The Storyteller
Vol.1, Issue 1, Winter 2013

This recent 4-page newsletter was designed to promote and support the Native American Education Program offered by the Puget Sound Educational Service District. A quarterly publication, this newsletter will be distributed to schools and students enrolled or interested in this program. It features articles about the program, upcoming events, current news, student stories and uses native artwork in it’s design.

I don’t miss it — cuts from X-acto blades, clogged Rapidographs, exposure to toxic chemicals, etc. But for those with a fondness for the “good old days” or anyone who wants to take a look back at the tools and processes that were once used daily by graphic designers, a visit to The Museum of Forgotten Art Supplies will be amusing and interesting.

Ironically I found a use for my old proportion wheel a few months ago. A problem came up while putting a student art show online at my job. In order to photograph without glare from the camera flash and overhead lights, the artwork was photographed at an angle, causing distortion. I was able to use my ‘ancient’ proportion wheel to determine the artwork’s final size, enabling me to transform the images to their actual proportions with Photoshop.

Recent projects:
Program flyers and brochure for the Puget Sound Educational Service District

These pieces were created to market the wide range
of educational and support services offered by
the Puget Sound ESD.

The Scale of the Universe created by Cary and Michael Huang

I’m a fan of infographics and love seeing those that are well done.

Scale of the Universe “will take you from the very smallest features postulated by scientists (the strings in string theory) to the very largest (the observable universe.)”

Hit “start” and begin exploring. Using the slider at the bottom of the graphic enables you to zoom through the universe. Clicking on objects in the animation provides  more information — often with a sense of humor.

Amazing and humbling. Even more impressive is that this animation was created by 14-year-old Cary Huang with technical help from his twin brother Michael. To learn more about these incredible teens and their work, visit abcnews.go.com or their website.

I attended my first Wordcamp two years ago and listened to speakers on a wide variety of subjects. At that time, I was fairly new to WordPress and although some of the topics were “over my head”, I learned a great deal about WordPress and found the event to be extremely helpful.

Registration for this event is filling up rapidly so visit the Wordcamp website soon to learn more about the event and to register.

Puget Sound ESD develops and delivers a wide selection of services that provide instructional and administrative support to PreK-12 schools and direct service to students and families. They offer over 70 programs, providing support to early childhood and family programs; learning, teaching and technology programs. I am still learning about the organization and I am thrilled to be working for such a great organization.

My first projects will include updating a brochure and a website for Educare Seattle. To learn more about Puget Sound ESD, visit their website.

Internet Explorer 6 was released 10 years ago. Since then, the way websites are designed, developed and used has changed radically. Many times newer websites do not display or function properly when viewed using IE6 unless a developer spends extra time “debugging” the site so that it works. In addition to better compatibility, newer browsers tend to provide better security features, keeping users safer.

The number of people actually using IE6 is hard to determine. W3schools puts the current usage at 1.6%; however, I’ve seen estimates showing that up to 8.6% of users worldwide are using IE6 (mostly in China, India and South Korea). Over the last few years, many developers have stopped supporting IE6, assuming that most users who use this outdated browser are used to seeing websites that do not function properly. Naturally, you have to consider who the audience is for the website. My current website has had only a single visitor in the past 1 1/2 years who looked at my site using IE6, so I’m not really worried about having to support it. However, I have a potential client based in China would need an IE6 compatible website.

Microsoft goes over the details of this decision in The Windows Blog.

Visit the Internet Explorer 6 Countdown site to watch the number of current IE6 users dwindle as people update to the newer version!

*Microsoft does offer a way opt-out of the automatic updates so it might take longer for IE6 to die off!

Tangerine Tango 17-1463

Pantone’s “Color of the Year” for 2012 is Tangerine Tango which is described as “Sophisticated, dramatic and seductive, Tangerine Tango marries the vivaciousness and adrenalin rush of red with the friendliness and warmth of yellow, to form a high-visibility, magnetic hue that emanates heat and energy.”

Sometimes I think that fashion and interior designers follow color trends more than graphic and web designers but it will be interesting to see if this color shows up more in print and web designs this year. Happy New Year!

Read more about this year’s color choice at panatone.com.

Designers working with organizations can help identify their audience and find the best method to convey their messages. Since technology is constantly changing, the most effective way to reach audiences is constantly evolving — where print works best for some audiences, the web is preferred by others. Selecting the correct media is one of the services designers can offer to their clients.

Non-profit organizations typically have smaller budgets. By using their expertise and experience, designers can provide solutions to make the most of the organization’s resources. Most graphic designers are problem solvers who love to create artwork that fulfill their clients’ needs and strengthen the organization’s identity.

Throughout my career, I have been fortunate to work for a wide range of non-profit organizations. Starting as a graphic designer at PBS and NPR stations in Ohio, I designed artwork that supported fund-raising efforts to bring more radio and television programming to the rural Appalachian region. I also designed artwork to help support news, educational and informational programs. Seeing my work have a positive impact on my community had a profound effect on me. Over the years, I have continued to work with non-profit organizations helping them reach their educational, medical and social goals.

By working with these types of organizations, designers can make a difference, creating work that has meaning and contributes toward a better world. Terry Marks, a local designer, said: “You are not here merely to make a living. You are here in order to enable the world to live more amply, with greater vision, with a fine spirit of hope and achievement. You are here to enrich the world, and you impoverish yourself if you forget the errand.”

The AIGA recently launched Design for Good to support socially engaged designers.

FACT: Most websites have usability problems that can be easily found by user testing. Unfortunately there isn’t always the budget, time or the recognized need to conduct professional user testing. Because of this, Krug advocates that “everyone should be doing simple user testing”.

“Simple user testing” is conducted with a limited number of participants (3) who spend approximately 50 minutes testing the usability of a website by trying to complete requested tasks (i.e. how would you order a book from this site?) and asking them to “think out loud” as they use the site. Frequently the worst problems with a site are revealed by watching how these participants navigate through a website.

This kind of usability testing is done to get insight into how people are using the site and to discover if there are ways to improve the site. Krug suggests testing sites early — even at the design stage (sketches on the napkin!) and testing frequently — once a month. By taking notes about what the most important problems are at each stage, changes can be made to improve the site before the next round of testing.

Like his earlier book, Don’t Make Me Think, Krug’s informative writing style details the importance of usability in an enjoyable and straight-forward manner. This book is a great resource for anyone who wants to create a more effective, user friendly website.

Rocket Surgery Made Easy by Steve Krug: Usability Demo