Quote of the day

From Vlad Margulis, UI Designer at Google: Just as speed doesn’t define the essence of a jaguar, but merely represents a trait that evolved for its survival, intellect doesn’t define the essence of a human being. The essence of humans is the depth and range of emotions with which we experience our interactions with the […]

When starting a project

Key things to focus on at the beginning of a new project: 1. People: Identify all the key players, get their contact info (email, phone, IM) and their physical location/time zone too Get their schedules of availability for this project, including days they telecommute (WAH) Identify the official decision-makers and approvers: technical, business, design (tech […]

What is design?

From various notable personalities in the design world, collected altogether… “In essence, design offers a pathway for bringing theory–ideas bout the nature of the world and how we should live our lives–into closer relationship with practical action and the creation of diverse kinds of products and experiences.” — R. Buchanan, Design and the New Rhetoric […]

Not as faddish as people think…

Sure, design “coolness” tends to evolve in waves in pop culture and media portrayals (Time, Businessweek, Fast Company, etc.), but most people don’t realize the following faddish and over-buzzwordy terms are actually quite old, several centuries even! 1. Innovation: Rhetoric as originally described by Aristotle, and later evolved through Cicero, was fundamentally about the art […]

Handy keyboard shortcuts (mac)

Totally not about design thinking or process, just a few basic old-school keyboard mnemonics for the mac, for getting certain typographically correct marks, from Andrei at the studio. Bookmark this permalink! © (opt G) â„¢ (opt 2) ® (opt R) ‘ (opt ]) ’ (opt shift ]) “ (opt [) ” (opt shift [) – […]