In developing interfaces, many people enunciate a common goal “it has to be simple” then within in a very little time they want to add feature after feature and make the user experience surprisingly complicated. While those features are helpful for expert users, it estranges the new adopters. So, what is to be done? How do you add features to your site, app or software without getting prohibitively complex? Here’s a hint at a longer blog post I’m preparing.
I have a not-so-obvious attraction to two things. Kerning and butter. It seems nice kerning makes the nicest headlines feel so smooth and tasty, which is why I’m pretty happy about the TypeButter. Although I haven’t sufficiently kicked the tires of this little jquery plugin I’m looking forward to web headlines being custom fonts, beautiful, and well-kerned.
Stop a moment to think about how ugly some of the food you eat is. Ever tried looking at a Clif Bar for too long?
At Eli Kirk, there’s a current food packaging project that oozes interesting visual challenges. And whenever there’s a good challenge, there’s always something that can trigger a several creative ideas. Some products look absolutely delicious the moment you unwrap them. Meanwhile some of the products require some creative problem solving to figure out which colors, patterns and typography are going to make the product look its best.
When I look for inspiration in packaging, one of the great successes that comes to mind is Odwalla. Take a look at the picture below. Without its label, the thick viscous liquid seems like remains from well-blended slugs. But with the intelligent color combinations and strategic appealing shapes, I’m more inclined to enjoy a drink.
Roll over the image below to see the difference a good label can make.
One of my favorite blogs that shows how much we designer/developers care about the user experience. http://littlebigdetails.com/
We like you. We really really like you.
Another great reason to love archive.org was shared by Mr. Johnathan Hoefler. There’s a 1912 American Type Founders specimen online! 1300+ pages worth of vintage typography.
via @H_FJ.
Last night I attended a great meeting (Utah Mobile Developers) concerning monetization of mobile apps. This was one of the slides that Dave Robinson shared. Original here.
Liquipel technology is easy to love; and it’s been a blast showing off it’s capabilities. Soaking your iPhone (with no case) in water with no damage to the device tends to surprise people. Not only has demonstrating the water safe technology been fun, but developing the Liquipel brand energized me every time I got to work on it. Everything ranging from logo design, website, CES display strategy, package design, photography and large environmental displays.
Here’s a few of the things I got to work on.
Download vector version of Liquipel logo here
Props to them for their nomination for an Edison Award 2012 and for the display at CES.
Designed while at Eli Kirk
Photography: Stotia
In case you’re interested in one of the best lenses, you can now buy it at B&H for $400 less than what I paid. See here
I used this lens to photograph this car so it wouldn’t get lens distortion from what is usually seen in the compact lenses.
