Viaspire - Define.Innovate.Maximize.

Good visual design leads to more meaningful interactions

Luke Wroblewski of User Interface Engineering published a great article this week on the importance of First Impressions Through Visual Web Design.

Wroblewski's notes that visual design ("when done right") helps Web users clearly understand:

- What am I looking at?
- How do I use this?
- Why would I want to use this Web site?
and I would like to add...
- Where do I start or take action next?

Wroblewski outlines how visual design helps to communicate quickly, form (and move beyond) first impressions, as well as allow Web users to find information and next steps through scannability - all leading to a more meaningful interaction online.

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AIGA Initiative - Get Out the Vote 2008

AIGA, the professional association for design has taken the charge to "Get Out the Vote," by creating an outlet for AIGA members (to participate, you gotta join) to design around the simple message to vote on election day 2008.Through print posters and YouTube submissions, AIGA has welcomed designers to "create" around this important call to action.

Since 2000, the AIGA initiative has welcomed the design and distribution of videos, motion graphic pieces as well as print materials like Get out the Vote posters.

"AIGA invites its members to create nonpartisan videos and motion graphics pieces that inspire the American public to participate in the electoral process and vote for a presidential candidate in the 2008 general election."

This year, the Get Out the Vote 2008 posters reflect a wide variety of styles and treatments, including many familiar iconic pop culture influences.

As AIGA notes, "good design makes choices clear."

Be sure to view the rest at AIGA Get Out the Vote 2008 posters, including the set of 24 posters chosen for professional printing and national distribution.  You can also download any of them available on the AIGA Web site as PDFs to save and print, like this one!

Also, be sure to view and share the video of 50 selected posters as well as the AIGA YouTube channel for more info.

A Historical Speech Captured in a Tag Cloud

Tonight's historical acceptance speech by Barack Obama for Democratic nomination for president has been captured in a word cloud by GraphicDesignr. It strikes me because of the meetings we had today covered everything from keyword optimization for search, the art and science of tagging, and then watching this evening's speech with iPhone in hand refreshing Twitteriffic to the max. I was able to experience a historical speech, and monitor as well as participate in the discussion on the back channel for #DNC08.

Experiencing the 2008 Summer Olympics and now this election in the era of Web 2.0, it's clear that we have more access, more organization, more ways to track, convey, collaborate and develop meaning for any given message, event, and opportunity.

I thought instantly, a historical speech captured in a tag cloud, the perfect conveyance of form and function!

Monday Morning QuarterBacking the Super Bowl Ads

Having a group of friends over to watch the big game yesterday, half the revelers were fans of the game, the other half was there to watch the Super Bowl commercials. Overwhelming, the group joined in unison to enjoy the excitement of the fourth quarter of the game, and in unison, everyone agreed this year's Super Bowl ads were the "big upset" of the game.

Here's some of the predominant words used to describe the commercials shown on Super Bowl Sunday:

• Lackluster
• Unimaginative
• Boring, Ho Hum
• Un-memorable
• Nothing really buzzworthy
• Smile worthy, but nothing knee slapping
• Who were they again?

The commericals that seemed to stay in everyone's mind after the game were:

Pre-Game

• PepsiCo's EnAble

First Quarter

• Audi
• Bridgestone

Second Quarter

• Budweiser
• Planter's Nuts
• Tide To Go

Third Quarter

• Vitamin Water

Fourth Quarter

• Victoria Secret
• AMP Energy

So, What Did You Think?

MySpace lists all Fox's commercials run on Super Bowl Sunday 2008. Be the Monday Morning Quarterback and see what you liked or disliked about this year's "creative." I'm sorry to say, I wasn't a big fan...

Speaking of Design...

There's been some really good articles noting the current and progressive thinking about Web design.

Today, PSFK did a post on the Top 10 Pantone Colors Used by Designers This Season, showing 18-3843 Blue Iris being Pantone's 2008 Color of the Year.

Smashing Magazine also did a comprehensive article on new treatments in visual design, coined the Grunge Style in Modern Web Design.

Logo exploration for Extraordinique, created Fall, 2007

Another awesome post from Smashing Magazine outlines the 10 Principles of Effective Web Design. They are the core principles, but show great and current examples of what "effective" truly means today on the Web.

A site worth mentioning for their dedication to typography is "i love typography," which really specializes in shedding light on new font designs. In following this site, you get a great sense of where typographic style is going.

Overall, Computer Arts also put a great post together in Trends 2008 for what top designers predict and why most feel the industry desperately needs a shake-up.

The design community is going all out, completely spilling "out of the box," like WebDesigerWall, for example, a nominee for the 2008 Bloggies. These desigers and their creative are forging new trends, leading to more stimulating opportunities in design. What I like to see is that we are carrying forward the best elements of the Apple-esque style of Web 2.0 design with a whole new twist for 2008.  It's an awesome treat.

Green Thing - Do it!

Since Blog Action Day, we have been finding more and more great resources who are taking a stand and building community around saving the environment. Today, I came across this great community site Green Thing -- where everything is about taking action today.

Green Thing was started by two experts in online communications who saw an opporuntity and had the desire to make a difference worldwide environmentally. Green Thing's bottom line is:

"It will react and respond to the community. Green Thing is everybody's thing."

Green Thing Manifesto

• Green Thing is an easy thing. Because lots of small things can add up to more than a few big things, Green Thing suggests one easy thing a month to tempt as many people as possible to do it. Green Thing is also free which makes it easier to be part of.
• Green Thing is a creative thing. Because entertainment is very inspiring and lectures a bit less so, the monthly Green Things are suggested with brilliant content from brilliant writers, musicians, designers, directors and artists - pro and am, young and old.
• Green Thing is a not-for-profit thing. Because people are cynical about commercial or political agendas, Green Thing is an independent, not-for-profit thing powered by grants from foundations and individual contributions.
• Green Thing is a credible thing. Because people want to know that their action is making a difference, Green Thing is endorsed by some of the planet's leading environmental thinkers and reports back every month on the collective difference the whole community is making.
• Green Thing is a principled thing. There are certain things Green Thing will and won't do.

View It. Do It.
This month, the green thing is about walking. View the Green Thing video, explore their Wiki and sign up to get monthly updates on the next Green Thing to do.

Enjoy this lovely Autumn weekend... walking.

Diesel Denim Dating - Convince Me

Every once in a while we'll get a press release across our desk that'll stop us in our tracks. Today, we had that moment. We laughed, we cried, we scratched our heads to see the "brillance" or "absurdity" of this campaign Diesel Denim Dating.

First, You Have to Read This Press Release
Diesel Launches Denim Dating Campaign
NEW YORK, Aug. 16 /PRNewswire
Ahhh -- the old dating game, if you're single and you know it -- "clap your hands!" -- you'll be into it,but over the past few years "it's" all become a bit too much like a metaphorical dodgy fast food joint; sweet but sour singles nights, hot 'n'a bit too spicy chat rooms, and tantalizingly nasty pasty recommend-a-friend sites -- but we still just can't get enough.

The question on everyone's lips is: how can you guarantee that what(who) you'll end up with won't leave you with an all too familiar smutty aftertaste, but instead will be, a) really really ridiculously ridiculously really really ridiculously good-looking, b) wild and witty and 'romantically ripe' in la bedroom and, c) reassuringly genetically superior? How do you know -- hmmm?

Pouncing on this market opportunity, Diesel set up the Denim Dating service to bring together the globally good looking social elite in unity for the good of all humanity, in the vein hope that maybe, just maybe, they might just wind up selling one or two jeans somewhere along the way.

So to get things going, 19 Diesel models have been hired to advertise themselves for your viewing pleasure both in Diesel stores and on the Diesel website too. And in answer to your question, oh yes you may email the models directly via the website and yes they are contractually obliged to respond! The models were chosen to match Diesel's different denim within the Fall-Winter '07 collection and there's something for everyone, 19 models and 19 new jeans from feisty Safado who tempts you to make love at him while he finishes his pull ups, to the flighty and irresistible Doozy,who begs you to make a wish and call her for dreamy days of Nu Jazz, tap, modern and all in between ...

Welcome to Diesel Denim Dating. This is a very real, fully functional dating website allowing YOU exclusive access to most of the world's most beautiful people -- pop up a personal ad of your very own amongst these aesthetic delights and you'll be advertised on the main homepage of Diesel.com too! Selling yourself has never been so fashionable.

OK, Done Laughing, Crying & Scratching Your Head in Bewilderment?
I'm all for pushing the envelope in creative. That's what makes Crispin Porter + Bogusky so effective, for example. It's what makes consumers take notice in an over-saturated multi-media world. For me though, this campaign reeks of exploit on far too many levels.

1. Go for the Old Sweet Spot - Make It Sexy!
   Sex sells. We get it. But, do you think anyone with legitimate "cool credits" would truly use this site to "talk to models?"
2. If You Have to Say It's "Fully Functional" - I Have Concerns
   "Real functional dating website?" Really? You think? I can't wait to see who will seriously use this. Functional doesn't even sound like the real word you want to use here, especially after using such hipster-speak as"nasty pasty recommend-a-friend sites" in describing other (more effective) interactive sites.
3. Chalk It Up to What's Hip Now
   I get the sense that the creators of this campaign thought, "The latest thing on the Web is called "social networking" let's do "that."
4. Feed the Craving: Everyone Wants to Be a Celebutante Hob Nobbing with the "Social Elite"
   Tailoring to the totally self-indulgent, "American Idol, You Tube - I want my "60" minutes of fame generation" -- telling consumers they'll be able to pop up a personal ad of your very own amongst these aesthetic delights  (ahhh, sigh), is really smarmy.  This does not feel like an "authentic" attempt to "bring people together" -- dating or otherwise and it feels shady in the sense that the true connection is to sell Diesel denim jeans...
5. What Would Seth Godin Say?
   I read this press release several times and visited the site looking for the brilliance. I felt -- "it had to be there or this had to be a joke I wasn't getting." All that kept coming to my mind was Seth Godin's book, All Marketers Are Liars: The Power of Telling Authentic Stories in a Low-Trust World. If this was ever a great case study in a marketing campaign "trying" to lure in on a "promise" and a belief that this is something valuable for you, the consumer -- chatting with the "social elite in unity for the good of all humanity" this one really takes the cake. (My apologies to Seth Godin because I know his book actually delves a lot deeper into the true essence of what it means to tell a story that people want to hear -- and in my opinion this campaign is "faking the funk" as the kids would say!)

So, I don't know how or where to leave this post, but I'm pretty certain eHarmony and Match are getting a good laugh at their latest "entrant" into the dating marketplace. I'll be curious to see how many "fancy button-up coin pocket, low rise, skinny leg jeans they'll sell" as a result of Diesel Denim Dating.

As one of the models classifieds says: CONVINCE ME!

Nielsen Addresses Banner Blindness

According to Jakob Nielsen's latest report, Banner Blindness: Old and New Findings, "Users almost never look at anything that looks like an advertisement, whether or not it's actually an ad." The report goes on to show that user engagement varies from quick scanning, partial reading, and thorough reading, but ads are commonly leap frogged or not even viewed from Nielsen's latest eye tracking reports.

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Great Message from a Bottle

I'm a big fan of tea -- hot, cold, green tea, black tea - kombucha, ice cream, you name it. In my book, it just has to be organic so I know I'm not steeping a toxic brew and consuming with every sip. Well, today, I opened up a favorite bottle of Honest Tea and I received a great message on the inside of their bottle cap.

Vision without action is a daydream, action without a vision is a nightmare.
- Japanese Proverb

Starting out this morning with these words were "refreshing." Seeing how they came from a bottle -- even more profound. Thanks Honest Tea for being a great refreshment for my mind and body!

Be Creative. Macleod Tells You How.

Hugh MacLeod, brand consultant, copywriter, cartoonist and "inner voice critic" on human behavior, ego and much of the craziness that occurs on the Web and in business(1), isn't afraid to tell you "How To Be Creative." If there was anyone who was going to give it to you straight (notwithstanding a liberal helping of F-Bombs throughout his work), he'll tell you, among other things:

• Ignore everyone
• Your "creative" doesn't have to be big to be good
• You have to work hard for it
• You got to "own it"
• You need to realize you may have to keep your day job to protect and support what you love to do "creatively."

Macleod authors this manifesto on ChangeThis for anyone who wants to be "more creative in art, in business, whatever." They are some great tips that have worked for him and can work for you!

Special thanks to evangelist, author, and all-around guru in my book, Guy Kawasaki at his blog How to Change the World for the lead on Macleod's 2004 post and his ChangeThis manifesto. Good stuff!

(1) See Macleod's blog post on Random Notes on Blogging. He has some interesting observations on A to Z-List bloggers. It's an interesting take, but I'll save those thoughts for another post...