I don’t know if this is new, but apparently Sam’s Club offers online web services such as online advertising, CMS-based websites, hosting, ecommerce, and “professional web design”. Is this another field that the company will soon dominate? Personally I find it an odd fit for such an aesthetically-challenged company to offer design services.
People who make websites have been at it for more than a dozen years, yet almost nothing is known, statistically, about the profession.
Let’s do something to change that. Take A List Apart’s first annual Web Design Survey.
One thing that is certain about the SXSW experience is the overwhelming presence of technology. One in five people is toting a laptop computer (90% of those using Apple portables) and nearly everyone has a mobile phone, iPod, PDA or some combination of all of the above. Seeing a person’s technology says a lot about them and I have to admit I had the occasion to peek over an occasional shoulder to spy an open window here and there.
On one hand I was very surprised at the wide range of people at the conference, as classified by what they were doing on their computer. There were plenty of the typical suspects taking notes, blogging the current session, or having IM conversations with friends. I also spotted developer types inexplicably configuring SQL servers and performing database maintenance remotely via a terminal application. There were even a few that were mired in spreadsheet applications working on a business…
…But others were doing what I could only describe as noodling. That is not really accomplishing anything but flipping between applications, swapping tabs, clicking all over the place looking for something new—ANYTHING STIMULATING—amongst the various blogs, IM clients, twitter, etc. Now I didn’t bring a computer to the panels at SXSW, instead armed with my trusty sketchbook I took notes and was generally as attentive and participatory as I could be. But I do know what these people were doing and I’ve since caught myself doing it to. It seems anytime I need an involuntary mental break I immediately begin hovering around my computer, checking email, flipping tabs on my browser, and seeing who’s on IM. It’s like a thirsty man crawling for an oasis as I try to find anything to satisfy whatever it is my mind is craving.
So it is with some understanding that I have to encourage people who attend conferences like SXSW to shut off the computer, sit back, and immerse yourself in the amazing creativity and community that is bursting around you. I think you’re missing out if you don’t.
As a designer, stock photography is a big part of my workflow. Very few of our clients either have or can afford custom photography so we rely heavily on online stock photography resources such as GettyImages and iStockPhoto.com. Getty has everything, but iStock is built around a community and is much more reasonably priced offering images for as little as around a dollar.
Recently, however, I was turned-on to a new resource: Lucky Oliver. Lucky Oliver seems to be built on the model of iStock and that’s a good thing. Plus they’ve added a few twists, a nice snappy site design, and a cute metaphor that makes browsing and buying images a pretty nice experience. The carnival theme is cute and a nice change from iStock’s rapidly aging look. And tokens are only $1 (slightly less than iStock) so you can get images for $1-$20 depending on the size and resolution. Most can be had for under $5.
One feature I really like is the list of related keywords that appears to the right of your image search results. Each one has a “+” or “-” icon next to it that allows you to add and remove additional keywords to and from your query. Getty and some of the others allow you to narrow by choosing a new search from matching words but that isn’t as useful or interactive — and you can’t even see them until you reach an image detail page. With Lucky Oliver the list is right on the results page. Nice.
One advantage iStockPhoto has over Lucky Oliver (and all of the other online services I’ve used) is the Ajax thumbnail previews that dynamically display a larger version of the selected photo when you hover your mouse over each result in the list. This is great for getting a little bit better view of the photo before clicking over to the detail page for a full preview. The lack of this feature isn’t really a problem but I very much would like to see them add it at some point.
All said, I’m glad that Lucky Oliver is out there to provide a comparable alternative to iStockPhoto. If you buy stock photos or even sell stock photos, I’d suggest you give them a try. I know they are now a part of my regular photo searches. Choice is a good thing.
I was fortunate to spend the last few days in Austin, Texas for the 2007 edition of the South by Southwest (SXSW) Interactive conference. This was my first trip to the big show since 2003 and it was great to return. SXSW is an unbelievable experience as a conference without pretense. Not only is it probably the best value in the field at about $225 for early registration, but it’s the only design related conference I’ve been to where the panelists aren’t held on a pedestal and separate from the plebeian masses. Here you may see Jeffrey Zeldman as a panelist in one session and sit next to him in the one that follows. For the most part everyone is approachable, friendly and most of all, genuinely passionate about their little slice of the web.
SXSW is hard to describe — my head is swimming with cool things, ideas, new techniques, and inspiration. I’ve got a list a mile long of things to try and websites to visit. Every year, SXSW seems to have a flavor. Themes, memes, and fun things that seem to capture everyone’s attention. In 2003 everyone was abuzz with online communities and the power of blogs. This year the theme seemed to be Web 2.0 and especially excellent web application design. Oh and don’t forget Twitter. It seems as if every panelist mentioned his or her Twitter obsession. If you happen to twitter, add me as a friend.
I have more to write, but I need to collect my thoughts first. There is nothing like the creative high that you ride on the tails of a good design conference.
Just like when your mom and dad started saying “bling”, the recent announcement that the upcoming Microsoft Office 2007 would include the ubiquitous web 2.0 trend of of reflected graphics as a built-in effect should effectively remove any cool factor that remains. A recent post on the The PowerPoint & OfficeArt Team Blog showcased that Office 2007 would allow anyone to include this “nice looking and also very trendy” effect in their Word documents, PowerPoint presentations, and *sigh* Outlook email messages.
For those firmly stuck in Web 1.0 the reflections graphical gimmick as a fad is in full-effect. This simple graphical effect gives text and images the appearance of sitting on a shiny surface as often seen in high-end studio product photography (see Apple). The treatment is so common that is has become a stereotypical part of the “Web 2.0″ look as hundreds of websites feature reflected logos, headlines, and graphics.
Don’t get me wrong, I’ve used it myself. But I think many of us feel this effect is over-used and as a trend has more or less run its course. I suspect that when our bosses and the guys in HR start whipping-out PowerPoint presentations littered with this effect, we can pretty much take it out of our designer’s toolboxes and send it to the bin along with past favorites such as bevel, drop-shadow, 45-degree corners and lines, comic sans, and of course the amazing lens flare. RIP.