October 2007
ideasonideas » Blog Archive » How to disarm 10 difficult client observations/requests
by sbrothier & 1 otherUnveiling a solution is arguably the most harrowing aspect of the creative process. In our last post we talked about how we can work to better service our clients. In this one, I’ll share some of the best responses we have to questions that can often derail an otherwise effective solution.
April 2007
January 2007
New York Magazine -- Daily NYC Guide -- New York Metro
by sbrothier & 6 othersNYmag.com is the official website for New York Magazine. It is a smart, critical guide to life in the city for readers who want to stay on top of the players, trends, culture and politics of city life . It delivers timely insight on everything from local entertainment options to real estate trends, from the hottest hairstylists to the best neurologists, from the restaurant scene to the singles scene. It's a must-read for New Yorkers who want to know what’s new in the city.
December 2006
David Seah
by sbrothier & 12 othersDave is an interactive / GUI / graphic designer based in the Boston / Southern New Hampshire area. Available for freelance projects.
Edward Tufte: Books - The Visual Display of Quantitative Information
by sbrothier & 2 othersThe classic book on statistical graphics, charts, tables. Theory and practice in the design of data graphics, 250 illustrations of the best (and a few of the worst) statistical graphics, with detailed analysis of how to display data for precise, effective, quick analysis. Design of the high-resolution displays, small multiples. Editing and improving graphics. The data-ink ratio. Time-series, relational graphics, data maps, multivariate designs. Detection of graphical deception: design variation vs. data variation. Sources of deception. Aesthetics and data graphical displays.
Creating Passionate Users: Add graphics to your blog, book, or presentation
by sbrothier & 1 otherPeople pay attention to graphics. They respond to graphics. They learn from graphics. If you want your readers/learners/audience to "get" something as quickly and clearly as possible, use visuals. And you don't have to be a graphic artist, designer, or information architect to put pictures in your presentation, post, or book. This post is my first attempt to categorize the kinds of graphics I do here, and offer tips for creating visuals that tell the story better and faster than words.
November 2006
Amazon.com: Grid Systems in Graphic Design: Books: Josef Muller-Brockmann,Josef Muller - Brockmann
by sbrothierFrom a professional for professionals, here is the definitive word on using grid systems in graphic design. Though Muller-Brockman first presented hi interpretation of grid in 1961, this text is still useful today for anyone working in the latest computer-assisted design. With examples on how to work correctly at a conceptual level and exact instructions for using all of the systems (8 to 32 fields), this guidebook provides a crystal-clear framework for problem-solving. Dimension: 81/2 x 113/4 inches, English & German Text, 357 b&w examples and illustrations.
Travel | Guardian Unlimited
by sbrothier & 1 otherA new Travel site, and four uses for tags
Here at Guardian Unlimited we’ve just launched our new Travel site.... nice article here
Table of Contents | The Elements of Typographic Style Applied to the Web
by sbrothier & 10 othersFor too long typographic style and its accompanying attention to detail have been overlooked by website designers, particularly in body copy. In years gone by this could have been put down to the technology, but now the web has caught up. The advent of much improved browsers, text rendering and high resolution screens, combine to negate technology as an excuse.
Microsoft Design | People | Tjeerd Hoek, Design Director
by sbrothier (via)"It's important to us that beyond utility, there is an emotional connection."
October 2006
September 2006
Reflections are the new drop shadows
by sbrothier & 1 other, 4 commentsJason Fried's reflexion about reflections
A List Apart: Articles: Text-Resize Detection
by sbrothier & 5 othersWhen you design for the web, you don’t know what software people will use to experience your site, and you don’t know what capabilities your users (and their software) have. Flexible layouts and resizable type can eliminate a lot of worst-case usability and design scenarios, but it’s still extremely difficult to create page layouts that don’t break even if the user increases the type size by more than a few settings.
August 2006
Design Inside Yahoo!: George Oates | unraveled
by sbrothierThis is the second interview of Design Inside Yahoo! This time, I interviewed George Oates, the UI designer at Flickr. I talked to George about Flickr’s beginnings at Ludicorp, its place in Yahoo!’s social media strategy and the Flickr design process.
Design View : Andy Rutledge - Objectivity Be Damned
by sbrothierDesigning a website is like designing a sex chair. You can gather all the objective data you like from the most comprehensive of studies, but if you’ve not had sex in a chair – in a variety of different chairs - and fully and intuitively appreciate the various issues of, let’s say, alignment and accessibility (ahem), you’ve no business designing that chair. Put another way, if you ain’t feelin’ it, neither will anyone else.
Anand Agarawala's Homepage!
by sbrothier & 1 other (via)Skilled in rapid prototyping interactive graphics and 2D/3D user interfaces. Extensive training in fundamentals of Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) and Usability. Proficient videographer, productions include 3D Animation, Music Videos, Short Film Fiction, Documentary, Interactive Flash, TV segment and opening sequences, Advertisements, Visual Effects and Bluescreening.
data visualization & visual design - information aesthetics
by sbrothier & 31 othersinspired by Manovich's definition of information aesthetics, this weblog explores the symbiotic relationship between creative design and the field of information visualization, in an emergent multidisciplinary field what could be coined as 'creative information visualization'.
Interaction-Design.org - A site about HCI, Usability, UI Design, User Experience, Information Architecture and more..
by sbrothier & 3 others (via)So far, this website features the beginnings of a free, open-content, peer-reviewed Encyclopedia covering terms from the disciplines of Interaction Design, Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), Design, Human Factors, Usability, Information Architecture, and related fields. By using the Creative Commons Copyright Licence, the Encyclopedia is in effect the property of the Interaction Design community, not of this specific website.
July 2006
Fireside Chat with Khoi Vinh and Jeffrey Veen: "In-house vs. on your own" - Signal vs. Noise (by 37signals)
by sbrothier & 1 other (via)Khoi: “It’s the classic problem of becoming a manager…We got good enough at what we did before that now we’re paid not to do it anymore.”
Design View : Andy Rutledge
by sbrothier & 13 othersThis is the personal soap box and playground of Andy Rutledge — sometimes mild-mannered creative director at NetSuccess in Dallas, sometimes opinionated sumbitch on this site.
June 2006
graphpaper.com - Microsoft Word’s Useless Buttons
by sbrothierIt’s not bragging (in fact, it’s probably a little embarassing) for me to say that I am an expert user of Microsoft Word. I can do just about anything I want with it, and I understand most of Word’s idiosyncracies and tricks. Still, the UI has always seemed to get in my way. For example, there are a ton of buttons I never use — so for kicks I decided to see just how many.
Subtraction: Mirror, Mirror
by sbrothier (via)The lesson that I’ll take away from all of this is: avoid using reflections, unless it’s the year 2016 and you’re going for an unmistakably retro and kitschy 2006 look.
Veerle's blog
by sbrothier & 17 othersI’m a graphic/web designer living in Belgium. My personal journal is an online source for topics ranging from XHTML/CSS to graphic design tips.
I began my career in 1992 as a freelance graphic designer under the name of Duoh!. The first 3 years were mainly filled with print orientated work such as logos and stationary.