any web designer looking for top-quality fonts for their web design. This is a well-chosen short-list of beautiful typefaces that range from elegant to classic. These fonts work best as titles, headings and logos as they must be converted to graphics to be used in web design. They cannot be used as html text since they must reside on the computer of the viewer to be seen. However, they are wonderful fonts for creating graphics for any website!

Web Designer Ramblings - Photo of the Day

The Web Designer Ramblings - Photo of the Day is shot in one of my favorite destinations, Taos, New Mexico. This quaint town is rich in Native American culture juxtaposed with modern style. A wonderful place to visit year round, and a skiers' delight in the winter. This scene shows the typical Anasazi Adobe architecture adopted by many of the local stores.

Web Design and Great Photography

As a web designer, few things are more frustrating than being given a handful of bad photos and poorly designed graphics and told to create a wonderful web design from them. Sometimes, we can make a "silk purse from a sow's ear." However, more often than not, the design is compomised by poor photography and logo design. However, good photography is one of the best ingredients in great web design! Here is a website we are completing this week that sells luxury 100% organic blanquettes. The photographer created a wonderful image that provided all the inspiration we needed to create a compelling, complimentary web design. Be on the lookout for the completed design--it will be added to our web design portfolio very soon!