Studentawards.com website
I began working on our site in Feb 2009 and after a long year and half, the studentawards website launched in Nov 15, 2010. This is by far has been one of the longest and most challenging projects of my career. I’m very pleased with the outcome and how this site turned out and I think it’s a beginning of great things to come for our company.
Here is to our entire team who worked on this site tirelessly for months.
iCarousel – Horizontal images slider
I came across this Javascript code which enables you to achieve an horizental movement across the sreen. This will be great for portfolio site where your photos is just sitting there look dreadfully boaring. This effec will create a bit of movement on screen. Check it out!
How to create a realistic torn photo effect – photoshop tutorial
I came across this tutorial yesterday and I think everyone could appreciate this trick to create some torn photos. You can simply apply this technique to your personal photos and Desktop wallpapers. Click here to visit the “speckyboy” website and follow the steps.
Jim Carey’s new website is out of this world!
A friend of mine suggested visiting Jim’s new site and I spent some time and browsed his site last night. I have to say something magical is there and kudos to the designer who came up with the creative concept.
What’s impressed me the most was the how the site suited Jim’s personality and if you know Jim Carey and seen his work, you know he’s a starnge fellow and his thoughts and head space should be off the wall, so is Jim’s site.
America is f*cked … graphically at least!
This is Aaron Draplin telling a story about a sign. He’s a graphic designer and very passionate about what he does. This clip is an extra from a mini documentary. If you’re passsionate about design, you should watch this video.
America Is F*cked…….(Graphically at least) from Jess Gibson on Vimeo.
Feature Website of the Month: dayswithmyfather.com
Phillip Tolendano documented the last 3 years of his time with his father who suffers from memory issues. The website is designed in a modern layout and photographs are featured as web pages. Most photographs have a similar look & feel and they all transcend the sad reality of an old age.
While this is a very personal subject for Phillip but it’s almost impossible not to feel Phillip’s emotions in his photographs. I think these photographs will become available in a book later.
The dayswithmyfather.comwas designed by fashionbuddha.com and it was also honoured by webvisionary for the best personal site and Best of Show.
How to successfully present your creative concepts to clients
Design is subjective and what we (designers) think may or may not be in line with client’s
expectations. For nea
rly 10 years, I’ve been designing sites and creative elements for my own clients and at the agencies and client approvals have always been the most challenging part of projects. In my experience, there are number of things that could be done to handle the approval process.
1. Develop a creative brief for all of your projects
The brief document outlines your vision of the project and also articulates client’s initial direction. The Creative brief could be developed in a high-level format at the beginning of the campaign or at the Pitching stage and will eventually evolve to a detailed document.
2. Run the first draft of your creative concepts by the client to ensure you’re on the right track
This will allow you to receive client’s early feedback. This is extremely helpful to ensure you’re heading toward the right direction
3. If you’re planning on using photo stocks, run them by the client before purchasing
If you’re working for a big agency and the cost isn’t that big of deal, it’s cool to purchase hi-res formats of your stock photography. But if you’re a freelancer, this method could potentially save a bunch of money.
4. Review your creative concepts with your team members
Once you have developed some concepts, run them by your team. Get fresh eyes to look them over and get comments. You may not have to change things around but you could observe and learn from their reactions.
5. Check your spelling
No matter how rough your creative mockup could get, clients always think that your work is final. Check your spelling at all times; believe they will hold it against you. I highly recommend using “Lorem Epsom”.
6. Never present your creative concepts via email. Arrange a face to face meeting!
Avoid presenting your creative concepts via email. Often time clients will get confused and misunderstand your creative approach. Face to Face meetings are the best way to lead the client through your work and present the creative from your eyes. Client will have an opportunity to address any concerns or issues at the meeting and you can answer their questions at the spot while things are being discussed. This will save a great deal of head ache later on. If you’re having trouble getting all stakeholders in the room for presentation, you could also set up a conference call.
7. Creative Concepts Revisions
Ensure to carefully take notes and share them after the meeting so that everyone is on the same page. This is particularly most helpful if you need approvals from multiple people from the client side. Remember, your designs will always be criticized and questioned. This is part of the process.
8. Finalizing the creative concepts and receiving the final approval
Once the revisions have been made, you can setup another meeting and present the final concepts. Client will need to provide you with email approval so that you can finalize all the assets.
Improving the transition from paper to Photoshop
Paper prototyping is a method used by many web designers (including myself) to help plan and conceptualize new site designs or features. Simply put, it’s creating website prototypes on paper. By removing distractions like code and syntax and any technical elements, the designer can focus in isolation on the form, structure and design of the piece he’s working on.
