Great logos don't just happen. A great logo is like an overnight success. The backroom activities, the silent arguing, and the long, dedicated hours to the craft finally get noticed. And popularity ensues. And on reading the interview, the industry term would be "mark" and not logo.
The company responsible for the mark, Mode, made some good comments about their process. And although the mark was created "quickly," it still took two weeks.
From Logo Design Love blog:
Steven Heller: How many iterations did you go through before deciding on this “O”? Was it your first idea?
Sol Sender: We actually presented seven or eight options in the first round, and the one that was ultimately chosen was among these. In terms of our internal process, though, I believe the logo — as we now know it — came out of a second round of design explorations. At any rate, it happened quite quickly, all things considered. The entire undertaking took less than two weeks.
Read the full interview here in the New York Times.
Friday, November 28, 2008
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Well isn't that special?
I did an online survey for CBS, figured that's the least I can do since I watch some shows on there. Seemed a little long, and definitely NOT written by an English major.
One question asked if I remembered any advertisements during the show. Hmmm. Nope. I switch (alt + tab) to FreeCell during commercials, or I read a blog or two. I'm a pretty passive viewer.
Another question asked if there were ways to improve the viewing experience. Yup. Make it more like Hulu.com. Video pop-outs, dim the "lights" (browser), etc. Oh, and put Big Bang Theory online.
It took about 5 minutes, and they didn't ask a question that I though might be pertinent: Do I currently subscribe to Cable/Satellite TV, or have standard broadcast, or neither?
One question asked if I remembered any advertisements during the show. Hmmm. Nope. I switch (alt + tab) to FreeCell during commercials, or I read a blog or two. I'm a pretty passive viewer.
Another question asked if there were ways to improve the viewing experience. Yup. Make it more like Hulu.com. Video pop-outs, dim the "lights" (browser), etc. Oh, and put Big Bang Theory online.
It took about 5 minutes, and they didn't ask a question that I though might be pertinent: Do I currently subscribe to Cable/Satellite TV, or have standard broadcast, or neither?
Monday, November 24, 2008
"Did you have the chicken or the fish?" (Airplane!)
Wow. Here's a gander at the other side. Some are funny, some you can see where a customer isn't treated right, and some are just bizarre.
My favorite so far:
Caller: “I need to exchange this movie. It’s the wrong one.”
Me: “Which movie were you looking for?”
Caller: “Big Momma’s House.”
Me: “Um, what does it say on the case?”
Caller: “Big Momma’s House.”
Me: “What does it say on the video cassette itself?”
Caller: “Big Momma’s House.”
Me: “I’m thinking you have Big Momma’s House there, Ma’am.”
Caller: “But…”
Me: “Yes?”
Caller: “But… there’s white people in it.”
Me: “There are a few of us about, ma’am. We do sneak into the odd movie here and there.”
Caller: *click*
My favorite so far:
Caller: “I need to exchange this movie. It’s the wrong one.”
Me: “Which movie were you looking for?”
Caller: “Big Momma’s House.”
Me: “Um, what does it say on the case?”
Caller: “Big Momma’s House.”
Me: “What does it say on the video cassette itself?”
Caller: “Big Momma’s House.”
Me: “I’m thinking you have Big Momma’s House there, Ma’am.”
Caller: “But…”
Me: “Yes?”
Caller: “But… there’s white people in it.”
Me: “There are a few of us about, ma’am. We do sneak into the odd movie here and there.”
Caller: *click*
Friday, November 21, 2008
Gmail features- 200+ exp points!
Google's been busy enhancing. I subscribe to the Google Docs blog and recently added the Google Docs widget/tool/accessory to my Gmail. So over in the left column I have a list of docs currently hosted in my Google Docs section.
So if I ever need to forward/attach a document to an email, there it is. I avoid the "click to attach-browse-find folder-find document-click ok-click ok again-wait for uploading-click send" process.
But for those paranoid conspiracy folks, you may not want to indulge in this wonderful feature, unless you replace certain keywords in your manifest doctrines.
So if I ever need to forward/attach a document to an email, there it is. I avoid the "click to attach-browse-find folder-find document-click ok-click ok again-wait for uploading-click send" process.
But for those paranoid conspiracy folks, you may not want to indulge in this wonderful feature, unless you replace certain keywords in your manifest doctrines.
Thursday, November 20, 2008
"What's so great about discovery?" (Jurassic Park)
Thinking about enhancing the customer experience. Enhance. Enhance. Enhance. What if, by some miraculous use and discovery of technology, a customer could call ahead with his or her order? What if that was taken a step further?
Say, texting your "tall non fat americano with vanilla 20 min" order to your favorite coffee shop? And have a text reply "Order tall n/f amer. w/ vanilla will be ready for you in approx. 20 minutes. Thank you and see you soon. -Pat, Manager" Note: I don't drink coffee, so I have no idea if this is a real drink.
I think it could work. Queue systems are already in place, so a text-in gets shuffled in as well. When the customer comes in for the drink, they will know where their drink is in line. Why not display the queue like airlines displays flights?
Allow this feature only to those who want it. A special group of customers who have a favorite spot, who know the baristas, or vice versa. It may alleviate customer frustration when they see a long line at their favorite spot and decide in favor of cost, rather than benefit. Issue cards and provide special-only access to a text number.
On the business side, it opens a large, well, opening to gather information, preferences, and trends specific to the customer. So when the "new" drink comes out, it can be targeted even better.
Say, texting your "tall non fat americano with vanilla 20 min" order to your favorite coffee shop? And have a text reply "Order tall n/f amer. w/ vanilla will be ready for you in approx. 20 minutes. Thank you and see you soon. -Pat, Manager" Note: I don't drink coffee, so I have no idea if this is a real drink.
I think it could work. Queue systems are already in place, so a text-in gets shuffled in as well. When the customer comes in for the drink, they will know where their drink is in line. Why not display the queue like airlines displays flights?
Allow this feature only to those who want it. A special group of customers who have a favorite spot, who know the baristas, or vice versa. It may alleviate customer frustration when they see a long line at their favorite spot and decide in favor of cost, rather than benefit. Issue cards and provide special-only access to a text number.
On the business side, it opens a large, well, opening to gather information, preferences, and trends specific to the customer. So when the "new" drink comes out, it can be targeted even better.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
"Going green..." (Twister)
PC Magazine is going digital. PC Mag is like Consumer Reports, only for geeks. Any business manager in charge of tech purchases should be reading PC Mag for reference. A quick read of the Ziff-Davis company reveals a lot of buying and selling, constant corporate upheaval in the changing environment of print publications.
TV vs. Internet is nothing compared to Print vs. Internet. Not only is news accessible quicker using the Internet, but you control the influences. Local news is the weak point for Internet news, not readily accessible through searches or a publications web site.
Print has had many years to brace and prepare for the Internet, since both formats share the same content- words. It's so simple to copy and paste from a word processor application to an html editor and host a page (people do it all day with blogs). Copy and pasting video, however, is not easy. Nor was the ability to see the videos because of constantly changing formats, codecs, and Internet speed. I remember downloading IE 5.5 over dial-up; it took 9 hours, I downloaded overnight. Downloading or even watching streaming video was slow and poor quality. Only the last 4 or 5 years has video become integral within the web, and only within the last two years has it skyrocketed.
I didn't mean to ramble on with this, it just begs the question: What's next?
TV vs. Internet is nothing compared to Print vs. Internet. Not only is news accessible quicker using the Internet, but you control the influences. Local news is the weak point for Internet news, not readily accessible through searches or a publications web site.
Print has had many years to brace and prepare for the Internet, since both formats share the same content- words. It's so simple to copy and paste from a word processor application to an html editor and host a page (people do it all day with blogs). Copy and pasting video, however, is not easy. Nor was the ability to see the videos because of constantly changing formats, codecs, and Internet speed. I remember downloading IE 5.5 over dial-up; it took 9 hours, I downloaded overnight. Downloading or even watching streaming video was slow and poor quality. Only the last 4 or 5 years has video become integral within the web, and only within the last two years has it skyrocketed.
I didn't mean to ramble on with this, it just begs the question: What's next?
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
And Another Thing...
Regarding experts- they understand they don't know everything. Experts are constant foragers of information. So continually read up on subject matter, get a variety of sources. If your expert knowledge only comes from one source, say Wikipedia, that is not a very broad range. Learning about conflicting viewpoints, counter-arguments, and other challenges can solidify your knowledge base.
Being challenged isn't attacking credibility. It's strengthening the foundation. And it also exposes gaps in your knowledge base, providing room for improvement.
So the main points:
1. Gather information from many sources
2. Know the challenges within your subject matter
3. Test the information to ensure it is accurate and reliable
Being challenged isn't attacking credibility. It's strengthening the foundation. And it also exposes gaps in your knowledge base, providing room for improvement.
So the main points:
1. Gather information from many sources
2. Know the challenges within your subject matter
3. Test the information to ensure it is accurate and reliable
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