Victory

This gives me goosebumps every time.

How to Nap

Not that I need any instructions on how to nap, but this info chart does give some good little tips. Plus, it makes me feel not so guilty about my lazy ways. One trick I haven't tried: drinking a cup of coffee prior to a twenty minute nap as to avoid grogginess.

Poladroid

Poladroid is an awesome Polaroid image maker. After downloading the program, all you do is drag and drop your image and wait. Bonus feature...you can even shake. How insanely cool is that? I can feel a new obsession beginning....

Pictures showcase my Fall Break in a nutshell...blogging twofer.

Poladroid: ahhh. it's so cool!

Scuba Diving Links

I have never seen so much blue! It's the ocean. We get it. It's blue.

1. Padi
Ugly. But I do like the way it's organized: start diving, keep diving, teach diving. Those are three easy and simple categories.

2. LA Scuba Diving
This website is guilty of too many links and trash on the homepage. Majority of scuba websites are guilty of this. If I were going to look for specific information, I'd get flustered and give up.

3. Blue Island Divers
The site seems well organized and the link bar is actually really nice and simple. However, again there is just so much information on the homepage that I would never have the patience to sift through it. They also have paragraph after paragraph of text. No one is going to sit and read it all unless it looks visually interesting.

Goals: stay away from blue and use nice typography

Etsy Animation

A cute animated commercial for online crafting haven, Etsy.

Ten Websites

1. Design*Sponge
I have been checking this website daily now for over a year. Brooklyn-based writer Grace Bonney has incredible taste and finds some great content to feature. The site is well organized in a basic blog layout, but tabs and links are also easily located and accessible. Bonney posts on a number of design-related subjects daily, from textiles to ceramics to student artists. My favorite days are Mondays, when Sneak Peaks are posted, showing the interior of a featured artist's home. They never disappoint.

2. Also
This website is awesome. Upon first arriving at the homepage it looks to be just a simple, static website. However, click on one of the four links and the screen transforms to entertain. Also, which creates websites for small, independent companies, doesn't contain a whole lot of content, but the feel of their company seeps through every part.

3. ReForm School
This LA store has a cute and quirky website that gives insight into the products they carry. The site includes some great illustration work by Julia Rothman as well as some purdy type combinations. The setup is super simple, with two groups of tabs...one for store categories and the other for company information. I love how little surprises are everywhere, popping up to entertain.

4. Mayfair Workshop
There couldn't be a more user friendly setup. The seven main links never change places, making the site's navigation as simple as possible. And seriously, the red and green color palette and animated details give this straightforward site some flavor.

5. NotCot
Never fail, they have some crazy cool finds every day. It has a unique setup for a blog, but I think it is necessary, since they have a good number of posts each day. The best thing about NotCot is that it is a creative community, where readers share and post cool finds.

6. Nick Dewar
This site is cute, simple and clean. I love the adorable little link buttons and his color combinations are super tasty.

7. Adrian Johnson Ltd
The logo animation introduction makes this whole website. I can't get enough of it. I like the setup of the site too...how you can progress through his work without clicking on another link. The type is small and quiet as to not distract from his work.

8. Qwstion
The website for bag company, Qwstion, is stunning and innovative. The setup is really unique in that majority of the page is taken up with photography. And the way you can look through all different angles of the bag is really helpful. The site looks complex, but is really fairly simple.

9. Ikea Dream Kitchens
I don't even have words to describe this. You have to check it out for yourself.

10. Koko3
This Helsinki based interior design firm's website is really unique. It's just so visually interesting. The layered fabrics and drawings really show the design process. Plus, it's always changing which makes the site seem really exciting. I'm in love how the work shows up full screen. Images do take a little while to load, but in the end, it's definitely worth sticking around to view. Their work is beautiful and so is the photography. And I'm so intrigued by the little nonsense video that shows when you scroll the mouse over the pink square in the bottom left hand corner. A detail that gives even more character to the site.

Sarah Palin Used Comic Sans

Click it. You won't be disappointed.

Darren Booth

Darren Booth is an incredible illustrator and typographer from Canada. Finding inspiration from old signage, found materials, architecture, etc. his work is beyond impressive. His color palettes are incredibly appealing and the method in which he layers colors is really unique.

Darren Booth: homepage
Interview: from Pica + Pixel

Blacktop Creative Studio Tour

Yesterday, I risked my life (never get in a car with C. Harsch) and ventured into Kansas City to tour design firm, Blacktop Creative. Located in the River Market area, the small firm puts out some incredible work. Everything they touch feels lively and current. They also gave some invaluable interview and portfolio advice.

For those of you slackers who have not yet been on a studio tour, I really encourage you to do so. Even if you aren't interested in staying in KC after graduation, it allows you to see what kind of companies are out there. I always feel invigorated and confirmed after each one. We are going to have some kick-ass jobs.

Blacktop Creative: homepage

Reading: Designing Interfaces

I think this calls for a duck.
signposts are features that help the users figure out their immediate surroundings. wayfinding is what people do as they find their way toward their goal. animated transitions help users stay oriented as they move from one place to another. an escape hatch allows users to always get back to a familiar page. clear entry points present only a few entry points into an interface. they are descriptive and task-oriented. global navigation on every page, shows a consistent set of links to easily find key sections. hub and spoke isolates sections of the app into mini-applications. it has one way in and one way out. a pyramid links a sequence of pages with back/next links. modal panels show only one page, with no other navigation options, until user solves problem. sequence map on each page in sequence, shows a map of all of the pages in order. breadcrumbs on each page in a hierarchy, show a map of all parent pages, up to the main page. an annotated scrollbar serves double-duty as map of content and color-coded sections use color to identify which section of site that page belongs to. animated transitions smooth out a startling or dislocating transition with an animation.

Reading: The Order of Order

As with many designers, I am positive that my love of design is due to my innate love of organization. I find relaxation out of combining and arranging and comfort out of being familiar with the things around me. The article states that the known can be tweaked into the unknown. I love that idea.

While my book collection is still growing, I hope to one day have a bookshelf arranged entirely by color. Although some might see this as impractical, I think the minor inconvenience is well worth it. The number of times I go looking for a book is insignificant to the number of times I walk past the bookshelf.

The Order of Oder: the article

Reading: Recipe for a Successful Website

This website breaks down the necessary steps involved in web design. While they do have some good advice, one subject they stress is the importance of updating regularly. Yet, they still list Netscape and Microsoft Explorer as the most commonly used web browsers. And seriously...take your own advice and hire a professional designer. All that said...here's what I took away:
-- content must be fresh and updated regularly
-- give a voice to your site, show some personality
-- organization and clarity is key
-- navigation must still allow for breath and depth
-- organization over representation
-- don't organize the life out of it
-- don't slow down the site with craziness
-- site must work well in all browsers
-- employ high quality, professional visual design
-- create an interesting and valuable experience

Recipe for a Successful Website: the site