Launch: Highrise for iPhone – (37signals) Great case study for the simple ('natch) looking app for Highrise from @37signals. Bonus points for the clever tic tac toe addition during the waiting dialogue.
Seeing these demos gets me even more excited for the iPad. However, I’m skeptical that the publishers are going to be able to execute what is a fundamentally new *kind* of design – somewhere between print and digital – for a while, and don’t think that they won’t expect us to pay as they learn how to do it right.
Craig Newmark on the Web’s Next Big Problem While at ITP I was going to either explore building a distributed trust/reputation network or mobile social software (dodgeball). I chose the latter. I would still love to design a product in the former.
Stop designing websites, start designing posters « Boagworld A great piece on finding inspiration for your websites from a familiar design sibling – the poster – to create a more visually engaging initial experience. Some really excellent examples in here.
Tapplox – Foobi. Balance your diet. Foobi is an absolutely stunning-looking food/health tracking app. w/ a refreshingly simple approach to tracking.
What do we do at The Future Well? Dr. Jay and his team are determined to do some fantastic work (and they happen to also maintain a great blog). Keep an eye on them.
I’m going to be taking the next few weeks off from blogging as I’ve got a fresh-faced little baby to take care of. Everyone’s doing great and I look froward to seeing you all when I get back!
Both of these are a few weeks old but I still wanted to call them out because I like them so much, for different reasons.
Chiquita Bananas: A Beautiful Brand Refresh
What I love about this was that they took branding that was already iconic and took it in a new, playful, and ultimately really memorable, direction.
Chiquita will always remind me sharing an office with Dennis, who’d eat a banana a day and cover his laptop with the Chiquita stickers from said bananas. Clearly he’s not alone in that endeavor and Chiquita is showcasing that behavior on the new site in support of this new campaign.
Just look at these things. They’re so f*cking cute I want to collect them all and nom the crap out of them.
Think rebranding bananas isn’t exciting? Here’s a great quote on finding that angle to build on when helping brands rebuild their identities:
Many times as designers we are tasked to help brands build or rebuild their identities. We may initially think that a clean slate is required to achieve a better identity, and in some cases that can be true if the existing brand identity has little to no value. But in most cases, there is always something that can be built on, discovered, or championed with any brand. It really just requires spending as much time as you can with the product, immersing yourself in it. Like method designing, you just have to live it and the work will flow through you.
The Heinz ketchup packet : A User-centered product redesign
Heinz’s effort is impressive because it improved both form and function, making the brand feel newer visually as well as functionally, addressing their major use cases, referred to as the “dippers” and the “squeezers.”
This is a redesign that just makes so much sense you wonder how it took so long to get here. Technology wasn’t holding it back. It was a matter of really looking at the problem from a user’s point of view and then making a change. Bravo.
“We nail facts into students’ heads and there’s nothing wrong with it if the goal is to employ someone for 40 years in a Ford Motor Company Model A factory.”
“The A students work for the B students, the C students run the businesses, and the D students have the buildings named after them.”
“Never ever hire someone who had a grade point average of 4.0.”
I highly recommend you take 4 minutes and 12 seconds to watch/listen to the whole thing.
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I maintain a more traditional blog, covering a wide range of topics over at www.alexrainert.com.
I'm a husband, new father & owner of a lovably neurotic vizsla. Obsessed with information, design, emerging tech, sports & food. Years ago I co-founded dodgeball.com and I'm currently head of product at foursquare.
