Littlefair Communications for Technology Companies

Animating Science

2012-01-23T16:30:00.004Z

How do we communicate ideas of cells that are "smaller than the wavelength of light".

Good question.

Visually communicating these concepts must be a real challenge as it needs to show what is happening in 3 dimensions at molecular level of things we understand, but can't actually see. This video shows neatly how scientists can use drawing, illustration and animation as part of their thinking process. I find that this is where real design communication comes into its own. Design and illustration has always been fundamental to a process of thinking and not 'showing off'. Of course we need to show our thinking and that's where the presentation of our thinking turns into animations or infographics.

Unfortunately many infographics (or infocrapics) get lost in the delivery of their own beauty rather than using relevant information to make clear by way of an illustration. These infographics aren't used to work out complex ideas into simpler, more easier to understand graphics, rather they use information to force an outcome which is purely attractive without substance.

Take for example the following:
http://www.informationisbeautiful.net/2012/top-21-albums-of-2011/

In an effort to make the Top 21 Albums of 2011 more visually attractive the 'designer' has used different sizes of the name of the album to relate how popular it is. In addition they have used different fonts to differentiate the albums. The trouble is that the names of these albums are of different length so this skews completely the weighting given to each name by increasing its size! Why do this instead of producing a list or a simple bar chart? The creator hasn't used this as a thinking aid or a communication aid rather as a source of self gratification. Amazingly the 'designer' quotes the original source which is a simple list, not much larger in size than the infographic, but which gives more information…

Let's think about how we communicate and communicate what we think.

New identity for Imperial War Museums

2011-10-05T09:02:00.000Z

http://www.creativereview.co.uk/cr-blog/2011/october/hat-tricks-new-identity-for-imperial-war-museums

Well, I don't get it. I appreciate that the IWM logo has to be versatile across the many sorts of media that the museums deal with but this doesn't do it for me. The idea that the logo needs to be strong to withstand use reversed out on stock photos, videos as well as regular corporate material lends itself to this BBC style design but I think it is left wanting. The proportions of the key stone element are unkind and the step up between the words is just silly. (Low voice) Imperial, (high voice) War, (Low voice) Museums.

Like the idea of bringing the plural Museums into play to reflect the nationwide aspect and also the great vibrant colours used but overall feels quite unbalanced and Eye Double Ewe Em isn't that much less of a mouthful than Imperial War Museums…

Secrets of the Superbrands: tonight BBC3

2011-05-17T15:32:00.002Z

Interesting looking documentary on BBC3 tonight regarding 'Superbrands' and how cunning marketing can get us to buy their stuff . How do these companies market their products and tap into our basic needs.

"With the help of marketeers, brain scientists and exclusive access to the world of the superbrands Alex sets out to find out why we buy them, trust them, even idolise them."

Article: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-13416598

Programme page: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b011fjbp

The Beauty of Diagrams

2011-04-22T21:58:00.004Z

BBC documentary spotlighting key diagrams through history. But this show about graphic representation isn't narrated by an artist or a designer, but the mathematician Marcus du Sautoy.

In this programme he looks at the visualisation of mathematical data, and in this case how something which may be seen as quite theoretical can give rise to an iconic diagram which fired the imagination of the public. It's not that the science behind the DNA was uninteresting but, as du Sautoy claims, the visualisation of the double helix has immediate appeal ("an attractive, marketable shape"). It was Crick's classically trained artist wife who translated the original diagram into the now famous diagram which first appeared in Nature magazine in 1953 and unwittingly led to a globally recognised and also commercialised diagram. In this process du Sautoy asks: does it enhance the understanding or, with its iconic status does it leave a vague idea of the 'essence' of life on us. Do we know what it really means? Or do we not even see past the structure...this DNA diagram illustrates 'life'. Is it overused? Is it over sold?

Watch it here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00wltpx

Programme was first shown on BBC Four, 8:30PM Thu, 16 Dec 2010.

It's also worth checking out du Sautoy's visually engaging (if annoyingly noisy) website too:

Corporate identity designs: portfolio

2011-04-13T20:20:00.005Z

Peter Florjancic

2011-04-13T11:24:00.003Z

Interesting article here describing some of the hits and misses of this prolific, if little known, inventor: "Peter Florjancic: Slovenian inventor extraordinaire"

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/13048155

But if you think the profession of inventor is an easy one of sitting in your shed waiting for ideas to pop into your head, think again. Florjancic says "The profession of inventor forced me to spend 25 years in hotels, four years in cars, three years on trains, a year and a half on airplanes and a year on board of ships"...

http://bit.ly/hKg1oH

Geeks R Us.....

2011-03-30T09:37:00.002Z

The annual Maker Faire in Newcastle showcases whacky and new inventions.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-12893426

Gerd Arntz-inventor of the icon and the Audi A1 advert

2011-03-27T10:28:00.003Z

Love the Audi A1 poster advert I've seen around. To me it's a cheeky reference to Gerd Arnts the 'inventor' of the icon. Check out Arntz's website which outlines his life. Note that he developed the ISOTYPE: the International System of Typographic Picture Education which laid the foundations of what we might now call the icon.

Signage at Duxford

2011-03-27T10:08:00.005Z

With new printing technology comes the ability to make large format, graphics-rich signage and IWM Duxford's new system is a fine example of this.

Below is the welcome sign which greets you at the main entry near the gift shop. This gives an instant overview without being overwhelming, I find. They've used military colours without making it feel drab. Love the air force yellow you see as a highlight colour.

Check out the detail here on one of the triangular sectioned markers which are found dotted around: The screws have been painted so as not to jump out too much. At the top of the photo below you see a photo with 'camouflaged' screw head. Neat.

Next iteration: animated/video screen information points!

Corporate identity portfolio photographs

2011-03-09T20:34:00.011Z

Alex Bibby did a great job photographing some of my key portfolio pieces illustrating some corporate identity design, scenario illustrations, literature design.

Animated presentation of Sir Ken Robinson by RSA Animate

2011-02-10T20:47:00.003Z

RSA Animate produced this entertaining animated video based on Sir Ken Robinson's talk on 'Changing Education Paradigms'. (Thanks to Charlie D for pointing it out). This is a clever and entertaining animation which enhances some parts of the talk of Sir Ken's ideas on education in the 21st Century but I found it a little forced and unnecessary at times. Then again it's a LOT better than some presentations I've seen where the speaker insists on cramming too many superfluous words onto one slide so I'm not complaining....

More on RSA animate here: http://comment.rsablogs.org.uk/videos/

More Sir Ken TED talks here.

Finally! Decent sub-titles on television!

2011-02-08T22:38:00.001Z

These lovely sub-titles were spotted on the fantastic BBC show, "Human Planet".

They are crisp white with a slight blurred shadow to help for projection on different backgrounds, built up by a swipe transition word by word AND faded gently to finish. All this enrobed in a simple but elegant font.

These beat the hell out of the normal label sticker type.

In fact, they are the John Hurt of the sub-title world. Of course.

Location:Cambridge,United Kingdom

A huge list of Style Guides and UI Guidelines » The UX Bookmark

2011-02-08T16:25:00.000Z

A huge list of Style Guides and UI Guidelines » The UX Bookmark

Interesting to see companies' guidelines and there are plenty to choose from here.

See how they protect their logo...!

Thanks to http://www.behance.net/analia_antenucci for spotting this.

Top 5 design objects of all time

2011-02-04T10:16:00.001Z

1.Supermarine Spitfire

The Supermarine Spitfire was designed in the thirties as a seaplane and

retained some of this art deco style and elegance despite it turning into

one of the msot effective killing machines in the second world war.

This paradox is intriguing to me and shows a complete mix of form

and function. The stylish eliptical wings and bubble 'Malcolm' style canopy

were introduced for functional reasons but boy, this plane looks sweet and,

by all accounts, handled like a dream.

So much so that German pilots who were shot down by other Allied aircraft

swore blind that it was a Spitfire that shot them down.

Spitfire snobbery, and rightly so.

2. Marcel Breuer's B32 Chair

Embracing modern production techniques without foregoing style, the B32

chair cleverly strips down the infrastructure of the chair to its most basic

construction but looks great. In addition it is, unlike Mies van der Rohe's

Barcelona chair, comfortable to sit in!

3. Cat's eyes (road safety reflective devices)

The cat's eyes follow you everywhere, never ceasing to cast their gaze

over your travels. And it's a caring gaze as these cat's eyes, embedded

into the roads all over the UK help driver's perceive the route ahead

by clever use of reflective lenses. But that's not the only clever part:

housed in rubber domes they are wiped clean whenever a car goes over them

and pushes down the dome.

Ingenious, simple, low-cost and, in today's *environment*, very friendly.

4. Tube map (Harry Beck)

I appreciate that I'm stretching the bounds of 'object' here, but let's

just say the tube map, as a poster, is not only essential for travelling

in London it's also an inspired and (to me) beautiful piece of sculpted

infographics. Up to the point Beck introduced his version in 1931 the map

had been based on geographic lines but with the increasing complexity of

the Underground system something had to be done. Beck's saw the solution

as helping people get around more effectively.

Although the map has undergone many revisions since the thirties it still

retains Beck's distinctive style and effectiveness.

5. Post-its!

Simple, effective and borne out of a search for a gap in the market for *slightly*

sticky glue. This product shows how with good research and a red hot research department

victory can be snatched from the jaws of adversity (initially it was a consumer flop).

And what a victory!

Post-its! not only help us bookmark, send notes and make shopping lists they

also help us brainstorm new products. The ideal product designer's choice.

Is Google taking over the world? Probably.

2011-02-01T13:27:00.003Z

Neat advert for Google animation (technically a viral advertising campaign, "Google Demo Slam" was a competition run by google to encourage people to create youtube videos promoting Google applications.)

Is Google docs taking over your office?

UI for iphone app: design

2011-01-27T15:00:00.000Z

Using the Golden Ratio to boost sales

2011-01-17T15:01:00.005Z

As part of my research into the psychology of design I've borrowed a book from the library (actually lots of books, but the one I'm looking at currently is) 'Guerilla Marketing Revolution', Levinson, J.C., Hanley, P. R. J., 2006.

One part of their book examines the Golden Ratio (1:1.618) which has been used throughout art and design history to render artworks more pleasing on the eye. Levinson and Hanley take this step even further by stating that design which is based on the golden ratio is so pleasing on the eye that "materials which used the golden ratio performed five or six times better than those that did not" (p.80).

Furthermore they find that it improves readability and data retention but they state that the horizontal ratio has the only benefit in sales and marketing literature while vertical lines can be used in website design.

I also always use a Golden Ratio grid on business card layouts.

How graphic design affects the buying decision

2011-01-14T12:35:00.008Z

I've been thinking a lot about this recently and yesterday's meeting and vibrant discussion with a colleague only fuelled this debate further for me. It's easy to see how the buying decision can be swayed by graphic design on a superficial level: only yesterday in the supermarket one of my children stopped in front of the washing detergent aisle and mentioned that one particular brand looked great, "This one's the best!". I asked why to which I was told that it was prettier with nicer illustrations on it. So it works on a basic level: shape of packaging, design of on package graphics. Maybe this can be further pushed to is the packaging innovative and will it enhance my experience of using the product. Mostly, though, I find similar products perform a similar function. Supermarket own brand might not smell as nice as other brands, or may not clean 'as deeply' but essentially it cleans clothes. I'm not saying that product characteristics don't count for anything in the buying process, rather that the initial on shelf experience of the average shopper is dictated by graphic design. (I'm discounting for the moment brand experience built by other channels before this buy-decision).

This is where I'm putting effort into thinking at the moment. Our eyes see the packaging and our brains decode the information and produce a buy/don't buy decision. Why? What occupies this space between design and decision? Gladwell (Blink, Gladwell, M. 2005 ) talks about a consulting firm which helped make a brand of spirits number one seller based on tweaking the packaging shape alone. He also states that not only the shape and colour of the packaging made customers prefer one product over the other but very subtle variances in the design of the label. And the thing is, the product didn't change! It was just the same as before when it was in second place in the sales chart but now the customer perceives it to be better.

So I'm setting off on a deep journey into the world of Design Theory and its affect on the buying decision. Where will it lead me? Through typography, sociology, psychology no doubt, even maybe early human history. Feel free to join the journey with me...

Next stop: Think!: Why Crucial Decisions Can’t Be Made in the Blink of an Eye (Simon and Schuster, 2006)

15 UI Design Patterns Web Designers Should Keep Handy

2011-01-13T14:52:00.002Z

A link over to an article covering the key areas of a website design. Overview of layout, functionality, usability and plenty of further reading links. Well done @onextrapixel!

http://www.onextrapixel.com/2010/11/03/15-ui-design-patterns-web-designers-should-keep-handy/

(In this case 'patterns' refers to trends not textures)

Brochure design for University of Cambridge (IFM)

2011-01-13T14:43:00.002Z

Starbucks-the evolution of brand

2011-01-06T17:06:00.002Z

Starbucks is evolving its brand and has come up with a new logo. This reflects the businesses ongoing efforts to branch out into other sectors and its desire to be not chained to the idea of coffee alone.

Is this a perfectly reasonable evolution or is it crazy to think of Starbucks selling anything other than coffee products? Well this is why they are tweaking the logo to prepare customers and open the brand up. Check out the BBC article here.

A previous incarnation of the Starbucks logo brought flack from different quarters in the past...:

http://littlefair-communications.blogspot.com/2008/05/slutbucks.html

A vehicle has a face-Tron car design with Daniel Simon

2010-12-17T09:06:00.005Z

Daniel Simon talking about how the form of the Tron: Legacy cars came about. Before designing cars for Tron Simon was a concept car designer for VW. On his site he says, "None of my designs will ever hit the road...most of them disappear into cellars, never to be seen".

Fear not Mr Simon, your vehicles are now hitting the big screen....

Google image results for "Daniel Simon":

Oscar Niemeyer still working at 103

2010-12-16T14:16:00.002Z

Oscar Niemeyer opened a museum of his work today. This centenarian architect from Brazil is well known for his own style of modern architecture which he termed 'Ionic'.

The following is the result page of an image search of Niemeyer's name:

Article about his museum:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-12005731

Facebook infographics

2010-12-15T13:22:00.002Z

After tweaking the graphic and data set it produced a "surprisingly detailed map of the world," Paul Butcher (a Facebook intern) said in a blog post.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-11989723

Uphype

2010-12-10T09:49:00.001Z

The place for smart people to share the
things they'll do to hype your stuff.

All for only $8, $16 or $24

http://uphype.com/

Littlefair Communications for Technology Companies

Animating Science

New identity for Imperial War Museums

Secrets of the Superbrands: tonight BBC3

The Beauty of Diagrams

Corporate identity designs: portfolio

Peter Florjancic

Geeks R Us.....

Gerd Arntz-inventor of the icon and the Audi A1 advert

Signage at Duxford

Corporate identity portfolio photographs

Animated presentation of Sir Ken Robinson by RSA Animate

Finally! Decent sub-titles on television!

A huge list of Style Guides and UI Guidelines » The UX Bookmark

***Top 5 design objects of all time***

Is Google taking over the world? Probably.

UI for iphone app: design

Using the Golden Ratio to boost sales

How graphic design affects the buying decision

15 UI Design Patterns Web Designers Should Keep Handy

Brochure design for University of Cambridge (IFM)

Starbucks-the evolution of brand

A vehicle has a face-Tron car design with Daniel Simon

Oscar Niemeyer still working at 103

Facebook infographics

Uphype

The place for smart people to share thethings they'll do to hype your stuff.

Top 5 design objects of all time

The place for smart people to share the
things they'll do to hype your stuff.