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Archive for July, 2008
Survey Time
Thursday, July 31st, 2008Beyond Comp Review: Two designs enter. One leaves.
Thursday, July 31st, 2008In my previous experience, I had always heard “Marketing execs/business owners are Type A Personalities, so they like to see as many options as possible…” This modus operandi kept me overworking conceptual failures, over-thinking muddled compositions, and mired in revisions. I could see that this system was broken, though I wasn’t sure of how it could be done better.
Once I became an official Unitard, Andy and Angela introduced me to their two comp approach. As Andy puts it: “We try to give two intelligent design directions, because after that we’re just finding new ways to decorate the information”. This was compelling, but it wasn’t until I adopted this practice myself, that I fully understood the benefits. (more…)
Fake Web Content
Wednesday, July 30th, 2008Do you know how to tell useless, fake articles (sorry, “posts”) on the Web from the actually substantive ones? I do; it’s easy. If the title starts with a number?i.e. “7 Ways to Improve Your Blog” or “20 of the Best Design Practices,” etc??it’s junk 999 times out of 1000.
Clear evidence aside, lately I’ve seen a few articles or posts that advise blog authors?and I use the term “authors” very loosely?that the way to get their post on Digg or some other fustercluck is to use numbers in their titles. So aside from the fact that nearly all of these posts have no valuable content, you may know that the author has no purpose in sharing it except to try and get search engine or aggregator visibility. All such “authors” are defining themselves according to a very low and regrettable standard.
The net result of all of this is that the Web is being choked by trashy, attention-gaming junk that is being offered for reasons other than informing one’s fellow enthusiasts and colleagues of anything notable or useful. What’s more, news/article aggregators have become time-wasting caricatures of what they’re supposed to be, and are now all but worthless.
Hey Unitards! What about TV?
Thursday, July 24th, 2008Andy Says: I think everything is a valid inspiration for designers (said another way, validity’s got nothing to do with it). I’ve drawn design inspiration from everything from a fishing magazine to a park bench. I certainly think that television is ripe source for inspiration. And while the artsy shows you’re talking about often create a direct relationship to creativity and design-y elements and issues, I think that when it comes to inspiration, it can come from any moment you might observe. I don’t think it matters what sort of show creates the trigger, since inspiration is something that often springs forth from some secret and invisible place. Inspiration also seems to strike most often (for me at least) when one is filled with positive emotion. So if you’re watching a show you really like or if you witness something especially interesting or pleasing, you’re often very close to the inspiration “vent.”
Angela Says: Short answer ? yes, TV inspires me. As a self-proclaimed TV addict, I could probably write a book about the shows I love to watch and that inspire me as a designer, but I’ll stick to some of my favorites. I love being able to see each contestant’s creative process in “Project Runway” and “Design Star”. With reality shows like this, it is interesting to see how they approach the design challenge and what questions they ask their clients when they are given the opportunity to do so. Another of my favorites is “Get Color” on HGTV which takes color theory and applies it to interior design. I’ve actually used some of the color palettes I’ve seen on that show in my own design. Finally, I have to mention “Pushing Daisies”, which is obviously not a reality show, but it is whimsical, imaginative and fantastical which simply puts me in a creative mood.
Nathan Says: I try my best not to watch TV. Not that I have a particular bias against TV, I just have found that it is a major time suck with very little return for my investment. Nonetheless, I find myself planted in front of it most evenings, and I have found some bright shiny spots in the mire of current programming. I enjoy the “artistic” reality shows, both for the creative processes, and the parts where contestants must defend their work, work with others, or just communicate their ideas in general. Watching both the good and the bad of creative interaction can be enlightening. In addition, well written, psuedo-non-formulaic dramas such as “Heroes” and “Mad Men” charge my brain up for future ideas and just make me excited to be a creative professional. Oh yeah, and pro-wrestling. You can learn a lot from pro-wrestling.
Web Authors Are Losing Their Integrity
Thursday, July 24th, 2008Every day of the week I receive marketing spam, addressed to me personally (or not), from one or more companies who are marketing “the next cool thing in Web 2.0-ness.” Invariably these email messages compliment me on my blog writing and usually, through some sort of mischaracterization, make it clear that the “person” on the other end has never once read one of my articles. The consistent gist of these spam messages is, “We know you’ll love our new Super-Duper Web Widget and we hope you’ll blog about it and tell your readers, too!”
No. I won’t. I’m not the free advertising wing of your marketing department, and I won’t sell my integrity and credibility for some small free gift.
I notice, however, that a significant number of blog authors, many of them highly respected and knowledgeable designers and writers, are putting integrity and credibility aside in exchange for free schwag and increased search engine visibility. I see the very same products I’m asked daily to endorse show up on other blogs every week. Every day my respect slips a little for one or more of the authors whose writings I once enjoyed.
For readers, here’s a tip:
If the author of a blog you read is shilling for some new Web app or other product, they’re blowing sunshine up your butt and you should seriously question their integrity?and every other opinion and insight they offer you.
For blog authors, here’s some free advice:
Your integrity is the basis upon which everything you offer?personally and professionally?is evaluated. You are a fool if you sell your integrity cheaply. Whenever you are buttered up with compliments in some spam message and asked to help market a new product, for free or in exchange for a free gift, ask yourself if that sort of activity is why you became an author in the first place. If it is, go for it. If you write for reasons other than marketing other people’s products for some small profit, it’s likely that you’d be making a huge mistake to do so. No matter how you rationalize it, your readers will immediately perceive your lack of credibility, which will taint everything else you offer. And rightly so.
C’mon, we know you’re dying to know…
Wednesday, July 23rd, 2008Some of you may have noticed our “Hey Unitards!” posts, but we could really use a challenge from you. The point of these posts is for you, our loyal followers, to be able to ask us anything you want to know about our views on design, the design business, or anything relevant. Each week we pick one to answer and highlight it as our featured post. So start sending us some questions and if we pick yours, we may just send you a little something in return.
Also, if you see a “Hey Unitards!” post and think you know better or have something to add, consider yourself an honorary Unitard and put in your comments. We’d love to hear some different perspectives.
Hey Unitards! Creative Brief?
Friday, July 18th, 2008Andy Says: It sounds like you’re suffering from a couple of problematic situations here. Firstly, if you’re routinely doing design work for clients you’ve neither met nor talked with, you are in a bad spot. I suggest you work to change things in your agency or move on to a better one. Furthermore, if you’re not the one writing the creative brief for your client to approve, you’re at a grave disadvantage and so are your clients. The creative brief (or strategy brief as we more aptly call it) is something that should be an effective yardstick for how closely a designer is addressing the client’s needs. It is a form of commitment; something you craft that demonstrates to the client how well you understand their needs and your mandate. You need to appreciate this sort of commitment and the client needs to perceive this commitment from you. All involved are better for it.
Angela Says: As a designer, you should have an active role in the discovery process and in developing the creative brief, so if this isn’t the case, I can see why you don’t see the use in them. Creative briefs should not be internal documents, but a milestone in the project between the project’s designer and the client. This document serves as a written summary of the discovery meeting and the basis for what the site should communicate. Upon approval, the client can be assured his business aims are fully understood and the designer has a basis to form design decisions upon. A creative brief solidifies the site goals and can be used as a standard to measure whether or not the design meets those goals.
Nathan Says: I have been exactly where you are. Working without a well crafted strategy brief [that’s what we call it in the land of Unit] is kind of like playing capture-the-flag on XBOX Live. There is absolutely no game plan, no forward momentum, and everyone on the “team” seems to just be doing whatever they feel like. From my perspective, the strategy brief is an agreed upon direction in which everyone can go forward together, and is integral from the first step towards trying to solve any creative need. It should encompass all goals, and it helps if it prioritizes the project needs as well as smaller things, like target markets. The strategy brief is not only a plan of action, but it gives everyone involved, from the client to the creative, a stake in the eventual output, and this can often have the nice side-effect of a client receiving your creative efforts more positively. Thus your team can pwn together.
International Affairs
Wednesday, July 16th, 2008Even though we’re based in Texas, Unit has had the opportunity to work with clients all over the world, which has posed some unique challenges for us regarding time-management. Depending on the distance, the differences in time can greatly affect workflow and deadlines. For instance, working with a client in Tokyo, who is fourteen hours ahead of us, would mean that our phone meetings would have to happen after 6pm our time, unless the client is a very earlier riser. And, if we both work a “normal” 5-day business week, the time difference only allows for four days to be in contact. Our Monday evening is their Tuesday morning; our Thursday evening is their Friday morning?so a day is lost for one on opposite ends of the week. This tends to become more of an issue during the review/revision stage, especially if there is a group approval involved. If we review comps on our Monday and we schedule a meeting for feedback as early as our Tuesday, a whole day of work could theoretically be lost by having to wait the entire day to get direction for revisions. And, since the meetings are in the evening, actual work on the project would not take place until the next day on Wednesday. While email can work to remedy this in certain situations and at certain points in the project, there will always be the need for clarification and/or discussion over the phone.
Becoming aware of these time considerations can help to accurately bid and schedule projects, plan the workday and manage cash flow. Without a doubt, diligently scheduling meetings and setting realistic deadlines is especially important to make sure the project runs smoothly when working with international clients.