Have you ever gotten caught up in using the same words to describe a design? Well don’t, there are plenty of other really great words in the dictionary that can describe a design, style, mood, or feeling much better than your classic “minimal, simple, or great”

In an effort to help young designers, old designers, and people of all ages, I give you The Lingual Proposition. Twenty seven choices of words to describe a design better than the ones you use now. Print available soon.

1. Proportionate
Definition —Proportioned; being in due proportion; proportional.
2. Elegant
Definition —Gracefully refined and dignified, as in tastes, habits, or literary style: an elegant young gentleman; an elegant prosodist.
3. Organic
Definition —Characterized by the systematic arrangement of parts; organized; systematic: elements fitting together into a unified, organic whole.
4. Post-Modern
Definition —1949, from post- + modern. Originally in architecture writing; specific sense in the arts emerged 1960s. Postmodernism defined by Terry Eagleton as “the contemporary movement of thought which rejects … the possibility of objective knowledge” and is therefore “skeptical of truth, unity, and progress.”
5. Fantastic
Definition —Conceived or appearing as if conceived by an unrestrained imagination; odd and remarkable; bizarre; grotesque: fantastic rock formations; fantastic designs.
6. Soothing
Definition —To tranquilize or calm, as a person or the feelings; relieve, comfort, or refresh: soothing someone’s anger; to soothe someone with a hot drink.
7. Gorgeous
Definition —Splendid or sumptuous in appearance, coloring, etc.; magnificent: a gorgeous gown; a gorgeous sunset.
8. Beautiful
Definition —Having beauty; having qualities that give great pleasure or satisfaction to see, hear, think about, etc.; delighting the senses or mind: a beautiful dress; a beautiful speech.
9. Functional
Definition —Having or serving a utilitarian purpose; capable of serving the purpose for which it was designed: functional architecture; a chair that is functional as well as decorative.
10. Gregarious
Definition —Gre⋅gar⋅i⋅ous⋅ly; social, genial, outgoing, convivial, companionable, friendly, extroverted.
11. Dramatic
Definition —Characteristic of or appropriate to the drama, esp. in involving conflict or contrast; vivid; moving: dramatic colors; a dramatic speech.
12. Candid
Definition —Free from reservation, disguise, or subterfuge; straightforward: a candid opinion.
13. Unique
Definition —Existing as the only one or as the sole example; single; solitary in type or characteristics: a unique copy of an ancient manuscript.
14. Stylistic
Definition —Of or pertaining to style.
15. Shaped
Definition —Designed to fit a particular form, body, or contour: a shaped garment.
16. Eccentric
Definition —Deviating from the recognized or customary character, practice, etc.; irregular; erratic; peculiar; odd: eccentric conduct; an eccentric person.
17. Tasteful
Definition —Taste⋅ful⋅ly; elegant, chic, refined, suitable, becoming.
18. Brief
Definition —Using few words; concise; succinct: a brief report on weather conditions.
19. Fashionable
Definition —Current; popular: a fashionable topic of conversation.
20. Theatrical
Definition —Of or pertaining to the theater or dramatic presentations: theatrical performances.
21. Elevated
Definition —Raised up, esp. above the ground or above the normal level: an elevated platform; an elevated pulse.
22. Delicate
Definition —So fine as to be scarcely perceptible; subtle: a delicate flavor. See also detailed.
23. Graceful
Definition —Characterized by elegance or beauty of form, manner, movement, or speech; elegant: a graceful dancer; a graceful reply.
24. Fluent
Definition —Easily changed or adapted; pliant.
25. Polished
Definition —Refined, cultured, or elegant: a polished manner.
26. Effortless
Definition —Requiring or involving no effort; displaying no signs of effort; easy: an effortless writing style.
27. Enjoyable
Definition —Giving or capable of giving joy or pleasure: a very enjoyable film.
29. Thank You
Definition —Patrick thanks all who reads, and appreciates those who comment.

Just one of the concepts from Happy Cog on redesignmozilla.org

Just recently, Happy Cog created a Web site called Redesign Mozilla. It gives the public a chance to view the design process for one of the most reputable companies on the internet, Mozilla. I find the experiment completely awesome, because people get to see inside of the designers mind, and get to interact with the designs Happy Cog is attempting to pitch (acting as sort of a public focus group).

But, it does raise a couple of questions in my head. In our past thread, George Thompson made a really great point in the Tropicana discussion, basically saying that sometimes things don’t need a redesign. A good friend sent me the book Designing Design by Kenya Hara and in the book it sort of dabbles into the same points, I will do my best to review the book later. But if we cannot understand why things need a redesign, then the object or brand probably didn’t need to have one in the first place.

Elegant, unique, and easy to navigate.

Don’t get me wrong, I love Happy Cog, just like the other 50,000 fan boys out there who whimper at the knee’s to the sight of Mr. Zeldman. But does Mozilla.org really need a redesign? Couldn’t they just use the very good looking Mozilla.com design and make a variation of it? I’m afraid that this might take the toll of Tropicana from the mock-ups I have seen so far.

As much as I talk about art that has such deep thought, I really think that some art shouldn’t have any thought at all. In all honesty, as an artist, I think the worst thing you could say to me would be something along the lines of “me needing to stay inside my niche.”

It’s been such a great experience to have so many people contact me and compliment me on the effort I have put into multiple projects, but I have to say most of that comes with the designs I put tons of thought into. So, in a way, my focus has been typography driven designs with soothing simplicity, all of which derives from careful planning.

But, that doesn’t mean that I have a niche. For some reason the word to me feels as though it’s strangling. I feel as though I am trapped into doing one single thing, and that’s just not what I want to do. I want to engage in multiple styles, mediums, and overall experiences (Note: You may have to do this in business, being a modular person opens plenty of doors).

Custom brushed metal, matte gold and black paint

Something magical happens when you don’t think about what you are going to make, just have the vision, and engineer a way to create it

I had this picture in my mind, it was of a gradient circle on a brushed metal surface. I wanted to begin experimenting in actual art mediums. But my goal wasn’t to be intellectual or have any depth to my art, my goal was to take this picture I’ve had in my head for the week and make it real.

But something really magical happened, I created the image that was in my head and when I got finished, I realized it had much more depth than I could have ever planned for. In new light the brushed metal changes perception, and the gradient circle transforms direction, and it wound up being really fulfilling. So, with this experience, it showed me something great. Ready? Don’t ever stifle possible creativity or opportunity because you think it will make a negative impact on your person.

Last but not least, if you would like to purchase the hand-made brushed metal work of art that I have created, I would have no problem creating more. The only thing that I ask is that you pre-order the item so I can build inventory accordingly. Please e-mail me at patrickalgrim @gmail.com if you would like to know more information.

Tropicana’s original package design next to the new package design that was eventually taken off shelves

The environment of which your focus group takes place is just as important as the actual product you are testing

It’s old news by now, that Tropicana reverted back to their old packaging. But if you have been out of the loop for a couple of days or weeks, well then here is the down-low. Tropicana decided it was time for a change, and decided it would be best to push towards a clean package design and identity for the very well known orange juice. After much disappointment and customers calling the new packaging “generic,” Tropicana quickly reverted back to the old package design before losing any more sales.

Now, let me speak on behalf of my own experiences. One Sunday I was in a hurry for breakfast with the family, and found that we were out of orange juice. I ran to the local Jewel where I was attempting to find orange juice. The wall of juices that I encountered did make me step back for a moment. It felt as though I had over 100 types of juices to choose from. I attempted to find Tropicana but for some reason it took me 5 minutes to do so. I couldn’t find it because the new package design for Tropicana looked like the Jewel brand, which I didn’t want.

Overall my experience made me take more time to find Tropicana, which isn’t good. Most people are in a hurry and as we all know in User Experience, if it takes someone a long time to find something, 80% of the time, they will just give up.

So what can we all take from this? When doing your focus group, the environment of which your group is taking place is just as important as the focus group itself, if not more. If the company or internal design team would have just taken the new packaging and put it on a huge wall of other orange juices, they would have noticed right away that the new design just didn’t stick out. Point and case.

Next time you do a focus group (with family, friends, customers, consumers, or anyone) be sure that you put them in a situation that the product is often in. In this case, a grocery store.

Welcome our new mascot Mr. George, he runs the business side of things

I decided it was a long enough time with the old design. At the time I created the second version, I was more focused on creating some serious content. I was ready to put tons of time into creating podcasts, and ensuring that people visited the blog on a daily basis to get their morning inspiration. But I soon realized, I didn’t have the time to do that. My design business began growing, and growing fast. I focused on creating what I feel are great products for some amazing clients. But I never let this Web site go.

I’ve spent some time answering interviews, where I explained where this Web site failed, and how it could benefit from having a more direct focus on content. So, after spending a couple of weeks purely thinking, then spending a couple of weeks creating. I ended up with what you see here today.

I have archived the old version of the Web site, including all of it’s articles. Unfortunately, this is going to cause a lot of people 404 errors, so I have made my 404 page as descriptive as possible for the time being. I also realize that this may cause my page rankings to decrease for a short period of time, but that’s okay!

From form to function. 87 pixel wide columns, with 30 pixel gutters, 8 columns total with a 940px wrapper

Every comment is a contribution, and now you get more out of being a contributor to this community

Comments are a serious thing, I love it when people get involved in the conversation. But I realized that most people don’t see the huge benefit in taking part of a community, or being frequently active in one. So I took some steps to help you benefit more from being a part of this one.

The way I see it, your comment is just as important as the content, if not more

Now, when you comment, your thoughts will appear on the front page, where your Web site is linked directly. Does this mean that people could leave Hell Yeah Dude and jump into your Web site? Yeah, but I think that’s a good thing! Focusing more on discovery of new content is an important thing. I have also improved the way that comments are displayed on a single page. Making it easier for you to have conversations with others, and for your comment to be apart of the main content.

Modular color schemes, to better express the mood of that month, week, day, or year

Modular color schemes, making it easy to change the “design” in only a couple of minutes

I really love color. Understanding that what we perceive to be Web design is mostly a mixture of great typography, attractive color schemes, and organized content, I have decided to change my “design” often. Some days I really love orange, some days blue, some days yellow. Now, when you visit the Web site, you will be surprised every so often with a new color scheme. This will keep things fresh, and promote you to visit the Web site often (not just reading the RSS feed).

Last but not least, more content, but less text

Not just articles, but topics. When topics are posted, they could be general news about the industry, or maybe albums or authors that I really enjoyed. Sharing my inspiration with you, should hopefully help you with your inspiration journey. You may also notice in the sidebar that you can now promote your own Twitter account, tweets, or links directly on this Web site. Just use the hash tag “#HYD” and it will instantly appear in the sidebar. Another great way for you to contribute to content without taking tons of time away from your day.

Finally, thank you to all the readers here in this community.

Some of the great pictorial examples that support the theories explained in the book

When people ask me about Grid Layout, this book instantly comes to mind - a simple, quick, and understandable guide to Grid Layout

The Principles of Organizing Type by Kimberly Elam is a seriously amazing book. The book really packs together a ton of great information about design, the helpful manners of Grid Layout, and how it can be used. It doesn’t just talk about the history of Grid Layout (which shouldn’t be taken lightly, since most don’t discuss this helpful design rules history) but also talks about how you can use it in your own way.

Tons of really amazing people ask me for resources about Grid Layout, and I think the best resource you can get is this book. It’s really light reading, with a large number of pictures to reference the ideals. On a side note, this was the book that inspired me to create the popular Angebot theme.

Purchase this book from Amazon.com - Contains affiliate information

Four Tet has been on my radar for the longest time, I have been a fan for a while. But after listening to last.fm for a while, I started hearing more Four Tet, and more from the album Rounds that I had forgotten to previously check out. The music is great, it’s simple, upbeat, and yet still keeps you going.

If your working on a project, campaign, or maybe just want to relax at around 6PM on a Wednesday, this is the music for you. Lounge type tracks with clear distinctive nature, this album is perfect for anyone artistic and looking for inspiration.

Buy this album on Amazon.com - Warning, contains affiliate information