Design is a perfected, isolated and refined type of beauty. Yes there many MANY types of styles of design, and the word itself is so broad that making any sort of assumptions about it being perfect will most likely create an uproar among those who take this craft seriously. But at its core, design is there to refine the things that make us feel good inside, the things that make us connect to objects, images sounds and our environments in general. This of course is the selling point for why design is important. And its been a select few who have had the foresight to realize its potential in a capitalist world. Clearly the early years of this new century have proved to be most fruitful to that company named after well… a fruit. Apple computer has in the wake of its reinvention managed to create a wave of change and appreciation for all things beautiful. So much so, and with such finesse that now its not a bad thing to think of yourself as superficial for the sake of acknowledging that design is king when it comes to the powerhouse of innovation. I will also take this time to add my two cents on the fact that I don’t believe that Apple computer has invented soo many of the things that have made it iconic, I do however think that their skill lies in refining the convention to elevate it into the unconventional.

All this commentary, which by now has many supporters and evangelist alike, exists more so that I can extend the metaphor of the importance of design, and more significantly, the effect that the Apple giant has had on not only on its competitors, but the general population, who now seem so consumed by the aura and gravitational pull of its products, that they are willing to give time, money and effort for what historically can be labeled as an appliance or a gadget. Apple has made people care what they own and made them obsess about how owning one of their products propels you to a higher understanding of aesthetics and originality.

The most fascinating thing is that now they have become the drum that sets the pulse, and I never thought I would see it as blatantly displayed in visual form as I did when i took a closer look at the DELL.com homepage.

In the following example we see how the well established and consistent design that Apple has been implementing for a good 4 years now, has been quietly and not subtlety been picked up by DELL. Within it, clear motifs that have been explored by

Apple through out the last couple of years can be clearly be identified in its counterpart. The sweeping main header graphic with clever messaging. and the three dividers of additional information. Utilized by dell to inform its customers of new and headlining messages. While Apple uses this space for upsell, its clearly referenced as a stylistic system for the site design. As you continue down the page you start to see the link module, which in Apple’s site helps as a way finding tool as well as a easy access tool to other apple products by category. In the dell Site the methods id used for links that assist the customer in a similar fashion. While the sample I pulled from Apple is not of the homepage, its actual homepage design is also using this schematic sweeping image with the lower three box up sell informative area.

But this is just the web, lets venture into Apples most recent and beloved product, the iPhone. In the evolution of this now must-have gadget, Apple conceived a not so innovative touch pad screen, into a formidable interaction experience, which also resulted in the establishment of a visual language which was so successful in creating ease of use, that its now closest competitor and first up to bat against the behemoth, has gone and offered the same touch experience with the SAME CONVENTION in navigation. With some visual changes here and there. Clearly responding the power of the the expectation set by the iPhone.

In this previous image we see the navigation first hand. (On a side note, in a little homage to the masters I also chose to set the type in myriad pro, apple’s default company font. geeky i know!) The Samsung Instinct has in the launch of the product, reaffirmed the tight grip and almost unbearable influence of the design koolaid that Apple dishes out. It quickly makes me think if soon we will all be drinking it. Not surprising I catch myself a couple of times a day making references to the way Apple does something on their site, and more often than not, it vexes me that they think about the design so thoroughly. Why cant most people think like they do, and for that matter why are companies not wising up faster to the need to let creative’s dictate a lot of what an experience can be. Im not saying let people run free. But I certainly think the reason Apple has succeeded as much as they have, is because they have let the world know that they speak a visual language unlike any other and not only that they are constantly striving to perfect it, but that they are not scared to try something new.

To end this post in a less kiss-ass manner, and hopefully letting people know I in fact have my own problems with Apple and don’t think they are the end all be all of design, I will say one thing about their aesthertic. While precise and meticulous as it may look, its also very safe. Its clean and accessible and guess what, that delivers on the goals of the company as well as that of the consumer, but they certainly are not pioneering a look that is revolutionary. The biggest design compliment I can give them as far as innovation is concerned, other than the overly emphasized industrial design dept flattery, is their iconography work. No one in the world has managed to make us be able to communicate with as little as 57×57 pixel graphics, as well as they have. The remaining part of their vocabulary is a constant reminder of the Bauhaus and the clear and ever present number one rule in design. WHITE SPACE IS KEY! And neither of these concepts are really new to the world, they however have been the only ones to execute a stylistic philosophy that can at times be stronger than the products themselves.

Recently i was asked by a good friend and former professor or mine to come back to my alma mater and teach a section of a class on web standard compliant design. The class, whose main goal is to bring in professionals to the class environment, who set projects up for a 3-4 week period, was an opportunity i had long been waiting for. Aside form the eagerness of teaching which is something that has always had a great appeal to me. The whole thing was also a great chance to finally make my school, a very well respected institution i might add, stand up and take notice of the prevalence and importance of the web professional.

Alas my heart was very broken when I had to turn it down, as i no longer live anywhere close to my former school, and was left to find someone who could possibly deliver the type of clarity on the subject matter and who carried with them, the correct amount of gravitas that would make students think that web design is a viable and exciting part of design not just a side thing you do if you happen to know a little bit of HTML and have some photoshop skills.

The biggest issue was that this was going to be a good introduction to teaching web design at MICA in a more structured way. We have had classes there that start to tap the subject, but this was going to be leaps and bounds from intro HTML classes and things along those lines. The other issue is that realistically you can’t possibly teach everything you need to know about web standards and design in 3 to 4 weeks. I started asking around to see if any of my friends from DC were up to the challenge, and i got interest from a couple.

I eventually found a person, and I am so excited that he agreed to teach the section. If it goes well maybe we can convince him for longer stint!

The best part about it is, maybe now that we have people who are not only in the know, but are actively keeping up with the field, they can speak accurately about design and its importance on the web. If anything is achieved, perhaps while MICA may not indulge its students with classes that will provide a more in depth background, this one section might just spark the right amount of motivation for students to get involved in the study and practice of web design.

With that I guess what can be concluded is that the education of a web designer is a thorough as the individual chooses to make it. The benefit of having institutions provide the foundations, lets you explore other things more while you learn the basics. It is however not up to an institution to teach you what you want to learn.

Going back to martin’s article, some of the comments posted, suggest that the nature of the person who chooses to learn on his own accord is the only person who in any field will likely succeed. But it never hurts to get a head a start! thats why education is there, because like martin said, in time he will learn as much as the person who attains an MBA, but the difference is the time it will take. Being in school affords us not only the resources but the ever valuable time we designers seem to lack. I am still in the process of trying to teach myself php, and its not going great! As far as desires go, i too want a secondary degree, and i too question its validity in times where you learn as fast as the change occurs.

And i don’t think having either degree will make me a better designer than those who don’t get any education on the subject matter. But I do think knowing the right things about the field your in puts you in a better place, and its clear that right now most education institutions are far too behind when it comes to web design.

For all you web professionals, designers and developers alike, do not forget to visit a list apart and take action by completing the survey that speaks to our field and our needs as professionals!

This is really important as it helps build strong knowledge base of who and how our profession is practiced. This also helps because it lets us be more unified as one voice, and lets us build not only credibility but also permanence. It takes a few minutes and it provide a lot of info!

Come friday night i saw one of the best concerts ever and I got to meet the band. That was the trippiest thing
ever.

And after all that, and always thinking im prepared, i had a camera, but i made it into none of my final shots cuase go figure i had the camera in my hand! I shook hands and introduced myself, and then i got my sister to pose enough to get a shot with the lead singer…. and that was my one and only true brush with fame… it certainly made me realize that it has to be strange to be on the other side of that scenario…. random stranger’s in a room introducing themselves wishing you luck and praising you for your music….hmmm weird … and they also happen to know your name and personal details on your life.. mmm even weirder..

The food service industry has always been kind of the first to acknowledge that the customer is always right. Recent trends in web design and usability standards have focused on the “customer ” in a whole new way. By catering to the need of the user, design has guided the effort of building the ultimate environments in which users can interact with applications, machines and everyday elements, without suffering from a backlash of miscommunication or the sense or feeling of not being able to interact with something because you simply couldn’t or didn’t understand it. In the last year and half, not only has the trend to make the environments more appealing and welcoming become more prevalent, but now the environments are staring to take direct cues form immediate feedback from its users. The ultimate form of customer service, where the provider anticipates the needs of the user, by focusing on the things that they will eventually want. Its a risky venture to try and guess with small pools of opinions, but more and more companies are putting the business models in front of the customers and creating a transparent experience where the user become as engaged in the development of the product as the company itself. I only thought that this was the case of a few and rare companies who have always had a knack for listening very carefully to their public, and the perception of their image in their eyes. These PR dream companies end up pleasing their masses so well that they build brand equity because they let the average joe think that they are part of building the company itself and the success that might come as a result. This is mostly true of tech companies who start out as small ventures and rely on the dedicated users feedback to tailor features to their needs and therefore improving the experience, so that he or she may in turn pass on the satisfaction on to someone else who will be expecting a similar result.

Tech has also paved the way to creating channels that create the feeling of genuine communication to the companies. While basic emails that direct your inquiries to broad accounts, more and more, users are getting direct lines into the inbozes of the people who make decisions.

This post really came about as result because of very interesting initiative currently being explored by the Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ: SBUX). In a recent visit to their site, I saw what seemed to be a fairly large prominent graphic displaying on the site that read “Got a Great Idea” . With curiosity in tow, i ventured to click on the link that was provided by said graphic. After i was redirected to a new site, my curiosity began to grow, and i realized that I was either about to be sold on some new product, or i was about to be delivered something very different, and i want sure quite what to expect.

Upon my arrival to this new page, called “My Starbucks Idea” I was lost for a brief second while i digested the contents, then it struck me , its the nicest feedback site i had ever encountered, and while its function can be compared to that of a taste survey, this thing was well…, brilliant. Basic, simple and direct, “My starbucks idea” wanted me to post my suggestions on how to improve my experience with the company as a whole. and I could if i wanted to focus it more specifically to certain areas, like products, experience and community. What i loved about this is how responsive the who idea was, you post, while you post the site provides feedback on similar ideas that sound like the title of your own, and you can go ahead and read the ones that struck close to your own idea or continue to post. You then get a chance to describe it in detail, and then let the world start sharing their opinions on your idea. Here are the reasons why i believe this to be a very good idea and who it ends up benefiting:

Transparency (Affects both Customer and Company): You Are giving people the sense of who you are and what you do and how you do it, this lifts consumer confidence and lets the customer know that you have no “ulterior motives” .

Community(benefits the consumer): Its not starbucks against the world, or them trying to abuse of us as consumers, but it feels more like they respect our business with them ( while this is a little hairy around the edges, most companies are out to make money and get us addicted on their product or service, but this way it feels less intrusive or forceful)

Growth (benefits the company): How many millions are spent annually in consumer testing and research. This is a proactive approach to talking to your base, and actively engaging them in way they use the product and how they use the product. Weather or not you end up utilizing any suggestion is the companies prerogative, but think of the science behind finding out how your core base interacts with the product and how valuable that information can be not only for the current base but for initiative on acquiring new faces.

Innovation(benefits the company): Like growth, getting ideas from the source of the users, is perhaps one of the bast way you maintain a strategy that openly views the product from multiple perspectives. While internally the company will have goals it seeks to achieve, having people who are not swimming in the same lane of product development can help spark ideas of where to expand the business.

Impact (benefits both): If you have a small and minor say in how a company does business because it caters to your needs, then the overall experience can be overwhelmingly positive. The again you might be prone to want things your own way and , the percentage of people who share your view may be small. This however is solved with the notion of rating an idea for how successful it might be.

Its not to say My Starbucks idea doesn’t have its flaws, how much control do you really want to hand over the the consumer, and for that matter does it backfire one people realize all the ideas you might submit, just fall to the wayside and live in a place commonly called the drawing borad. How do you execute on these ideas, and keep the value for the business without giving away too many secrets, and realistically can you get enough of a customer base to contribute or give and opinion that is worthy of an investment of significant proportions?

In recent days My own company, Netflix(NASDAQ: NFLX) went through what some would call a whirlwind of response from the community of users that make up a small part of out base. After having told people that we would be eliminating a feature of the site that was used by a percentage of users small enough that merited its elimination, the outcry from the group that did was unlike anything ive ever encountered. The passion for the product and why the like the service and how they used it, proved to not only be a valuable lesson in underestimating the opinions of the user, but also a lesson in the value of responding and reacting to such news. Once the company digested the uproar, they admitted their mistake and reversed their decision to eliminate the feature. Most of the group that was facing the impending loss of their valued feature reacted with positive feedback about haw they were happy Netflix had heard them and acted accordingly. Granted the misstep tat occurred in this whole ordeal was not identifying the significance of the feature set before considering its removal, but hindsight is always 20/20.

Needless to say now a days gaining control is what people react to as part of a positive experience and it simply attributed tot he nature of humans wanting not only control but knowledge of the things that they interact with. From where on gods green earth your package may be in the world as you track it via UPS website, or how you like your lattes served in the morning and with what type of greeting from the local Starbucks Barrista.

On a side note: This post was pretty business side heavy, and while design will and has been my main goal for this blog, things like “my starbucks idea” are innovations that are fuels and executed as a result of design. Design in this case end ups becoming and ends to a mean, and my idea on witting about this was simply because, i think starbucks did and exceptional job at providing their base with an online experience that brings them closer to the $4 lattes and the justifications as to why the buy them !

What happens when you gather with a person who shares a passion and history for tech companies like the one you secretly pretend you don’t have. I had dinner and glass of wine, by the end of dinner i had agreed to drive through silicon valley looking for the companies and corporations that shaped technology in my lifetime, and i decided that it needed to be documented with a series of sporadic photos and poses. I have no commentary other than to say, while silly and crazy, it was a wild night, we got to see some of these places in complete darkness and abandonment.

Google proved to be the equivalent of a college campus with better spaces, Yahoo you could tell was just surviving was is to be a rough coming year, Oracle is like the name, a surreal and almost not of this world kind of buildings with reflecting pools, Apple is simply iconic and with a hint of humor; Netflix, clearly as the new kid on the block and facebook, as the ultimate underdog with a basic standard building entrance.

View full flickr set here

I work for Netflix, and I have been trying for the past 2 months to get used to the idea of designing with lots of red. In our quest to make the user experience’s be king, we can start to look at other notable brands that have used their colors prominently and aggressively without sacrificing design integrity. Easier said than done.

Most brands go through evolutions, colors end up being like a nice accessory to the times. Decades of time have shown us how each brand changes not only with trend, but also with the message they are trying to send out. Notable examples of this can be seen by companies such as Coca Cola who have exemplified the need to adjust to change. How does this change occur? When in the end you still have to let people know that you are in fact within the realm of their brand? and how far can you push the line of things that are not within brand guidelines for the sake of reaching a design goal.

Back to the Coke example: The logo of coke has become so iconic in our time, that the evolution of the brand has been, to play with the two mayor elements of the brand, keep those rock solid, and then push the environment around them. What makes this so incredibly versatile ( and also made easier because coke is an actual object that can be placed in a setting and instantly recognized weather by silhouette or by logo) is that you stop being bound to the brand outside of that silhouette and logo. In the the following images you can begin to see how coke works from the brand out, to give itself room to design fairly unique treatments for various situations, without ever compromising the brand. Some would argue otherwise, and I will amend my statement by saying that coke is so iconic they have built themselves this room to maneuver outside the lines of conventional brand treatment. Having said that, in the realm of design, they have created a dream situation. Were the designer has the possibility to play with soo many things without feeling like they are corrupting the brand or not adhering to it.

In the first set of images you start to see some departures of design. The first image show samples of the coke can designs for the 2007 holiday season, second image is a much older design for new coke, around early 90’s.

The third image corresponds to the current (July 2008) Homepage for Coca-Cola. Here you begin to see the design freedom that is arising from the company. Aside form the fact that currently they are promoting a “design the world a coke” interactive piece that allows you to design the iconic silohueette to your hearts content and share it with the world,(speaking of designing completely outside of brand!!!) they are also not being strict to the how to present the product. While red is a prominent voice in terms of color, there is no overwhelming sense that its one type of red, and shown only in one type of way. The best part is, if I were to refer back to my comment on the two elements that make up the brand, I would at this point identify them

as the silhouette and the coke lettering which creates a stem of swashes that can be clearly identified as design elements within the page. This is what the brand is, weather the red is there or not, we still know it to be Coke. Im not saying we dont need the red, or that red is not essential to defining coke to the world, but what I am saying is that red can take on many forms. The most exciting example for my theory is the designs that have come out for the promotion of the Blak coke. The bottle, lettering and color are all there with delicate variations, but in an exploration that solves a design problem, communicates the differences between products, but keeps it all in the family. Here the design did was it should, it told us the Coca-Cola Blak is darker ( its combination with coffee) energetic, and still part of Coke.

I think there are plenty of brands that let themselves explore color as means to deliver design, but its hard to do. Specially when you don’t have the clout nor the history that coke has.

The challenge lies in positioning one element of the brand so solidly that it can’t be challenged, and then giving yourself the freedom to place it in different contexts. I think it’s essential for designers to push, if anything they might not get away with it, but at least they are thinking of the brand in its current moment in time, and not keeping it referenced in the root of its birth. If the brand becomes antiquated and obsolete then it dies in consumers eyes.

In the summer of 1999 I was 16 years old, and as part of what i considered life experiences i needed to have before i was 20, I made the choice to attend a leadership conference aimed at highly motivated over achievers. I was not one of them but i managed to squeeze myself in because i was involved in so many extracurricular activities that my grades while lacking were not nearly as impressive as the list of things i seem to run or organize in school. The GYLC( Global youth leadership conference) is relevant in this maiden post of design-loom for one mayor reason. While attending this conference, each and everyone of the 200 some kids that were involved, were assigned to various countries. They would for the better part of 2 weeks represent these nations in various mock general assemblies and security councils. When i arrived i was very perfectly assigner into the group of kids that would represent Cuba on the floor, and it was this little exercise in role play that would later help me understand the biggest problems designers and most creative people face when dealing with the reality of existing in a world where the market moves society. Clearly the biggest lesson that came from that little experience of a teenager is how incredibly difficult it is to stand up and represent and speak for something you may not believe in. Not that i have problems with communism or cuba for that matter, but while i was tasked to understand why other countries wanted to hurt cuba for its political system, i was also struggling to stand up for choices that had historically been documented in the country as neglectful to its population and we had as part of the responsibility of group, represent that aspect of the country truthfully as if it were our own belief and practice. This is were the future steps back into the picture. Today i find myself learning the incredible act of learning to balance the business side of design with the almost religious oath we all secretly take to not let bad design become a reality within our firms or companies or more simply our very open projects. The defense of the ideal about how pure design must remain before we loose it to the pixel pushing project managers and to the integrity of the design itself is so ingrained into our minds that many forget that we are tasked with a much greater goal of not only solving something in an appealing way, but that ultimately  a connection  must occur between audience and design otherwise we might as well hang up our exacto knives and retreat back to the place from whence we came and isolate ourselves from everyone but those who can think creatively.

Design is so broad in my mind, having studied it for the past 8 years of my life ( seems like a small number but if you think about it, ive ben trying to understand it probably for the lat 18 years! ) at trying to speak of it as just design seems wrong and way out of focus. If you want to begin any sort of commentary on the anything, it seems only appropriate to start by defining the issues you are going to tackle, and why his explanation seems sophomoric at best, i only mention it, because i think more design writing should start to speak more specifically to issues rather than trying to fit everything into a colorful umbrella of happy words like designers, creative’s, and innovators.  I will simply be addressing what i know best, simply because of experience and the lesson you learn from those experiences. I will speak primarily to the issues that Visual designers undergo while working on projects and i will hopefully start to shed some light on my own concerns and maybe serve as a voice of solidarity and support for those who have found themselves in similar situations and maybe sparking solutions discussion or simply rants about what we can do to help.

Why write about project management for designers?

Because I think designers need it, because its way too taboo to speak of how to deal with a design problem outside of the creative realm, and because the more i reasearch the best way to interact and create an optimal way of balancing business, client and design needs the happier my job gets and the better this world becomes. Ellen Lupton once said to our class, that design was not for the few or elite, but for the masses, which is why pioneers like Martha Stewart who where raising the design conscienceness deserved to be praised. I did not understand it then, but now it makes all the sense in the world which is why it begins…. lets hope i find something along the way to make it all seem worth while.

I have been in San Francisco for the last couple of days. While my intent for this visit had nothing to do with Macworld, it seemed fairly silly not to attend considering how close it was to where i was going to be and well because the inner geek in me simply could not hold out. Needless to say i walked the four block to the moscone center, only to be encountered by crazy and motivated and inspired and simply nutty people out to see the latest and greatest from their favorite technology company. The sights were not only beautiful, but it really makes you think at the incredibly crafted creation process that apple has when it comes to developing their new products.

have spent some quality time reading a lot about one person in particular. Jonathan I’ve, and his efforts while employed for the big white gleaming apple. And i have found him to be ( from what I’ve read and seen in interviews) a mild and calm man, seeking beauty and desirability in everyday products while still maintain a design atheistic and standard un equaled by anyone so far.

It is his approach that has garnered my attention, particularly the methodical approach to creativity. I think designers feel constrained by the idea of establishing a method to the madness, but i cant help but think, if you don’t reel in some of the craziness, how much can you truly accomplish? and if you can in fact develop this methodology successfully, how do you not limit yourself by your process? and how do you truly come up with things that are still challenging to develop and solve and exciting to see and encounter. I am not a very old designer, and at heart i am still seeking the part of my field that makes my mind work as solidly and consistently as possible. It is watching macworld and the products of so many around me that I cant help but wonder how so many mind can channel energy into coming up with the next big thing. Weather innovative or not!