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Moving Forward

As a young designer I hear a lot about how much design and the tools we have used have changed in the last 20 to 30 years. It's true computers were not capable of the tools that we utilize today, and they were not as available to everyone. My more experienced colleagues have had to adapt to quickly changes times and develop new skills, styles, and techniques. It makes me wonder what I will be seeing in my future as a designer. It seems like technology is exponentially accelerating that vastly different fields that I could, and probably should, immerse myself in.

User Interface (UI) is a discipline that is just exploding, and for good reason. It takes into account how users will utilize electronic devices, website, apps, and other software. There are some companies that cater just to the discipline, and is becoming necessary for agencies to have a specialist on staff. UI gives customers the simplest and the easiest interaction possible. This requires adaptive websites and software from all devices and browsers (if you are using one), as well as interpreting what the customers needs maybe and tailoring to the individual. This takes research and coding capabilities to a new level.

3D Printers. Who knows what applications we will use 3D printers for in the future of graphic design. They are becoming more affordable so they are becoming utilized in fields such as: bio-composites, mechanical engineering, architecture, industrial design, and I am sure much much more. It will force designers to move from mostly 2-dimensional outlook to a 3D. I am sure it will have some interesting results.

Digital Applications. Print is not going anywhere anytime soon, but we have been moving to a more digital world. Digital books and publications have soared. Websites are standard necessity for any business. More people are carrying smartphones or tablets that have access to internet and apps that need to adapt for useability. More of my own clients are sending emails rather than direct mail these days. Designing for a digital medium will carry its own requirements and will be adapting as new technologies become available.

I don't know what the future will hold, but I guess that is part of the fun.

Jacked In or Not?

Recently I took a vacation from work, and there is was the concern of what would happen if an emergency occurred while I was away. My boss calmed herself when she realized that I had a smart phone and could check emails on my phone, but I revved up the anxiety when I explain I do not stay linked in away from the office. Yes, technology has made my life incredibly easy to stay connected, but I know that I don't want it to rule my life. I have never added my work email to my phone. I do not want to hear alerts or deal with the stress of taking work home with me. I already work 8 to 5; I don't need to tack on 5 more hours (that's my time).

Everyone was easily shocked by relaxed notion of being connected 24/7. I pretty much ignore my phone at night unless I am expecting a call. that is the best part of technology I can use it when it is convenient to me, and put it away when I would rather focus on the life going on around me.

Email, Facebook, Blogs, and Twitter...Oh My!

As I mentioned before with a new shift in my company, which means taking on more responsibility. I have recently obtained a twitter account, so that I know more about this medium that I am supposed to help my clients navigate. Webinars, blogs, and seminars can only help me go so far. I have to delve into these murky waters myself to help my clients to the fullest potential.

With so many social medias that we log into everyday it is difficult to manage them all in a personal matter. It is a more difficult animal to deal with for companies. More important than maintaining so many medias and connecting with customers it is essential to first have a brand. A brand is a living thing, and that is why your brand needs to reach out to your current client base through email, facebook, twitter, and ect. This is why branding is essential because all of these medias are elective, meaning that your customers allow you to access them in this way. Even with this access, your information is seen by less than 20% of your elective customers. Social media allows you to approach your customer in his or her favorite medium, and allows them to interact back with you/brand.

This is why social media consultants is becoming a full time job at many companies. I am not an expert by any means, but I working hard to help my clients have a new type of conversation with their customers.

Be Square

Social media is making an impact on how we design and how our future logos and identities will look. Most social platforms have  adopted the square image (for years) as your profile image overall and as the signature image when you leave a post. Adapting to this need designers and companies are looking to make logos less horizontal and more likely to fit in a square or circular shape. Even when the full logo is long (horizontally) usually there is a snippet that can become the company's main logo/identity.

All of these logos are creative of Meghan Hageman

Going forward I think designers need to account for this "profile stamp" and companies will be requesting it so that they can maintain their identity across platforms. Having a square logo not only helps you interact on social media, but on your own website as well. Ever notice the little icon to the left of your website address in the browser? This image is also a square used to identify your company. It is typically a simplified version of the logo since it is so small and complex gradients and colors are hard to reproduce in that size.

Not only do we as designers need to keep squares in mind, but your client's needs across different platforms and mediums. Companies are looking for full color flashy logo for websites and business cards, and  a simplified version of one or two color for applications, such as the little on icon to the left of your website address. People still send faxes and/or will need a black and white document printed so a simple black logo will be necessary as well.

Logo sites worth looking at:

• Logo Lounge
• Mashable
• Logo Blog
  
  

Educational Links

Design, Social Media, and Food. Do you really need anything else? Here are a few links with marvelous tips:

• AIGA // Beyond Craft and Tools: The Skills Design Students Must Master
• CookingLight // The Most Common Cooking Mistakes (with solutions)
• Ethics for the Starving Designer
• 7 New Facebook Changes Impacting Business
• Smashing Magazine // Symptoms of an Epidemic Web Design Trend

Social Media Chaged the World

In the past year I have doubled my social media outlets, and I am not the only one. Most people check facebook, twitter, blogs, and ect. multiple times a day. Social networks are a great way to stay connected with friends and colleagues and provides quick and easy ways to share ideas and information.  Social media often leads to a disconnected analog world as well exposing more of ourselves than is wise. Social media is being utilized by business to attract new clients and developing personalities and a brand. With the right methods social media is a great place for customers and brands to get a long and stay informed, but social media is easily falls prey to over-zealous posting and bland personality that can alienate customers even further.

1) More Connected: Getting reconnected with old friends and distant family draws most people to social media. Different networks are adding diverse tools to help you share thoughts, images, videos, and more to keep your friends to connected to your daily life and big events.

2) More Disconnected: Sitting at a restaurants I was looking around and noticed that about 20% off the customers were bending over and entranced with their mobile phones. My own husband was taking a photo of his beer to post on facebook. Because we are busy letting a multitude of online friends know what were are up to, sometimes we are neglecting the friends and family who have come to see us face-to-face.

3) Easier to gather and share information: My new favorite social network is Pinterest. It is a great spot for me to shave images of interest, recipes, and design inspirations. (They need to work on an app for android since not everyone has an iphone!) Social networks have coded in ways for the community to share links, images, and videos so that we can organize our ideas and share them instantly. Which can be good and not so good.

4) More Exposure (Good): Social media sites such as LinkedIn can be a great way to get noticed whether you are a company or a potential employee looking for hire. The other sites are well used by business to build on their customers basis because their current customers have friends and they might become customers too.

5) Over Exposed (Bad): Social media has lead to a large epidemic of verbal and visual diarrhea. We are sharing more and faster than we ever could have in the past. I still have not discovered the point of Foursquare except to let people know you are not at home, and could rob you right now. Also letting out details of your life makes it easier for hackers to steal identities and personal information.

Social media can be a great tool, but you must use it wisely. Oh, and Happy New Year!

Social Networking

Maybe its because social media has been quickly changing over the last few years, but no one at my school told me how important social networking could be. It can be difficult to network in a distant city. I experienced that myself at the end of my college career. I knew I would be headed back to Wichita, but did no know anyone in my line of work except the design studio I had interned at the summer before. Perhaps if I had learned about tools like linked in and behance sooner I would have been able to utilize those sites to my advantage.

Social networking can be a great tool, but it cannot beat meeting people face to face. Using social media can help you get that foot in the door, as long as you are representing yourself in a positive manner. Potential employers are going to google you so you should make sure there us nothing that degrades your digital appearance. Also making sure you have a uniform look and style at all your online media will help to brand yourself. Using a blog can be a great way to show a lot of personality and knowledge in your line of work. It helps if all you'd social tools link back to one another to help create connections and can simplify the steps a potential employer has to take as well as help design their experience.