Did you know...

Did you know that qantas shaved $90,000 off their annual spend by removing one olive from every salad they served? Did you know that you are more likely to be killed by a donkey kick than a plane crash? Did you know know that the average person's vocabulary spans 5000 to 6000 words? Did you know that if you plonk a raisin into a glass of champagne it will float up and down continuously? I know all these useless facts and at least seven hundred kabillion more just like them!

If it's been scribed into packaging of some sort and appears to be somewhat useless, I've read it and remembered it. Is this a special set of information that will all connect and make sense come the end of times? I don't know. I doubt it. Will it come in handy at a quiz night? Probably not. Does it enrich the soul to know it? Not particularly. So why are these useless facts so memorable? Is it their system of delivery? The meme, the e-card, the inside of a bottle cap? Even the wrapper on your panty liners will offer a fun fact that you'll remember til you die. Oh joy! Now to find a decent book to read!

Looking good online

I came across this little article today, and it really got me thinking about the giant leaps that online design has taken, not just in the past decade, but even in the past year! Gone are the skeuomorphic design elements (hazar!) and finally we have a return to cleanliness. Modernity has always been great mates with simplicity, and now that we are seeing online design washing its hands of all that unnecessary complexity we can all breath a sigh of relief!

The online environment is still young, but it is finding its way. Its journey thus far has been filled with trial and error experiments in creating engaging user experiences rather than just attention grabbing with blinking gifs and blinding colours. The code that has historically held us back has really come into its own, and is permitting a designer to design rather than to settle on what can be coded in. These advances have been a long time coming, and certainly there is still a long road ahead, but it feels like online design's awkward teenage years are done and dusted - finally! It has been a relatively quick transition too, my 1986 poodle perm took years to grow out ;)

You can't polish a turd

Well science may prove otherwise, but when it comes to design, a bad idea is a bad idea no matter how much you think you can photoshop it! I'm a big believer in building a strong foundation, so beneath every design is an idea. I don't like empty executions, they make me feel uncomfortable, and what would be the point? They say nothing! A weak idea covered with spirit fingers and glitter glue is still a weak idea. And a shiny turd is still just a turd underneath, no matter how distracting the sheen is, it's still from brown town!

Think before you think. Then think some more. Then design.
It's all about the ideas.

Art and the comic book format

Many a debate has been had about comic art relevancy and whether the creatives of the medium are indeed artists. I'm not here to debate it, I reckon if you say you made art then you might've actually made art! Whether it's good art remains in the eye of the critic! Many comic artists consider themselves to be illustrators rather than artists, but could it be that comic illustrations are just a more focused artistic medium? It's a style, with a particular output. How different is that to a portrait painter working on canvas with oil using pointillism?

I personally believe art to be any piece of crafted work that evokes an emotive response from the viewer. Regardless of the medium! As we move into a digital age we do need to consider new mediums for expression. That being said, this website had a drawing on it that made me laugh and is therefore art...

http://sexybatman.com/

A little late night coding...

I'll never understand why my inner geek kicks in late at night, but all the coding problems that I can't nut out during business hours seem so much simpler the later it gets. Why brain? Why?

I try so hard to stick to "normal hours" but coding always throws that routine out the window. It's a phenomenon I tell you! It's a problem solving phenomenon! And I'm pretty sure it's not just me! The inner geek works in mysterious ways, and so long as it works I'll try not to question it too much :)

the chinook

Ahhh that balmy breeze in the middle of winter that warms your cockles. You know the one... it rolls in right before the stormiest day. It makes funny clouds, it makes you forget to pack your mittens and all your animals act weird. (It's a positive ions thing.) Well we had one today and it was lovely! It wasn't a real chinook, that's a Rocky Mountain exclusive, but we had an Adelaide equivalent. Go you positive ions, go!!

Under promise and over deliver

If there's one piece of advice I can give to designers who are in the early stages of developing a relationship with a client it's to set up expectations for your client that are realistic! I abide by the laws of wiggle room, and I always under promise and over deliver!

If you think it will take you 3 days to finish a project then tell your client it will take 5 days. When you deliver it in 3 days they'll be impressed, and on the off-chance that you get sick, have a computer glitch or take an unexpected day off you will have created some wiggle room for yourself to ensure you still meet your deadline. Keeping your clients happy can be as simple as setting realistic expectations and then delivering up a slice of brilliance :)