Recently in Design Category

Happy February! Here's another psychedelic interactive website primarily for my Uncle Bud, but I'm sure he'll share it with you, too: Into Time by Rafaël Rozendaal (link via Today & Tomorrow)

Some things are inexplicably compelling...Slinkys, Fergie, and bubble wrap come to mind.

I think we can now safely add this website to the list.

[Link via Web Designer Depot's Twitter feed]

There's a lot to be said for simplifying one's life, although it's usually much easier to talk about it than to actually do it. I often declare (to no one in particular) that every time we buy something new for the house, we should get rid of something old. Of course, that only allows us to break even, so to speak, and we hardly ever do it anyway, so it's just a lot of posturing on my part.

Even on those occasions when I put my money where my mouth is, it's for stuff that I don't really care much about anyway. Debbie will bring home two or three new shirts for me, and it bothers me not a bit to toss an equal number of old ones (I have shirts that originate further back into the 20th century than is comfortable to admit). But if I get a new iPod, do you think I'm deleting an old one? Heck, no. One can never have too many iPods.

I'm sporadically successful in convincing my wife to discard old drinking glasses or mugs when she buys new ones, but even that's an uphill battle. Who knew one could develop a sentimental attachment to crockery?

What we do try to do is not acquire stuff that we won't use and enjoy, or to expend so much of our income on acquiring things that there's nothing left to give away to others. Frankly, I feel pretty good about the balance we've achieved in creating a comfortable lifestyle. And I'm dead certain that our sense of well-being would not be improved by shoehorning it into 96 square feet.

Ran across a few interesting links I think you might enjoy as you contemplate the wonder that is Friday.

• Now, about that cover... is a post from the author of the book by the same name, and it deals with how the quite striking cover of his book came to be. The photo shown on the front cover depicts a book that has been soaked in water and the pages arranged into a striking organic shape. This technique is the brainchild of Houston-based photographer Cara Barer, who is quick to point out that no valuable books are harmed in the making of her pictures.
  
  I feel compelled to note that my wife has at times created this effect by nodding off in the bathtub with book in hand.
  
  
• And speaking of bending paper to your will, check out these amazing origami creations by Won Park. Given the value of the dollar lately, this is as good a use as any for a bill.
  
  
• I'm a sucker for panoramic photography, because I can't figure out how to do it myself. Here's a great example, taken at Shoshone Point in the Grand Canyon National Park. If you have a fast internet connection and faster computer, click the "full screen" link to get the full vertigo-inducing effect.
  
  
• And, last but not least, I was happy to see that Texas Governor Rick Perry garnered Bicycling Magazine's "Wheelsucker of the Month" award for his veto of the Safe Passing bill at the end of the last legislative session. Perry claims to be a cyclist, and, indeed, recently injured himself during a ride, so you'd think he'd have more empathy. But he's a politician first and foremost, and thus can't be counted on to do the right thing. Anyway, BikeTexas, the state's cycling advocacy group, has an online petition urging passage of the bill (while simultaneously expressing displeasure at the veto). If you're a Texas cyclist, pedestrian, farm equipment operator, or "concerned motorist" (which should pretty much encompass all of us), please consider dropping by to sign the petition. It may not accomplish anything more than making me feel better, but this is, after all, all about me.
  
  The more perceptive among you may also notice a large button on the right side of this page that links to the petition, in case you weren't able to read this far.
  

Graphic designer David Airey's blog features a post by Aditya Mahesh in which the author describes a client's primary concerns when seeking out someone to design and build their website. I think it's a good list, and the issues are consistent with my perceptions from more than a decade in the business. It's recommended reading for anyone providing freelance services, and not just web designers, because the issues are universal.

I'd like to extend the discussion by adding my perceptions and opinions to the points raised by the author. The original articles points are shown in bold type.

1. I don't know what I want. In my experience, that's not usually the case, but it's very likely that the client doesn't know if what he wants is (a) what he needs, or (b) realistic. Web designers with basic business and marketing skills and experience can provide helpful advice regarding the former, and their technical expertise will allow them to guide the client in the latter area. Listening carefully to the client and being willing to discuss rather than dictate are keys to getting this right.
   
   
2. I need control. Again, my experience is that some clients are strangely willing to cede almost complete control to me, even going so far as to request my input on developing their fundamental business strategies and marketing tactics. I'm flattered when that happens, but that doesn't mean I'm always comfortable with it. The best situation is where the client wants to brainstorm those issues with me, or use me as a sounding board, because the better I understand her business goals and strategies, the more likely I can create a website that facilitates their execution.
   
   
3. I'm unsure about pricing. This is probably the most uncomfortable area of discussion for client and consultant alike. It took me a while to understand that my fees are what they are; I don't have to justify them, and if the client's budget or preconceived notions get in the way, then we're both better off with other partners. That said, the client should understand that if I quote $xx per hour for website maintenance, his focus should probably be on what I can get done in an hour, not just the cost of that hour. As a professional, I will be significantly more efficient than his non-design staff in getting web-related tasks accomplished. Many small business owners say they want to take over website maintenance once the site is up and running, but very few will actually have the time and skills needed to do the job right. [One more thing about pricing: it helps if the designer can spell out her pricing on her website so that the client has no excuse for being "surprised" by the rate.]
   
   
4. I appreciate honesty and quality. Website design as a profession is in danger of becoming this century's snake oil salesmen (no offense to any snake oil salesmen in the audience). A significant part of my business comes from fixing problems caused by other "designers" who failed to deliver. Sure, it's a hard thing to tell a client that you can't do what they're asking you to do, either because you don't have the time or [especially] because you don't have the skill, but there's almost nothing that the client will appreciate more than hearing that exact thing. For example, I don't do Flash-based websites, period, for a variety of reasons. I often hear from prospective clients who say they want a Flash website, and just as often, after I tell them that I don't do that kind of work and explain why, they decide that they don't really need Flash after all, and I end up doing the same project using different technology. [Now, there will be times where the client's requirements will legitimately require you to expand your technical skills, perhaps even moving outside your comfort zone and taking some risks to get the project completed. This is not a bad thing. As a designer, if you're not learning, you're losing.]
   
   
5. I want you to stick around. Again, here's where the "snake oil salesman" comparison comes into play. Unreliable or disappearing designers are the bane of the profession, and they make us all look bad. I know why it happens, and, frankly, clients bear part of the blame. They think that if their nephew in junior high can design a site for them for $50, that's a better deal than paying a true professional. Then they panic when the junior high student discovers the opposite sex and decides there are more important things in life than working on uncle's goofy website. Just because someone has a copy of Front Page and Photoshop doesn't mean they can do the job, and the low barriers to entry into the profession also make for non-existent barriers to exit. There's just no substitute for availability and reliability on the part of the website designer. It will pay off in repeat business and referrals. In fact, my experience has been that reliability will even trump design skills, especially when dealing with small businesses and organizations.
   

I was visiting with a fellow in Bible Life Group* this morning, getting caught up with him and his family. They lived in Midland years ago, and moved to the Bay Area of California to be closer to family. He's back in Midland for a few months, working with his brother who owns a roofing company and thus is extremely busy following the terrible hailstorm earlier this year.

In the course of the conversation, I asked about his wife, specifically where she was working. His reply went something like this: She's a nanny, and works for a family that's pretty well off. Johnny Ive and his wife have twins and...

I interrupted him, making a huge leap of logic: Johnny Ive...as in Jonathan Ive? Apple's chief designer?!

Yes, that's the fellow.

Excuse me for being an Apple Fanboy, but I think it's pretty dang cool that I know someone who knows the guy who created the iPod, the iPhone, and the iMac, among many award-winning designs.

*Bible Life Group is our church's new-fangled name for Sunday School. I guess the latter term sounds too old-fashioned.

I really do dislike blogging about blogging, and I realize that you probably find it tedious and uninteresting, too. But, like death and government bailouts, it's inevitable when a website is going through such significant changes.

The revised layout that you're seeing now is an unstyled template provided by Movable Type, which is the blogging platform I'm once again using. It's ugly (in a way; but in another way, it's attractive in its simplicity) because it's being display on your monitor according to the default styling settings of your browser. Over the next xx days, I'll begin to override those defaults and [hopefully] return the Gazette to more or less the same layout I was using just before this latest change.

Please bear with me while I get this done. If things work out the way I fear, I'll be devoting more time to designing than to writing. I hope the end result will be worth your time and my effort.