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"Design" Category


Photoshop in real life


Tuesday, November 11, 2008

This has been emailed round the studio a few times.

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Click for larger image

We all thought it was home made, but it turns out it’s actually a bloody good campaign from Adobe.

I’ve convinced myself the first one I saw didn’t have the subtle CS4 box in the corner, but now i’m not so sure.

Hats off to Adobe either way!!

Windows 7 Sneak Preview


Thursday, November 6, 2008

Microsoft have dropped the word Vista from all their advertising; but under the hood they’re making changes too.

It was big news when they removed bundled apps from Window 7 so they can focus on the core OS; meaning faster development and quicker smaller updates.

They’re also making smaller important UI tweaks and improvements.

Windows 7 Preview Taskbar


Windows 7 Window Resizing


Window 7 Preview Gestures


Nice easy wins from Microsoft. I hope the Mac team are paying attention.

via Lifehacker

Apple. A classic is updated


Tuesday, October 14, 2008

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Whenever you go to a meeting with agency types, at some point somebody breaks out a MacBook Pro.

Today Apple refreshed a range of their products and this much-loved workhorse, which started life as the Titanium Powerbook, gets another massive overhaul.

A laser cut “unibody” (made from a single piece of aluminium), LED-backlit display, and clickable “multi-touch” trackpad are topped off with new materials and a fresh design.

Mmmmmmm…..

Pixel Poster


Sunday, October 12, 2008

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Created by Ilya Kazakov.

Stunning dark inspiration


Wednesday, October 8, 2008

I’ve just started using Google Reader and have realised it’s so much easier to keep up-to-date with gems like these from Designfeedr.

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Full articles:

http://designfeedr.com/stunning-illustrated-typography-on-dark-backgrounds

http://designfeedr.com/dark-illustration-inspiration

Play Small


Monday, October 6, 2008

Really good post from Ben Terret about the idea of Play Small. Spot on.

One thing that really brings home Play Small to me is iPhone web pages.

Most people would assume that a mobile web page is a compromise. Not as good or as rich as the main page. The thing is, more and more I’m finding I like the mobile pages better than the main pages.

Stripped of all superfluous content and navigation, devoid of over elobarate graphics, they’re like raw ‘what I came here for’ in one handy pocket sized rectangle.

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I now find myself opting for the small version even when the full sized is next to me on the laptop. I prefer the BBC News small. I prefer Typepad small. Flickr, Facebook, Twitter, Financial Times, Telegraph - I prefer them all small.

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These aren’t iPhone apps. These are web pages designed for the iPhone.

Dopplr is pretty much the only site where the big version works just as well on the small screen, I’d even say it was better than the mobile version. Dopplr is very well designed and it’s also constructed around a very strict grid and I suspect this is why it works so well small.

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The full Dopplr site is on the left, the mobile Dopplr site is on the right.

It’s a design truth that it’s better to design something with restrictions. And it maybe that size is just another restriction, but I think it’s more than that. Just like Wil’s sketches feel light and quick, so do iPhone web pages. Partly because they are quicker (quicker to load etc) but partly because they’re demanding less of my attention. I can get to where I want to go much, much quicker.

Make no mistake, we’re currently leaving the era of Baroque brands and moving into a new period of austerity in communication. And as we move towards Depression 2.0 maybe Play Small will become a vital tool for all designers across all forms of media.

Read the full article at Noisy Decent Graphics

PS.

What ever happened to .mobi?

Designing with social media in mind


Monday, October 6, 2008

Kleber, in collaboration with Universal Everything, have launched a new site for the Manhattan Loft Corporation using Google Maps as the foundation.

Layering a clean design on top of the data available from Google means visitors have access to information on nearby restaurants, shops and places of interest… and photos of the area.

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Take a look for yourself:
Fitzrovia Apartments

It’s an example of how agencies are beginning to blend together the different layers of the static web and the social web.

The social web is at the root of what been coined the “Live Web“.

The Live Web isn’t just built, it grows, adapts and changes. It’s an environment where we text and post and author and update and tweet and syndicate and subscribe and notify and feed.

For more about changing nature of the web check out the excellent Social Web Design.

Uniqlo Colour in Comfort.


Friday, October 3, 2008

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The latest minisite by Uniqlo is all about colors.

The site opens with you traveling through a colorful landscape populated by merino’s pullovers. When you see a color that you like, you click and discover the full range of products available in that tone.

Simple but effective.

http://www.uniqlo.com/merino/

via The Adverblog

TR2N: Updating an icon


Wednesday, October 1, 2008

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A teaser for Tron 2 (known as TR2N) was shown at ComicCon this year.

John Lasseter (Chief Creative Officer of Pixar and Walt Disney Animation Studios) was a fan of the original and brought in the scriptwriters behind LOST, and Joseph Kosinski as Director.

Kosinski has yet to direct a full-length feature film but has created some award-winning commercials for Saab, Nike and X-Box.

To get some sense of the visual look that Joseph may bring to “TR2N,” check out this YouTube video of his stunning animated architectural renderings.


However to convince Disney that his vision was commercially viable, Kosinski spent six months with the wizards at Digital Domain.

Together they created the three-minute-long sequence shown at Comic Con as a teaser trailer.

I’ve watched it a few times and can’t wait to see more.

Take a look at the leaked VFX work and updated Lightcycles… and below is the original from Tron (1981).

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PS.

If you’re into your Visual Effects, check out the Behind the Scenes section on Digital Domain.

Sexy new packaging for Adobe CS4


Thursday, September 25, 2008

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The packaging designs for CS4 are a clear departure from previous versions. This time using an ultra-simple, colour-based system to differentiate product, suites, and versions.

It sits somewhere between a Peter Saville / New Order sleeve and the dynamic Dopplr logo.

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Anyway it’s a big improvement over the horrors of CS3.

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