Field Studies

That's Right, Field Studies: The Best Tool to Discover User Needs

The most valuable asset of a successful design team is the information they have about their users.

Because when teams have the right information, the job of designing a powerful, intuitive, easy-to-use interface becomes tremendously easier.

When they don't, every little design decision becomes a struggle.

While techniques, such as focus groups, usability tests, and surveys, can lead to valuable insights, the most powerful tool in the toolbox is the 'field study'.

Because frankly, there is no substitute for real deal facts, hands on, relevant content and data. And to those that value and celebrate meeting deadlines, deadlines based on guess work and assumed knowledge, over real field studies and research, are only fooling themselves (and sadly, their clients).

Field studies get the team immersed in the environment of their users and allow them to observe critical details for which there is no other way of discovering.

That's Right! Read it all: Field Studies.

HMK

(Having just spent the last 2 years working for an agency that to this day "working" without providing Job Jackets for the design team, I can only say that it's a relief to finally be back in control of what I consider the most fundamental approach to getting the results that matter for the client: 101 Research!)

Thanks to Jared M. Spool

HMK In Logo Lounge 3!

Sweet!

The new Logo Lounge 3 book is out and features 12 HMK Archive logos!

You can buy it HERE, and no, I'm not making a ding dang dime from the sale of this book, but I do recommend it highly!

Or, you can hire me for a project and I'll not only buy you your very own personal copy, but it's possible that I just might increase the odds of your company's logo being featured in the next Logo Lounge 4!

Peace!

That's Right,

HMK

Nice Color Palette Generator

Wow, get a load of this sweet Color Palette Generator!

Below is the color pallette it derived from the image of a proposed version of the "2008 Let's Go Nice!" travel book I'm working on as seen above.

This awesome little generator let's you enter the URL of an image to get a custom color palette that matches the image.

Just be sure to keep the file size of the image you upload under 150kb and you're good to go!

Whether you're a web designer, painter, an interior person or anyone that simply digs color harmony, I think you'll like this.

In the right hands, this is a super nice, smart and powerful little information tool - so why not use it. Although not totally perfect yet, it's a great start.

If this was mine I'd sell it to flickr - a perfect place for a tool like this to live.

That's Right,

HMK

Thanks to the smart folks over at De Graeve.

Who's Your Padre?

South Padre Island Spring Break 2007

Man, you just never know where your logo will end up...

Although yet to be fully implemented, the "Who's Your Padre!" campaign features this little Padre dude I created for the agency that handles the South Padre Island Convention Visitors Bureau, headed by the awesome Sir Dan Quant - all around nice guy and a perfect client if there ever was one!

Check out the site James Lewis, Erik Arradondo and I put together for the agency: South Padre Island.

Have a safe Spring Break everyone - I'll be up at SXSW in Austin rockin' out, checking out some indie flicks as well as all the cool interactive stuff goin' on.

Go Padre!

That's Right,

HMK

Louise Fili Rules!

This is the work of one of my personal favorite, award-winning designers, Louise Fili. Dig this totally killer logo she did for The Mermaid Inn!

Who says the word THE can't be bigger than the main title to work- a hyphenated title at that!

Nice.



So, what about a travel guide geared just toward designers? Seems unconventional, but it’s been well received by creatives thirsty for inspiration and the insight that can come only from a leader of the industry and an Italian design devotee.

Read it all over at Step Inside Design.

That's Right,

HMK

Karma Boomerang

Close Call!

Our sweet puppy Dazy was hit by a car this morning. She dashed out as Chrissy was fixing to take Brette to school.

The *@%hole that hit her sped away with our neighbor Eric chasing the late model tan Jeep Cherokee with Texas plates up our street.

We brought her to the emergency room and the Doc checked for internal bleeding, gave us some anti inflammatory meds and said to simply just keep an eye on her over the weekend and she should be fine.

Best news is that she does seem fine but might be a little sore come tomorrow.

Thanks to all our awesome dog loving neighbors that heard the thud and rushed ouside so early this morning - Eric, Lee, Justin, Charlotte and Michael!

And as for the heartless loser in the Jeep - I hope the guilt eats at you everyday until that Karma Boomerang eventually comes back and smacks you on the head.

And that's right - it will come back.

Peace,

HMK

Bursting With Fonts

Looking for better font Management? So am I.

I found a great springboard for all of us with an ever growing font collection: Font Management

Thant's Right,

HMK

Thanks to Joel Sacks. Joel at UrbanFonts. He knows quite a bit about fonts and font management - UrbanFonts.com features over 8,000 free font typefaces. Originally from South Africa, Joel currently lives in Canada.

Bradbury Thompson: Alphabet 26

Alphabet 26 is Bradbury Thompson’s radical proposal for the redesign of the alphabet. Click here to read excerpts from an essay that he wrote to accompany a printed piece that he planned to have published at the beginning of 1996.

Bradbury Thompson (1911-1995) sadly died before its completion.

Sometimes called the father of modern magazine design, Bradbury Thompson was one of the most talented (and nicest) designers America has produced. Below is an excerpt from the inside flap of his book, The Art of Graphic Design (Yale 1988).

The art director of Mademoiselle and design director of Art News and Art News Annual in the decades after World War II, he also designed the formats for some three dozen other magazines, including Smithsonian.

Thompson is in addition a distinguished designer of limited edition books, postage stamps, rationalized alphabets, corporate identification programs, trademarks, and sacred works (most notable, the Washburn College Bible, in which the words are set in the cadence of speech).

When it came to the blending of photography, typography and color, nobody did it better than Bradbury Thompson. In his own quiet way, he expanded the boundaries of the printed page and influenced the design of a generation of art directors.

Learn more about: Bradbury Thompson and his Alphabet 26.

That's Right,

HMK

First Things First: 101 Research

This is from an article in yesterday's New York Times:

There are “brand aspirationals” (people with low incomes who are obsessed with names like KitchenAid), “price-sensitive affluents” (wealthier shoppers who love deals), and “value-price shoppers” (who like low prices and cannot afford much more).

The new categories are significant because for the first time, Wal-Mart thinks it finally understands not just how people shop at its stores, but why they shop the way they do.

Uh, yeah. It's amazing what can be accomplished and how much time and money can be saved when you do even just a little 101 reseach first...

If you believe in the concept of process and research (not to mention the obvious), It’s Not Only About Price at Wal-Mart is a great read.

That's Right,

HMK

Logo Design History

Although far from perfect this is a good start to a great idea.

Check out: Logo Design History.

That's Right,

HMK

Music Snaks

They Might Be Giants have embraced the ringtone as a stand-alone medium. The Brooklyn-based band, which was an early short-form innovator with "Dial-a-Song" - an answering machine that played a different tune each day for callers - has started composing original songlettes as an alternative to the canned loop.

"We take a little sketch of a lyric or idea and make it as intense as possible," says singer-songwriter John Flansburgh. "These songs are built for repeated listens." To prove it, TMBG composed several original "snacktones" just you over at Wired Magazine's Snack Attack.

That's Right,

HMK

Thanks to - Steven Leckart

Connecting with Connectors

It has become part of our accepted wisdom that six degrees is all that separates us from anyone else in the world. How can that be? Because some of those degrees (people) know many, many more people than the rest of us.

Call them super-connectors. We all know at least one person like this individual, who seems to know everybody and who everybody seems to know. You'll find a disproportionate amount of super-connectors as headhunters, lobbyists, fundraisers, politicians, journalists, and public relations specialists, because such positions require these folks' innate abilities. I am going to argue that such people should be the cornerstones to any flourishing network.

Read more from this special excerpt at Fast Comany from the new book Never Eat Alone by Keith Ferrazzi.

That's Right,

HMK

Picasso Works Stolen in Paris

Two important paintings by Picasso estimated by the police to be together worth about $66 million have been stolen from the Left Bank home of the artist’s granddaughter Diana Widmaier-Picasso, the authorities announced today.

Paris police officials said the two oils, “Maya With Doll” from 1938 and “Portrait of Jacqueline” from 1961, were taken from Ms. Widmaier-Picasso’s house on the Rue de Grenelle in the city’s chic Seventh Arrondissement sometime overnight between Monday and Tuesday.

Read it all at: The New York Times.

That's Sux,

HMK

The Best Time to Do Anything

Have you ever wondered if there's a perfect time to grocery shop, travel, or go to the DMV?

Here are some cool tips that can streamline any routine.

DMV or Department of Public Safety in Texas:
One of the worst places to waste time is at the Department of Motor Vehicles. So experts say try to make an appointment, and if you can't, avoid the morning rush and go mid-week.

Fresh Fish:
If you're buying fresh fish at the grocery store, Thursdays are a good day. That's when shipments for the weekend typically arrive.

And if you've read this far, now is probably the best time to read the rest: Inside Edition.

Thanks to Jamie Zanginer of Real Simple Magazine and Inside Edition.


That's Right,

HMK

Nile FM

Nice stuff for Nile FM.

That's Right,

HMK

Thanks to Freddy over at Ad Goodness.

South Padre Island Sunrise at Home

Discovery HD Theater, seizing on word-of-mouth and blog buzz around Sunrise Earth- an hour of panoramic sunrises shot in HD glory at exotic locations around the globe -- is looking for ways to offer marketing tie-ins to the show.

Though the program is 4 years old, it's now turning up everywhere from yoga classes to real-estate open houses as a plethora of HDTV owners turn into sun worshippers.

Read it all over at Ad Age.

That's Right,

HMK

I shot this sunrise on South Padre Island back in October of 2005, about the same time I thought of the exact same idea. Only my concept was always a live feed called Window to the World where you could sit at a cafe in Paris, enjoy the sunset at Eze or people watch on the Riverwalk in San Antonio.

Thanks to By Beth Snyder Bulik at Ad Age

Courageous Clients

Buzz-worthy campaigns turn ad-agency creatives into the cool kids of the moment. But behind every art director or creative cum rock star is a courageous client.

Meet the people who had the guts to greenlight last year's boldest advertising.

My personal favorite is the AMEX My Life My Card campaign. As Diego Scotti,VP of global advertising for American Express puts it - "Authenticity is the thing consumers respond to the most."

That's Right.

Read it at all Fast Company.

HMK

Fluff is no substitute for a concept.

Searching for the Casbah...

Looks like this is definitely an Oscar party consisting of serious Jackie Earle Haley fans...

I was over at flickr and I searched the tag "Casbah" looking for this: THIS and found this awesome shot!

Nice shot.

And the photog ain't bad either... Fresh Direct.

That's Right,

HMK

Verbal Identity

All of these non-latin based, seemingly nonsensical names for brands nowadays just make me chuckle. I mean, where do they come from and can we please see the list of the names that didn't make the cut?

Stuff like BRAVIA, AQUOS, NEXIUM, etc. What the hell?

Each one always sounds like it could either be one of 3 things:

A) A New Technology company, B) A New Drug or 3) a new Star Trek character...

Anyway. Have you ever wondered why certain brands always seem to be present in some back area of your mind, so that you'd only have to see the name and there's an image inside your head?

Bop on over to PingMag and read about 'Verbal Identity' expert Scott Milano as he explains why the sound of a brand name is so important.

That's Right,

HMK

BBFAQ

Had a great group of 30 + friends over last night for the Oscars to witness another star-studded episode in our man Jackie Earle Haley's comeback. Both Jackie and his wife Amelia looked absolutely fabulous last night!

Again, congrats and welcome back Jackie!

Now, we just can't wait for them to comeback home for some Texas Hold'em and some serious BBQ!

And speaking of BBQ... There's a nice interactive beef guide over at Fresh Direct.

That's Right,

HMK

That's Right!

Jackie shows off the shot to Penelope.

Good Luck Tonight Jackie!

That's Right,

HMK

And if anyone knows who shot this please let me know or if you took this and want it removed I'll be happy to make you happy.

JEH! JEH! JEH!

"Little Children" Oscar nominee Jackie Earle Haley whipped out his Blackberry and took a shot of Penelope, Ashton and Demi while he walked the runway in a Dolce & Gabbana suit and motorcycle-style boots at the GM Ten Fashion Show.

Then he showed the shot to the driver of the car he was sharing the runway with. The guy can definitely improvise.

I'll have that shot he took posted here very soon...


And I know I'm not the only one that hopes to see more images like this of Sir Jackie at tomorrow nights Academy Awards!


Go Jackie!

That's Right,

HMK

My Loft Or Yours?

Genius.

This is a fun read. The references are dated but those of us old school cats that have been doing this since Reagan was in office will appreciate it none the less.

Read it all at Crit.

That's Right,

HMK

Thanks to Chris Hutsul, AKA Ace Hammersmith and Clement Wu over at Crit.

Royal Vino

Prince Charles is joining the greatest artists of the 20th century as he becomes the latest painter to feature on Chateau Mouton-Rothschild's label.

The Prince – a well-known watercolourist who delights in capturing rural scenes around the royal residences of Balmoral, Sandringham and other retreats both at home and abroad – now adds his name to a list which includes Braque, Picasso, Miró, Chagall, Henry Moore, Warhol, Francis Bacon and Balthus.

The chosen watercolour, of pine trees at Cap d'Antibes on the Cote d'Azur, was not painted specially for the chateau, but was selected personally by Baroness Philippine de Rothschild.

Read it all at Decanter.

Cheers!

That's Right,

HMK

Time-Based Typography One. Lucky!

I think this is like, totally, the most killer Friday post to date in the 2.5 year history of this here That's Right blog!

Head first, attention to detail freak and student Jarratt Moody is taking a class that probably didn't even exist when I started this blog. I would have been soooo all over this class had it been offered in my prehistoric (technology wise) 1988 stat camera days up at Mass Art in Boston.

The class is called: Time-based Typography I at the Savannah College of Art and Design, and Jarratt recently finished up a really nice piece for the first project in the class. The basic idea of the project is to take a piece of audio from wherever (movie, song, poetry reading, answering machine) and then represent that audio on screen using only typography.

Jarratt chose a famous bit of dialogue from Pulp Fiction as his subject matter. The resulting piece is amazing and must be seen as soon as you find time in your oh so busy schedule.

So? What are you waiting for?

Oh, and there' some F-Bomb dropping, so either mind the volume or use your headphones.

Dig it! Intonation.

That's Right,

HMK

Big thanks to Justin over at Motion Grapher.