When it comes to functionality, we’ve stepped into a time machine. Long forgotten (thankfully) are HTML frames, yet they’ve returned! Only now they’re CSS fixed position headers/footers. Have we all forgotten how out of hand frames got previously? Why has this trend of floating information that covers what we’re trying to read come back….
Logo design is sometimes a touchy project with clients. Anyone that has ever come in with a logo design project, ultimately finds out that what they thought they wanted, wasn’t and what they didn’t want, they do want to certain level of degree. Does a brand’s mark really define that brand or company? An interesting interview recently came out on Facing Sideways with Michael Bierut. In this interview Beirut makes the most obvious, but overlooked claim. A logo isn’t about what the logo looks like, it’s how the logo is used. A great logo used poorly will look bad, and a poor logo used wonderfully will look great (well, ok maybe not great, but better than it may actually be). He uses the famous Nike logo as his example, where a simple checkmark became an international icon for atheletisim and motivation. While a logo may be as simplistic as a dot, a circle or a checkmark. Simple doesn’t equate to bad, in the end it’s the idea surrounding the logo, its usage and the message of the brand that ultimately matters. So, read the interview with Michael Bierut, and get a refreshing look at identity marks and why the look isn’t the end game.
The time is approaching when we’ll no longer need to click which international version of the corporate web site we wish to view, where we’re shipping to, or who we want to communicate with. Location-aware web sites are around the corner. Actually, scratch that, they’re in fact here. We’re just seeing the beginning of a huge new trend in site design and development.
Just look at what has happened with mobile applications over the past couple of years. They’re nearly all becoming, or are, location-aware from cell tower triangulation and/or GPS in an effort to provide local information on your favorite restaurants or events. We’re even seeing ad networks display custom ads based on your geographic information by tracing your ip address/host name; and the companies that provide these services are working hard to make their results far more precise. Yet, there’s so much more we can do…
Just think, you could soon be presented with a completely different web site based on the city you’re connecting from. In fact, it’s somewhat of a surprise that the act of having to click on which country-specific version you wish to view is still so prevalent from large corporations (Yes, I know there can be a substantial fee based on the amount of traffic to calculate this information, and only the latest versions of FireFox on the desktop have this ability built in).
However, the possibilities are endless: a travel agent’s web site background image could be amazing mountain top views for people living in a tropical region, or beautiful islands for those landlocked. A chat, or bartering, service could automatically connect local and regional people together. Dating web sites wouldn’t require users to select where they’re looking for a date. E-commerce web sites could offer special incentives/content for local in-store customers. The list could just go on an on. It’s very exciting.
We can actually see some of this from Google today. Ever noticed that sometimes the search results include more local results that you’d expect for certain keywords? Just last week, I was doing keyword/site competition analysis and out of the top 10 results, 5 of them were locally run web sites/stores—and proper SEO techniques was not the reason with the market I was researching.
So, prepare yourself. The changes that we saw in mobile applications are coming to the desktop. Business owners, and web designers both, need to be aware that the next generation of web sites will require more iterations of the same (or slightly varied) content, because custom messages–based on location–will make conversion rates jump and visitors happy, as the web gets more and more targeted.
As I type this, I’m finishing up watching a TED talk from Jacek Utko: Can design save the newspaper? where he brings up a point that contributed greatly to the success of the newspapers, a point often overlooked by every company most of the time. That point? To bring designers in on a project from the start. Ultimately, it’s the designer’s job to take the end idea and mold it into something for the consumer, to their appeal, so it makes sense to bring them into the foray of discussions and planning.
Just last week I was reading an article in regards to smart phones and if Apple, and their iPhone, could maintain a lead and image as a smart phone with universal appeal against a exponentially growing market from other companies. The writer, comparing different brands and models, asked what happens when companies do bring designers in from the start. His answer: You get Apple. It’s just another great example of why designers should be included at a very early stage of a product’s development journey.
Designers are trained and experience in seeing how a project should work or attract attention for the market they serve. Design isn’t just about look, it’s about communicating a message and creating action.
When it comes to design it’s always important to know your audience. You don’t want to layout a new web site for baby-boomer aged women in a style meant for the MySpace generation using current techniques of hidden content and exploratory interfaces. There’s learning curves in the interactive world, that a lot of designers have a hard time grasping. Generally interactive designers are young and keep up with the world and technology they work with. But they can never forget that there are huge populations of people who enjoy a slower pace at life; who like to read through material thoroughly, and don’t want to hunt for the Purchase Now link. As interactive designers, we must always think about the entire audience of viewers in the works we create. The generally isn’t a target marketed direct mail piece. Anyone and everyone can visit most of the web, and this must always be taken into consideration. Always analyze the audience, and take into consideration their behavior and technical know how before committing to something.
If the first thought about a design project (specifically on the web) is that it has to be Flash, or has to be 900 pixels wide, or has to be PHP, or has to have that new AJAX sliding image effect, you may want to re-evaluate your methodologies for design. Yes, MySQL is different from SQLServer. Yes, PHP is different from Ruby. Yes, you can do a lot in Javascript now days. But this doesn’t mean the technology should be a predetermining factor for your project. Far to often designers/developers/managers get stuck on one technological aspect and continue with it because it’s comfortable. Not every web site needs to fill the browser window, just like not every web site needs to be in Flash. Let the design of information (and budget) guide your decisions in what technology or tools you decided to use.