This is a wonderful list created by Jason Santa Maria of books to read to continue your education of design, art direction, and copywriting. I am thoroughly disappointed that I have only read a handful of them, but will be readily righting that wrong shortly.
I will say that the Graphic Designer's Handbook at the bottom of the list is absolutely necessary for any freelance designer, as it explains etiquette, legal, and other necessary information every freelancer should know.
Once I get my hands on a few of these and have delved into them, I'll write a little snippet or two about my thoughts.
-Suzy
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Friday, January 29, 2010
Loco Logo Love
plain, simple, no frills. All the right ingredients for a good logo, IMO of course.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
magic eye
I love this campaign. Not particularly because of the strategy because I think they could have delved into it a lot more instead of just revealing obvious words (although the message is fitting with the execution). But I love the execution. What I'm saying is, I love that they're using magic eye. Because it's interactive. And it makes someone commit to the ad and actually focus on it long enough to see what's behind the pattern. Now, if reading magic eye patterns is like.. my specialty. I know, I know, I'm going to go far in life with this talent. But I can see them in about 3 seconds. But I would say the average person takes up to 30 to fully see the hidden image, and that's a pretty hefty amount of time for one person to spend looking at one ad. So if using the nostalgic appeal of old school magic eye gets people to stop and look again, I think this campaign is a success.
(photos taken from ads of the world)
-suzy
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
working for free
Here is a snippet, from this delightful (yet fake) interaction between a designer and a businessman looking to get design work for free. (full account here)
Although I have a retail job on the side, I still consider myself to be an unemployed creative. Now, as all unemployed creatives do, I patrol craigslist on a regular basis. And I am eternally struggling with the working for free in order to gain experience dilemma. How much free work in exchange for experience is too much? It is okay as long as you're learning something? I mean really, you're doing work. You should get paid for doing that work. In more than just experience, or credit. Really, now when I see 'intern here 30 hrs a week in exchange for school credit' I laugh in my head because I am no longer IN school and therefore, school credit = monopoly money to me.
Regardless, this is what's out there:
=This is an unpaid internship that can be used towards school credit, it offers the opportunity to gain experience, collaborate directly with the on-staff graphic designer, build a portfolio, and work for an established non-profit organization in a professional environment.
=Please note that this is an unpaid internship, but the exposure opportunities for your work are great. We will credit you in the final publication of our book. (The book they want you to design.)
=This is an unpaid internship, but the experience will be priceless.
=This is an unpaid internship; however, with the right qualifications, there can & will be small perks throughout the position.
=Although this is an "unpaid gig" you will be fairly compensated with your own campaign on our website and future exposure in various media opportunities.
-suzy
Although I have a retail job on the side, I still consider myself to be an unemployed creative. Now, as all unemployed creatives do, I patrol craigslist on a regular basis. And I am eternally struggling with the working for free in order to gain experience dilemma. How much free work in exchange for experience is too much? It is okay as long as you're learning something? I mean really, you're doing work. You should get paid for doing that work. In more than just experience, or credit. Really, now when I see 'intern here 30 hrs a week in exchange for school credit' I laugh in my head because I am no longer IN school and therefore, school credit = monopoly money to me.
Regardless, this is what's out there:
=This is an unpaid internship that can be used towards school credit, it offers the opportunity to gain experience, collaborate directly with the on-staff graphic designer, build a portfolio, and work for an established non-profit organization in a professional environment.
=Please note that this is an unpaid internship, but the exposure opportunities for your work are great. We will credit you in the final publication of our book. (The book they want you to design.)
=This is an unpaid internship, but the experience will be priceless.
=This is an unpaid internship; however, with the right qualifications, there can & will be small perks throughout the position.
=Although this is an "unpaid gig" you will be fairly compensated with your own campaign on our website and future exposure in various media opportunities.
-suzy
Monday, January 25, 2010
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Shed those shady friend requests
New Facebook Feature Combats Dodgy Friend Requests:
Facebook is testing out a new feature that lets you identify strangers who attempt to friend you, according to a report published today by the Inside Facebook blog. Facebook confirmed it’s testing the feature in an email to Mashable.
Ever encountered someone who just can’t take the hint, “I don’t know you, so, no, I do not want to be your friend,” and attempts to friend you over and over again despite numerous rejections? Or have you been spammed by a fake Facebook profile whose friendship you carelessly accepted?
Well, Facebook has the remedy for all of these ills: A new function called “Mark You Don’t Know.” Now, after choosing “ignore” when you receive a friend request, Facebook gives you the option to report said person as a stranger. Check out the screenshots below (here’s hoping Mashable’s Samuel Axon doesn’t get blocked for kindly taking part in this demonstration):
The new feature will likely be a great help to the site and its members, given that it has been a target recently for both phishing attempts and spam. Still, it does seem to be sending mixed messages in the wake of the launch of new privacy features and founder Mark Zuckerberg’s proclamation that sharing is the new “social norm.”
It remains to be seen just how well this new feature will function. In the meantime, let us know what you think in the comments.
via media bistro
Facebook is testing out a new feature that lets you identify strangers who attempt to friend you, according to a report published today by the Inside Facebook blog. Facebook confirmed it’s testing the feature in an email to Mashable.Ever encountered someone who just can’t take the hint, “I don’t know you, so, no, I do not want to be your friend,” and attempts to friend you over and over again despite numerous rejections? Or have you been spammed by a fake Facebook profile whose friendship you carelessly accepted?
Well, Facebook has the remedy for all of these ills: A new function called “Mark You Don’t Know.” Now, after choosing “ignore” when you receive a friend request, Facebook gives you the option to report said person as a stranger. Check out the screenshots below (here’s hoping Mashable’s Samuel Axon doesn’t get blocked for kindly taking part in this demonstration):
The new feature will likely be a great help to the site and its members, given that it has been a target recently for both phishing attempts and spam. Still, it does seem to be sending mixed messages in the wake of the launch of new privacy features and founder Mark Zuckerberg’s proclamation that sharing is the new “social norm.”
It remains to be seen just how well this new feature will function. In the meantime, let us know what you think in the comments.
via media bistro
Keep on Trucking
Sure, it all starts with safety in mind - see a projection of what's in front of the truck displayed on video monitors on the back of the truck. Drivers get to see what's coming, and the truck is no longer a visual obstacle.
But then...our lovable industry will take it over. And before you know it, you'll be watching full-on television productions from the back of the tractor trailer in front of your car. Imagine vampires jumping out at your car to promote a new film, or a new smaller car driving head-on toward you, to as an ad for the car. This is both completely exciting and totally scary at the same time.
via mashable
Friday, January 22, 2010
Procrastination Pyramid
Check out the Hierarchy of Digital Distraction, and all will be clear.
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Tea for Two and Two for Tea
Why am I feeling all design-y this weekend? Must be something in the air.
FIN
via http://www.yankodesign.com/images/design_news/2010/01/06/hanger_tea3.jp3
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Nice Package
Even CWs know a nice package/product design when they see one.
Great concept, Go green, point taken.
*Could use clever copy on bottle instead of copy that's quite a bore.
Make that list and check it thrice
Found a new Gadget for you obsessive movie lovers out there. IMDB's top 250 movies (I've seen 110/250) and you can keep track of all you have seen, and share it, save it, print it, everything it. Me like.
Friday, January 15, 2010
getting more for your buck
I've noticed an interesting new development for this specific disaster in how people can donate. Aside from the texting donations as Dani as already pointed out, I've noticed people donating goods and services for donations. As in, buy this and x% of proceeds are donated to Haiti.
a few examples:
Barry's Farm
This super cool shop is donating half of all purchases to the cause. So if you were already planning on buying something cute, you can do so and also feel like you're making a difference, while still getting the product you want.
or in the case of Studio on Fire, 100% of purchases of their already awesome calendar goes to UNICEF.
Josie Maran Cosmetics promises 50% of purchases to donations.
Many retailers on Etsy are also donating anywhere from 20-100% of purchases to Haiti as well.
i think it's a great way for people who already have to purchase something to be able to help at the same time. It's also a great way for those who may not have the extra money to donate, but may have the talent to donate goods they make to help with the effort. In any case it just gives people more opportunities to contribute the best way they can.
-suzy
a few examples:
Barry's Farm
This super cool shop is donating half of all purchases to the cause. So if you were already planning on buying something cute, you can do so and also feel like you're making a difference, while still getting the product you want.
or in the case of Studio on Fire, 100% of purchases of their already awesome calendar goes to UNICEF.
Josie Maran Cosmetics promises 50% of purchases to donations.
Many retailers on Etsy are also donating anywhere from 20-100% of purchases to Haiti as well.
i think it's a great way for people who already have to purchase something to be able to help at the same time. It's also a great way for those who may not have the extra money to donate, but may have the talent to donate goods they make to help with the effort. In any case it just gives people more opportunities to contribute the best way they can.
-suzy
Thursday, January 14, 2010
TEXT Abuse
SCUM: Haiti Disaster Attracts Hoaxes and Scammers: "
There’s a word for it: sad. Even in the wake of a disaster the magnitude of the Haiti earthquake, some individuals feel the need to play hoaxes or — even worse — try to scam their way into an actual profit off the tragedy.
CNN reports on the hoax meme that spread like wildfire on Twitter over the last 24 hours, alleging that American Airlines would be flying doctors and nurses to Haiti for free. The official AA Twitter account debunked that myth, prompting a second wave of retweets about the hoax.
Going even farther down the scumbag rabbit hole, Switched reports via FOX News that some scammers are actually setting up fake charitable organizations to collect “donations.” Both “text-to-donate” scams and unsolicited e-mail donation scams appear to be sadly common after global disasters — the FTC issued consumer alerts about the practice as far back as 2007.
This shouldn’t deter you from donating to Haiti relief — but it should warn you to take extra precautions to make sure you’re giving to a legitimate source. The Red Cross has now raised $4 million in its text-to-donate campaign. Native Haitian Wyclef Jean’s Yele organization is another legitimate outlet for donations (text “YELE” to 501501 to send $5).
via mashable
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Quite a shake
I have been glued to the media coverage on the devastating quake that hit the already desperate island of Haiti. Sadness ensued for all of my family is from the islands. In any case my post is not about the media coverage of this disaster, or the fact that it takes a disaster to draw attention to countries already in need. My post is about the commercials that sneak in between said coverage.
On every channel that is relaying the story, the commercials are "Come visit the Islands", "Take a royal Cruise [to X, Y, and Z]... you get the picture. And I am telling you my precious readers this is happening on every channel. I can't decide how I feel about it, is it taking advantage of the situation and it's popularity? Or are we as advertisers doing that trick "when things are bad, don't dwell on the bad, remind them whats good...". Or is it that other ace we have in our pocket, the theory that if the economy is down, or if your product is down, increase increase increase the amount of ads you show for the product, in this case Haiti being the product/client.
What do you think? Even after Obama's speech, the commercial that followed was for a Vacation package to the Islands.
in any case, you may visit the following sites to donate:
redcross.org
yele.org
*but because everyone in the world has their eye focused on this situation, you may find the traffic too high to even get on the site.
BUT again, our media obsesed culture always has another solution
you can text 501501 with the message YELE to donate $5 to the relief fund
or you can text HAITI to 90999 (red cross) to donate $10 to the relief fund
Here lies another problem. I interned with Obopay when it was just getting started. This is a program where you can essentially pay for items, or pay money to friends from your phone. Yes, simply text McDonalds and your No.1 Big Mac with large fries and a Dr. Pepper is paid for in seconds. It works, but the problem we encountered is that people have not caught up with the technology, and do not believe it is possible, and if it is possible then it definitely can't be safe. (remember your parents telling you that the internet was a fad and would never take off, or that it would be terribly dangerous and we will never take part in it...) But this is an amazing program that has so much potential, and is helpful, simple solution for making quick donations between lunches, picking up the kids, and juggling meetings.
I asked my 18 year old sister to deliver the message to all of her friends who each have a cell phone glued to their hand, texting most of the time. She texted me from school saying that no one understands, or believes that this is possible, that you can send money from your phone. Who is it going to? How do we know it is getting there? Why should we believe you?
How do we reach people who are not glued to the latest technological advancements and tell them "hey, this is coming, this is how you use it, just embrace it". The answer is that we may just let it ride. It will catch up to them eventually. (Facebook is just now in the past few years catching up to HS students, twitter is trailing behind, most HS students don't find the need for it, or know of why to use it) HS students have a long way to go—for heaven's sake most of them barely check their email! They have little reason to....yet.
fin
*editors note: why does my spell check keep telling me "texting/texted" is not a word?!!
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Monday, January 11, 2010
4^2
This explains how i feel about foursquare better than i can. i suggest you jump on this wagon 'fore it's too late.via mashable
-the dani
Foursquare is one of the crucial new social networks to keep tabs on, and for entrepreneur types, the recent release of its open API is big news. It may be time for developers to start shifting away from Twitter and start tinkering with something a bit more Square.Here are 6 Foursquare apps we’d like to see developed. What other location-based apps would you like to see take advantage of the Foursquare API? Let us know in the comments.
1. MenuSquare
When you check in at a restaurant on Foursquare, you can see what feedback your friends and others have left. Usually it’s recommendations –- “Try the lobster ravioli!” –- or warnings –- “The green curry is wicked hot!” But wouldn’t it be great to be able to see the actual menu from your phone? We’d love to see an app that allows the crowd (or zealous programmers) to add a list of every menu item, perhaps even with prices, to every popular venue. Want to plan your meal while waiting for a table or a slow waiter? Maybe you’re just trying to decide where to eat? Just fire up “MenuSquare.”
2. OrderSquare (a la SeamlessWeb)
Building on the aforementioned menu idea, how about being able to order food from your smartphone, using Foursquare as the backdrop? The API makes it easy to grab all the nearby restaurants’ info, which will give this app a leg up in a lot of areas. The app could also be used to broadcast to your Foursquare friends what you actually ordered, leaving a record for everyone’s sake and encouraging reviews on individual dishes.3. TextSquare
Not all our friends are on Foursquare, and many of yours probably aren’t either. Could be they’re just not hip, but it’s also likely they just don’t have the right smartphones. How about an application that allows you to send selected check-ins as text messages or e-mails to non-Foursquarers that you’d like to meet up with. Invite those technoramuses to the party, too.
4. SquareDeck
We don’t generally sit around tapping refresh on our phone to see where everyone’s at on Foursquare. We’d like to see a desktop application or widget that shows a feed of friends’ announced Foursquare coordinates and shouts. This way, we could see what we’re missing out on while we’re at work, or what gig we should get to. Integrate this app with Twitter and the rest of our social networks, and we’d never be lonely again.5. EventSquare
Teens and party-going twenty-somethings have plenty of disposable income to make this app worthwhile. Build them an application that shows where the nearest parties, concerts, or events are going on at any moment, based on their location. Great for those bored Friday nights, this app could really help you find something to do any time you want.
6. GroupSquare
Sometimes you may check in and only want certain friends to know — you can’t always invite everyone. That’s why we’re proposing an app (or a built-in feature) that lets users categorize their Foursquare friends and then choose which ones to alert upon check in. It shouldn’t be so hard to implement (says the writer to the programmers), and it would definitely enhance the experience.Conclusion
Foursquare’s API makes it easy to tap into location data for virtually every venue in most big cities, and now that Foursquare has opened up globally, this information will start flooding in from smaller locales as well. Developers: Now’s the time to get in on the app-building action early. With the right foresight and a bit of ingenuity, the possibilities are endless.More Foursquare resources from Mashable:
- 6 Tips for Getting the Most out of FoursquareImages courtesy of iStockphoto, photoposter, dwphotos, macroworld
- Foursquare vs. Gowalla: Location-Based Throwdown
- The Twitter of 2010: Foursquare as Next Year’s Breakout Hit
- Location, Location, Location: 5 Big Predictions for 2010
Sunday, January 10, 2010
The future of twitter
your credit card is tweeting: "
What if your credit card could tweet every purchase you made? Sound totally ridiculous? That's essentially what Blippy does. While at first glance you might ask 'why would I tweet that I just bought socks?' when you dig a little deeper, the benefits of Blippy technology are pretty interesting.
This is a potentially useful tool for financial and purchasing analysis. Sites like Mint let you budget and see how your spending stacks up against others on a wholesale level, but so far, there's nothing that allows you to compare that spending on a granular, purchase by purchase level. It's also creates new potential for location aware social networks like FourSquare or Gowalla. Your credit and debit cards know where you're at, so that you don't have to 'check in' using your fat thumbs on a keyboard.
Plenty of people thought that a tool allowing users to share the fact that they're eating a grilled cheese sandwich had no value. The marketplace says otherwise. Retailers, location based businesses and marketers...this is worthy of exploration.
"
(via mashable)
Editor's note: My review of "foursquare" to follow shortly!
What if your credit card could tweet every purchase you made? Sound totally ridiculous? That's essentially what Blippy does. While at first glance you might ask 'why would I tweet that I just bought socks?' when you dig a little deeper, the benefits of Blippy technology are pretty interesting.
This is a potentially useful tool for financial and purchasing analysis. Sites like Mint let you budget and see how your spending stacks up against others on a wholesale level, but so far, there's nothing that allows you to compare that spending on a granular, purchase by purchase level. It's also creates new potential for location aware social networks like FourSquare or Gowalla. Your credit and debit cards know where you're at, so that you don't have to 'check in' using your fat thumbs on a keyboard.
Plenty of people thought that a tool allowing users to share the fact that they're eating a grilled cheese sandwich had no value. The marketplace says otherwise. Retailers, location based businesses and marketers...this is worthy of exploration.
(via mashable)
Editor's note: My review of "foursquare" to follow shortly!
Saturday, January 9, 2010
Celluloid :: Flim Flam Film
Allow me to introduce myself, I am the dani, and I am interested in all things media. This includes movies. Ok. That is stating things lightly. My name is Dani and I am an Xtreme-movie-a-holic. I have rated 1,940 movies on netflix (friend me: the dani), and counting.
My second major at UT was R(adio)T(elevision)F(ilm) and I sucked everything I could out of it. I have aspired since I was young to be Siskel (RIP) and Ebert (and not Roper) and it all relates back to my love, my obsession, advertising.
How you say?
Movies are a direct reflection of culture and of our times and time that has passed, and as Creatives we have to be über aware of how our culture is evolving and changing, and where it has been in order to reach said culture. SO I make it my second job (the first being Odd Couple Job Hunting) to keep up with the movies of our past, present, and even movies have not yet come to fruition.
In any case, I shall post short and spicy movie reviews from time to time for your reading enjoyment.
fin
Why Blog?
fin
editor's note: i am a copywriter yes, and i love all things words and word related. but when i blog i blog fast and find no need for caps. you're lucky if i use punctuation...it's part of my charm. :)
Sonic Boom
Why I like the sonic ads. They’re simple. They show the product the entire time. They talk about the product the entire time. But they do so on a very human level. They stay true to the very experience of conversations people carry on while they wait for fast food to arrive. Cause let’s face it, how deep a level of conversation do we really achieve while we’re waiting the two minutes to get our food? Naturally we’re hungry. We’re not really focused on livening up a conversation. So we talk about what’s readily available to us in our environment: the food we’re about to eat, or things that the food we’re eating reminds us of. Last time I was waiting in a sonic drive in, I had a discussion with my brother about whether or not sonic carhops deserve a tip. I’m going to be honest, I usually pay with my debit card to avoid the idea of change passing hands to begin with. And another time we contemplated what exactly ocean water is. I lie to you not, my brother thought it was water with salt in it. I’m still not really sure what it is, other than tasty.
Mostly what I’m saying is the majority of conversation we, as humans, have with one another are not scholarly insight. They aren’t even usually on some kind of deep, meaningful level. They’re just things that we think and are comfortable enough to share with the person beside us. As we wait for our food. So if you’re sitting in a sonic drive in, wondering if you get the sonic size instead of the large if you’re belly button will pop into an outie—these commercials let you know its okay to share your thoughts with your car pal.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
