Archive for the 'Cool Stuff' Category
The Ultimate Packaging Designer Blog
Packaging is one of those things that people don’t pay that much attention to. But packaging is much more than that and it can influence your perception of a product or a brand as a consumer. Via Kate I discovered TheDieline.com which defines good packaging and is a great resource for packaging designers and others seeking inspiration.
Why can’t mobile phones be like pantyhose?
I ended my day with a drink at Fiddlehead Joe’s tonight with a very good friend of mine. The conversation started of course with talk about the iphone which finally went on sale today in the states. My friend, being a non-techie, hadn’t heard of it and didn’t know why I was so excited. I must confess, I’m not into gadgets. I never paid any attention to the blackberry or the pearl, but after seeing David Pogue’s videos on the New York Times, I thought the iphone looked pretty cool. Having said that, I’m not sure that I would wait in line for several days and pay $500 for one. Sure it’s cool, but Apple isn’t known for their phone technology. I’m putting my money on people having lots of complaints and regretting waiting in line in the next few months.
Of course the problem with technology is that even if the software engineers and designers make them all cool and sophisticated, most of the people I know have no clue how to use them. I’m lucky that my phone is old enough that it doesn’t have a camera. I only learnt how to text message a few weeks ago and sending a message longer than “Yes, count me in” takes forever.
At the latest Massive conference in Vancouver, I spoke to a Rogers representative and asked him if anyone was working on a phone for the average Joe like me. You know a phone that just calls people? His answer of course was no. Why would anyone want to work on that, it’s just not sexy. Why does everything with technology have to be sexy? Pantyhose aren’t that sexy and companies still make them. Women need plain old boring pantyhose and mobile phone users like me would love a phone that is plain, boring, easy to use and just make phone calls. Am I the only one that thinks this?
Choosing the right colour palette
If you have a look around the web, you’ll notice that most websites have one or two main colours and then a few others are used as accents. Most of us, when working on a new design, have one or two colours to start with and then we need to find a few others. Finding the right colour palette can be quite difficult.
Kuler.com is by far the funkiest tool I’ve seen so far for creating palettes. They’ve also created a community where members can create palettes, publish them and these can then be rated. Their selection of highest rated palettes would be a great place to start on your next design project.
Very good use of flash at Breathing Earth
I’ve written in the past about the use of flash in websites. I must confess that I’m not a great fan of it. I usually get annoyed when I see a website done in flash when its use is for no particular reason. Of course, designers will say that when using flash they can control the font sizes and layout and thus maintain full control of the design, yadi, yadi, yada. This argument is best left for a discussion in a pub with lots of drinks.
However, more and more sites are now using flash quite cleverly. Via Darren, who found this site via Todd, I discovered the Breathing Earth. This flash site uses an interactive display of real time carbon dioxide production, birth and death rates by country. Watching what takes place in the world is truly fascinating.
Enhance your website with video footage
We recently launched a new website for an innovative new development project on the Fraser River in Coquitlam. The Village at Fraser Mills will be a mixed-use community that integrates industrial and employment uses with residential, commercial, and recreational opportunities. The purpose of the website is to inform the community on the progress of the development as well as educate. One way this is achieved is by displaying a link to an interesting video which talks about the history of the Village.
Adding video is a great way to enhance your website and is simple enough to do. Professional organizer, Linda Chu, has appeared several times on TV and using her VCR, recorded the videos on tape, we converted them to Quicktime and posted them on her site. The process couldn’t be more simple.
More and more, we’re seeing video that has been integrated in flash. I recently discovered the RouxBe website which does this superbly. RouxBe is the ideal resource for people looking to expand their culinary repertoire and improve their skills in the kitchen. They offer online instructional cooking videos that walk you step by step through each delicious recipe. Their videos are some of the best I’ve seen on the web.
And more importantly, my husband has been doing much more cooking these days!
The Meaning of Colours
Following up on Christine’s recent post on colour inspiration, I thought I’d share this neat tutorial I came across recently: Colour in Motion. The Movies section in particular is a good little bit of edu-tainment.
This site is an entertaining way to learn about the meaning associated with different colours. In addition to the feeling you might get from a colour, it’s good to keep in mind that colour meaning is not only an individual thing but a very cultural thing as well. The author alludes to that in “The Stars” section, by listing some associations from around the world.
Change Everything
It’s interesting that Christine’s latests posts on this blog have to do with change, because I’ve been thinking a lot lately that 2007 seems like a year of change for many people. Is it just me, or is everyone in the midst of or considering massive life changes? Maybe it’s that phenomenon that happens when you first become aware of a new word — suddenly you hear it everywhere.
I’ve recently moved to Roberts Creek on the Sunshine Coast, and left my “secure” large-corporation job for the adventure of working from my home office. And even though I’ve planned this for years, it surprised me how stressful even positive change can be. Combine all the new things your brain has to process (”Honey, where do these go?”, “Oh, we need a flashlight to take a walk after dark here…”), and you have one tired camper! It’s a good thing I’m fitting so much fresh air and beach time into my schedule.
If you’re thinking about making changes in your life, check out ChangeEverything.ca. It’s a community of people who are making changes in their lives and communities. You can read how others are doing, adopt the same challenges they’ve taken on, offer advice to others… Reading what others are doing can be inspiring, humbling, and eye-opening. Take for example the challenges faced in living plastic-free for a year.
ChangeEverything.ca is an arms-length initiative of VanCity Credit Union. It’s also a great example of the power of “Web 2.0” and social networking in action.
Promoting your passion via the Web
Sharkwater opened in theatres recently. Written and directed by Rob Stewart, Sharkwater is a film about sharks and one man’s passion. Through his film, Stewart manages to show that each and one of us has the tools required to make changes in the world. Others have commented that, following a screening and question period in Toronto, Stewart explained that large organizations are not needed to create change. Individuals can make changes simply by being passionate. He clearly demonstrated this by making his movie.
Carlton’s Big Ad
I don’t know about you, but I hate most commercials on TV. I don’t like them when I first see them and then by the time I see them for the upteenth time, I’m ready to scream. With the advent of YouTube there are gems creeping up now and then. The video below for Carlton just cracks me up. Why can’t we have more of this on TV?
Thanks to Karole for sending this my way.
Webtools to Stay Organized
Struggling to keep organized? We’ve discovered a couple of tools lately that have made our life much less chaotic.
Blinksale is a small company out of Texas made of talented designers and developers who have created a great invoicing tool. All you need to do to get started is go to their website and create your account. You can sign up for free to begin with, test it out and see if it’s for you. Blinksale allows you to keep track of your clients, invoices, past invoices, etc…
We used to create invoices in word format, turn them into pdfs and then email them. The process was tedious and difficult to keep track of. Now with Blinksale, invoicing is fun!
Keep track of your to-do list on the Web with Ta-da Lists. With the use of ta-da you can easily stay on top of things. Sharing your list also allows you to keep your colleagues and friends in the loop. Best of all, ta-da lists are free to use and loads of fun. Their video shows you how easy it is to use.
Have you come across a tool that has made your life easier? If so, do tell.