I enjoyed this class more than I thought I would. I think of web designers as artists. I have never considered myself as an artist. So I wasn't sure how I would do or what I would get from the course. What I ended up getting is a deep appreciation for design. Although I thank the Professor for that, I also thank all of my classmates. It was both motivational and inspirational to discuss the course and its theories
and to see and admire your work. I am proud to be among you and can't wait for our next adventure together.
Saturday, December 17, 2011
closing thoughts
It was great this past semester working with everyone. I have learned a great deal regarding how web sites are constructed. I now have a good understanding of form and function and how each component works together. Learning about the various font styles and how those styles started. Taking a look at the balance and symmetry of a web site design. Having a understanding of color. What colors will work well together, which colors won't works as well together. The meaning of each colors etc. One of the assignments I did like was comparing magazine vs. web.
I also learned how to work with Photoshop which I have never worked with before this semester. I would like to wish everyone best of luck and to have a nice holiday.
Dave Kalkanoff
module 8 recap.
Thursday, December 15, 2011
@ the end of our semester
As we get closer and closer to the end of this class I can't help but think of all of the useful information that we exchanged throughout the semester. I found myself using the information that we learned in my day to day work life (great feeling)!
I was wondering if this blog and all of the class material will be available after the class is over? I was also curious to know if anyone would be willing to share the projects that they worked on throughout the class with each other. I am more than willing to share the pieces that I've worked on. Feel free to contact me via my personal email asaunders678@gmail.com or via twitter @asaunders678 anytime! Thanks for all the great knowledge share and conversation in this class.
I was wondering if this blog and all of the class material will be available after the class is over? I was also curious to know if anyone would be willing to share the projects that they worked on throughout the class with each other. I am more than willing to share the pieces that I've worked on. Feel free to contact me via my personal email asaunders678@gmail.com or via twitter @asaunders678 anytime! Thanks for all the great knowledge share and conversation in this class.
Friday, December 9, 2011
Minute Maid Article
I found this article on Brand Packaging and found it very interesting to see the process of how designers created the Minute Maid look. Through design and research designers choose a look that was appealing to new customers as well as existing customers.
This article is a great over view of what happens doing package design and how companies look at past and future consumers in the designing process.
http://www.brandpackaging.com/Articles/Brand_New/BNP_GUID_9-5-2006_A_10000000000000714143
This article is a great over view of what happens doing package design and how companies look at past and future consumers in the designing process.
http://www.brandpackaging.com/Articles/Brand_New/BNP_GUID_9-5-2006_A_10000000000000714143
Monday, December 5, 2011
Red or Blue, Get Your Flavorpill To Order
Print magazines which have already long established their reputation as such, National Geographic, GQ, Electronic Gaming Monthly, for example, in creating their online editions quite possibly made their run through several laborious content strategy meetings, style guides and design iterations to a greater degree than more recent, perhaps web 2.0-born, online-only magazines. The former have the added task of presenting their content consistent with their established brand but with all the new responsive and interactive methods of delivering that brand content online, and some have managed this quite well, while the latter have the benefit of launching with all the bells and whistles built right into their brand and delivery.
Flavorpill is one such example wherein we find not only a magazine native to the internet, but also one that offers a broad range of topics in contemporary culture; books, film, design, art and multimedia—and Flavorpill has quite intelligently designed their workflow to utilize web 2.0 communication tools, like social media, to stay up-to-the-minute on these topics, where a print journal would have to balance their print editorial structure with what is published online; one good example is Wired and its web edition. Flavorpill manages this format in several specific cities in the United States, and London.
Of course, digital natives are not (yet) born in and of their own connections online. In other words, their design and implementation still follows conventions we find in "meat space"; namely, letters to the editors and writers, in the form of comments, which are now frequently published in print versions of some magazines, like Wired; readers can subscribe to online-only magazines, typically for free and receive a newsletter-style email, the body for which is a condensed version of the brand style seen on the website, with the most visited and newest content linked; and, of course, use of images. However, these aspects mentioned, while they are analogues of print magazine layout and delivery, have been adjusted to the scaling potential of user-generated, feedback, and responsive, interactive behaviors online. Real-time affects have brought forth, by default, a new dimension of feedback, appropriation and re-delivery—and print magazines have a good deal of pressure to balance the inherent need to stay present, and current, with the time it takes to compile, editorialize, layout, design and print a monthly magazine.
Meanwhile, online publications like Flavorpill are freer to experiment, without the anchor of inverting or struggling to keep alive an established print magazine.
Sunday, December 4, 2011
ravasquez-module7-screencast_national-geographic
Saying a word or two about the print and web editions of the most recent National Geographic.
Salon.com- Heather Kick
I think on-line publications have a huge advantage to print publications. Their information can be more timely, linkable, share-able, etc. Not only that, but layouts, color schemes, menus can all carry over from page to page. Being an internet based publication, space and materials are no longer an issue. However, just because you have the capability to be bigger and better than a print publication, doesn't always mean you are. With an almost overbearing amount of information, data management can become an issue. Salon.com, in my opinion could easily be swallowed whole by the information found on their page.
The top of their home page is nice. There is a main story and several other top stories highlighted. Then, there is a line with the title "Recent Stories". Below that is just a huge list of stories. This format reminds me of an "above the fold" format. The design is much sleeker, much more welcoming, much more enjoyable to read "above the fold." But below that, it's like the website didn't know what to do. Salon.com has tried to carry over the print design a bit too much. I think it is time that they throw these concepts away and learn what functionality they can really utilize. Once they learn how to better manage the information, then they can put more thought into the form.
As is, there isn't much to be said for the form. There aren't that many colors used. It's strictly set to black, white and red. The articles are written in a serif font. Even the layout is lacking "below the fold". Even "above the fold" there is a bit of awkward spacing with layout...
I don't think Salon.com has really even started to utilize the format of their delivery. And that's a shame.
The top of their home page is nice. There is a main story and several other top stories highlighted. Then, there is a line with the title "Recent Stories". Below that is just a huge list of stories. This format reminds me of an "above the fold" format. The design is much sleeker, much more welcoming, much more enjoyable to read "above the fold." But below that, it's like the website didn't know what to do. Salon.com has tried to carry over the print design a bit too much. I think it is time that they throw these concepts away and learn what functionality they can really utilize. Once they learn how to better manage the information, then they can put more thought into the form.
As is, there isn't much to be said for the form. There aren't that many colors used. It's strictly set to black, white and red. The articles are written in a serif font. Even the layout is lacking "below the fold". Even "above the fold" there is a bit of awkward spacing with layout...
I don't think Salon.com has really even started to utilize the format of their delivery. And that's a shame.
Slate Gets It Right
I read Slate all of the time and have always loved the design of the front page. It is set up to scan for stories quickly with the most important stories at the top. Then, of you have time you can scan for more lifestyle stories and analysis that might interest you.
Slate is an example of an online Newspaper that gets it. I think they do a better job online that sites with a paper and ink counterpart. It seems difficult for the editors of those companion sites to break away from the paper into the digital world. The front page is where that is most important, for that is you menu of option. It is the entire reason online is better than news print - you don't need to search through a paper to find stories that interest you, they are all right there for you to chose.
Compare Slate to the New York Times site.
The Times insists on laying out their web site much like their print edition. The copy under the headlines eliminates choices. The Times offers eight stories in the space you see above. With a changing image, a scroll and several menus, Slate offered five times more options in the same space.
I think the biggest difference in design approach between newspaper sites with a print counterpart and those without is the front page. The sites without a paper and ink mother don't have to struggle with the separation anxiety that seems to keep the companion sites from breaking away from what was to what can be. Those at companion sites have an ingrained and antiquated idea of what a newspaper should look like. I have friends who have worked at newspaper web sites and have expressed frustration with the inability of those who come from print to be able to see past the paper in their hands.
That is not to say designers should forget the past completely. In fact, it is important that they do not. Slate doesn't. Once you are past the front page, things start to look a lot more conventional.
Headline, sub-heading, picture, one column, traditional type, spacing and paragraph breaks - it's all right out of the old newspaper. This layout is easy to read, comfortable to the readership and promotes a sense of credibility that has been built by a hundred thousand articles laid out the same exact way in a thousand newspapers.
It's important to keep some of what was, especially on a news site where lay out is a symbol of journalistic standards. Its just not important on the front page.
Slate is an example of an online Newspaper that gets it. I think they do a better job online that sites with a paper and ink counterpart. It seems difficult for the editors of those companion sites to break away from the paper into the digital world. The front page is where that is most important, for that is you menu of option. It is the entire reason online is better than news print - you don't need to search through a paper to find stories that interest you, they are all right there for you to chose.
Compare Slate to the New York Times site.
The Times insists on laying out their web site much like their print edition. The copy under the headlines eliminates choices. The Times offers eight stories in the space you see above. With a changing image, a scroll and several menus, Slate offered five times more options in the same space.
I think the biggest difference in design approach between newspaper sites with a print counterpart and those without is the front page. The sites without a paper and ink mother don't have to struggle with the separation anxiety that seems to keep the companion sites from breaking away from what was to what can be. Those at companion sites have an ingrained and antiquated idea of what a newspaper should look like. I have friends who have worked at newspaper web sites and have expressed frustration with the inability of those who come from print to be able to see past the paper in their hands.
That is not to say designers should forget the past completely. In fact, it is important that they do not. Slate doesn't. Once you are past the front page, things start to look a lot more conventional.
Headline, sub-heading, picture, one column, traditional type, spacing and paragraph breaks - it's all right out of the old newspaper. This layout is easy to read, comfortable to the readership and promotes a sense of credibility that has been built by a hundred thousand articles laid out the same exact way in a thousand newspapers.
It's important to keep some of what was, especially on a news site where lay out is a symbol of journalistic standards. Its just not important on the front page.
Screencast
After several horrible attempts at recording myself (and trying to fit into 5 minutes), here is my presentation.
http://www.screencast.com/t/yNCNjWcG9a
http://www.screencast.com/t/yNCNjWcG9a
People is Popular
I just wasn't sure what people would think if I tried to buy Seventeen Seventeen :)
Here is my presentation.
The interesting thing about People Magazine online and in Print is that they rarely share content. In fact, they have two distinct jobs under the same umbrella. The Print version is for interviews and articles with celebrities and interesting people. The print version prides itself on being 50% celebrity and 50% human interest (although I am not sure that's true.) The online site is purely celebrity news and is updated several times daily.
Slate vs. The World
I went surfing around the Slate website to see how different the site would be from that of popular print magazine websites. I expected that there would be a pretty noticeable difference in the structure and design of the website. What I found was it was essentially the same website as tons of other news websites. Upon arriving at the Slate home page, I immediately thought of the GQ homepage.
Both websites seem to be a cluttered mess that is differentiated not by its design, but by the quality of its content and columnists. While magazine's like People, GQ, and Car and Driver can afford to keep a cluttered homepage with an overload of information, Slate does not have this luxury because the website is the only source that people can go to in order to get information from Slate. This causes a conundrum because people will often want to play it safe as to not lose visitors to the site, but I personally would suggest making the website feel more like a magazine, since that is what it is supposed to be.
I think designers should take risks - particularly those that are designing for situations as unique as digital-only magazines. I would personally offer an option on a Slate splash page in which users get a "normal HTML-like, cluttered page or they can choose a more magazine-like style so that laptop users or even mobile web users have the option to flip through the website like a magazine. Psychologically, this could give readers a magazine feel and make them believe that they are getting an amazing deal because they are getting quality magazine-like information for free. Slate has an opportunity to be better than the rest of the magazine world. I think they're missing out.
Both websites seem to be a cluttered mess that is differentiated not by its design, but by the quality of its content and columnists. While magazine's like People, GQ, and Car and Driver can afford to keep a cluttered homepage with an overload of information, Slate does not have this luxury because the website is the only source that people can go to in order to get information from Slate. This causes a conundrum because people will often want to play it safe as to not lose visitors to the site, but I personally would suggest making the website feel more like a magazine, since that is what it is supposed to be.
I think designers should take risks - particularly those that are designing for situations as unique as digital-only magazines. I would personally offer an option on a Slate splash page in which users get a "normal HTML-like, cluttered page or they can choose a more magazine-like style so that laptop users or even mobile web users have the option to flip through the website like a magazine. Psychologically, this could give readers a magazine feel and make them believe that they are getting an amazing deal because they are getting quality magazine-like information for free. Slate has an opportunity to be better than the rest of the magazine world. I think they're missing out.
People Magazine (Screencast)
Here's the link to my screencast comparing the on-line and print versions of People Magazine.
http://screencast.com/t/qcznuiBOtP4
http://screencast.com/t/qcznuiBOtP4
Saturday, December 3, 2011
BAK Magazine
The online magazine I decided to go with was BAK Magazine. I actually stumbled upon this accidentally, but I was really glad I did. The design of this magazine is really impressive; vivid colors, eye-catching artwork and some interesting articles. Here is a cover shot of Issue 14:
The design approach of this "cover" is similar to that of any print magazine--an attractive graphic, the magazine name and information about the articles inside. The next page offers a letter from the editor, the layout being just like a print magazine,
Something you will notice on this page as well is that this magazine is bilingual--English and Turkish. I'm sure about anyone else, but this is the first time I have come across this and I am a bit impressed with this unconventional approach.
As you browse through the rest of the magazine there are plenty of impressive graphics and great articles and interviews. The articles/interviews design and layout are quite similar to what it would look like if it did have a print counterpart.
The design approach in BAK is very different from, for example, the digital version of National Geographic. With National Geographic, most of the design detail and attention is given to the print version. In the print you find larger photos, a variety of color and a variety of font. With the online version, you find a fraction of the design effort. In BAK, since this is the only version, all design effort is put into the digital version. I'm not sure that BAK is really taking away any 'conventions' from the print magazine genre. It keeps the same design format as a regular print, but gives it a bit more edge and creativity. I think more designers should go this route and print magazines could take a lesson on how to make their digital counterparts more interesting and exciting.
The design approach of this "cover" is similar to that of any print magazine--an attractive graphic, the magazine name and information about the articles inside. The next page offers a letter from the editor, the layout being just like a print magazine,
As you browse through the rest of the magazine there are plenty of impressive graphics and great articles and interviews. The articles/interviews design and layout are quite similar to what it would look like if it did have a print counterpart.
Slate magazine IPAD vs. print magazine
I decided to take a look at Slate magazine on my IPAD. It has a very nice layout. I like at the top of the page you have contents, the slatest (instead of latest) video, and podcast. The contents tab is closely related to the table of contents in a print magazine. The slatest tab gives you recent stories with a headline and the first few sentences of the article. The page on the site also has pictures for each article on the right. It's easier for you to look at all the recent stories at one time instead of flipping pages in a magazine. The video tab has recent videos of stories from the past week. Not only can you read articles on this site, but you can also watch videos. The final tab is podcast. When you click on podcast you have podcast categories to choose from, the topics are as follows. 1) Daily Podcast, Political Gabfest, Culture Gabfest, Hang Up and Listen, Double X, Audio Book Club, Spoiler Specials, The Root, Manners for the Digital Age, Poetry.
Comparing Slate magazine to a print magazine. Most print magazine you see on the shelves have a great deal of pictures. The pictures they have are very eye opening. I can see that there are more advertisements in a print magazine. A lot of people complain that printed magazine have too many advertisements. The only advertisement on the Slate site is Liberty Mutual. There are several places to go within the contents of Slate or a printed magazine. The differences I see is that there are more articles, you can interact by reading the blogs, there is a slide show. Down at the bottom of the page you are able to post articles on Facebook or Twitter, Instapaper and email. You are unable to use any of these interactive tools with a printed magazine. These are some of the conventions that take away from printed magazines. Yes, it is necessary to have an online magazine that has video, podcasts, blogging, and interaction amongst several social networking sites. These thing are going to make more and more people want to turn to a non printed magazine. As far as design for Slate magazine I don't know what more they can do right know. Maybe in the future we will be interacting even more by communicating instead of typing words. The design of a magazine, however needs to find a way that is totally different than all the printed magazines out there currently. There will be a time where printed magazines will become obsolete. There won't be a need for them everyone will have some type of interface with you allow for you to get your magazines electronically.
Online magazine Observation
I had a difficult time finding a magazine on the web that did not have a print counterpart so I chose to evaluate http://www.alistapart.com/ (one of the examples given in the module description).
This website is set up very similar to a blog. It it is very easy to read and navigate through and the colors are neutral but perfect for the web. The 3 column set up makes the homepage easy to read and the large text in the navigation bar makes it easy to find your way around the site. It is nice that you can click on all names of authors and article titles to learn more. Interaction is key when building an online magazine. Another feature that I thought helped organize the site is the ability to search through topics. The site is calm and is not confusing or cluttered at all. Overall, this site looks very professional and well made.
This website is set up very similar to a blog. It it is very easy to read and navigate through and the colors are neutral but perfect for the web. The 3 column set up makes the homepage easy to read and the large text in the navigation bar makes it easy to find your way around the site. It is nice that you can click on all names of authors and article titles to learn more. Interaction is key when building an online magazine. Another feature that I thought helped organize the site is the ability to search through topics. The site is calm and is not confusing or cluttered at all. Overall, this site looks very professional and well made.
Salon.com magazine or newspaper?
Salon.com is an online liberal magazine. It focuses on delivering USA politics and reviews and articles on music, film, and books. This online magazine is designed in a tabloid layout. This magazine is consistent with its layout throughout the whole website. When visiting this website, you feel as if you are on a news website instead of a magazine’s website. Salon.com online magazine lacks pictures and is solely driven by its story.
When I think of a magazine I think of fascinating layouts and amazing ways of placing images. I think of dimensional pages and the usage of lots of colors. However, this magazine lacks colors, large pictures, and enjoyable layouts. I dislike how lengthy the threads are on this website. They don’t utilize links to navigate through different web pages; they just place them all on one page.
Online magazines do take away from the feeling of buying a magazine on a stand. Simply by removing a lot of the ads you lose a chunk of the excitement you had when opening a magazine. I remember buying Glamour magazine just to see what new fragrance and bags were available for the season. I don’t visit online magazine for this purpose anymore. When I visit a magazine online I am just interested in the images and brief articles.
Salon.com is almost identical to visiting a news website. For this, I believe that there should be something implemented for magazine websites to stay consistent with their “magazine feel” layout.
Rue
Rue magazine
This magazine can be viewed on your screen or through an ipad app. Rue has articles about fashion, food and interior design. The overall on-line magazine layout is similar to a print magazine such as real simple. Both magazines are clean with an open layout that has plenty of white space.
The Rue magazine website is less cluttered. The website acts as the shell for the digital magazine and to point out certain topics. I enjoy flipping through the magazine pages as if it were a print piece. Being able to click on topics I like to automatically go to that website is very convenient. Having the magazine in digital format on-line the designers can focus on the information in the magazine and then focus on the information on-line separately.
When I visit realsimple.com I notice that all the articles I’ve seen/read in the print version are on the homepage. On ruemag.com I can go onto the site view the magazine and then view other topics the designers have pulled out and placed on the website. It allows all the information from the magazine and additional information to site nicely on a website with out over whelming the site with information.
The interior of the rue magazine is very similar to a print magazine however it appears to have less on each page. Since this magazine fits on an ipad designers probably had that in mind as to how much content can fit on an ipad screen. The font is mostly san-serif, which is easier to read on-line.
Overall this magazine captures some similarities to actual print magazines however conforms them nicely to an on-line only publication. Similar to printed magazines the pages of the digital magazine are set up in certain groups of topics- fashion, interior design, going out, etc. It has created a nice open space for viewers to read the magazine and additional information with out repeating information on two platforms.
This magazine can be viewed on your screen or through an ipad app. Rue has articles about fashion, food and interior design. The overall on-line magazine layout is similar to a print magazine such as real simple. Both magazines are clean with an open layout that has plenty of white space.
The Rue magazine website is less cluttered. The website acts as the shell for the digital magazine and to point out certain topics. I enjoy flipping through the magazine pages as if it were a print piece. Being able to click on topics I like to automatically go to that website is very convenient. Having the magazine in digital format on-line the designers can focus on the information in the magazine and then focus on the information on-line separately.
When I visit realsimple.com I notice that all the articles I’ve seen/read in the print version are on the homepage. On ruemag.com I can go onto the site view the magazine and then view other topics the designers have pulled out and placed on the website. It allows all the information from the magazine and additional information to site nicely on a website with out over whelming the site with information.
The interior of the rue magazine is very similar to a print magazine however it appears to have less on each page. Since this magazine fits on an ipad designers probably had that in mind as to how much content can fit on an ipad screen. The font is mostly san-serif, which is easier to read on-line.
Overall this magazine captures some similarities to actual print magazines however conforms them nicely to an on-line only publication. Similar to printed magazines the pages of the digital magazine are set up in certain groups of topics- fashion, interior design, going out, etc. It has created a nice open space for viewers to read the magazine and additional information with out repeating information on two platforms.
Friday, December 2, 2011
Digital Vs. Print
One site I go to frequently is Engadget. I consider it a digital magazine because of the content it offers. Engadget is full of technology stories, podcasts, reviews, an online store and galleries. Instead of flipping through pages, you are just scrolling on down with the bulk of the content on the left side, and ads on the right side. Content wise, it feels and looks like a magazine with text and pictures.
A publication that is on paper and is digitized both contain similar content, but delivery is where it is different. With print, there is more opportunity to showcase photography and creativity using imaging and color. On the web, the text is mostly black on white, with pictures floating around it. Design wise, a lot of web publications have a "blog feel" to them. You see the headline, followed by an introductory paragraph, and then you choose if you want to continue reading or just skip it. It's a cookie-cutter mold for each story thereafter.
In print, the story is there. It's hitting you in the face. Once you turn the page, chances are you'll bypass the entire story and head into the next one. But it's limited. Once all pages are occupied, there is no more room to accommodate breaking news or updated information on a story. It must wait until the next publication. With web magazines, it is very easy to update a story or add a new one on the fly. Space isn't an issue.
But again, that's where creativity plays a key role. Given set parameters, constructing a solid piece of work within the constraints of a page could be a challenge, but the presentation could be amazing. It's almost like each page is its own web page. In the end, I don't mind the simplicity of the layout of most online publications, but I really do feel that more creativity goes into print because each page is unique in design.
Car and Driver (magazine vs. internet)
https://capture.quinnipiac.edu/recordings/djkalkanoff/Car%20and%20Driver%2050212/Car_and_Driver_50212_-_Flash_(Large)_-_20111202_03.23.38PM.html
Zite: iPad Digital Magazine
Zite is a customized online digital magazine for the iPad. Once the application is first downloaded a screen pops up to choose topics you wish to read about and keep updated with. These topics will be saved and every time you open the Zite magazine articles will be pulled from different sources based on the topics of your choice.
I don't see to much of a difference in design approach between Zite and an online magazine that has a print counterpart such as People Magazine. Both online versions are packing in as more information and content as possible. The idea behind the online versions seems to be more of getting the information across rather than flashy. The big difference is that a site such as Zite is pulling articles from several sources rather than having writers of their own.
The only other non-convential design to this magazine is that you are picking the information you want to read. Of course in a print magazine you can skip over those stories but this magazine is specifically designed to only bring to you what you wish to know. I think this is a fantastic idea for producers. Finding the information you want with out the extra "garbage" has never seemed to easy. I think designers should attempt to bring new ground and bring in new ideas to magazines.
Screencast
Here is a link to my screencast of People Magazine.
http://www.screencast.com/users/smcoppola/folders/Default/media/fc0e2cec-c5f1-4508-9bc6-e101eb86ca6f
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