Austin Kleon is a self-dubbed “writer who draws.” Many first became aware of his work through his Newspaper Blackout Poems and then later his inspirational talk, Steal like an Artist, that spread through the internetz like wildfire.
Kleon’s De-Signs have gone a bit more unnoticed but are definitely noteworthy and fun. The concept is simple: he snaps a photo of a sign and then edits the photo to say something new. Some of them are funny, some are sad and some are inspirational.
In our work with The California Endowment, we’ve come to understand what it means that health is not something that happens in a doctor’s office. It’s something that happens in neighborhoods, schools, and all the places where we live and work. The starkest evidence of that is how much life expectancy changes depending upon where you live. That’s why you’ll increasingly see a groundswell behind the notion that Health Happens Here. In Neighborhoods. In Schools. And with Prevention. And you’ll increasingly see the signature pin-drop identity we created to support the concept.
They started in San Francisco 115 years ago. Since then, they’ve inspired what is now known as the craft brewing industry. Those who know them may know only of their signature brand, Anchor Steam. But Anchor Brewing is a brewcraft icon and innovator on many fronts, with legions of loyal fans. And their web and digital environment goes a long way to showing it as never before.
The Anchor Brewing Website
Like their beer, this site combines rich history and traditional process with some state of the art touches. Dramatic imagery from Anchor’s archives is used throughout. A drop-down “beer shelf” helps you navigate between beers using the bottles, a “Beer is Social” tab integrates to/from social media channels to make the website a hub of activity. It’s all constructed using the latest technology brewcraft, some fancy javascript, which allows you to do things like navigate between images by pushing buttons or just scrolling. A new blog is set to roll out in coming weeks, to house more history and brewcraft content than ever. Behind it all, a content management system helps keep the words and pictures fresh across the site and social media channels.
Social Media (Facebook, Twitter)
Anchor’s social media strategy has already tapped into significant latent demand. It turns out Anchor already has thousands of fans on Facebook that have been waiting patiently (on sites setup independently to celebrate Anchor Steam and Anchor Brewing) for Anchor to jump in. Anchor’s Facebook and Twitter presence inspired thousands of new followers in the first 2 weeks after their first ever post (“Anchor Brewing started in San Francisco 115 years ago. Then we started in social media 107 characters ago.”) Now, Anchor’s set to socialize with Anchor fans everywhere through both channels, and sharing a steady stream of FINE-generated Anchor updates and content including a calendar of new content and promotions. A new Facebook tab will be launching within a couple weeks.
In all, the Anchor digital presence is a significant step toward bringing this venerable brand to life online in multiple ways (with their distilling and corporate sites to follow). Put simply, it sets the standard for Anchor’s industry, just as they’ve always done with their products.
The mysteries of pixel widths and screen resolutions have baffled Interweb designers, developers, and mere mortals for years. The simple truth is that what you see in a window may not be what others see unless you change your resolution and look again. And again. Unless! Introducing the FINE Res Tool.
This simple screen resolution tool unravels the mystery. To use it, simply enter a full URL of your choosing. Up pops that location superimposed with a draggable set of rulers (x and y axis) configurable in center/left/and right alignment. These rulers allow you to view that site as it would be seen at different resolutions. So you can get a sense for what other eyeballs experience. A small dashboard at the bottom even gives you current stats on what resolutions most people use (hint: 1024 x 768). Best of all, it’s all done in javascript, so you’ll not need Flash to use it.
Maybe you want to check the margin padding on a site… the default image dimensions on a blog… maybe you want to communicate that you want something smaller to your web team or agency – how much smaller? Now you can see clearly where the lines are drawn, and even communicate in pixels instead of an estimated percentage – the language barrier is broken, the resolution mystery is solved. And a democratized method of measure is now available to all, from the pro developer to the savvy client.
The SFMOMA has a great exhibit up of German industrial designer Dieter Rams. The exhibit features many of the products that Rams designed for Braun from the 50′s through the 70′s, all of which are still strikingly modern and original in their design. He is famous for his “10 Principles to Good Design”, a sort of manifesto that guided his work and continues to inspire designers today. Rams’ influence can be seen in just about every Apple product on the shelf. Read the rest of this entry »
What’s the true test of whether a UI is intuitive enough that an average user could play it like a musical instrument? Maybe it’s whether you can use it seamlessly even if you replaced the familiar English content cues with a “foreign” language.
I’ve been loving a fun, little iPhone app called Rap Mushi. It’s a free and adorable DJ App that reminds me of my favorite video game, Katamari.
Oh, and it’s 100% in Japanese! Yet you can still play it with ease. Which is a testament to the apps UI. The interface is so simple and playful, the language barrier doesn’t affect the experience in the slightest.
Maybe we should start loading in Japanese content to test all our interfaces… or, at least, imagining how they’d work that way.
Beginning today, we’ll all have a little more visibility into the daily battle against cybercrime. The Norton Cybercrime Index (“CCI”), a free tool available to the public via Norton.com and other link points, will measure and warn cyber-citizens about real-time cybercrime happening around the world and how it can affect them. You’ll even see it displayed in on-location installations in places like London and New York’s Times Square. FINE Design Group is proud to have played a key role in helping Norton to design, build, and roll out this important new program.
I’m loving this article on how to give good design feedback. It’s aimed at clients, but I think there’s good nuggets in here for everybody.
Two Excerpts:
It’s Not Art
First rule of design feedback: what you’re looking at is not art. It’s not even close. It’s a business tool in the making and should be looked at objectively like any other business tool you work with. The right question is not, “Do I like it?” but “Does this meet our goals?” If it’s blue, don’t ask yourself whether you like blue. Ask yourself if blue is going to help you sell sprockets. Better yet: ask your design team. You just wrote your first feedback question.
and:
I Don’t Know Anything About Design
Let the design team be the design experts. Your job is to be the business expert. Ask them how their design solutions meet your business goals. If you trust your design team, and they can explain how their recommendations map to those goals, you’re fine. If you neither trust them, nor can they defend their choices it’s time to get a new design team.
Emily Pilloton on her Project H Design’s work in “Teaching design for change” in rural Bertie County, the poorest county in North Carolina.
Designing education, design as education, community/citizenship/creative capital/catalyst, harnessing and helping the youth in rural hollowed-out small towns (1 in 3 child is below the poverty line in Bertie County), and trying to do something meaningful. Only a 15 minute talk so it’s of course just an overview of all that, but there are some interesting ideas here, in action.
Also, after the jump, Pilloton on the Colbert Report talking about humanitarian design & the triple bottom line.
A glimpse behind the scenes into our highly regimented, irony-free, scientifically proven musings and inspirations. The secret sauce for removing all trace of suckitude from your brand's digital ecosystem, so that only the splendor that makes you an industry archetype remains.
Don't forget to visit us at www.finedesigngroup.com
Lorem Ipsum on a label of Roland Tissier
Beginning today, we’ll all have a little more visibility into the daily battle against cybercrime. The