They said it couldn’t be done - they said he’s too feckin lazy, they said it’s all talk - When I say ‘they’ I of course refer specifically to Dr (Obscured for Legal Reasons) MD - (Obscured for Legal Reasons) you son of a gun I did it.

Saw this today and thought is was funny, a story about how good design is based on the C.R.A.P. principle where C.R.A.P. stands for Contrast Repetition Alignment Proximity, and when the boss tells you that your design is crap, they’re actually giving you positive reinforcement.

Okay, that last part was made up, sorry. “Crappy work” is probably not a term of endearment but rather an indication that your pixels smell.

Link to the story

You may not know this but a warthog is also a kind of all terrain vehicle..
I found a neat game online where you have to blow them up to kill aliens, strange suicide bombing attempts by inanimate objects….. Franz?? Are you involved in this??

I could only get to level 5  Play the game

Surprisingly hard. I managed 17/20 fo’shizzle.

Click Here

Gorgeously illustrated and cheekily written, “John, Paul, George & Ben” is a rare specimen; a children’s book containing intimate design and amazing wordplay.

Take this excerpt for example:

“One day his teacher, Mr. Douglas, asked the class to make birdhouses by gluing macaroni to ye olde balsa wood. Tom happily ignored him and used traditional building materials in a neoclassical design.”

From Lane Smith, the author of “Stinky Cheese Man & Other Fairly Stupid Tales”. ‘Nuff said.

Check it

Anyone had a go at this?
Its jiggery-pokery with shutterspeeds and contrast to create wicked awesome images.
(High Dynamic Range) Apparently anyone can do it…

HDR Tokyo

HDR New York

Colin, Ciaron and Me Self went to the last one of these and it was great craic all together.
Dont worry it aint as poserish as you would expect from a night out that Jordan would go to.
Design folks from Dublin/UK show their stuff and how they got the contracts, etc…

Candy in Association with IDI, NESTA, Belfast City Council, Northside and Bombay Sapphire present…

Sweet Talk 8
Thursday 4th May @ The Stiff Kitten
http://www.thestiffkitten.com/
Admission: £5 Doors: 7pm.
- - - - - - - - -

Bombay Sapphire drinks reception from 7pm plus limited edition prints from Northside for early arrivals
Speeches start at 7.30 sharp!

SPEAKERS:
- - - - - - - - -
FALLT: Belfast based print and multimedia designers Chris Murphy, Nicholas Kove & Nik Perrson
http://www.fallt.com/

BREN B: A whole new world in Comix & Illustration
http://www.brenb.net/

D.A.D.D.Y: Design Animation Design Design Yay!
http://www.teamdaddy.com/

MUSIC:
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Followed by DJ set by Timmy Stewart / Islandhopper Records

Sweet Talk PDF

When I packed in the BBC seven months ago and began freelancing, I thought it’d be no more than a month before I tucked my tail between my legs and headed down to Grafton Recruitment. But somehow it — “it” being full-time freelancing — has worked out. Not only have I turned down three jobs since I began, but I’ve had a bloody good laugh and learned a hell of a lot.

But every rose has its thorn, right? I’ll be the first to admit I’m no expert at offering freelancing advice, but I hope a few things I’ve learned will assist you in setting up or optimizing your own shoppe…

6. Go with the gut.

If something doesn’t feel right — the pushy or clueless prospective client, the shady list of deliverables, etc. — it probably isn’t. I’ve turned down a fair share of projects based solely on the fact that something didn’t feel right at the outset, but I’ve also taken on a few without trusting my instinct. This leads to either wasting hour upon hour on a project you come to loathe, or worse yet wasting hour upon hour only to find that the client has high-tailed it to Mexico. If you can’t see the hook, don’t bite.

5. Do it now.

Think you’ll have time later to get around to something that could otherwise be done now? Think again. Bite the bullet, knock it out now, and avoid accumulating that inevitable, overwhelming stack of pending work. Especially with Flash or HTML work, things could go belly-up, so make room for mistakes that have yet to occur.

4. Promise consistency, deliver consistency.

It’s easy to exceed expectations the first time with a client, but extremely difficult subsequent times. Instead, analyse the deliverables as best you can, set reasonable expectations, word the contract accordingly, and then go give it your best shot. Clients will typically come to you for one or two specific reasons — they’ve been told you’ve got a great turn-around time, or they know you as someone who always puts out quality. So of you promise quality, deliver quality. Promise speed, then deliver speed. Whatever you excel in, be consistent at it.

3. Know your limits - especially when starting out

Just because you’ve recently learnt how to use Photoshop’s displacement filter creatively, or because you’ve recently completed your own set of graffiti fonts, doesn’t mean they’re ideal for job in hand. Don’t get over-excited, stick to what the client wants and don’t alienate the project from them. DO store what you’ve learnt for later use, it’ll come in handy somewhere down the line.

2. Don’t fuck with the taxman.

Set up a separate interest-bearing account strictly for taxes, and then deposit a percentage of revenue immediately upon receiving any payment. Your percentage will vary, but 30% is probably a safe place to start. If you’re studying while freelancing, don’t worry too much until you graduate, but keep enough aside as a precaution.

And the most important piece of advice I can offer?

1. Avoid ‘maintenance’ like the plague.

After completion of a project, a client may ask if you offer maintenance, for example adding a website, or updating a catalogue. This may seem like a cushy way to earn a few more bucks, but beware: the offer of maintaining work undertaken may lead to the client owning your ass. The site goes down through no fault of your own? Ring Ring. The client’s wife suddenly realises that she hates the logo’s font? Ring Ring. The client’s new employee want to re-do the whole catalogue and wants your ‘opinion’ on the matter? Ring ring. And more often than not, this work will be undertaken as ‘a favour’, or so the client says. Sure it’ll only take a few minutes. Yeah right.

The best job available is the one you can complete, hand over on disc or upload, then be free of the whole matter. Returning to the same client for a different job is fine-in fact, returning customers are the best way of building up a portfolio and a rep, and provide a steady income-but if at all possible, keep the job as cost-efficient and no-strings as you can. Don’t cut corners, make sure the finished effort is as refined and polished as possible, and there’ll be no need for the client to call on you in the future.

That’s all I gots so far, I’ll probably update the list as I learn along the way; and I hope this helps a few of you who’re thinking of heading down freelance alley. Keep focused, stay away from miniclip.com, and remember; “Great souls have wills; feeble ones have only wishes”.

“A growing, collaborative resource that describes, tracks and explains culture, commerce, politics, media, sports, brands – everything possible, really – through design.”

right here

Does downloading music dampen the listening experience?

A recent study commissioned by Dr Adrian North, of Leicester University’s School of Psychology, culminated with the claim that the current trend of downloading music has made people apathetic; suggesting that music is now so easily accessible that it is no longer prized, that it is a commodity rather than an experience. But do recent advances in how we listen to our music really create a lack of interest?

Growing up, I seen the music I purchased as part of a package. I’ll never forget buying my first album, the Red Hot Chili Pepper’s Blood Sugar Sex Magik. I opened the case slowly and carefully, placing the tape in a piece of equipment older than me. I sang along to Under The Bridge following the intimate, handwritten lyrics supplied. I studied photos of the band member’s dazzling array of tattoos, proudly displayed in the accompanying booklet, then tried to copy them using a blue biro and my Ma’s makeup mirror. Would I have had the same moments, which I remember fondly, had I downloaded the entire album and stuck it on my iPod?

Then there were the long, drawn-out Sunday evenings, listening to the Top 40 on the radio, my fingers poised over the ‘play’ and ‘record’ buttons, waiting for Bryan Adams to fade out so I could tape Ice Ice Baby. The process of pressing two buttons at once was honed to perfection. It had to be; mess up and you missed precious seconds, in my case Vanilla Ice announcing to his VIPs to KICK IT. This was all part of the experience, replicating those 1960s kids who would hunt car boot sales for the edition of their favourite band’s latest album that came with a sticker set, or a limited edition coloured vinyl. Music was hands-on, often illusive, always rewarding.
During my teenage years came the rebirth of this phenomenon, with bedroom Djs like myself scouring the racks of Doc Roberts and Backbeat for the version of Phat Planet that came with that killer remix. I remember my brother grimly searching for YEARS for a copy of KRS One’s ‘Sound of da Police’; and his euphoric laying of vinyl to steel once he acquired a copy. Today, he could download it within minutes. Hell, recent software like Final Scratch means he could even transfer it from MP3 to a ‘blank record’ that can read a digital source. DJ-ready in moments. This may seem like the easy option, but you can’t help but feel that Dr North has a point. Ever notice that indifference to chocolate during the later part of the Christmas holidays? With all those selection boxes, tins and tubs within arm’s reach? Same thing.

But, of course, as with every debate bar one citing the benefits of listening to Westlife, there comes the argument FOR instantly accessible music. Apart from the obvious (i.e. the last three words of the previous sentence), the download era has also allowed for bands, that would have otherwise been eclipsed by the likes of the aforementioned warbling Irish quartet, to shine through. Music websites like Myspace.com allow struggling acts to get their music heard, to establish a fan base. The cutting out of record label middlemen - bands upload their songs and fans download - means that the relationship between a band and their fans is becoming increasingly intimate. In fact, many established acts are now using Myspace to ‘test’ forthcoming material, gauging fan’s reactions and so bridging the gap between what the public want, and what their idols think they want. Thus, our ‘listening experience’ benefits from this rapid exchange made possible by the internet.

So will downloaded music turn us all into a bunch of anaesthetised, small-minded listeners, or will it allow for bands and their fans to bond on a whole new level? If one band epitomises how the influence of downloads can equal success, it’s got to be the Arctic Monkeys, who recently managed two number-one singles, mostly due to their online fanbase, as well as the introduction of counting downloads in sales figures. But the fact that they also sell out their gigs in seconds suggests that the download generation still know there’s no substitution for seeing - and yes, listening to - a live band.
And at the end of the day, what is music, if not a group of people, playing instruments live in a room, for our enjoyment?

Drew McClellan and his 5 most important considerations when planning a site.

Sums things up nicely…

Moustache Lip…Tender Kiss

Apparently so, if just for the revolutionary special effects…

Check It

So I just got word today that Clockwork Orange have just had their website redeveloped courtesy of Tibus after their disastrous foray into the world of eCommerce a few years back. The whole design and approach certainly disappoint. Firstly, the site has been constructed in flash - Why? It’s not like they even take advantage of any of the rich media capabilities of Flash and anything that’s there could certainly have been constructed with AJAX and DHTML. In addition to this oversight the site won’t generate any significant natural listings with its unfriendly Google design.

Secondly, the whole layout and design simply mirrors Tibus’ uninventive ‘Public Sector’ approach to web design. Apart from the bold orange and the out-dated Gothic typeface strap line you really have to ask what there is to pull you in - basically it’s about as sticky as a wet plaster. Curiously the site also has a ‘VIP members’ area, quiet what a VIP members area would involve is explained by a page that tells us it’s all about competitions and underground music downloads. Will this approach generate any more custom? I find it hard to see how, it may however become a place for Clockwork Orange devotees to meet but I’d even doubt that.

The whole website simply reinforces my belief that many local companies are incapable of developing serious eBusiness sites that actually contribute to the bottom line. In fact, why does this site exist at all and will Clockwork Orange see a return on their investment? I really can’t see it but sure Tibus will get paid, Clockwork Orange will tell some gullible MD that they are receiving 2000 hits a day and around we go again…….

A recent eyetracking study conducted by Jakob Nielsen reveals a recurring F-shaped pattern for reading web content.

The astounding credit sequence for ‘Thank you for Smoking’ is another great example of the abundance of creativity in modern film production. Hats off to Stephen Coles for trying to name all fonts present.

The BBC are asking for your ideas in order to reboot their website. Personally, I think the current version is in no way in need of a makeover, but with prizes galore for highly-rated entries, why not give it a shot? It’ll be hard with competition like this, though.

Theres lots of scribblings on the web today about the use of ugly design/lack of design to make a website sell.
Here is the article that started it all and a link to the full story.

I wouldnt mind some comment, as it is a toughy….

At the Northern Voice conference I met Markus Frind, founder of Plentyoffish.com. He’s Google’s #1 Adsense user in Canada. His site is pulling in more than $10,000 per day from Google, he told me, and has millions of passionate users. Tens of millions of page views EVERY DAY. Whew!

What’s the secret to his success? Ugly design. I call it “anti-marketing design.”

Huh?

He says that sites that have ugly designs are well known to pull more revenue, be more sticky, build better brands, and generally be more fun to participate in, than sites with beautiful designs.

Ahh, yet another example of anti-marketing marketing.

He joins a good list. Google. Is it pretty? No. Craig’s List? Pretty? No. MySpace? Pretty? No.

Click here for the full story

Click here for air bags strong rebuttal

Click here for a slightly less partisan response

This is a brilliant resource library! Visit protolize

This is a fun fun fun game Play Shooting Stars

The age old argument of when flash should and shouldnt be used.
I think this is a clear cut example of excellent flash work used at the right time.
When the budget means that you can advertise the url (no google) and the experience makes you want to learn more…

Find out more about Mercedes Benz

Helio is converting an audience who is comfortable with the desktop model of MySpace into an integrated mobile space, offering a service that includes blogging on-the-go.

Helio Website

Due to the lengths I went to to obtain the ‘Holy Grail’ of IMD tomfoolery, a few drunken students are missing their kidneys and a ’shopkeeeper’ I know is very happy, but by God it was worth it.

Link to YouTube

Finally people are coming up with constructive positive solutions.
This will cut methane emissions by 20% globally…

Mootiful Solution