Reading is transitioning from print to the screen. For many, the convenience and transportability of devices like the Nook, Kindle, iPad, and even smartphones outweighs the pleasure found in the tangible aspects of a physical book. They are willing to trade the smell of a new book, the texture of the paper, and the subtle warning of closure as the weight of the open book shifts to its left side in exchange for a slimmer option that includes more reading choices and other useful or entertaining functions. But as Andreas Carlsson and Jaan Orvet have pointed out, there is another thing being sacrificed – and unnecessarily.

Typography has also long been a part of the reading experience. But even with all of the technological advances and the move of so much text from paper to screen, Web typography seems to have been pushed to the back burner.

In their article on SmashingMagazine.com, Carlsson and Orvet point out that Web typography is subject to “many unknown and fluctuating parameters, such as operating system, system fonts, the device and screen itself, the viewport and more.” They go on to identify the modern Web browser as being one of the must crucial in displaying typography, and its lack of support the “single biggest hurdle to good Web typography.”

So they began an open source project to solve this problem: Open Typography. Using JavaScript and a custom font-file, open typography gives designers a way to adjust some of the things that they’ve identified as absent in most screen reading experiences, such as:
· Kerning and spacing of individual characters;
· Basic ligatures (fi, fl)
· Lining and old-style numerals;
· True small-caps;
· Replacing uppercase with small-caps for abbreviations;
· Language-based quotation marks;
· Spacing of ! ( ) [ ] / ; :.
(See the complete list here)

See Carlsson and Orvet’s article for more details on how it works.

It is an open source project, so it admittedly may be a bit “buggy right now” and need more development. It is a step in the right direction though, and while it may only be a work around we can all take some comfort in knowing that the problem is not only recognized, it is beginning to be addressed. Hopefully Web browsers will take the hint soon. Now if we could only make it feel like paper…

Image from 'BustedTypewriter' on Etsy

An artist is born to create, and when you pair that creativity with a sense of adventure and fearlessness, you get Wouter van Buuren. This 39-year old Dutch photographer risks his life scaling buildings, or anything for that matter, for vantage points high enough to make the landscape seem as if it is being seen from a satellite in space. He then captures the complete 360 degree view in 100 or more separate photographs, stitched together with no Photoshop alteration.

Buuren has been described as an “acrobat” by some and crazy by many. He travels the world to compile his stereographic shots, each one as breathtaking as the last. Some of his most interesting work is in China, as the density of buildings offers a varied and interesting skyline.

“I started to make the total landscapes in the Netherlands when I was climbing electricity pylons,” Buuren tells Co.Design. “I was stunned by the beauty of the landscape I thought I knew so well. From above the mundane seemed more divine. So I continued to do this and extended this to cranes, bridges and buildings and other countries all over the world.”

Buuren has climbed to dizzying heights, composing the shots, feeling the adrenaline, and finally, putting the pieces of the collage together. This kind of adventure is almost addicting to Buuren, as it becomes not just a work of art, but also an expression and proof that he has risked his life to capture what you a see.

But where, you might ask, was his most dangerous location? “A ladder outside a high-rise building on the 55th floor,” he says. “Because I didn’t bring a security belt, I had to tightly grip my hands on the small roof platform. …It’s funny how you can get used to heights. After a while I have no problem walking over the edge without any security, as long as there’s no wind.”

The shots where he puts himself into the composition give you a sense of the danger and the human element involved in his daring masterpieces. Buuren’s work is currently on traveling exhibition through Europe. If you are ever lucky enough to be able to see these pieces in person, we strongly recommend it.

Images from http://www.scapes.nl

Communication and language are constantly, organically shifting. Letters and words are universal, but language changes by location, slang phrases change with fads, and dialect changes by region. The modern alphabet has stayed consistent for centuries; what has changed is the life surrounding our letters, and the means by which we can manipulate them. We have shifted from endless pen and paper and the time with which to write languorous letters to frenetic emails and missives containing just 160 characters. As designers, it’s our choice as to how we manipulate those letters and use them (or choose not to) in our work. Typography is a large element of graphic design (and one I am particularly partial to) and not one to be ignored!

Typography uses letters, plain and simple. Playing with words and letters is not a new phenomenon and is not confined to the realm of the computer. Let’s check out the work that was created before Facebook became the third-largest ‘country’ in the world and before computer graphics! Typewriters were clunking, loud machines with a fixed font set and limited capabilities. Folks got creative, though, and used typewriters to create type-based illustrations in the 1940s, per this Popular Mechanics instructional guide:

Owls were popular in the 1940s, too. Check out those eyes!

Typewriters are far more limiting than, say, Adobe Illustrator, but those limitations can also be freeing. Without the options of font style, size, or the multitude of options available to graphic designers, typewriter artists worked creatively with the available symbols to draw caricatures, shapes or landscapes.

Keira Rathbone is a contemporary British artist who uses a typewriter to create beautiful and layered drawings.

Speaking of typewriters, an orchestra consisting of typewriters came out of Boston! Letters (and the machines they are made on) can be used in creative and totally unexpected ways. I don’t think Rev. Rasmus Malling-Hansen (the inventor of the first typewriter) ever suspected his machine would be used as a musical instrument!

The allure of using typography to create a visual message was not lost on artists during the Futurist movement in the early 20th century. F.T. Marinetti turned letters and symbols over to create a visual as well as literal representation of the words on the page.

F.T. Marinetti used expressive type to push beyond the literal words to create visually rhythmic work.

In the very early days of the internet and email, computer users used symbols available on their keyboards (ASCII) to make filled shapes, lines, and shading to create visual pieces. We still use ASCII to ensure a proper tone with smiley faces, and to create a heart <3 and some may remember when the kindness of a friend could be represented by a single rose: @}-,-`- . Gmail chat users have the benefit of a pig face :(:), monkey face :(|) or crab V.v.V for their most crabby needs. If you have a situation that needs more cowbell, Google has you covered +/’\ . (Note: type these key combinations in a Google chat box and send the message. The keystrokes will turn into the emoticons they represent.)

Typography offers designers the opportunity to use letters to create something brand –new, to stand for something besides a part of the alphabet or a representation of a sound. Type can be used as a painting tool, which Sergio Calvo does very successfully here:

by Sergio Calvo

or as a texture that doubles as a message and leads the eye through this ad for Ben and Jerry’s ice cream.

Christopher Labrooy creates a three-dimensional world around letters here:

Typography is, ultimately, just letters. Letters are meant to be read and sounded out as we were taught when we first learned to read. But those letters are also SHAPES.

While it is entirely possible to just stick letters on the top of an advertisement and call it good, if we take the extra time to consider the letters as individual shapes, to consider their place in the design as well as the literal message they represent, we will create strong and engaging work. When we twist the letters around to use their shapes as design elements, we add an additional level of depth to our work. The words double as a visual element and a literal message.

Use the inherent limitations of typography to your advantage to make creative, fun, and thoughtful work. Be creative!

There is nothing more frustrating than getting out of your car, only to hear your phone crash to the pavement–face first of course. As you pick it up with one eye closed, hoping to diminish the damage with limited vision, you see it: the dreaded spider screen.

To combat this terrible turn of events, Corning has designed a nearly indestructible material called Gorilla Glass. This is nothing new, but the second generation of said material was revealed at the 2012 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas this month. Gorilla Glass 2 has taken the stress out of the fracture for both the manufacturer and the consumer. This glass is built to withstand damage like no other glass before it. Chemically treated with an ion exchange process, this glass is fitted with a sort of armor, protecting your most precious devices with ease.

And because there is nothing else quite like it on the market, Corning has cleaned up in the device world. As manufacturers design thinner devices, the components must also follow suit. This glass supports consumers’ drive toward thinner form factors and heightens image quality as well as touch sensitivity.

The second generation of Gorilla Glass is 20% thinner than before and Corning engineers are continually improving the quality. “What’s unique about Gorilla Glass is that because of its inherent composition, it can allow those larger ions to penetrate the surface more deeply to increase the compression tolerance and tolerate deeper scratches,” explains Gorilla Glass engineer Dr. Donnell Walton to Smartplanet.

So next time you drop your phone or tablet, or happen to kick your TV (though unlikely, we will not dismiss the possibility with the Superbowl coming up), take peace in the fact that a Gorilla has your back.

Yves Béhar is a visionary. Founder of fuseproject, a San Francisco based design agency, Béhar aims to break into new markets and disrupt old ones by bringing a humanistic approach to his work. You may remember him for the world’s first $100 laptop for the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) organization.

In the video below, Béhar shares the seven principles that define his unique approach to the design process in this presentation and states the importance of a designer’s involvement in a project from conception to execution. “Being there all the way,” is what Béhar contributes to his success and compassion in his projects.

Yves Béhar :: Why Designers Should Be In Love With The Process from 99% on Vimeo.

“Design brings stories to life. Life brings stories to design.” Béhar’s drive and determination to improve life is contagious and inspiring. He is truly one to watch in the design industry.

If you want to hear more from Béhar, our previous interview with him touches on some inspiring and successful projects to improve the lives of people around the world.

Note: This is part 6 in an 8 part series by design instructor and NoD author Dave Holston. To view Dave’s previous entries please click here.

Customers. Audiences. Users. People. However you describe them, they are the reason that businesses and organizations exist, and ultimately they determine whether an organization succeeds or fails in the marketplace. As more and more organizations look to design for strategic advantage, a greater emphasis is being put on understanding how design motivates audiences. When combined with business analysis, audience research fills in the who, what and why of the design puzzle. Once solely the purview of marketers, designers are now empowered to conduct their own research, allowing them to make discoveries and gain insights first hand.

Todd Wilkens, design researcher at Adaptive Path and author of Subject to Change: Creating Great Products and Services for an Uncertain World, reminds designers that when conducting audience research that they need to think of audiences as complex people with deep emotions and motivations, not just as neat models whose only purpose in life is to “gulp products and crap cash.”1 Darrell Rhea, former CEO of the design research firm Cheskin and founder of Darrell Rhea Consulting echoes this point, telling us that designers can create meaningful design experiences for people by understanding how the design exists in the context of their lives. More often than not, understanding context starts with active collaboration between designer, client and the audience. Far from being “studied” like lab animals, the people formerly known as “users” are now active participants in the design process. As participatory design research pioneer Liz Saunders of MakeTools notes, we are moving from a “market driven era to a people driven era,” where co-creation brings designers and audiences together to solve design problems.

Some typical collaborative audience research approaches include the following.

Workshops: Design sponsored workshops help clients and audiences express their needs by walking them through verbal, visual and drawing exercises that facilitate problem-solving discussions.

• Verbal techniques include a range of methods, from simply asking for a list of descriptive words, to sentence completion exercises, bubble drawings and storytelling. People are most comfortable working with language, and these methods are often a good starting point for discussions and brainstorming activities.
• Drawing is one of the most powerful tools designers can call on. This technique allows workshop participants the freedom to express their thoughts in a spontaneous way without having to rely on the confines of language. Many of our thoughts are held deep within our subconscious, and rarely surface though conventional means. Drawing frees people from having to provide rational answers to questions and provides them an opportunity to express themselves on a deeper level.
• Images offer another means for uncovering hidden ideas and relationships. Photo sorts, moodboards and collage techniques provide visual insight into how audiences perceive ideas. Many image related techniques have their origin in the psychological Thematic Appreciation Test, developed in the 1930’s to help psychologists find patters of meaning, with the goal of revealing underlying feelings and ideas.

Focus groups: Though much maligned over the years, focus groups are a powerful tool for gathering insights. They are not, however, a good way to vet or test new ideas. But they can provide context for them, as well as help in their generation. Dyad and Triad focus groups offer another level of insight, allowing designers to check larger focus group responses with smaller two or three people interviews. These smaller groups, sometimes made up of friends (you’re much more likely to tell the truth if your friend is sitting next to you), provide a “truth check” and help battle the group think that often goes on in larger focus groups.

Interviews: One-on-one interviews use closed and open-ended questioning and generally take on a conversational tone. A typical interview lasts about an hour, and it is based around scripted questions aimed at illuminating a specific problem or issue. The primary advantage of a one-on-one interview is that the participant cannot be influenced by others and is more likely to give an honest reflection about a topic.

With business and audience research collected and analyzed, the designer has “prepared their mind” for the creative phases of concept and design development. Once design explorations have been developed, designers are faced with another important question – which design option will best meet the needs of the client? In the next part of the series we’ll look at an often overlooked design phase – design testing.

1. The Clue Train Manifesto

Banksy is a British graffiti artist and painter (the name “Banksy’ is a pseudonym; rumors abound as to who the real Banksy is though none are confirmed). He is best known for his satirical, often political stenciled designs in the U.K. The best-known pieces are graffiti and therefore considered vandalism by British authorities. They’re often scrubbed out as quickly as they’re put up in an ongoing attempt to keep public areas free of graffiti, giving the pieces a feel of the ephemeral; it won’t be here long.

I’m not going to argue about the validity, legality, or legitimacy of his work. What I’m going to comment on is the inclusion of the audience as an integral part of his work.

Nicholas Barber, a film critic, writes about his own “Banksy Experience” here. The description of the piece focuses on his personal experience of stumbling across it, considering its meaning, its origin and its ephemeral nature. That’s more to consider on a morning commute than a large latte.

Barber comments on the surprise and delight in “finding a Banksy,” and this positive emotion is carried through and applied to the entire piece. The charmed surprise at the unlikely discovery, the question of authenticity, the mystery of the psuedonym combined with the temporary nature (as British authority have come down on graffiti, which this, technically, is) makes the work quite alluring.

Why?

The viewer is expressly and specifically involved

Banksy’s pieces often require the viewer to mentally fill in the gap. The viewer is an integral part of the piece; the action of stumbling upon the painting unexpectedly in the first place is the very first step in a Banksy piece. His pieces are scattered around the United Kingdom, on street signs, on abandoned buildings, on sea walls. Finding one takes the viewer off-guard; no one expects art on the way to work in the morning.

A rat is stenciled in a universal No sign under the words No Stopping. The sign turns from a common traffic sign to a commentary on the 9-5 workers’ rat race; the No symbol is now a rat exercise wheel.

Simple.

Or not.

Often, the piece relies on the commonality of the audience, of the collective consciousness.

What can we take from Banksy’s art as artists ourselves?

Certainly I do not think we should all start running around painting on all the walls in our hometowns under the cover of night. But I do think that we could all stand to consider the part of the audience in our work and the role that the audience can play. The viewer does not have to be passive. In fact, the viewer can be a very active part of art. How can we, as artists, engage our audience to create an experience that the audience will remember and retain? How can we, as designers, create work that leaves a strong and clear message?

Barber’s description focuses on his personal experience, starting with the moment he sees the piece unexpectedly. The moment of unexpectedness is described as “lucking into a new artistic experience.” Who wouldn’t want their art described that way? By inviting the audience to close the visual gaps, we’re including the audience in our process.

This piece uses white paper wrapped around trees to follow the horizon and blend in with to the greater backdrop of mountains or horizon line. What would it be like to come across this piece as a hiker?

Installation art invites the audience to literally take part in a piece, the audience IS the process. In this case, the process is the art; the series of photos during the process is art, and the final ‘product’ is art, as well.

This Yoga instructor created a flexible business card that requires the reader to twist it to read the contact information.

The Food writers’ guild logo is reminiscent of the optical illusion of the vase and two faces in the negative space. Not only does the viewer see a pen then a spoon, but makes the next leap of logic to connecting the symbols to the activities they each represent.

Each of these are clever or charming, and each one leaves a distinct impression on the audience, because each one requires input from the viewer. By continually respecting the intelligence of your audience and leaving a small mental task to be completed, you have connected with your audience. By not underestimating the audience, we can all create brilliant and beautiful work.

The small village of Vernazza in Cinque Terra, Italy experienced an apocalyptic combination of natural disasters on October 25, 2011. “Torrential rains, massive flooding and over 100 mud slides took the lives of 3 residents, terrorized locals and visitors, caused over 108 million Euro in damages and left the town buried in over 13 feet of mud and debris,” states SaveVernazza.com . Vernazza is in a temporary state of evacuation until it is safe for residents and tourists to return again.

Vernazza, before and after the disaster

The doorways of small businesses along main street, Via Roma, have been boarded up since the flooding and mud slides. But on the morning of January 6, 2012, over 50 artists showed up to breathe inspiration and life back into the desolate ghost town.

Via Roma painters in action

Organized by painter Antonio Barrani, “Un Arcobaleno di Solidarietà per Vernazza” — A Rainbow of Solidarity for Vernazza” gathered artists on a volunteer basis to bring hope and determination back into to the hearts of the residents of Vernazza.

This art work is about more than just bringing color to the desolate, once bustling street. It is meant to inspire all who love Vernazza to play a role in the restoration and volunteer to return the beautiful costal village to her original charm and brilliance.

Bringing a tattered and beaten town back to life is no easy task. But through art, a community has come together in order to go forward with a unified intention and renewed determination. Art ignites something within all of us to look at the world differently and consider things that may have previously fallen to the wayside.

The town of Vernazza has turned to social media for donation outreach and also to educate the world about the state of disaster they are currently in. Art has rejuvenated the spirits of Vernazza, and now time will have to work its magic to restore the town.

Images in this post are courtesy of Huffingtonpost.com.

Recent political events and uprisings have cemented the internet’s
importance in communicating and coordinating such events. Today the
internet is again finding itself at the forefront of a protest, only
this time it is not just the scheduler but the “meeting ground.”

You may have noticed today that some sites have been “blacked-out,”
including major sites like American Wikipedia, the Cheezburger
Network, and reddit. Or perhaps you’ve noticed the tag on Google’s
homepage. This “blackout” is to show opposition to the Stop Online
Piracy Act (SOPA), or House Bill 3261.

SOPA was introduced to the U.S. House of Representatives by Lamar
Smith on October 11, 2011. The goal of the law as stated in its full
title (and the goal of its predecessor in the Senate, Protect IP, or
PIPA) is “To promote prosperity, creativity, entrepreneurship, and
innovation by combating the theft of U.S. property, and for other
purposes. “ The bill hopes to give the US Department of Justice and
copyright holders more tools to combat copyright infringement coming
from websites hosted outside of the US. Currently any lawsuit between
a US company and a website overseas is futile, for obvious reasons.

You can get more information on what exactly these “tools” are here.

Opponents of the bill argue that it goes too far, claiming that its
wording opens a dangerous door to infringement on free speech and the
potential for government censorship. They also argue that it will be
ineffective, given simple work-arounds, and that it risks disrupting
the security of many websites and their visitors.

But rather than filling your ears with yet another opinion on SOPA or
giving you the details that you already know or could find in
a minute’s Google-ing, I really just want to make one small
observation.

Today the internet is again proving its importance in spreading
awareness of issues that do, or will in time, directly affect us all.

If you’d like more information on SOPA and PIPA this CNET article,
“How SOPA would affect you: FAQ,” is a good place to start.

We want to know: Do you think the social good often promoted online outweighs the negative effects of such things as piracy?

With CES 2012 come and gone, the tech industry is left in its wake of new devices, gadgets, gizmos, and software. Recently, the auto industry has become a major player in this biggest tech show of the year. And with laws tightening on the use of cell phones while driving and a continuing push for a more “connected” driving experience, auto makers have accepted the challenge of safely incorporating smartphones into their vehicles.

As customers demand that technology be increasingly found in the driver’s seat, automakers have been forced to balance this need with new safety features such as the ability to detect distraction or drowsiness in the driver. But they’re also paying attention to the safety effects of UX.

“You’re already used to using your phone,” said Paul Mascarenas, chief technical officer at Ford, in an interview with The New York Times, “We’re trying to create a seamless experience from your home or office into your car.” With a consistent user experience drivers will be less distracted by their devices, as they will not have to learn to navigate yet another digital system.

Technology within vehicles has become a key part of differentiation for automakers. Kia has muscled its way back into the auto industry and the minds of consumers with sleek body designs and a completely connected and technological interior. The previously low-budget auto maker has made a name for itself at CES with its Next-Gen Uvo2 system, initially debuted in 2007, to combat Ford’s Sync. Gone are the days of the Geo Metro; welcome to the age of Google Maps, park assist, crash notification and a slew of other techy necessities at a surprisingly reasonable price.

Ford, Chevrolet, Buick, Cadillac, BMW, and Mercedes are also taking advantage of technology to meet consumer demands for a more connected cockpit and an overall safer driving experience.

We want to know: Do you own a car with these advanced technologies? Tell us how you like it and would a “seamless user experience” help you be a safer driver?

Senior graphic designer and NOD contributor Chris Costello talks about navigating and transcending crisis in his creative career.

I love watching documentaries and reading books about famous artists. What inspires me most about the lives of creative personalities is that they have all gone through times of desperation and uncertainty along the path to greatness.

Steve Jobs endured the most challenging period of his life after he left Apple in 1985. More than a decade of struggle dubbed his “Wilderness Years” helped Jobs become even more convinced of who he was and how his ideas would change the world. He emerged from that period to become the “Thomas Edison of our day.”

Frank Lloyd Wright, perhaps America’s greatest architect, frequently retreated to the desert during his “wilderness years” where he “endured a… wilderness of the spirit, of professional isolation and of physical and emotional uprooting”.¹

I believe we all have wilderness periods in our lives that we must learn to navigate. I have lived the past few years with an ever-increasing amount of stress in my life and disappointment in my career. I convinced myself that I was a no-talent fraud who would be better off farming radishes than being an artist. I was working too much, while accomplishing too little. I was spread too thin and involved in too many things I had simply lost interest in. When it all started to affect my health, I realized I had reached a point where I needed to take an inventory of everything in my life and just reboot. I am emerging from that dark place right now and here is what I discovered.

When you feel you have hit a wall, or cannot continue on the same path using the same methods you have used in the past, you need to change course. Life seems to happen in phases where what worked five years ago is ineffective today. By choice or by force, you eventually take a path through the wilderness to face new realities and make new choices about who you are and what you must do in the next phase of your life. Sometimes this is called growing up. Yes, it’s scary, difficult and discouraging, but it’s necessary and exciting to discover what new possibilities are in the clearing beyond the trees.

When you hike in the wilderness, you must consider what you really need to survive. You begin by casting off what is not needed to complete your journey because your chances of survival are greater when carrying a lighter load. There is baggage we have all carried for so long that is just not relevant to our lives or careers anymore. We need to first decide what we DON’T want to do (at least for now). I have decided to stop working 12-hour days because I value time more than money. I discovered that I really don’t want to be a creative director if it leaves me no time to create my own work. I like designing Web sites, but don’t like building them. When I become too overwhelmed, I don’t want to do anything… and that’s just fine.

Once I discarded the things that seemed indispensible I came to enjoy the peace that comes with letting go. I was now free to develop new ambitions and focus on new dreams that are appropriate for my age. I made a detailed list of things that I want to accomplish this year and over the next decade – short and long-term goals in development of my spirit, body, family, finances, career, and so on. I want to paint on canvas, simply for the love of it. I started yoga with my wife. I lost 25 pounds while in the wilderness and will continue on the path of better health. This spring I will resume training in Tea-kwon Do now that my daughter is old enough to do it with me. I am a bass player who now plays guitar. I am designing coins for the United States Mint (a life-long dream of mine), along with other exciting plans on the horizon that I could not see while I was in the weeds.

If you lose a dream, then enter the wilderness to find a new one. We must all have something to look forward to in life and a hike in the woods may be just the diversion you need to help you reexamine your priorities. Further advice on hiking is don’t go it alone. Sharing your struggles and dreams with close friends helps get you through because someone you know has probably been down that path before.

Whatever you enjoy doing, try to take it a little deeper. If you sketch on notepads, paint a mural. If you like fonts, design one of your own. If you are a corporate designer, use orange and purple. Read more biographies. Try apples in your salad. Serve at a food pantry. Play a djembe. What I remember most about growing up was that there were so many new places, people, art, music, and more, all waiting to be discovered. We need to keep that level of excitement throughout our lives so we will be better prepared for the challenges and discoveries that come with our next walk in the wilds.

1. Frank Lloyd Wright: A Life By Ada Louise Huxtable Penguin, 2008.

2012 marks the 24th year of HOW Design’s longest-running design competition, the Promotional Design Awards. Launched in 1988, this awards program is the only one to focus on recognizing promotion work.

Here are some reasons you should enter, as outlined by HOW Magazine:

You can browse previous winners here to get an idea of the level of design and competition for 2012.

Best of Show prize winner gets truly royal treatment, with a free trip to the 2013 HOW Design Conference including round-trip airfare, hotel and registration AND an award presentation at the conference.

This contest is a great opportunity to be recognized for your work. Whether it’s for a client or for your own company, promotional work makes the world go ‘round and HOW understands that.

Enter the contest here, pay your minimal fee, and let the competition begin! The deadline is March 1, 2012, and winners will be announced by October 2012. No entries will be returned, so be sure to kiss them goodbye while you have the chance.

Good luck, designers!

This is the last in a series of excerpts from our most recent white paper, Copyright Basics and Common Misconceptions Debunked, which covers a wide range of questions and answers related to copyright. We hope you have enjoyed some of the tips we’ve shared. The complete paper is available for download here.

1. I hired a graphic designer to create a print ad to use in a magazine. I really liked the ad she did for me. Our agreement said “one time use only in print.” Well, I want to run the ad again in a different magazine, except I want to change the copy a little. I can just take her digital file and change the copy myself and then submit it to the publication. Why should I have to pay her again if I can do it myself?

The terms of the written agreement are binding.

The agreement between you and the designer—and the fee paid—was for exactly what was described, “one time use only in print.” Any other use without permission would be infringement. Changing a copyrighted work without permission from the rights holder is also infringement. You paid only for one time use in print, not for additional usage. Additional usage requires an additional license and fee.

It’s happened. The holidays are, in fact, over. The ball dropped, glasses clinked, and a new year rang in. In the midst of the holiday season, ensconced by a full social calendar, cookies, cake, and butter-drenched appetizers, resolutions were pushed to the background. Here we are, a month later, the New England sky is a cold thin blue, we’re back at work, and the cookies have crumbled long ago. With resolutions come new projects, new goals, and a push of our creative process.

Despite all this positive forward thinking, even the most creative design industry types can feel a bit stuck at times, particularly if we are working freelance. Today’s post will include tips to keep you creative, engaged with your work, and producing interesting, fresh pieces.

Exercise. Find yourself staring at the wall? Go for a walk. It can be around the block. Go for 10 minutes. The fresh air, increased heart rate, and dose of nature will improve your mood as well as your creativity, and you’ll get your day’s exercise too. Science backs this one up.

When we physically move our bodies, we move our brains too.

Image by Larry Krause. Fresh air and a quick walk will help boost your mood and your creativity.

Change the scenery. Take your work to a different location. Try the local library, the coffee shop or, if you can’t get out of the office, try a different room in your office building. Different sights, smells and sounds will get you out of your normal routine and allow you to see the same issues in a different light. Literally!

Take stock. Take notes. Watch. Listen. There is a whole world out there, full of beauty and inspiration. Slow down for at least a few minutes a day. Some people write in a journal first thing in the morning. Some people practice meditation or yoga. Some people takes photographs. Whatever it is that you do, let the world slow down and find beauty in the small details of life.

Reach out. If you’re stuck on a project, call a friend who does not work in your field. (The social contact alone will give you an immediate emotional boost.) Then explain your project. You’ll have to give more background since you’re explaining it to someone who isn’t already familiar with the many elements that you take for granted. Merely talking through your project may illuminate what your next step should be.

If talking through the project didn’t quite do it, go ahead and ask your friend for feedback. This is an instance in which less is definitely more. By not having a sense of what is and is not feasible, your friend may come up with wild “solutions” and ideas that are technically impossible to implement. Some of those wild ideas just may have a useful element and get you thinking in a new direction.

Look at wonderful things. Go find art that is beautiful and wonderful. Give yourself 2 minutes to look at something that you find inspirational. Personally, I love newspaper blackouts They have the unexpectedness of good haiku with the honesty that PostSecret offered. I could read newspaper blackouts for hours. Don’t get me started on blogs; Colossal can lead me to time sinks that rival Wikipedia. But just two minutes is enough to remember that there is more art out there than you can shake a stick at, that some of it is very very good, and that it’s our job as artists to create more of the good stuff.

Use your hands. Technology is not always the answer. Write on real paper with a real pen, make drawings and sketches. Use crayons, use colored pencils. Drop the constraints of technology.

image by Don Dexter Antonion Photography

Get To It!

Practicality prevails. You have done all your creative work and now you need to get down to producing work. But the bathroom needs cleaning, laundry needs doing and the dog needs walking. If you find yourself procrastinating and finding your creative voice all day by going for epic walks and finding art on the Internet and not actually working, here are some tools for you.

Track it. If time slips away from you and all you’ve done with three hours is confirm that the Internet is still full of cute kittens, keep track of your time. Choose a timer and set it for ten minutes. Work for those ten minutes straight. Straight, I tell you, straight. After those ten minutes are up, the next two minutes are your break. Use those two minutes to get your Facebook fix or check out your favorite blog, then set that timer again, for another 10 minutes. You’ll be surprised by what you can get done in an hour!

image by Matthew Kirkland. The Prague Orloj tracks time as well as the position of the sun and moon, and is a public work of art to boot.

Block it. Don’t have the will-power to stay off the Internet for even 10 minutes? Believe me, I hear you. Use technology to your benefit! Software such as Self Control or Freedom blocks your Internet connection for a set period of time.

Congratulations; you’ve made it through the day with exercise and plenty of water, you’ve even gotten over a creative hurdle or two. The day is nearly done and you’ve produced some work. Good job! But now what?

Let it sit. Like good cheese, some things need to age. Your work won’t magically improve while sitting there, but your perspective on it will change. Come back and re-read your piece in the morning after a good night’s sleep. Hang visual works on the wall where you will see it when you walk past. Changes or errors can be more obvious from a distance.

What do you do to stay creative and motivated? Reply in comments with your own tips and tricks!

What can we expect from technology in 2012, beyond tablets and smartphones? We searched the Net for the coolest tech trends to look forward to. Here are our favorite five trends to watch for:

1. Robot Technology

We are getting close to a household assistant like the beloved Rosey from The Jetsons. Robots are progressively becoming easier and more efficient for personal use on a mass scale. From the robo vacuum in your house to Siri on the iPhone 4S in your pocket, technology has been advancing to make robotic assistance for humans on a daily basis more manageable and relatable. Yes, relatable. Technology is allowing us to actually program this artificial intelligence in order to predict our needs and respond properly.

Currently, robots are used for tasks ranging from defusing bombs, prostate surgery, detecting survivors in disaster rubble, and parallel parking our cars. In the future, we can expect to see the use of professional service robots rise and the performance become surprisingly reliable. But don’t worry just yet about losing your job to a machine or like in iRobot, having to fight an army or rogue robots, that is still the stuff of Hollywood.

2. Twitter Up-Rise

Twitter is nothing new, we know, but the way that the world is using the instant communication service has grown into an actual reliable source to track social perspective and opinion. A great example of this was Tuesday’s Iowa Caucus. The American population was vigorously Tweeting about their thoughts on the opponents, who they support and who they dislike the day before, and day of, the big event with hashtags. Social media monitoring and analyst company Globalpoint tracks all social media use on certain topics and reports findings so you can track perspectives and positive/negative sentiment online.

The use of hashtags has also ramped up to the point that people are learning about world-changing events from a tweet. The media landscape is being rewritten; social networks are no longer just for social purposes but have become the lifeline for many people to not only get news, but to actually connect with the news they are receiving.

3. Payments via Mobile

Although you may already have your PayPal account app set up on your phone or do mobile banking, 2012 will be the year that you can actually pay for products and services or collect money from others right from your phone. There are already devices that connect to your smartphone or tablet to accept payment like the start-up Square, and Google Wallet for Sprint which allows you to make purchases at the register with a tap of your phone. But in 2012, we will see payment solutions like these increase in popularity and availability, drastically reducing our time at the register or submitting invoices for payment release. Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile have also launched a mobile payments initiative called Isis which is expected to launch sometime this year.

4. Rise of the Apps

We all use them to track our finances with our bank, subscribe to magazines, play games with friends, and alter our photos to look much, much cooler. But 2012 will bring many more apps for various needs. Apps are becoming less fun-oriented and more productivity-driven to help users through daily life. What ever did we do in 1999 to remember our grocery list or that we were supposed to meet Tim at the gym at 6pm? Smartphone users will be able to access many more apps for useful purposes and even to track New Year’s resolutions. The majority of apps are free, but splurging $.99 on a very useful one will be well worth it in 2012.

5. TVs

With the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) kicking off next week, we are sure to see a huge burst in smart TVs that will allow you to watch 3D movies in the comfort of your own home, view pictures that are in far better resolution than what we have today and direct connection to the Internet through WiFi or a cable. This would surely blow the minds of 1950s families centered around a box the size of a modern day dormitory refrigerator. Thinner, lighter, more powerful and stock full of cool and cutting edge features, this is not the TV we have all grown up with.

Welcome to the age of technology, the age of innovation. Hold on tight, this is going to be a fast and furious year in the technological world!

We want to know: What new or innovative technology are you most excited to use or apprehensive about giving in to?

With the New Year come and gone, it’s back to the real world of work and everyday routines. If you are like 85% of the population, you made a New Year’s resolution over the holidays to improve your life. Whether your resolution related to fitness, organization, finances, or spirituality, you may already be struggling to keep a promise that sounded so good on December 31st at midnight amid cheers and champagne bubbles. But not to fear, there is an app for that.

As technology advances, so do our opportunities to be more organized and disciplined in our daily lives, and in this case, our resolutions. Apps compatible with iPhone and Android can help you keep track of exercise goals, weight loss, alcohol intake, smoking habits, and financial behavior. With these apps literally in the palm of our hands at all times, people are more likely to maintain resolutions and stay motivated.

While some apps offer encouragement and rewards, others like Gym-Pact literally make you pay if you fail to meet a weekly goal. “At the beginning of each week, users set a goal for the number of times they’ll visit the gym and name a price they’re willing to pay for not meeting that goal. If they miss their goal, they pay the price. If they make it, they receive a portion of the cash collected from all the people who missed their goals. Gym-Pact collects a 3% fee on this transaction,” states Mashable in review of the app; definitely tough love from the app’s Harvard grad creators.

If it is general happiness you’re after, you may be interested in Illuum. It asks you how your days was, analyzes your mood trends and emotions, and gives you a road map to improve whatever it is that may be ailing you. Illuum’s overview states, “You’re not as happy as you want to be but you don’t know why. Illuum is a new app that lets you stop wondering. It’ll help you figure out the whens and whys of your happiness. Analyze your moods, do fun stuff, watch your life improve.” And the best part about this app: it is on a donation basis, pay what you like and use as often as needed. Now that is something to be thankful for!

And with sharing capabilities on most apps, or at least screen shots, it has never been easier to openly pull a ‘humble brag’ on Facebook or Twitter to show all who look that yes, you are well on your way and have kept your word to improve your life. For some, the sense of competition is enough to stick to the path to an improved life. Thank you, social media.

Still unsure what your New Year’s resolution should be? Don’t need to lose weight or quit smoking? Try gaining inspiration from these 12 resolutions that just may be a perfect fit.

We want to know: What are your resolutions for 2012 and what app are you choosing to take into 2012 with you?

THREE, TWO, ONE, HAPPY NEW YEAR! Every year, nearly a million people descend on Times Square in New York City, the Crossroads of the World, the Center of the Universe, to ring in a new year, say goodbye to an old year, brace the weather and embrace each other. Those who choose to stay in their own cities, towns, and neighborhoods can tune in to Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve (Clark has been hosting the show since 1972), or an array of other network television broadcasts or live Web casts on laptops, computers, phones; the ball drop marks the start of the new year and is an event unto itself.

If a ball dropping atop the second-tallest building in the city seems to be a bit of a random custom, read on! We have the scoop on the New Year’s Ball in New York City. Stick around; learn something new before launching forth into the cookies, glitter, fruitcake, and champagne of the holidays!

Though a giant orb descending to a rooftop seems like an odd event to mark the new year (not to mention to stage a celebration around), time balls are not at all new. A time ball was first used in 1833 at England’s Royal Observatory in Greenwich to mark 1 p.m. Captains of ships used the ball drop to accurately set their navigational chronometers.

Forty-four years later in 1877, a time-ball was installed in New York City’s Western Union. On days the ball simply refused to drop, Western Union flew a flag between 12:01 and 12:10 p.m. in lieu of the ball. To mitigate any confusion, the press would be informed as to whether the ball had dropped at the correct time and if it hadn’t, what time it did drop!

The first New Year’s Eve ball dropped in New York City’s Times Square in 1907 to a crowd of thousands. This first ball was constructed of iron and wood and lit by 100 25-watt bulbs; it was just five feet across yet weighed 700 pounds.

Since 1907, the ball has undergone several changes and updates, as one might expect of an object expected to withstand high wind and changeable weather and, ideally, drop at a precise time. The first upgrade occurred in 1920; the new ball was made of wrought iron and was comparatively far lighter at 400 pounds. Thirty-five years later, the ball dropped some weight again; the redesign used aluminum, allowing the ball to weigh in at a mere 150 pounds.

The ball vanished during 1942 and 1943 due to electricity dim-outs during World War II. Those New Years were still met with crowds at Times Square and a single minute of silence followed by chimes. Imagine the power of silence amongst thousands of anticipatory partygoers in the moment before the chimes.

The ball dropped in 1955 was used through the 1980s and was re-outfitted with red and green bulbs to resemble an apple. The bulbs were changed again in 1991 to patriotic red, white, and blue in honor of Operation Desert Shield.

This ball was dropped annually between 1955 and 1999, re-outfitted as an apple in the 1980s and gaining rhinestones and strobes in 1995. Photo credit: The New York Times.

The millennium marked a new ball, measuring six feet across and weighing 1,070 pounds. The orb is a geodesic sphere comprised of straight lines and triangles.

It may look a bit like the Death Star, but this is the ball dropped in 2000. It is a geodesic sphere featuring 504 Waterford crystals, halogen lights, and mirrors and is currently on display at the Waterford Crystal Factory

2008 marked the 100th anniversary of the ball dropping in Times Square and the moment was marked with a new Waterford crystal ball, weighing 1,212 pounds and boasting Philips LEDs. Light emitting diodes are highly efficient; the ball uses as much electricity in an hour as two ordinary household ovens. The LEDs are also highly customizable, allowing programmers to create nearly limitless patterns and effects.

On its 100th year, the ball glows brightly with LEDs and new Waterford crystals

The ball gained both heft and girth in 2009, doubling its size to 12 feet across and weight to 11,875 pounds. In the weeks leading up to New Year’s Eve, the illuminated year sign accompanying the ball was powered by stationary bicycles, storing the energy to batteries. Passers-by could work off those holiday cookies, do something good for the environment, and contribute to the sign far overhead.

So what’s on the docket for this year? In keeping with positive changes made to the ball over the years, including size, durability, and efficiency, this year the ball itself (not just the sign) will be completely off the electric grid, powered by stationary bicycles installed at the exhibit in Times Square. Pedal off Aunt Edith’s fruitcake and keep an icon lit!

What does this annual ritual mean for us as artists, as humans, as a community? Humans are primed to track time; we have been using time-keeping devices since ~500 BC. Our time-keeping devices may have gained beauty and precision over the centuries, but we are no less moved to comment on the passing of time.

Sundials and swatch watches track the minutes and are representative of the centuries during which we have been tracking time. Photo by Gary Brown

So many things have changed since 1907, but we still gather to share the passage of time, to tick down the seconds and cheer as a new year drops and rolls out to the crowds, the glitz, and the glamour embodied by New York City and Times Square.

As we reflect backward and look with hope forward, Happy New Year.

Welcome back! If you’re just joining us now, we are talking with Molly Ampersand, a graphic designer and font designer in the Pioneer Valley of Massachusetts. This is a continuation of Part I.

Clara: You made a type-based mural on your wall out of masking tape and created a time lapse video of the process. What was the most challenging

Molly: My first tape mural came out of a frustration of working on a computer screen all the time, and I just wanted to make REALLY BIG LETTERS in REAL LIFE. I knew I wouldn’t be able to eyeball it very well, so I used a projector to project and trace my design on the wall with tape. The most challenging part was the amount of time it took – I spent three full days making it. But I just marathon-ed This American Life [podcast], and got into the zone. I recently made another tape mural on my stairs, and did it without the aid of any comp designs or a projector, very proud of myself!

View a time lapse movie shows Molly’s process in creating a wall-sized type-based mural here.

Clara: You design games in addition to fonts and visual design. Let’s talk a bit about Co-opoly. How did it come about?

Molly: In Co-opoly, players collaborate to found and run a democratic business. In order to survive as individuals and to strive for the success of their co-op, players make tough choices regarding big and small challenges while putting their teamwork abilities to the test.

It started as a part of a joint thesis at Hampshire College with my friend Brian. I was doing my thesis (called a Division III project) about typography for social justice, and he was starting a worker cooperative to make social justice teaching tools. He needed a designer, and I needed a client, so it worked out perfectly. I believe games are a fun, accessible way to learn about a complex business models like co-ops. I thought it would be exciting to design something with so many components, from the board and box, to all the different cards and points, to the instructions and educational material the game comes with.

The box cover for Co-opoly, a new board game designed to teach a co-operative business model.

Clara: So it’s a non-zero-sum game in which everybody wins together or loses together and everyone is on the same team. There’s no opposing team and it’s process-oriented. Tell me a bit about the process of designing a board game. What was your role in the design and construction of this game?

Molly: I started by just doing visual design, adding nice colors, icons, and a layout for what Brian had already made. But as time went on and I play-tested the game myself, I began to see how some of the problems in the game mechanics could be solved visually as well. With any product that people are going to interact with, it’s really crucial to do as much targeted user testing as possible. Instead of guessing whether people would understand a certain icon, or know which “bank” to take their salary from, we tested over and over, and made both design and mechanic changes based on people’s experience.

An icon-based playing board visually guides the players through the game.

It was also very important to us to manufacture the game ethically – everything is made in the USA (no sweatshop labor!), and almost everything is printed locally to us in Massachusetts by other worker co-ops.

Now that the game is out, it’s been very rewarding and inspiring to hear stories about it. Some people want to start a co-op, some just want to have fun with their family, some want to use it as way to learn about sustainable economies in disaster areas, and some folks want to convert their business into a co-op. So exciting!

Clara: You also ride bikes AND you participate in circus arts. You make movies, animations, designs and board games. With a wide range of interests, where and how do you find inspiration?

Molly: Everything I do inspires everything else I do! I’m a sponge. I usually get my best ideas on long bike rides in the countryside. I’ve made human acrobatic ampersands. I’m happiest when I find ways to combine all the things I love doing. I find inspiration in the colors of food I’m cooking, in shapes made by the human body when I’m doing acrobatics, in wine labels, in old letters painted on buildings, lettering on gravestones, my friends, and of course, the internet.

Plasma cut ampersands designed for the Ampersand Project.

I think my true calling is to be an art director, because I love collaborative interdisciplinary projects. When I’m working on a circus show, I love to think about not just the choreography, but the lighting, the sound, the costumes, the program and poster design, and the Web site and promotion. My big life dream is to design an adult/all-ages oriented indoor typographic playground space, where there are giant letters to climb on and play inside, and then choreograph and film a circus show within it, then teach design and media classes to community members there at night. Someday!

Thank you, Molly!

Molly Ampersand McLeod

Co-opoly

The Ampersand Project

The television series “Lie to Me” depicts a Dr. Cal Lightman (Tim Roth) as the leader of a firm hired by third parties to find “the truth.” In the show, Dr. Lightman uses the Facial Action Coding System, microexpressions, and body language to figure out what people are really thinking and, of course, know when they are lying. Through this show many have become aware of Dr. Paul Ekman, the real world inspiration behind the show, and his pioneering work in the field of technology psychology called facial emotional measurement.

Dr. Ekman has been credited with developing the Facial Action Coding System (FAC), which according to Fast Company is “… a comprehensive dictionary of facial expression measurements that has become the scientific underpinning for human observer and automated facial analysis around the world, [and] across academic and commercial fields.” With this new added insight into human subconscious through their unconscious reactions and behaviors, along with the development of a machine to assist with the microexpression analysis, it wasn’t long before marketers sat up and took notice.

According to Harvard Business School professor Gerald Altman, 95% of all cognition occurs in the subconscious mind. It is subconscious cognition that influences buying decisions, which is what marketers and advertisers are often trying to connect with using marketing materials, including visual media like video or graphic or Web design.

Large corporations have already begun to use the developing practices of monitoring brain patterns of consumers when they view their ads or products, a practice known as “neuromarketing.” Now they are looking to FAC to serve the same purpose: to get an understanding of viewers’ subconscious reactions to their ads and products by their facial expression. Neuromarketing techniques are believed by many to be a much more accurate way to evaluate emotion than using focus groups because focus group members often inadvertently react to outside influences rather than stating their true feelings.

A somewhat similar practice has been happening in Web design for some time with eye-tracking. While not getting into the realm of emotion, eye-tracking has enabled Web designers to better understand what features, colors, placements, or movements draw the attention of a viewer and the path through a Web site that their eyes will take automatically. Using FAC, some firms are looking to take this insight into Web design one step further.

E-Storm blogger Ivana Petraskova wrote about a software being developed by Affectiva to “measure emotion in web video.” Using a Webcam along with the software Affectiva is able to analyze facial expressions related to happiness, but there is no intent to stop there. As they continue to develop the technology they hope to be able to detect a range of emotions, from happiness to boredom to annoyance. While this technology began with the intent of better understanding individuals with communication challenges, such as autism, it was only a matter of time before the avenue of marketing potential was pursued as well. You can try out their software here if you have a Webcam.

Facial emotional analysis has also found its way into the world of digital animation. According to FastWeb, Pixar’s Toy Story was the first movie to use FACS, and since then Ekman has also worked on Rise of the Planet of the Apes and Avatar, as well as with Disney to add more believability to characters’ expressions. He has, of course, also advised the TV series Lie to Me.

The possibilities and effects of using FACS and a better understanding facial expressions are only just beginning to develop. Aside from the marketing and animation applications there is a potential social impact. As mentioned before, Affictiva’s original goal for their software was to overcome communication challenges. There are also hopes by some, according to FastWeb, that this same technology can be used to detect drunkenness, depression, intent to kill, or even disease.