VisualSnare

Digg sets the standard

I'm sure you're all familiar with Digg (www.digg.com), but damn, they killed it with their registration.

Normally, these site's registrations are cumbersome, invasive, and plain boring… not the so with Digg.

Their attention to detail was what shocked me.

Such as only having to scroll through relevant dates for your birth years (08, 07, 06, 05…). Or, letting you choose different ways of saying what gender you are (Guy, Girl, Dude, Lady, Bird, Chap, Transgender, etc)

I seriously laughed at the last one...

But, best of all, they took all the information that you plug in and create a story about you to tell to other 'Diggers'. Mine was:

"A 24 year-old dude from San Diego, CA (US) who joined Digg on April 29th, 2008"

This is a great example of a business really being aware of the experiences their customers are put through. Making processes that usually are boring, fun. Because, who wants a bored customer? Do you?? -Reed

p.s. You can find me on Digg here.

Don't be a poser

When will people learn that doing things half way just doesn't cut it anymore?

I was at a local outdoor mall today and noticed this pattern on the exterior walls. Now, I'm glad they were trying to carry the Italian Villa theme over to the buildings with stucco-look, but if they were going to do it, why not actually go all the way?

Instead, they just spot distressed the walls every few feet (to save money I'm sure). It looked like the walls had the chicken pox!

Your customers are smart. They'll notice when you cut corners. Do it enough, for things that matter to them, and you might just start loosing their attention... or even worse business.

The moral of the story is that in your pursuit of authenticity, sacrifices will probably have to be made, but make sure not to skip on the important stuff! In the case of this shopping mall, I think I'll let them slide this time, because they had some sweet truss work. -Reed

Second Looks Can Save Your Designs

Isn't it strange how your brain doesn't always see eye-to-eye with your eyes?

One of the things I've found lately is that a second look can drastically improve your work. Everyone works differently during the ideation phase of design - I tend to spend a good amount of time getting a design close to its final iteration in one sitting. This is one of the things I would love to change about my creative process.

When you stare at a design long enough, it usually ends up looking a lot better than it actually is. While working on a logo for a local watersports club today, I found myself really enjoying one of the first designs I came up with. Five hours later, I pulled up the exact same logo, and couldn't believe I had even considered it remotely finished. I wrote down a list of things that I thought looked out of place, and went back to work.

Designing can be a tedious process. But sometimes, a second look is what it takes to guarantee your design gets a second look. -Garret

HeadOn Collision

It's usually a new 30-second ad that sparks the ongoing debate: what makes an effective advertisement?

TV ads have a way of trending toward a few set methods, so I decided to jot down some of the most annoying methods I've seen in the past couple months. First, there are the "Tear Jerkers" or "Corporate Image" ads that are intent on making you feel fuzzy inside about a company because they did something nice for someone, and then kindly decided to spend millions let you know about it. Next, we have the increasingly popular "Aren't We Responsible" advertisements, where companies gloat about being carbon positive, planting trees, or printing invoices on recycled...whatever.

However, my absolute favorite ads right now are the "Forget-me-not" ads, where the main intent is to drill something into your brain so mercilessly that you will be compelled to buy it next time you are  rotting in a line winding all the way back to the jewelry counter at Wal-Mart. Anyone who has seen an advertisement for HeadOn knows exactly what I am talking about.

The Debate: Are commercials like this "effective?" Every time I see ads like this, I can't help but wonder why anyone would be motivated to buy the actual product? The typical response I hear goes something like this: "Well, if they can get you to remember the product name...it's an effective ad!"

I couldn't disagree more. Consumers form negative associations with a product names, logos, and manufacturers just as easily as they form positive ones. I, for one, have a list of products that I won't buy, simply because I can't stand to watch the advertisements. Effective? I guess it depends on your definition. -Garret

Doing too little with too much

Why do businesses try to do SO much with just one logo?

There are so many things going on in this logo that as a prospect I just blank out. What do they want me to look at? The incredibly detailed ethernet cable? The downloaded "futuristech" font? The circa 90's hyper graphics on the back? I'm tired just listing all the things I see.

Futuristech Communications should of just relayed a message that reflected their offering. With so much real estate on the side of the van it could of been incredibly memorable. Maybe something as simple as, "we help you get connected."

That would of peaked my interest! Instead they tried to do too much, and in effect accomplished little.

If I were going to tackle a project similar to this, here are a couple guidelines I would use:

• Guide the viewer to the important stuff.
• Use negative space to your advantage.
• Use colors to accent, not as a base.
• Don't copy, but do get inspired.
• Cut through the clutter don't create more.
• Simplify, without taking out the intelligence.
• Stand out instead of stick out.
• Have fun.

The last is of course the most important. If people have fun interacting with your businesses latest graphic or new logo, they are much more likely to remember it. So get out there and make something remarkable. Your customers will appreciate it! -Reed

Building the creative fortress

Do you support your employees creativity?

Oakley does. So do Google, Apple, and many more of the modern innovators.

My first exposure to this question was at an interview at Garmin a while back. The Head of Design was one of my first interviewers (which thinking back about it now I wish I would of taken notes on his thoughts). Near the end he asked if I had any questions. I had tons, but the only one I asked was what he did at Garmin. How he impacted the projects.

His answer: "I do everything I can to protect my designers work environment."

I didn't understand it then, but he got it. He knew that in order for designers to be truly creative and come up with innovative solutions we need to feel safe. We need to feel like crazy ideas are OK, better yet encouraged. We need to be able to focus on the project at hand, not paper work or red tape.

It's a tricky thing, but when you get it right, remarkable things can be created. Oakley went as far as building a fortress.

Are you willing to take that extra step? My old boss used to call it "washing the dishes." Works for me. -Reed

Modular workouts (and business plans)

Finally someone has applied design to workout machines.

Being interested in staying fit, I've been a member of some gym for most of my adult life. Whether it was a family owned or corporate gym, I'd always be disappointed with the equipment machines. They were crude and archaic in terms of styling. Plus, each had a learning curve.

Enter Hoist Fitness and their new machines  that turn the old system upside down. Every machine uses the same weight stack (as seen to the left).

As a user, I enjoyed the consistency of design and function. It meant less time reading poorly drawn pictographics and more time pushing the weights.

Hoist benefits as the modularity allows them to put their resources into making the best weight stack they can. Doing one thing great instead of spreading themselves thin redesigning each and every machine's architecture.

Many businesses find themselves in a similar situation: too many products, little consistency. This dilutes the brand, and drives up expenses for new product development.

Powerhouse and design innovator Apple had this problem. That is, until Steve Jobs came back and realized that the products sucked (from this article). They cut most of their products and changed their focus. Instead of tons of OK products, they made just a few great products.

If you see this happening at your business don't feel bad, be critical and take action. -Reed

Above and beyond

What do your customers expect from you? How can you exceed that expectation?

My dad just got back from his first-ever trip to watch the historical Masters golf tournament. I figured he'd tell me how moving Tiger's backswing was or about some 20 foot putt... but instead he talked about the beauty of the course... and experience. About the greener than green grass [a combination of bermuda and rye] that Augusta National re-plants every year. 18 holes of grass. I'm still in shock.

After getting off the phone, I had to find out more. An article from Sports Illustrated shed some light on Augusta's story, here's a quick excerpt:

"A state-of-the-art maintenance facility is where it all begins. Inside are meeting and training rooms, a shop area, a soil lab and an on-site weather station to help the club tackle any problem."

A soil lab at a golf course? Sounds like a Dirty Jobs script in the making. But they don't stop at the grass, they also put an "environmentally friendly" dye in their ponds to make them even more blue.

Augusta has gone above and beyond what golfers are used to, and now the beauty they have created is one of the things that sets them apart. What can you do to enrich your story and truly stand out... in a good way? -Reed

What's Your Function?

Using two products of the same genre back-to-back can sometimes give you a fresh perspective on design. Yesterday, I was running with a Sansa MP3 player, and found it surprisingly difficult to switch songs while I was running, especially when the player was in the armband case. Shortly after, I had a contrasting experience with my Ipod...the Ipod was in a messenger bag, but I had no difficulty changing artist, album, or track with a minimal amount of visibility. Both players are exceptional at playing music, but getting there is a different story.

Sometimes, the mark of good product design is being able to use a product without having to think about using it. -Garret

Don't be scared (to raise your hand)

Had to share this great thought from Dan Roam's new book on visual thinking:

"Walk into a kindergarten class and (with the teacher's permission) ask for a show of hands on how many of the six-year-olds can sing. Every hand will go up in the air. How many can dance? Every hand. How many can draw? Every hand.

Now ask how many can read: a couple hands might rise.

Then walk into a tenth-grade classroom and ask the sixteen-year-olds the same questions: How many can sing? One or two hands. How many can dance? A few. How many can draw? A couple.

Now ask how many can read. Every hand will go up."

Reading's great, but why do we neglect the creative and expressive side of our lives as we "grow up?" I remember running out of things to draw when I was a kid, so I created 4 themes of drawing ideas with my mom. I'd go up to her and she'd pick the topic, maybe 'airplanes' or 'dinosaurs', and I'd run back to the paper and start visualizing. Now I barely keep up a small sketchbook.

Business also seem to loose this boldness as they grow. Sure, they learn how to make the day-to-day more efficient, and how to stay profitable, but that willingness to try new and 'scary' things disappears. And ultimately so do their customers as the business forgets what it was that made them great.

So, go back to your roots. Grab the crayons and finger paint and have fun. If nothing else, it will be a change of pace, and who knows you might find an insight while you're at it. -Reed