The video below is a really well done animation by matt greenwood that illustrates the foundational properties of visual design. All the things that are taught in beginning design classes are represented with fluid, smooth transitions, and visual precision. My only problem is at the very end of the piece when Greenwood says, “Design is not science”, “Just move things around until they feel right”. My problem with this is, while design might not be a science, it definitely has rules that designers follow in order to effectively communicate. Rules that Greenwood incorporates throughout his 50 second animation. He might have moved things around until they felt right, but something tells me he was subconsciously incorporating rules that apply to each section of the animation. None the less, it’s a really nice looking animated short, and one that required quite a bit of skill to execute.
Design Principals
Getting It Right, With Responsive Design.
I am a firm believer in “Keep it Simple”, and “Less is More” when it comes to design. Especially interactive design. In today’s world the average window to engage a mobile visitor to your web site is less than five seconds. If you consider that more than ten cents out of every dollar spent online, now happens through a mobile device, it is your best interest to make every one of those seconds count.
A key to capturing and holding a visitor on your site lies in using responsive design that scales across all devices and operating systems. With the marketplace shifting more and more to a post desktop world you need to be able to effectively reach your target audience on their smart phone, tablet, laptop, and even their TV. because of this, making sure your web site is designed to meet their ever-evolving needs is critical.
Responsive design allows you to keep the features visitors want, and effectively remove the things they don’t. In todays ever-changing interactive world there is no room clunky graphics, confusing navigation, or pages locked into desktop-only resolutions. Today’s users want their Internet lean, clean, and sized for whatever screen they are looking at.
The reward for making more out of less is substantial. With more than 2.1 billion mobile broadband subscribers ( A number that is growing exponentially ) as potential visitors, customers, content readers, brand advocates, social connectors, influencers, etc. working with an economy of expression and maximum interactivity are critical. The best design may just be the one boasting the greatest interactivity and the fewest visible designer touches.
The infographic below shows off some of the best principles and practices for developing smart responsive designs for your interactive projects.
Found… “Braun SK 2 / PC3 – SV”
For some time now I have been lusting after Braun stereo components designed by the legendary Dieter Rams. While there are quite a few available on eBay, and through private collectors, it’s pretty rare to find one that has never been used, is still in the original box, and has all the paper work with it. Over the weekend I found a Braun PC 3-SV turntable in that very condition. Yesterday I pulled the trigger and purchased it from VintageEuroDesign on Etsy.
I made this purchase not because this 1959 turntable is going to produce amazing audio, but because of the condition, and the fact that this is an iconic piece designed by Rams.
Braun SK 2 / PC3 – SV introduced the principle of modular components that dominated the early period of Braun audio design lead by Deiter Rams, Between 1955 – 1970. This fifteen year period can be broken into three distinct phases, with the PC 3-SV phonograph falling in the second. For a really good lesson on the history of the thinking behind the Braun systems, check out Das Programm.
Modular 4 