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  Showcase of Sweet Chocolate Websites

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    The word chocolate can be associated with many words: dark, white, milk, hot, sweet, spicy, etc. But have you tried to combine it with the word web design? We did. We searched the Web for websites in any way related to chocolate and what we found is worth to be collected in this showcase. The interesting thing is that you would probably never stumble upon some of the sites, so the overview below may provide you with a unique perspective and get your creative juices flowing.As one would expect, chocolate website often use an appetizing brown dominant color. If you take time to look at the panel of colors associated with it, you will find out that there is a lot of combination working really well. Apart from this component, each site is unique and features an original identity, depending on product presentation and given information.Feel free to explore the designs featured below. Some of them are nice examples for Flash used for product presentation. Some designs are very classy while others are more artistically designed. But they all have in common this fascinating sweetness everyone loves.[Offtopic: by the way, did you know that Smashing Magazine has one of the most influential and popular Twitter accounts? Join our discussions and get updates about useful tools and resources — follow us on Twitter!]Similarities In Chocolate Website DesignsWe found out that there are three common techniques that seem to crop up over and over again on various chocolate-related websites. A vast majority of the sites use a horizontal top-navigation, brilliant product and ingredient images as well as a dark brown color scheme which is often combined with vivid, strong colors.CharlesChocolates: the bright blue color scheme here is fun and fresh, but the thick footer navigation is what really makes the CharlesChocolates’ site stand out.The navigation patterns are mostly common and convenient, however we’ve noticed quite a few uncommon navigation menus as well. The interesting part is that we’ve seen only a couple of typical boring stock templates. Apparently, most chocolate and confectionery website owners do care about their branding and their unique presentation on the Web. In fact, many sites try to be playful, creating an engaging, interactive and memorable user experience. That’s not something you will see in every industry, e.g. certainly not among medical websites.Horizontal Top NavigationBecause chocolate websites vividly highlight product and ingredient images and therefore fill a large part of the layout with visuals, the choice of horizontal top navigation seems quite appropriate. The number of navigation options varies from five to nine links per navigation menu (excluding sub-navigation links). The most common navigation links lead to pages describing the manufacturor of the chocolate, shops where the chocolate is available and “gifts” pages where users can order business gifts, wedding gifts etc. Sometimes the navigation also contains a link to the recipes page.Jeff de BrugesOffsetting each navigation element with it’s own double border makes each link stand out and adds visual interest to the header.Godiva ChocolatierPlacing the navigation directly under the header works well on the Godiva Chocolatier site.Jacques Torres ChocolateHaving the top navigation highlighted by a thin orange border makes it more visible to new visitors.TCHO: Buy Dark Chocolate and GiftsThe top navigation here is simple and a bit on the minimalist side. Placing it above the bold header text makes it stand out a bit more.Chocri chustomized chocolate barsClassic tabbed navigation works well with multi-colored text and a subtle gradient.The Chocolate Bar – Reno, NVA minimalist top navigation bar directly under the header is made more interesting through the use of transparency. Notice that there’s also secondary navigation in the footer.Cadbury: Cadbury ChocolateA simple, traditional top navigation bar is user-friendly and almost always looks good.Product and Ingredient ImagesThe quality of product photography on chocolate websites is remarkable. Images are often large and dominant and are given a lot of both horizontal and vertical space. In fact, chocolate, especially gourmet chocolate, is often very visually interesting. The ingredients that go into it can also be very aesthetically pleasing. So it only makes sense that a lot of designers are opting to include mouth-watering images of the chocolate being sold on a given site.Festival Internacional de Chocolate de ObidosThis site of a chocolate festival uses a striking background image as well as a nice chocolate photos on its main page.Green & Blacks Organic ChocolateThe broken chocolate bar used here gives a casual look to the site, while the embossed logo helps reinforce the brand.Dagoba Organic ChocolateThe combination of chocolate with blueberries and lavender reinforces the organic nature of Dagoba’s chocolate bars.Mindy’s Hot ChocolateAn almost-macro image of chocolate shavings in a chocolate martini, combined with other images of their offerings sets apart the Mindy’s Hot Chocolate website.Patrick RogerTobleroneToberlone opts for limited product images, but including just a couple of well-placed images can have a positive impact.Haigh’s ChocolatesA large, close-up image of the product adds a ton of interest here without overwhelming the otherwise simple and minimalist design.ChocomizeShowing the variety of possible chocolate bar customizations can go a long way toward enticing visitors to create (and order) their own customized chocolate bars.Brown Color SchemeObviously, dark brown color scheme dominates on chocolate websites. However, very often the scheme is complemented with vibrant, dynamic colors such as bright green or red. In general, most sites do stick to the dark scheme, often with tiled or photographic backgrounds which are closely related to the main theme.Dove ChocolateThe Dove Chocolate site has an almost exclusively brown website design, with varying shades used to offset different parts of the site.Divine ChocolateThe Divine Chocolate site uses brown in limited quantities, but it’s still prominent in the design.ValrhonaDark brown used throughout the design of Valrhona’s site makes one think of dark, high-end chocolate.HemmankonditorVarying shades of brown, from the very dark brown (almost black) of the background to the lighter browns of the navigation and header are all evocative of the many varieties of chocolate out there, and what can be made with them.Promise Me Chocolate…The combination of dark brown and pink works really well together, especially on a site specifically targeting brides-to-be.The Cocoa TreeUsing brown as an accent color sets apart The Cocoa Tree’s site. It feels fresh and light, something that’s often hard to accomplish while still bringing to mind chocolate.Brookside FoodsThe Brookside Foods site brings together various shades of brown with black and gold to create a high-end looking site.Unique DesignsSome chocolate websites fight for user’s attention with striking design elements and unconventional navigation schemes. Some of them are presented below. In these cases, (for site owners) the engaging and memorable user experience seems to play a very important role.Max BrennerThe Max Brenner website is set apart for a few reasons. The right-hand vertical navigation is one reason. But also the retro, grungy design with the animated eye (you’ll have to visit the actual site to see it).BloomsberryThe animation used on the Bloomsberry site is interesting and very well-done. The navigation is also atypical, with links easily identifiable but scattered throughout the main part of the home page.Pierre MarcoliniThe Pierre Marcolini site is very minimalist, with not a trace of brown showing up in the main part of the design.WispaAnother site that uses no brown in the main design, but instead opts for colors reminiscent of the product’s packaging rather than its contents. The hand-drawn elements also make it stand out.Chocolate Research FacilityThe animated chocolate dripping onto the screen is a bit gimmicky, but also adds a lot of interest to what would otherwise be a very simple site.More Chocolate Website ExampleszchocolatKommunarkaPionirChocolate EditionsIcamSpartakChocolatfreyKambly SAAskinosie ChocolateRelated PostsYou may be interested in the following related showcases:Showcase Of Beautiful Vertical Navigation DesignsBeautiful eCommerce WebsitesThe Unusable and Superficial World of Beer and Alcohol WebsitesWhat If Oscars Were Given To Movie Websites?Principles Of Minimalist Web Design, With Examples(jb) (cs) (mm) (cc) (vf)© Smashing Editorial for Smashing Magazine, 2010. | Permalink | Post a comment | Add to del.icio.us | Digg this | Stumble on StumbleUpon! | Tweet it! | Submit to Reddit | Forum Smashing Magazine Post tags: chocolate, showcases

  

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  July 15 2010, 1:36am | Comments »

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  The Showcase of Beautiful Photography

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    Sometimes, a picture can be powerful enough to be inspirational material all by itself. To provide you with some inspiration for the upcoming week, this sunday we feature some truly beautiful and impressive images from talented artists and photographers worldwide.Whether in black and white or in colors, they are all related by a strong sense of composition and an emphasis on lightening and colors work. All images are linked to their sources, which you are encouraged to visit. Other work of the photographers we have featured here is certainly worth discovering as well. Please notice that some images are available as prints as well.[Offtopic: by the way, did you know that Smashing Magazine has one of the most influential and popular Twitter accounts? Join our discussions and get updates about useful tools and resources — follow us on Twitter!]Beautiful PhotographyDreamingAmazing sleeping beauty, where the beauty is actually also the beast, by Peter ツ. Prints are available as well.Blue SkyFar And AwayInside Capitol HillThe EndpointBy Jeannette Oerlemans.Falling UpSong of TideBy Wira Nurmansyah from Indonesia.BlueBy Earl A. Jones.Bunny BokehHappy bunny bokeh wednesday, by Little Miss Patricia.The CatAbstractBy tanakawho.Ink SeaBy Hermin Abramovitch.Fan’s EyeA macro shot by LauHi.falltuerPainterBy an unknown artist (please let us know the photographer in the comments).Ant, The DriverBy Raphael Guarino.A purple leafBy National Geographic.Flower PetalBy Alistair Campbell.KeeperBy Wysseri.Who Feels LoveBy Ciuky.In The Mood 4 LoveBy Antonio Navarro Wijkmark.TunnelBy Kleemass.EyjafjallajökullBy Skarphéðinn Þráinsson.Susanna MajuriA disturbing yet insteresting serie of images by Susanna Majuri.San ToriniAbandonedBy tEdGuY49.blue canaryBy Ursula I Abresch.Bearded DragonA macro shot by LauHi.Ant (by Unknown)Please let us know who is the author of this image in the comments.Light Paintings by Twin Cities BrightestLast ClickThe PlugsWell, that’s not a beautiful photo per se, but we are confident that this image will spark your imagination for a more productive workflow — at least when it comes to handling cabels and plugs!Would you like to see more similar inspirational posts? Would you like to see more similar (inspirational) posts on Smashing Magazine?Market Research © Smashing Editorial for Smashing Magazine, 2010. | Permalink | Post a comment | Add to del.icio.us | Digg this | Stumble on StumbleUpon! | Tweet it! | Submit to Reddit | Forum Smashing Magazine Post tags: photography, photos

  

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  July 11 2010, 6:35am | Comments »

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  Showcase Of Web Design In Poland

  http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SmashingMagazine/~3/OVd4eOCAV_4/

    Vodka, pickled cucumbers and Pope John Paul II might spring to mind when someone mentions Poland. Obviously there’s more to Poland than that. On the world map of design, Poland is marked by creative agencies that produce high-level design and employ some of the best programmers in the world. There’s also a crowd of freelancers and visionaries who have received worldwide recognition.For the people I interviewed, Web design is life. The art directors and freelancers highlighted here work in all sorts of environments, and they answer questions related to our field. You’ll have the opportunity to see Polish Web design from a number of perspectives — and to form your own opinion while browsing selected productions.[By the way, did you know we have a brand new free Smashing Email Newsletter? Subscribe now and get fresh short tips and tricks on Tuesdays!]The State Of ThingsQuestion: Can you name some of the milestones in Polish Web design? What are the biggest and most important productions in recent years?Jacek Opaluch of K2 Internet: If milestones are things that have changed the perception of Web design, we have to mention Internet locations, events and designs. In my opinion, the locations would inlude mocnweb.pl, a forum that no longer functions and is probably only remembered by people over 30. It was a place where people could share their initial experiences and which, if I remember correctly, had the first carefully selected catalogue of Polish Web designers’ websites.Then there was the everlasting webesteem.pl, steadily breaking records as the website with “the layout that never changed.” There were always several people around — some significant, like Bartek Gołębiowski, Jędrek Kostecki, Bartek Rozbicki, Wojtek Krosnowski, Wojtek Piotrowski, Piotr Łupiński and Łukasz Twardowski — whose attitude toward the Internet undoubtedly had great influence on thinking and design. There were many more people whose names I don’t remember, unfortunately, for which I apologize.Chopin2010.plCertain designs are stuck in my mind. These were well known, not just in Poland, and sometimes they were great examples to follow. Some have been replaced by newer versions, so giving the URLs here might be pointless, but they definitely include: Max Weber’s pdk.pl, a Flash portal with much character (probably the first in Poland); Nokia (created by K2 Internet); plama.art.pl and its subsequent versions; feta.pl; Sullivan’s Productions; click5.pl; Ars Thanea; cookie.pl; and recently, StudioKxx and huncwot.com. These are all first-class websites. Unfortunately it’s impossible for me to name every excellent website.In my opinion there were two other crucial events that gave shape to things: agencies went public (a sort of goodbye to the formative years of Web design) and eBay debuted in Poland. These events showed the quality of our service and proved that the Polish internaut had been highly underestimated abroad.Question: Are there any significant differences between Web designing in Poland and in the rest of Europe when it comes to artistic development?Jacek Opaluch: There are differences in budget, in the attitudes of clients and in understanding the Internet’s potential. Statistically, I don’t see any difference in the quality of the things we do: we win awards, we are jurors and we build among the best of the websites that present outstanding design — just like the rest of the world. Zakochaj się w kolorze.Kamil Kaniuk of Merix Studio: Polish programmers and coders are generally well regarded, which results from our observations and experience — often in cooperation with foreign firms. Numerous highly skilled Web developers are in Poland whose code is of world-class quality. Here at Merix Studio, we are searching for such people. The skills of our coders have been appreciated by the British company Independent News and Media, which prepared a series of test tasks for us before they decided to commission us to work on their leading brands (The Independent and Herald, for example).We are less inspired by Flash achievements and augmented reality (so popular right now) than are other interactive agencies in Poland. We are more interested in the productions of smaller flexible firms such as 37signals, nclud, Reactive and Clearleft. We invest in flexible and cost-optimal open-source software (Drupal, WordPress, Magento), because it can easily substitute for expensive commercial solutions.Open-source software is regarded slightly differently in Poland than it is in Western countries; the opinion that any self-respecting interactive agency should have its own original content management system (CMS) still prevails here, but this is not so. Just look at the US government: Whitehouse.gov is based on Drupal.In the current period of economic slowdown, Western companies are looking for ways to reduce costs while maintaining good quality. Many companies outsource to such countries as Poland, and these companies often have funds at their disposal that allow them to be more open to creative ideas. This is encouraging for Polish Web designers.Warszawska Jesień 2008Question: When was the starting point of innovative Web design in Poland? When did new media settle in Poland for good?Łukasz Twardowski of Cookie.pl: The first thing I remember from the Internet was an interactive advertising campaign for Frugo juice. The campaign was created by an agency, and it was the first Polish viral ad. It probably significantly increased interest in the Internet as a medium for advertising, and it collided with the so-called “Internet bubble,” which burst before any innovative design came into being.Still, this was the time when most designers I admire became active. Some independent websites on Web design were created, like Mocny Web or Webesteem. They attracted people who already thought of themselves as designers for new media. Looking back, I see that what pushed us forward was energy and optimism rather than skills and knowledge.I think we became aware of both (i.e. skills and the role of Web design) about three or four years ago, but the awareness wasn’t strong yet. The major problem with Web design in Poland is that the best interactive agencies give priority to advertising, and design is a secondary issue. Small clients such as photographers and architects, who might desire and deserve the best designs, often don’t have enough money to employ professionals. It’s great to see, though, that cultural institutions have more money to spend on the Internet, and they spend it wisely.Question: Is it possible to identify specific patterns in Polish Web design? Is every significant website really different from all the rest?Łukasz Twardowski: I wish Polish Web design had German discipline, Scandinavian simplicity and our knightly imagination. Polish designs are often much more daring than those of our neighbours. Still, if we want to develop our philosophy of design and be visible to the world, then we have to make more effort.The economy in Poland has been improving, and the only thing we need now is more energy and optimism. Mocny Web died naturally, and Webesteem is on its last legs. What we lack is a central forum where young designers (in a sense, all of us are “young”) can see the spectacular Web designs and discuss them.Flirt CampKamil Kaniuk: We think that in Poland there are still no styles in Web design that would distinguish our country from others — that is, that any styles are unequalled. Although one could fairly easily enumerate some common features of designs created elsewhere (the meticulous detail and profound illustrations of Russia, for example, or the graphic-rich interfaces of the United States), no specific style dominates in Poland. However, the “transfer of ideas” (say from West to East) is much faster now than it was a few years ago.Too often a design is a compromise between the vision of the designer and the requirements of the customer. Such designs tend to undergo amendments by the customer, which can change their original form. In our opinion, the openness of customers to modern solutions (e.g. non-standard interfaces based on JavaScript, like Xpiritmental) is less common in Poland than elsewhere. Foreign customers seem to be more open to our ideas and give us greater freedom, and they are ready to make use of technologies like JavaScript and AJAX.That opens the gate to creativity and gives the freedom to implement interesting solutions. In many Polish agencies — including those that work with big brands and budgets — some cheap and mediocre designs are created out of necessity.Kula.gov.plQuestion: What is it like to work as a freelancer in Poland? Is it drudgery or a stress-free job? Is it about keeping loyal clients or constantly searching for new ones?Jan Stańko: We shouldn’t generalize; every freelancer is different. Starting off is definitely difficult. Without a strong position in the market, you have to look for clients on your own, and you have to convince people that you are trustworthy and deserve opportunities. There are plenty of freelancers, but unfortunately the majority of them are young and immature and have no idea about the business. They finish school and immediately call themselves professionals. It can end badly: very often the honest designers who treat the profession seriously and think of it as their future have to suffer the consequences.In time, the serious freelancer gets clients and agencies start knocking on their door. Then you can choose the tasks you like the most, and that brings more money. Work gets difficult when you want to earn more money; it can mean sleepless nights, gallons of coffee and in my case, unfortunately, plenty of cigarettes.There are moments of anxiety as well, usually brought on by people who pretend to know everything about the Internet but actually know very little. I guess the best solution is to cooperate with agencies on a regular basis. Agencies can take the burden of work overload and stress off your back. Also, their complex services give you the opportunity to meet more interesting clients. As for the future, time will tell. I’m not even halfway through my career. Trophies are still a long way ahead!BuboleRafał Nastały: Earning one’s living as a freelancer in Poland without a recognized name can be incredibly tough. Independent clients often don’t want to sign contracts or pre-pay. They also think that preparing a layout is a piece of cake, so when they hear the price, they often back out. It’s very frustrating. It’s much more pleasant to cooperate with several agencies that can give you a fairly constant number of orders.Piotr Biernawski: I have five or six regular clients. Sometimes a client withdraws, and it’s usually because of money. It’s never a disagreement about the terms of the contract but about actually sticking to these terms (payment can be long delayed, etc.). But when some go, others come. I’ve been working with longstanding clients for five years now.Drudgery or a piece of cake? Definitely not a piece of cake. If it wasn’t for my strong connection to the mountains, which I love and where I do my hobbies, I would probably move to a bigger city and look for a full-time job. I also have a wife and child who are not very keen to move. However, I don’t think freelancing is drudgery; I can’t afford the latest model of BMW, but I work only about two hours a day. Even though you need to be psychologically strong to work like this, the lifestyle is great.Łukasz Bronisz: I think it depends on the individual. Everyone arranges their time and work environment differently. Some people prefer working at night and waking up at dusk in order to meet a deadline. Most of us, however, try to work during regular hours. It allows you to be in touch with agencies, allows you to make light changes and corrections and lets you have a private life too.I imagine that freelancing in Poland is similar to freelancing in other countries. It can be hard sometimes because of tight schedules or having a number of projects going at the same time. On the other hand, you always have the opportunity to relax or even take a break for a couple of days. No one arranges your time or dictates your schedule.Also, though, no one checks on you. If you choose to freelance, for which your income depends on how much you work, it’s reasonable to cooperate with several agencies. Doing this usually gives you enough orders that you don’t have to worry about the next month and can concentrate on your work. Of course, it’s always good to look for new projects so that you develop and diversify your designs. Łukasz BroniszKonrad Wysokiński: It’s still quite difficult to get by as a freelancer in Poland, although there are probably some people who don’t have to worry about work or can be picky about contracts. I often get the impression that people still don’t know what good design is or know that it costs money. For many people, the Internet is still a must: “People are talking about it, so let’s make a website — but make it as cheap as possible.” Some company owners have this attitude. As a result they ask someone, anyone, who knows a little bit about Photoshop (a brother-in-law’s daughter) to create the cheapest website possible. Thankfully, this has been changing steadily, like our society in general, and I hope that our sensitivity to the profession of Web design will increase with time.Mateusz Jakobsze: The Web design market in Poland has been gradually expanding. A lot of people freelance to get rid of the constraints of working for agencies. They want creative freedom and to earn more money. Undoubtedly, an advantage to freelancing in Poland is the opportunity to work for clients abroad who pay in Euro or American dollars. The ability to choose which clients and agencies to cooperate with is a big advantage as well. I always try to look abroad for new clients and to network. I have some regular clients as well as a couple of interactive agencies that I often collaborate with. We socialize not only at work but also at parties and unofficial get-togethers. It’s good to maintain informal relationships with your clients. Mateusz JakobszeQuestion: How does the Web design and development market look in Poland? Is it possible to earn one’s living from freelancing alone?Jan Stańko: It is possible, definitely. Many people are self-subsisting freelancers, including me. There are quite a lot of agencies and enough clients, and whether we get by depends on our hard work, consistency and responsibility. When it comes to cooperation with agencies, it usually goes smoothly; it’s the clients who are the weak link. But even that has been changing. The Internet is still a brand new thing for many people. Non-professionals find it difficult to catch up with the news that keeps popping up in the field, and sometimes this can result in misunderstanding.Rafał Nastały: Freelancing is not for everyone. You need to be self-disciplined and consistent to work as a freelancer. When you collaborate with agencies that know how to communicate with clients and that pay generously, you can have a relatively high standard of living.One negative aspect is the lack of credibility at the bank (getting a big loan is difficult), so if you’re not a high-profile Web designer, the best option is to have a full-time job and take additional work from other sources now and then. This creates financial stability. A bonus like that — a well-paid creative task — is actually very nice. There are of course some freelancers for whom one layout is worth more than the monthly earning of others.Warszawska Jesień 2009Piotr Biernawski: It is certainly possible to earn a living from freelancing. I know some people who earn more than ten thousand a month. I’m not talking about famous names here, but about people from small towns, “unheard of” names in our line of business. Considering the time I devote to work, I am not an example of this, but I can afford everyday living: mortgage, alcohol and cigarettes!Łukasz Bronisz: I think that the Polish market is pretty good. It’s a young market. Actually the whole business is young. Polish clients have become more aware of the Internet in recent years. Plenty of talented people are in the trade in Poland. If you know how to organize your time effectively, talk to people and sometimes work more than the standard eight hours, then freelancing is enough to earn a living. The important thing is to be consistent and up to date.Konrad Wysokiński: I’ll quote part of a conversation I had with a colleague, a designer. I asked him once, “Can you earn a living from freelancing?” He said, “It depends on your standard of living.” You can get by, of course, but you probably won’t make a fortune. I often get the impression that in Poland this type of work is considered a craft and is not treated with respect like other “professional” work. We are very far from the image of the Web designer you see in Hollywood movies, who has a five million dollar house with a swimming pool, has his own agent and who is the top Web designer for the most famous brands. Konrad WysokińskiMateusz Jakobsze: It’s not much different from what you see in other countries. We have many arenas where graphic designers can display their work, like themed blogs and Internet forums. The majority of creative agencies and independent clients look for employees that way.Freelance Web designing has been developing in Poland: about a quarter of agencies outsource on a regular basis, and more than a third use freelancers for selected projects. So, there are opportunities to work on different brands for different companies, which is good for both present and future freelancers.Special workplaces and offices have gradually emerged where there is no boss and all the workers are freelancers. We have such a place in Poznań. It’s a great idea to have freelancers from different professions gathered in one place. I hope for more initiatives like that.Question: What inspires you? Do you approach every design differently and enthusiastically, or is it sometimes like mass production?Jan Stańko: Mass production kills creativity, so I avoid it as much as I can. I prefer to do less work better. Then you can show a portfolio that you are really proud of. It’s the only way I work.Honestly, my inspiration comes from the work of other designers, both from Poland and abroad. Behance.net is a really amazing source, vast and rich. I don’t have a specific example, but this ocean of artistic ideas fuels creativity and prepares you to bring your own ideas to life. Then it just flows.Rafał Nastały: When I have the freedom of choice and some time on my hands, I try to make something original that appeals to both me and the client. But it sometimes happens that there are several tasks and the deadline is “yesterday.” In this situation, I bear down and work like a robot while trying to maintain a high quality of work. I get inspiration from the Internet. I regularly visit websites devoted strictly to Web design like FWA, DesignFollow and obviously Smashing Magazine. I also visit DesignYouTrust, FormFiftyFive and FFFFound. You can find plenty of great art and designs from many fields.Piotr Biernawski: Sometimes a free mind, a break from work and lack of inspiration are the best sources of inspiration! I work most effectively after a two-week break in which I do absolutely nothing — but such breaks happen only once in a while. This is why a freelancer needs to be psychologically strong, otherwise getting depressed is easy.As for inspiration, I have bookmarked several links. They are mostly Polish productions, and I visit them now and then. Given how much I work, this may sound strange, but one’s attitude to design makes a difference. Unfortunately for me, the majority of my recent projects were due “yesterday.” A client pays for fast work, and standards have to be met. There isn’t always a sense of achievement when you work quickly, but as long as the client is satisfied, I’m happy as well. Some interesting projects require more involvement. Usually these are not assigned by agencies but by independent clients who come directly to me. Maybe this tells us something?Reserved.plŁukasz Bronisz: I treat every design individually and use new ideas and techniques. When I start a project, I try to get a sense of what the client likes, but I also aim to be satisfied with my own work. It’s nice when everything goes smoothly and both the client and agency like your idea. Working with individuals can be tough; sometimes they just don’t appreciate your effort, which can compromise the result. This is typical both in Poland and abroad — at least, that has been my experience.Konrad Wysokiński: I get inspiration from all around. I sometimes do corporate identity design, which can inspire me. Naturally, I watch the best people at work and keep up with the trends. I’m a fan of grunge design, but very rarely can I use it. Every project is a new challenge for me, so I give my heart and soul to each and every design. I’m never convinced by lines like, “Do it quicker and simpler for a lower price.” I believe it’s impossible to make something look professional without taking a professional approach.StrzygMateusz Jakobsze: Like every creative job, graphic design requires participation. To keep up to date with all the news in both Web and graphic design, I regularly visit the important portals and blogs devoted to this line of work, be they Polish or international. The crucial ones include Behance, Smashing Magazine, DeviantArt, the FWA and New Web Pic. Additionally, I find reading and browsing books on advertising, typography, designing for the Web (including for portfolios, Flash websites and e-commerce shops) and graphic design useful. It can also be a good way to relax and get away from the digital world to some degree.The last (but most important) sources of inspiration for me are sleep and having a life outside of work (away from my computer). Socializing with friends and going to parties, cinema, opera and other cultural events renew my energy for creative work.When it comes to designs, I treat every project differently, but I always try to have a plan, an idea of how to do the project, from beginning to end. I make some sketches, and when know exactly what I want, I get down to work. Every design is a new challenge. I set higher standards for myself every day, and I strive to be the best at what I do.Showcase Of Beautiful Web Design From PolandLech.plTeatr WybrzeżeSony WalkmanModna NokiaMcDonald’s Happy MealBigstarAllegro za kulisamiThetokeMały GłódEurekoGrey WolfCarlsberg LiverpoolSkoda YetiFiat 500 DieselHappiness FactoryBest PhotoRokkaboyFestiwal FetaŻubrOkocimZając MrokuAmica ScandiumKakao PuchatekKalinowe PolaProfiPartnersKFC Longer MixJustyna KowalczykBiblioteka NarodowaNowy TeatrMediations BiennaleMastermCommon WealthPawel LenarFotokodyGreenlineGellweHoralkyFajne ChłopakiShowcase Of Interactive And Creative Agencies In PolandClick5CookieOS3Ars ThaneaArtegenceAdvHuncwotOpcomBlueberry180 HeartbeatsChange ConnectionsHipopotam StudioGolden SubmarineSo InteractiveHonkiPro-CreationHypermediaArt FlashChigo DesignEura 7Infinity GroupInsigniaNetizensStudio SynergiaXoe StudioMedia AmbassadorHotmindDesign-Related Websitesinteraktywnie.comwebesteeminternetmakercsseliteucssfreszkiwebhostingwebinsideRelated articlesYou may be interested in the following related posts:Showcase of Web Design in ChinaShowcase of Web Design in IsraelShowcase of Web Design in RussiaShowcase of Web Design in The NetherlandsShowcase of Web Design in GermanyShowcase of Web Design in MexicoShowcase of Web Design in IrelandShowcase of Web Design in Lithuania(al)© Przemek Matylla for Smashing Magazine, 2010. | Permalink | Post a comment | Add to del.icio.us | Digg this | Stumble on StumbleUpon! | Tweet it! | Submit to Reddit | Forum Smashing Magazine Post tags: showcases

  

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  July 5 2010, 4:26am | Comments »

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  The Ugly Showcase of Military, Intelligence And Defense Websites

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    Members of military and intelligence forces around the world risk their lives daily to defend their countries and assist in peacekeeping and aid missions both at home and abroad. The men and women who make up the world’s defense forces make sacrifices that most civilians wouldn’t consider to serve their countries.So, with everything they do for us, shouldn’t they be represented online by website designs that reflect the honor and responsibility they undertake every day? Unfortunately, that’s not the case in many countries out there. Many military websites out there are some of the worst designs in any industry. Whether they’re outdated, broken or designed by amateurs, some of the websites showcased below are bad enough to make you cringe.There are some good ones, though. A number of countries have obviously dedicated the time and resources necessary to project a professional and polished Web presence for their members. A number of other websites have obviously put in some effort and are pretty close. If you know of examples of other great military or intelligence websites from around the world, please add them in the comments! [By the way: The network tab (on the top of the page) is updated several times a day. It features selected articles from the best web design blogs!]The OutdatedThe websites featured here might have looked great 10 or more years ago (which was likely when they were created). But either their designs haven’t been updated in a very long time or their designers are still borrowing conventions from the late ’90s.Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Argentina Everything from the color scheme to the header image to the skinny three-column layout dates this design.Royal Bahamas Defence Force This website wouldn’t look quite so dated if it weren’t for the drop-shadows behind the content blocks.Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela The overall layout of this website screams early-2000s.Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Belarus Very minimalistic website with a solid background, gradients, tiny links and many &nbsp-empty spaces.Colombian National Police Here’s another great example of a website that would have looked right at home in the late ’90s or early 2000s.Hellenic Navy The thing that dates this website the most is its width: it would look right at home on a screen with a resolution of 800×600.Macedonian Ministry of Defence The layout, the partially rounded corners and the drop-shadow against the background all date this website.Pakistan Maritime Security Agency Using an image like this one as a background was very popular in the ’90s.Serbian Ministry of Defense The layout here is almost grid-like, but it doesn’t quite make it. The color scheme is the most outdated, though.Slovenian Armed Forces Another website that would have been current 8 to 10 years ago.Spanish Armada The rounded colors and glossy buttons would have looked great a few years ago, but now they just harken back to the earliest days of the Web 2.0 style.The Russian Federation Ministry of Defence The design has a striking resemblance to traditional Google AdSense blocks, and the line-height property for the content area certainly should be increased..Sri Lanka Ministry of Defence The color scheme and typography here are definitely reminiscent of Web design 5 to 10 years ago.U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation The skinny layout, color scheme and overall look of this website feel at least 6 to 7 years old.U.S. National Reconnaissance Office This website screams late ’90s and early 2000s, especially the navigation and typography.Uruguayan Air Force This looks like it was based on a standard template from 5 to 10 years ago.The Poorly CodedThese websites might not have been so bad if they were cross-browser compatible and adhered to Web standards even a little. But they are all so poorly coded that they don’t render correctly in browsers such as Firefox or Safari.Luckily, there aren’t too many of them.Brazilian Army The coding on this website isn’t noticeably horrible… except for all the thin white lines running through the backgrounds and borders of the content blocks.Pakistan Navy I don’t even want to begin figuring out how they got the rounded-corner background to repeat like that in the main content area.South African Army This website wouldn’t be so bad if it wasn’t for the giant gray bar running down the main column, effectively blocking half the content.United States Special Operations Command The headers for all the content blocks here are fine, except the one for the news feeds, which prefers to be higher up on the page.The Poorly DesignedThese websites are just poorly designed. Some look like they were based on stock templates… bad ones. Others look like they were designed in programs aimed at hobbyists or those needing to set up personal websites (in any case, definitely not appropriate for government agencies).Bolivian Army Between the color scheme, the header (which doesn’t come close to spanning the whole design) and the broken icons, this website just doesn’t look good at all.Cuban National Defence I’m not sure where to begin with this one…Egyptian Armed Forces It looks like they couldn’t decide whether they wanted a minimalist website.Republic of Fiji Military Forces This looks like your classic template website, with minor modifications.Ministry of Defence of Georgia This wouldn’t be so bad if the content areas weren’t so disjointed.Indian Air Force This might have been salvageable, except for the horrible alignment.Kenyan National Security Intelligence Service The padding and margins in this website aren’t adequate, and the alignment is off in places. The concept is sound; it just needs to be better executed.Lebanese Army This website might not have been so bad if the colors complemented the camouflage background, rather than clashed with it.The Philippine Marine Corps This is another one for which I’m not even sure where to start.Polish Land Forces Forget for a moment how amateurish this one looks. Notice how the text doesn’t even match up with the navigation buttons.Portuguese Army From the header alone, it’s not so bad. It’s the lower area of this website that doesn’t seem to have any aim.Romanian Land Forces I’m still trying to figure out if that white bar across the top of each column is supposed to be there. Beyond that, they should have paid more attention to how the header colors go with the rest of the color scheme.Royal Thai Army There’s just way too much going on here, and no focal point to grab your attention.Turkish Air Force This almost made it into the “Not So Bad” category below, except that it doesn’t have any focus, and the alignment of some elements is off.Ministry of Defence of Ukraine The ads on this website should be better integrated in the overall design. Other than that, the design looks very dated.United Arab Emirates Ministry of Defence Where’s the content?Zimbabwe Ministry of Defence There’s no color scheme here, and the entire thing looks like something a kid did in class.The Not-So-BadThe websites here aren’t terrible. In most cases, only minor things hold them back. Most of them could be great with just a bit more work.Ministry of Defence of The Republic of Armenia Other than the width of this website (which is a bit narrow for even an 800 x 600 display), it’s not a terrible design.Australian Secret Intelligence Service This design is just fine, other than being a bit boring. And the text could be slightly enlarged for easier reading.Ministry of Defense of Bosnia and Herzegovina If more attention was paid to the baseline or vertical rhythm, this would be a reasonably good design.British Secret Intelligence Service The angles in this design should either be better incorporated into the other elements or removed altogether. Other than that, it’s not bad.Brundeswehr This is one of those websites that doesn’t have anything particularly wrong with it. It’s just underwhelming.Ministry of National Defense of the People’s Republic of China The elements on this website don’t quite have enough continuity, but the color scheme and overall layout are good.Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Croatia This website is also underwhelming. Nothing particularly “wrong” with it, but not impressive either.Ecuadorian Army The header here is great, but the rest of the website doesn’t quite match up, and it feels a bit like a generic template.Ecuadorian Navy Parts of this website are great (the slidehow in the header, for instance) but other parts don’t quite match up, particularly the buttons on the right-hand side and the off-center navigation elements.Armed Forces of Honduras This website isn’t bad. But again, nothing makes it stand out.Norwegian Ministry of Defense Another example of a website that doesn’t do anything to stand out.Peruvian Air Force The idea here is good, but the result isn’t very interesting.Portuguese Ministry of Defense Another inoffensive yet unimpressive website.Portuguese Navy This would be great, but it has just a little too much going on. Some negative space would make a huge difference.Saudi Arabian Ground Forces This website is more interesting than some of the others here, but it doesn’t quite pull it together.Sri Lanka Navy Here’s another website that looks like a template. The use of white space could be better and makes everything look a bit disjointed.Swiss Army Another underwhelming, uninteresting design. At least it looks professional.US Air Force A professional yet boring design. But maybe that’s how military websites should look?US Central Intelligence Agency This website is way too narrow, and overall it’s just not eye-catching.US Department of Defense Too much is going on here, and the social media links (the icons especially) on the left look out of place.US Navy The icons and banners in the header don’t really fit the rest of this design.A Few Good SitesThe websites below are the stars of this post. They are well designed, easy to use, professional and worthy of representing the armed forces and intelligence services.Austrian Armed Forces This one’s clean and well laid out, with plenty of white space and a great color scheme.British Army A professional-looking website, with a background that’s more interesting than most.British Royal Air Force Another website with an interesting background and a clean overall design.British Security Service MI5 The color scheme here is great, as is the overall aesthetic, which is a cross between minimalist and magazine-style.Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Bulgaria A clean, well thought out design that makes good use of textures and gradients.Chilean Navy The header here is fantastic, and the rest of the layout works well.Ministry of Defence and Armed Forces of the Czech Republic Another great header design: this one doubles as navigation. Each section of the website has a different color scheme, while maintaining the same basic look.Defence Command Denmark A minimalist layout that leaves plenty of white space.The Finnish Defense Forces A clean and organized design, with double-tabbed navigation bars.Netherlands Ministry of Defence The purple color scheme here is unexpected, but it works well and sets the website apart.Polish Ministry of National Defense This is one of the nicest designs in this post, especially because of the header.Swedish Armed Forces A good clean design with a minimalist aesthetic and great typography. The transparent titles over the images on the right really take it up a notch.US National Security Agency Professional, easy to use and coherent: everything an intelligence website should be.US Army The US Army website brings together a lot of content of various types while maintaining a usable and consistent user interface.US Marine Corps This website stands out mostly because of the grid used for the main content area and the ample white space everywhere else.(al)© Cameron Chapman for Smashing Magazine, 2010. | Permalink | Post a comment | Add to del.icio.us | Digg this | Stumble on StumbleUpon! | Tweet it! | Submit to Reddit | Forum Smashing Magazine Post tags: showcases

  

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  June 23 2010, 3:52am | Comments »

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  100 Years Of Propaganda: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

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    Propaganda is most well known in the form of war posters. But at its core, it is a mode of communication aimed at influencing the attitude of a community toward some cause or position, and that doesn’t have to be a bad thing. Although propaganda is often used to manipulate human emotions by displaying facts selectively, it can also be very effective at conveying messages and hence can be used in web design, too.Notice that propaganda uses loaded messages to change the attitude toward the subject in the target audience. When applied to web design, you may experiment with techniques used in propaganda posters and use them creatively to achieve a unique and memorable design.In this article, we look at various types of propaganda and the people behind it, people who are rarely seen next to their work. You will also see how the drive for propaganda shaped many of the modern art movements we see today. Notice that this post isn’t supposed to be an ultimate showcase of propaganda artists. Something or somebody is missing? Please let us know in the comments to this post!William Orpen: England, 1917Orpen studied at the Slade School in London alongside the likes of Augustus John and Wyndham Lewis. He produced some of his best work while at the school and became known for his portraits. A friend of Orpen then arranged for him to paint the pictures of senior military officials, such as Lord Derby and Churchill. In 1917, he was recruited by the government’s head of War Propaganda to the Western front to paint images of war-torn France. It was there that Orpen painted his most famous piece, “Dead Germans in a Trench.”Dimitri Moor: Russia, 1917–1921Dimitri Moor (or Dmitry Stakhievich Orlov) changed the face of graphic design in Soviet Russia back in 1918. His work dominated both the Bolshevik Era (1917–1921) and the New Economic Policy (1921–1927). The main theme of Moor’s work is the stark contrast between the oppressive evil and the heroic allies. A lot of pressure was put on Russian workers to rise up against imperialism.A lot of Moor’s artwork was restricted to black and red. Black was generally used for the main part of the poster, and all of the solid colors for the capitalists. Red was used for socialist elements such as flags and workers’ shirts.This is a lesser known poster by the artist, appealing for help for those staving from the Russian famine in 1920. It features the single word “Pomogi,” meaning help. The drawing is of an old man who is just skin and bone. The last stalks of barley are barely visible in the background.El Lissitzky: Russia, 1920El Lissitzky spent his whole career absorbed by the belief that the artist could be an agent for change and good, and his work in a lot of respects shows this. He himself was a huge agent of change in the artistic movements of the time. He was one of the fathers of suprematism, along with Kazimir Malevich; and along with many of his peers, he changed the look of typography, exhibition design, photo montage and book cover design. Most of the modern techniques we see today and that appear in film and modern Kenetic typography are the product of Lissitzky’s work. Beat the Whites With the Red Wedge, 1920One of his most famous pieces, shown below, really embodies Lissitzky’s work. It is so avant garde that even a lay person could recognize the style. The abstract geometric shapes and clear color pallet scream of modernist art, and yet the poster has a real message. It describes the Russian revolution that took place in 1917. The white circle represents the royalists from the old regime, and the red triangle represents the communists moving in and changing opinion. It has been described as a stylized battle plan for communist victory.You might also recognize it from Franz Ferdinand’s album cover:Then in 1921, El Lissitzky accepted a job as the Russian cultural ambassador to Germany. His work influenced a lot of the iconic designs of the Bauhaus and De Stijil movements. His last poster, seen below, was a return to propaganda, with a poster encouraging the Russian people to help Russia build more tanks to win the war against Nazi Germany.Strakhov Braslavskij: Russia, 1926Braslavskij was known for his posters that promoted the emancipation of women. During this time in Russia, the idea of gender equality was growing. Emancipated women were seen to be supporters of the communist agenda, and so they needed to be freed from their so-called duties as wives and mothers.The emancipation of women and the socialist movement went pretty much hand in hand. In the poster below, we see almost a confluence of the sexes. The woman is drawn somewhat androgynously, wearing masculine clothing that hides her female figure, and a cold hard stare that hides her emotions. Behind her is her place of work, showing that women can do the same hard labor as men, and she carries the red flag of the communist movement.The curious thing is that the image shows not so much the emancipation of women as it does a way to turn women into men, dressing them in men’s clothing, showing them as working in factories, and hiding their femininity. It seems the real reason to emancipate women was simply to increase the workforce and thus strengthen the communist movement.Hans Schweitzer: Germany, 1930sIn Germany in the 1930s, propaganda was in full swing and being used by Hitler’s advisers to call the German people to arms and spread lies about the Jews. One of the most famous artists behind Nazi propaganda was Hans Schweitzer, known as “Mjolnir.” This poster by Hans Schweitzer shows the typical pro-Nazi theme of the German army’s strength, depicting an S.A. man standing next to a solider. The text reads, “The guarantee of German military strength!”This next poster by Mjolnir, titled “Our Last Hope: Hitler” was used in the presidential elections of 1932, when Germany was suffering through its great depression. Nazi propagandists targeted the German people who were unemployed and living on the breadline, and they suggested Hitler as their way out, their savior.The propaganda then used the scapegoat of the Jews, blaming them for all of Germany’s problems and the war. Many posters were entitled, “He is guilty for the war.” This was the key message of Hitler to start his campaign of terror and for the ethnic cleansing that ensued. Almost the entire campaign from beginning to end was driven by the artist Mjolnir. Just as the media molds public opinion today, Mjolnir most definitely molded the opinion of the German people through his designs. There is no doubts about the immorality and emotional deception of these designs; they are still worth mentioning because they were extremely powerful and effective at the time.Valentina Kulagina: Russia, 1930Kulagina was one of the few female poster artists to emerge from the 20th century. Her art was heavily influenced by suprematism, and you can see the similarity between her work and that of El Lissitzky. This poster, called “To Defend USSR” was created by Kulagina in 1930. It takes a cubist perspective in its multi-dimensional shapes, and it shows the Red army as huge almost robotic figures, marching from the factories to fight the war. They are surrounded by the tiny white airplanes of the royalists, which appear to have no effect on them at all and in fact seem to be flying through the figures.Phillip Zec: England, 1930Phillip Zec was probably best known for his depictions of Nazis as snakes and vultures. At the time, Nazis were usually drawn as bumbling clowns or buffoons. But Zec brought out the more sinister side of the German regime in his drawings. Hitler reportedly hated Zec so much that he added him to his black list and ordered his arrest following the invasion of Britain. He blamed Zec’s Jewish ancestry for his extreme ideas.This poster by Zec was a call for women to join the war effort by working in the munitions factories.This ugly toad is former Prime Minister of France Pierre Laval, who decided to work closely with the Nazi command during World War II.This illustration is about the French Resistance, telling Hitler that it was very much alive.Gino Boccasile: Italy, 1930Gino Boccasile was a supporter of Benito Mussolini and produced a lot of propaganda for him. His posters became increasingly racist and anti-semitic as his support for the German puppet state increased. After the war, Boccasile was sent to prison for collaborating with the fascist regime. The only work he could find after his release from prison was as a pornographic artist and working in advertising for Paglieri cosmetics and Zenith footwear.He became well known for his advertising and pornography.Pablo Picasso: Spain, 1937Picasso painted Guernica in response to the bombing of the town by Germany and Italy, which were following orders from Spanish Nationalist forces, on 26 April 1937. The giant mural shows the tragedy of war, using innocents civilians as the focal point. It became a huge symbol of anti-war, and upon completion it was exhibited worldwide to spread the message. The piece also educated other countries about the horror of the Spanish Civil War, which till then most people had never heard of.Norman Rockwell: US, 1939Norman Rockwell is probably one of the best known of the propoganda movement. He admitted that he was just a propaganda stooge for the Saturday Evening Post. The newspaper paid many artists and illustrators to whitewash American news with patriotism and propaganda for around 50 years.His work has often been dismissed as idealistic or sentimental. His depiction of American life included young boys running away from a “No swimming” sign, and happy-go-lucky US citizens going about their business unaware of the crumbling world around them.Rockwell’s famous Rosie the Riveter poster is shown below, representing the American women who worked in the munitions and war supplies factories during World War II. This was a call to arms for the women of America to become strong capable females and support the war effort.J. Howard Miller’s “We Can Do It!,” commonly mistaken to depict Rosie the Riveter, conveyed the same message:Rockwell was always unhappy with the politics of the Saturday Evening Post, so in his later years, he took up the controversial subject of racism in America. He became respected as a painter for these hard-hitting pieces of American culture, much more so than for his work for the Saturday Evening Post. The piece below is called “The Problem We All Live With.” It is not known whether this painting is based solely on the Ruby Bridges story, because it was also thought that the idea came from John Steinbeck’s book Travels With Charley.The subject was the integration of black children in American schools. Little Ruby Bridges was filmed making her way into the William Franz School at 8:40 am. At this time, a gigantic crowd of 150 white women and male youth had gathered. They threw tomatoes and shouted vile comments at the tiny girl. It is hard to look at this picture without being affected.Xu Ling: China, 1950It is hard to find details on these Chinese artists, but we can focus on what they intended to convey with their artwork. This piece is a caricature of the American commander in Korea at that time, General MacArthur. It shows the US as an aborrent evil, and Macarthur is shown stabbing a Korean mother and child. Bombs labeled US are being dropped on cities in China in the background as the US invades Korea.Ye Shanlu (???): China, 1952Again, little is known of the artist, but we do know this piece told people to get immunized against any epidemics to combat germ warfare. The Chinese were convinced that the US was planning to use bacterial weaponry against them, so they set about organizing massive inoculation drives to protect the Chinese people.Ning Hao: China, 1954Along the lines of Rosie the Riveter, this Ning Hao piece reflects women being asked to work in the factories alongside men, partially to support their emancipation, but mostly to increase the labor force in China.Jim Fitzpatrick: Ireland, 1968Jim Fitzpatrick was a well-known Irish Celtic artist of his time, but he is probably best known for his Che Guevara poster in 1968. It is said that Fitzpatrick took the death of the revolutionary personally. He had once met him when Guevara flew into Ireland in 1963 and checked into the Marine Hotel pub in Kilkee. Fitzpatrick was only a teenager at the time and had been working there over the summer. The poster became a global icon during the anti-Vietnam war protests and is now the symbol of F.A.R.C. in Columbia and the Mexican Zapitista who are fighting for their freedom.The image was also used during the violent Paris student riots in 1968. Across the rest of the West, the Marxist Che Guevara image is overused by any kid suffering from teenage angst.Huynh Van Thuan: Vietnam, 1972I could not find any information about Huynh Van Thuan, but I found this piece reminiscent of 1960s movie posters about the Vietnam war and so decided to include it.Micah Ian Wright: US, 2003After Micah Wright graduated, he worked a while for Nickelodeon and wrote for The Angry Beavers cartoon. Then in 2003, just before the invasion of Iraq, Micah published his anti-war protest book. The book was filled with satires of old war propaganda posters that Micah had reprinted with modern war messages.Brian Lane Winfield Moore: US, 2009Brain Moore is a modern propaganda artist who exhibts his work on his blog. He lives in Brooklyn and is probably best known for his promotion of net neutrality and his work during the 2009 Iranian election protests. The posters are based on old WWIII propaganda posters but updated in their message to match today’s technology and Web culture.This poster was a comment on the 2009 Iran election protests. He borrowed the old “loose lips” refrain and replaced it with tweets.This next one was about the proposed Internet regulation that would supposedly curb illegal activities on the ‘net and help fight the “war on terror.”Unknown artist: UK, 2010I could not identify the artist behind this one but had to include it for its clever use of old Tory values and the play on the Scooby Doo gang’s unveiling of the monster. The Tory party now occupies 10 Downing Street, and David Cameron is now Prime Minister of England. This poster shows the lack of faith in Cameron’s promise to be a force for change and not just another Thatcher.[Offtopic: by the way, have you ever visited Smashing Magazine's List of tags? There might be something interesting for you.]Last ClickNick Griffin is not an artist, he is the chairman of the British National Party (BNP). Just as most other national parties across the globe, BNP is a good example of propaganda techniques being used to produce an emotional rather than rational response to the information presented. BNP has used them to build their hate-filled ranks for years. BNP is extremely good at speaking to people in plain, emotional language and affecting those who experience personal problems and want to find someone who can be blamed for these problems.Just like many other national parties, BNP is blaming foreigners for these problems and uses strong religious metaphors to deliver the message. Very powerful, yet extremely unethical. This is an example of propaganda being used to manipulate people in a very deceptive, unfair manner.(al)© Claire Stokoe for Smashing Magazine, 2010. | Permalink | Post a comment | Add to del.icio.us | Digg this | Stumble on StumbleUpon! | Tweet it! | Submit to Reddit | Forum Smashing Magazine Post tags: Graphic design, propaganda, showcases

  

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  June 13 2010, 4:26am | Comments »

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  Showcase Of Web Design In Lithuania

  http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SmashingMagazine/~3/rN5Ze_2yxo8/

    It may be small, but Lithuania is the geographic center of Europe, and the meeting of Western and Eastern culture is evident. Lithuania is one of three Baltic countries, so-called for its proximity to the Baltic Sea. In 2009, it celebrated the thousand-year anniversary of its name.Lithuania is known worldwide for its love of basketball, but today we’ll acquaint you with its Web design industry. In Web design, Lithuania is still a young country; the Internet boom began only about five years ago, and the country doesn’t have a good Web design school.Most Web designers have studied in Western countries or are self-taught. Most work is done for hotels, rural tourism and real estate websites. Lithuania quickly adopts new technologies, and demand for Web designers and developers is increasing. While preparing this showcase, I noticed that many Lithuanian Web designers like Flash technology. Many websites have Flash elements, which can help present a company’s goals, services and prior work. Flash can help websites look professional, modern and dynamic.Lithanian web design at its best: Šturmu Švyturio Žuvys[By the way, did you know we have a brand new free Smashing Email Newsletter? Subscribe now and get fresh short tips and tricks on Tuesdays!]State Of AffairsTo better understand the Lithuanian Web design scene, I interviewed two professional and experienced freelance Web designers about their work.I spoke with Donatas Vainilaitis, a freelance designer who has worked with companies from Lithuania and Europe, and Osvaldas Valutis, another freelance Web designer and student. Both are based in Vilnius, Lithuania’s capital city.Donatas Vainilaitis is a freelance Web and graphic designer. His career began in 2003; since then, he has worked for a number of design studios, advertising agencies and corporations. Donatas’ favorite tools are Photoshop, Illustrator and Flash.Osvaldas Valutis is a 21-year-old front- and back-end Web designer and developer based in Vilnius. Valutis is working as a freelancer while finishing his Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science at Vilnius University.BohemieciaiQuestion: Describe the life of a freelancer, developer and designer in Lithuania.Donatas Vainilaitis: It’s complicated because you are also an accountant, manager, director and so on! But it’s a lot of fun. Everything depends on you and you alone. When something goes wrong, the blame is yours, but when you make something beautiful and useful, it’s so satisfying. It’s also a huge responsibility. Some people like it and some don’t. I love it.Everyone thinks that when you freelance you sleep until 2:00 pm, and you work solely with clients you like. That’s not true; you must work a full day to be successful. The client must know that if he calls you at 9:30 am you won’t still be in bed and you will be able to answer all his questions with a clear mind. Of course, when you finish a big project or you’re waiting for feedback from a client, you can have a couple of days off—even in the middle of the week. That’s one advantage to making your own schedule. In fact, there are many advantages that have probably already been covered in thousands of other articles, so I won’t mention any others.Osvaldas Valutis: Designers design, and developers develop. To each his own. Although I don’t design for print or the Web, I enjoy coding, experimenting with CSS3 and enabling functionality in my own designs (I’m sure I’m not the only exception to the rule). Believe it or not, the thrill of being able to do everything, from A to Z, is like a drug; this is a passion. And filling it up with caffeine increases the thrill!Yes, you’re right: there is a world outside. I’m also a student, and basketball is my second religion (along with three million other people). I can’t say that I differ greatly from a typical inhabitant of Earth, but we are all unique. (Have you seen the movie K-Pax?)Mes laimesim 2009Question: Are there any regular meetings or events?Donatas: I usually try to meet clients face to face. Of course, if he’s in another country, then it’s more complicated, but not impossible. This isn’t necessary, but it’s how I like to work.Of course, there are necessary meetings, like when you are working on a big project with a group of people. It’s much better to meet somewhere in person than to hold Skype conferences or write long email threads.Osvaldas: I wish individual designers and developers had more opportunities to participate in events related to Web design and development, but the offline life isn’t that dynamic yet. I’m not saying nothing is going on in public, but we lack specific events. Bloggers, for example, have a real festival for themselves every year. Should I start blogging or buy a ticket for “The Future of Web Apps: Miami”? Or both?Funkyart.ltQuestion: Where do you get inspiration from?Donatas: Usually, I’m as far away from the computer as possible when I get inspired. Books, people, events and exhibitions are inspiring, especially when I’m struggling with a project. I turn off the computer and go out for some fresh air. Sometimes I don’t turn it back on for a few days. The Internet is a good source of inspiration, but only when you know what you’re looking for. Browsing websites aimlessly overloads your brain with useless information.Osvaldas: I don’t have a specific inspirational source. I’m inspired by various subjects: people and their creations (no names—I’m speaking generally); nature (if you check out my website, you’ll see what I mean); pixel-perfect designs; tasteful and carefully chosen colors and fonts (while strong shadows and awkward borders have the opposite effect—they throw me off track). Some avoid recalling the Web design habits from the last decade, but for me it’s dark humor.Dia BitesQuestion: What’s the situation with the market? How much do designers earn?Donatas: Designers will never earn enough, that’s for sure. I can’t speak for other designers. There are so many of them, and they work at different levels and all have their own principles. For some, the priority is money, and for others it’s the quality of their work. For me, I feel successful when I can eat what I want to eat, live where I want to live, buy things that are necessary and go on vacation more than twice a year.Osvaldas: Earning a living as a professional designer isn’t an inexplicable phenomenon. Its feasibility depends on your business style and how intelligent—not rich!—your clients are. Personally, I aim for quality, so I will never support cookie-cutter websites. In a capitalist system, there will always be two types of workers: those who fight to survive and those who are financially successful and stable. Freelancers vascillate between these two states until they find their own place under the sun, so to speak. Be brave and find yours!Title.ltQuestion: Is being a Web designer considered high-level, sophisticated work?Donatas: I think there are too many Web designers right now. Let’s say I meet ten designers today. Only one of them could I call a high-level, sophisticated professional. But I think this has more to do with character than with the profession itself.Osvaldas: The more experienced you are, the better the results you are expected to produce. Sophistication in this field has to do with personality, with a person’s ability to manage him or herself. Of course, life forces you into all kinds of situations, and one more skill will always make the way easier. It’s hard to believe, but learning something new every day can positively affect your life! MaltosaQuestion: Do designers still use tables for layouts?Osvaldas: Yes, it happens sometimes. I’m really surprised when some of the top-rated Lithuanian Web agencies use tables for layouts, but I think it’s only a matter of time before <table> is used only for tables. Coding culture is geting more positive all the time, which is good. I know that Lithuanians care about their code.Question: How do Lithuanian designers handle typography? Are any particular font-embedding techniques widely used? Are many fonts available? How vivid is typography in Lithuanian Web design?Osvaldas: Typography on the Web in Lithuania is tidy enough. Content is easy to read, so the best word to describe it is “simple” (although I don’t want to leave out “courageous”). Designers aren’t sure (and I have to admit, neither am I) about how to use font-embedding techniques. Typography here is, in a way, static. I believe the inability of CSS2 to embed fonts is one reason for this, but waiting until CSS3 works for all Web browsers is not a solution. From now on, I promise to be more universal. Are you all with me? KonkursasQuestion: Are any features unique to Lithuanian Web design?Donatas: I don’t think so. There is no Web design school in Lithuania that could teach you more than average Photoshop or Flash skills. Most Web designers here are self-taught. They browse the Web and read tutorials—which, of course, are not Lithuania-oriented—and everyone develops their own style over years of working at the job.Osvaldas: I touched on this topic in my answer above. Briefly, a few shortcomings are vibrant fonts, forms and textures; these techniques are typically avoided, although I have spotted some changes recently. So the situation is getting more interesting every day. Conclusions? Don’t be afraid to innovate. The first reaction is usually skepticism, but in time people adapt and find benefits.Moma.ltQuestion: How does it all work? Is the situation currently comfortable or difficult? Do most customers want English-language or Lithuanian-language websites?Donatas: It depends. What do you call a comfortable or difficult situation? If it has to do with money, then yes, you have to work more to earn the amount of money that you earned two years ago. However, there are some good things about the way the business has changed: people have become more careful about the money they spend, and people have to be more serious about the products they sell. The customer comes with a certain amount of money to spend on their website, and they need a good project, a good designer and good service. This is the time to show yourself off and also to evaluate your own skills. If you can make it through this hard time on your own, then you can truthfully say that you are a specialist in your field, and you will have gained a lot of confidence.Osvaldas: When the economic recession caught us, I thought, “Oh no. Will my income get too tight? Will I lose my current clients, not to mention the possibility of new ones?” Believe it or not, nothing like that happened. Rather, things turned out better than I thought they could. Some say God saves us, but I say everyone is the master of his own destiny.Lithuanian-language websites are, of course, the priority, but clients in most cases do not refuse a second or even third language on their website. Handling multi-language technologies and concepts isn’t actually that difficult to do.Showcase of Web Design in LithuaniaBiggest GraphitiPadekmums.ltNfq.ltTrakai MuziejusZiedas.ltInterjet AibesaikoSodyba TeviškeVilnius – mano namaiKaledu stebuklasLopšiniu radijasEstrella NaturalsAugink.ltsuelektradraugauju.ltLoweageOmnitelTuro prekybaSaugus vartojimo kreditasPildyk BonaiEcoserviceAlgirdas City HotelsSPA Vilnius SANAMeškafonasValdyk ITVesa.ltPolivarkasŠviežia kavaEžio stažasTapatybe.ltTavo barasOzo parkasTraku istorijos muziejusEvitaPlazmaPavasarisRomantic HotelPieno žvaigždesAgotea prioriBendri krantai Domino teatrasTamulynasPramogos be narkotikuVilniaus degtineBaltijos prodiuseriu grupeVichy vandens parkasSKCPizza JazzFloralitos dizainasDomus MeaPildykIndanceGeros nuotaikos generatoriusBelvedereWeb AgenciesKryptisTAPE dizaino studijaArtogamaIndigo kidsKryptisTAPE dizaino studijaGauminaCoral SolutionsIndigo kidsMediaparkITEMAM2DeformArtogamaFor such a small country, Lithuania has more Web agencies than you might think. The best known are Gaumina, Kryptis, Itema, Profis and Artogama.FreelancersMost freelancers in Lithuania are young and self-taught. Some do really great work and are professional enough to represent Lithuania. Not all freelancers have a self-hosted portfolio; most of them use Behance, DeviantArt, Flickr and other networks to display their work.osvaldas.infoDesignbox.ltdaco.ltDual.lt33.ltLithuanian Design GalleriesBest Lithuanian Websites galleryMenoDuobeA Lithuanian Art blogWhat Do You Think?What do you think of the Lithuanian Web industry? Have any exceptional websites not been included here? Share your thoughts.Related PostsYou may be interested in the following related posts:Showcase of Web Design in ChinaShowcase of Web Design in IsraelShowcase of Web Design in RussiaShowcase Of Web Design in The NetherlandsShowcase of Web Design in GermanyShowcase of Web Design in MexicoShowcase of Web Design in Ireland(al)© Tomas Laurinavičius for Smashing Magazine, 2010. | Permalink | 4 comments | Add to del.icio.us | Digg this | Stumble on StumbleUpon! | Tweet it! | Submit to Reddit | Forum Smashing Magazine Post tags: showcases

  

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  June 3 2010, 6:49am | Comments »

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  The Beauty of Paper Art

  http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SmashingMagazine/~3/cDrdxBK_Au4/

    The times when paper was considered to be the primary medium for artistic expression is long gone. Many writers and designers use digital media to improvise and develop their ideas. However, there is something particuliar in this “physical” canvas — something that keeps us getting back to paper when we want to brainstorm ideas in a notebook, doodle around in a sketchbook, collect inspiration in a scrapbook or just draw some sketches for the next project.In fact, paper is even more powerful than that. It is a very flexible medium. You can use it paper only for giving your ideas and feelings forms, but also as an expressive medium for creative artworks formed out of paper. You can create a sharp-edged paper plane or ship, but also form twisted curves of nature or complicated geometrical shapes. In this weekend’s post we present a showcase of paper art; you wil find many beautiful carved, folded, cut out paper objects and realistic 3D paper sculptures, all using paper, cardboxes or even books as materials. Please make sure to follow the links to explore further works of the artists presented below.You may be interested in the following related posts:Beautiful Handwriting, Lettering and CalligraphyBeautiful Examples of Moleskine ArtPlasticine Art Showcase: Shape Your ImaginationHandcraft Strikes Back: Buttons, Badges, Pins and Clips[Offtopic: By the way, did you know that Smashing Magazine has a mobile version? Try it out if you have an iPhone, Blackberry or another capable device.]The Beauty of Paper ArtApplesBuscando a la serpientePaper Tunnel by Jen StarkFlat Globe Cutting Book Series “AKIRA CLUB”Golden SwanPaper flowersFaceBijouxArtists who make pieces, Artists who do books (detail)Paper art 3 from Jen StarkLost At E MinorIcosahedronWorld BooksCustom topography of St. ThomasPaper LaternDeep Sea TangoSunflowerFlockHolding on to myselfHelen Musselwhite: Romany CaravanPaper DrummerCharles Clary 4Indian TreeO Ero He`ll Fight (Detail)TypographyMy Modern MetropolisMy Modern Metropolis 2Paper MaskLast ClickWataru ItouThis paper model looks very impressive with all the little lights illuminating it. Be sure to hit up the link for more pictures of this masterpiece.Related PostsYou may be interested in the following related posts:Beautiful Handwriting, Lettering and CalligraphyBeautiful Examples of Moleskine ArtPlasticine Art Showcase: Shape Your ImaginationHandcraft Strikes Back: Buttons, Badges, Pins and ClipsLet There Be Light: Light Paintings and Sculptures© Smashing Editorial for Smashing Magazine, 2010. | Permalink | 3 comments | Add to del.icio.us | Digg this | Stumble on StumbleUpon! | Tweet it! | Submit to Reddit | Forum Smashing Magazine Post tags: paper, photos

  

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  May 29 2010, 5:24am | Comments »

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  _Why: A Tale Of A Post-Modern Genius

  http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SmashingMagazine/~3/bvZHTYkQj8A/

    Why the Lucky Stiff (or _Why for short) was one of the brightest and most inspiring programmers in activity. He became famous through a series of blogs and through the incredible amount of open-source projects that he maintained over the course of more than seven years._Why’s popularity grew along with the Ruby programming language’s popularity. When the Rails hype took off in 2005, a great number of young developers started looking to learn about Ruby, and that’s when most of them found Why’s (Poignant) Guide to Ruby, a Creative Commons book in both HTML and PDF that embodied all of its author’s characteristics: an uneasy artistic mind with a different take on what programming is all about.Even those who didn’t happen to read the Poignant Guide could not program in Ruby without a touch of _Why’s brilliance. He had by then written several libraries that were fundamental parts of everyday programming tasks, such as Hpricot, an HTML parser with an API that somehow resembles jQuery’s DOM manipulation API.You may have noticed that we’re referring to _Why in the past. So, the question is, is he gone? Yes. For as much as he was worth to us, we had only his online persona, Why the Lucky Stiff. No one knew his real name or his job or where he came from. There was just _Why in all his eeriness and awesomeness. And _Why is no more. On August 2009, he closed nearly all of his online accounts and websites, including his source-code repositories, with all the code that thousands of developers have come to depend of.The disappearance has left a horde of orphans of _Why’s code and activity. And while no one knows for sure why he did what he did, there are solid theories, the strongest one being that his real identity had been discovered, however weird that sounds. This article tells the tale of this post-modern artist whom people came to know as Why the Lucky Stiff.“Isn’t it crazy…you make some cartoons at home or record some music in your basement and suddenly you’re famous around the world.”— _Why, in conversation with Geoffrey Grosenbach[Offtopic: by the way, did you know that there is a Smashing eBook Series? Book #1 is Professional Web Design, 242 pages for just $9,90.]Freelance Professor (By Fated Appointment Only)On his blog, _Why described himself as a “freelance teacher,” even though he never took teaching jobs, freelance or otherwise. He explained this description in a presentation at the Art && Code Symposium. He said that he teaches “on fated appointments only.” As he explained it, this means that he teaches arbitrary kids and teenagers in arbitrary places whenever the opportunities arise. He tells the story of a day when he was on a train working on code as a group of kids was playing around and looking at what he was doing. They were intrigued to find that he was “hacking.” He showed them what he was doing (a simple game), and they started playing with the code, and that was his first teaching session.However esoteric his teaching ideology seems to be, it’s backed up by strong and meaningful arguments, all of which _Why lays out in his essay ”The Little Coder’s Predicament” and later on in the Hackety Hack’s manifesto. The gist of it is that in the early computer days, machines such as the Comodore 64 were easily programmable; a kid could play with it and make sounds with code and build simple games. Nowadays, computers are incredibly more powerful and proportionally less hackable. This hackability that _Why identifies and the process of discovering how to “control a computer” is the moment that many brilliant computer programmers are born. As just one example, this is exactly how Linus Torvalds, creator of Linux, started programming.Hackety Hack is a manifesto not only in words but in code. It is software that runs on Windows and serves as a platform on which kids can write programs very easily. It makes it possible to write a blog in six lines of code or your own IM in a few more lines.Here’s an inspiring video of _Why’s presentation at the Art && Code Symposium, where he talks about the essence of programming and his motivation for Hackety Hack. Be sure not to miss the part where he presents his card game, Kaxxt, and explains the very nature of the craft of programming._Why unexpectedly showed up at my house for a BBQ one day. I offered to drive him back to his hotel or home, but he insisted on taking a bus schedule and finding his own way.— Geoffrey GrosenbachWhy’s (Poignant) Guide To Ruby, And Nobody Knows ShoesBesides teaching by fated appointment, _Why has mostly been famous for his introductory tutorial to the Ruby programming language, called “Why’s (Poignant) Guide to Ruby.” The Poignant Guide is completely different than what one might expect from a programming language book. It’s less of a technical guide and more of a stream-of-consciousness humor novel, full of cartoons, that happens to teach you how to write Ruby programs. The guide is licensed under Creative Commons and can be accessed in HTML or downloaded as a PDF. It not only became a cult hit in the Ruby community but made an impact on many programmers around the globe. What’s even more powerful, the Poignant Guide helped shape the culture of many people who were new to programming. His inspiration can be seen in projects such as Learn you a Haskell for great good and in programmers such as Ryan Dahl (creator of node.js), and his comics and art have also made their mark on people._Why wrote a second book, a tutorial, reference, quick-start guide to his program Shoes. Shoes is a GUI toolkit for building cross-platform desktop applications very easily with Ruby’s clean syntax. The book is called Nobody Knows Shoes and is another work of art that’s underrated, even among the _Why initiated. Conceived for print and PDF, NKS’s editorial design is an achievement: concise (however randomly arranged), and readable (however chaotic). The book starts with a montage of a figure moving “towards the book,” while another character cries, “Midas, you shouldn’t walk that way!! […] NooooOOO, u’re going to run smack into a nerdy computer booooooookkk…” The last page of the book reads, “Midas knows Shoes.” This is only one of the almost practical jokes that are so common of him.I appreciate your remarks, but I have a hard time believing that anyone would like my art. I will definitely die without recognition, and few will ever see the work I do. But I like it that way a lot!! One of the worst things a person can get in life is recognition. But a scalp rash is very, very bad as well. I have had some serious scalp rashes, and I also have thrown up blood quite a few times along the way.— Why the Lucky Stiff, in an email response to Fábio AkitaBloggingThrough his persona “life spam,” _Why maintained several blogs. His main website, whytheluckystiff.net was where he kept random thoughts, cartoons, poems and other stories. The blog’s categories were “Stories,” “Comics,” “Incidents,” “Quatrains,” “Hacking” and “Five-Minute Plays for Twins Who Don’t Have Their Other Twin With Them And An Unlimited Supply of Animals.” It’s also where he kept links to all of his other creations, such as books and blogs.When Ruby was still virtually unknown outside of Japan, _Why created a blog called RedHanded, on which he would evangelize the language, discuss its features and consolidate the community. The website was shut down after Ruby grew and particularly after the boom of Ruby-oriented material started in the US.The blog served its purpose really well. You could find interviews and comments from people who would later become Web “celebrities,” such as David Heinemeir Hansson, creator of the Ruby on Rails framework and partner at 37 Signals. David was himself subjected to many jokes from _Why, along the way.Hackety.org was the blog on which _Why talked about programming topics in the context of his Hackety Hack manifesto. There, he showcased his incredible knowledge of “hackety” resources, such as simple game engines and image- and sound-processing libraries. It is also a joyful read for programming-language geeks and underground-art lovers.Another, relatively unknown blog of _Why’s was the image-only website that contained precious scraps of randomly found imagery. The blog could hardly be defined, although the words “eerie,” “surreal” and “kitsch” came up often. It was called (.~) what a quiet stiff (~.)._Why was the one who coined the term “Tumblelog,” in reference to the blog Anarchaia by Christian Neukirchen. On his blog RedHanded, he stated, “Blogging has mutated into simpler forms (specifically, link- and mob- and aud- and vid- variant), but I don’t think I’ve seen a blog like Chris Neukirchen’s Anarchaia, which fudges together a bunch of disparate forms of citation (links, quotes, flickrings) into a very long and narrow and distracted tumblelog.”MusicBesides writing the book, creating the cartoon and making the Poignant Guide website, _Why created with his band, The Thirsty Cups, a soundtrack, each of whose tracks accompany each of the Guide’s chapters. Needless to say, the the music style is wildly imaginative, fun and unpredictable.Not many know that he released an album to go along with Why’s Poignant Guide to Ruby. One of my favorite songs from the album is the one for the second chapter: “This Book Is Made (of Rabbits and Lemonade).”Nothing captures the artistic ethos of _Why better than the above song.— John Resig on ejohn.orgBeing a big fan of music, _Why also created an interesting Ruby library to generate 8-bit music. It’s called bloopsaphone, and as an example, one could play the Simpson’s theme with this little code:require ‘rubygems’ require ‘bloops’

  b = Bloops.new b.tempo = 180 sound = b.sound Bloops::SQUARE sound.volume = 0.4 sound.sustain = 0.3 sound.attack = 0.1 sound.decay = 0.3 b.tune sound, “32 + C E F# 8:A G E C – 8:A 8:F# 8:F# 8:F# 2:G” b.play sleep 1 while !b.stopped?My first experience seeing _Why in person was in 2005 at FOSCON in Portland, Oregon. It was a free gathering of Rubyists on one evening during the larger OSCON conference.We met in the back of the FreeGeek computer recycling shop, a perfect venue. You walk through shelves full of old computer equipment and parts ready to be rebuilt and donated to people. _Why and his three-person band got on stage and played a set of original songs with humorous lyrics about Ruby.  Partway through, his laptop ran out of power, and they brought him a random power adapter from the shop.Always a non-conformist within the Ruby community, he had a Linux laptop, while most other people had Apple gear. As he plugged it in, the lights dimmed and the laptop jolted on to full brightness. We were sure that it was going to burst into flames, but he survived.  As would characterize many other concerts, he wasn’t there just to sing to the audience. He wrote a server that the audience could connect to on Ruby’s DRb prompt and change the colors on the screen. It got quite a few laughs as it sputtered to life, and a few people were actually able to connect. I still remember that event as one of the highlights of any Ruby “conference” I’ve been to since.— Geoffrey GrosenbachNot With A Bang…Why the Lucky Stiff vanished on August 2009. Almost all of his Internet accounts were closed, all his websites went down, even the code repositories that he released as open source were removed. The real motive for his disappearance is and will always be a mystery, but the best clue is that his identity had finally been discovered.People had gathered enough evidence to be sure about his real name and occupation. They found new content on the Internet and new music bands. All of the personal details that he was trying to keep private became public: his wife’s name, his sister’s name. With that, he vanished.People responded in different ways. Some were understanding, others disapproving.Seeing the complete deletion of his online persona doesn’t terribly surprise me. Back in 2007, _Why closed his main blog (RedHanded). That event truly shocked me, but it helped me to better understand him as a person. The blog, even though he had put years of work into it and people strongly identified him with it, was immaterial. It didn’t feel like the right place to talk anymore, so he moved on to another place, abandoning the old site.— John Resig, creator of jQueryTaking all of your code offline and erasing your whole persona without so much as a warning or helping people take over projects they spent years investing in is a dickhead thing to do. That’s a rough thing to say, but I feel very strongly about this, because while I respect the idea of impermanence, I have no respect for someone who has such a complete disregard for other people’s investments and feelings.— Zed Shaw, creator of the Mongrel Web serverDespite the different takes on his decision to erase his presence and work, everyone who knew _Why shares a sadness for his absence.Why the Lucky Stiff was a fixture in the Ruby community. He helped give us that quirky character and a sense of wonder and fun. I’m very sad to see _Why go. I’m sure he had his reasons, but it’s a big loss nonetheless.— David Heinemeier HanssonHis virtual suicide, like the self-induced death of a friend or loved one, leaves an indescribable hole inside me. I don’t like it, I wasn’t ready for it, and I don’t think it’s fair that he did it. Nonetheless, as a real-life comic-book character, in death he will continue to be my muse to create fun things that exist only to be shiny and interesting. Long live coding for fun. Thank you _Why.— Dr. NicTo _Why: Thank you for bringing your code and art to us over the past couple of years. It’s been greatly appreciated, more than you can know. Please continue to enjoy your life and bring your joy and whimsy to others all over the world.— John ResigUnfortunately, he decided to go away, and there’s no official explanation for that. He’s just gone. After everything he did, I think no one can demand anything from him. :-) But we will miss him because he was an exceptional programmer.— Fábio AkitaWhat Can We Learn From _WhyWhy the Lucky Stiff was above all else an artist who treated whatever he did, whether a programming language in C or a presentation at a conference, as a work of art. He inspires people because he planned everything he did with an aesthetic mindset.FunThe single most important lesson that people say they have learned from the Ruby programming language is a lesson that _Why’s work embodies in its code: Programming (or whatever you do) should be fun. There must be joy in your craft, and there is precious value in tinkering and playing around.PathosPathos is “the power to evoke feelings”. It is also one of the three modes of persuasion in rhetoric. If what you do does not evoke feeling in people, then it may as well be dead. _Why’s work certainly did not please everyone, but people couldn’t, and still can’t, be indifferent to it.Don’t Be Afraid to Take RisksThis is where _Why gets controversial. Contrary to what most developers believe and abide by, _Why’s programming style was not clean, readable or tested. Quite the opposite. This would give most “Agile” programmers the shivers, but _Why had a point, as this letter that he wrote in 2005 explains quite plainly.I do not write tests for my code. I do not write very many comments. I change styles very frequently. And most of all, I shun the predominant styles of coding, because that would go against the very essence of experimentation. In short: all I do is muck around.So, my way of measuring a great programmer is different from some prevailing thought on the subject. I would like to hear what Matz would say about this. You should ask him, seriously.I admire programmers who take risks. They aren’t afraid to write dangerous or “crappy” code. If you worry too much about being clean and tidy, you can’t push the boundaries (I don’t think!). I also admire programmers who refuse to stick with one idea about the “way the world is.” These programmers ignore protocol and procedure. I really like Autrijus Tang because he embraces all languages and all procedures. There is no wrong way in his world.Anyway, you say you want to become better. I mean that’s really all you need. You feel driven, so stick with it. I would also start writing short scripts to share with people on the Web. Little Ruby scripts or Rails programs or MouseHole scripts to show off. Twenty lines here and there, and soon people will be beating you up and you’ll be scrambling to build on those scripts and figure out your style and newer innovations and so on.— _whyAn insightful letter. _Why is defending an idea here that has been advocated by different people in different ways. The point is not about whether to write tests. The point is, don’t be scared of taking risks. If you’re familiar with Seth Godin’s work, you’ll recognize that _Why is all about “shipping.” He just creates things and gets them out there in the wild, unafraid whether people think it’s “crappy” or “unprofessional.”When you don’t create things, you become defined by your tastes rather than ability. Your tastes only narrow and exclude people. so create.— Why the Lucky StiffFurther ResourcesHere is a list of resources about Why the Lucky Stiff._Why’s Estate A list of all of _Why’s works, his code repositories, blog posts, books and music.Why the Lucky Stiff Is Missing Ruby Inside news on _Why’s disappearance.(al)© Diogo Terror for Smashing Magazine, 2010. | Permalink | 2 comments | Add to del.icio.us | Digg this | Stumble on StumbleUpon! | Tweet it! | Submit to Reddit | Forum Smashing Magazine Post tags:

  

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  May 15 2010, 1:10pm | Comments »

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  Showcase Of Web Design In Netherlands

  http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SmashingMagazine/~3/fSl-zUKf9hI/

    The Netherlands, also known as the “Low Countries,” is a small, crowded, muddy piece of land through which a few big important rivers fortunately run. In this country, you can find coffee shops, wooden shoes, tulips, windmills and a lot of water.And everything is rather small! Well, at least most of the architecture is. How cute is that? But it’s also the land that brought the world many great painters, famous architects, and excellent graphic, fashion and interior designers. We all know Rembrandt, Van Gogh, Mondriaan, Rietveld, Koolhaas, Escher, Droog Design and Viktor & Rolf, don’t we?Dutch Web Design: Spin Awards[Offtopic: By the way, did you know that Smashing Magazine has a mobile version? Try it out if you have an iPhone, Blackberry or another capable device.]State Of AffairsCan the Dutch be proud of its Web design community? Is it capable of producing great websites? Has the community earned a place in Web design land, or is Dutch Web design still in its infancy?A Virtual Discussion About Dutch Web DesignI invited a diverse group of Dutch Web agencies and freelancers to discuss the state of Dutch web design.Harald Dunnink, creative director at MomkaiWimer “Monokai” Hazenberg, art director at BooreilandRogier Strobbe, Frish Design StudioErik Leutscher, EldesignMaarten Kleyne, creative designerWoud Hobbelink, DesignphunkRose Calis, Toko RoseChristian Annyas, freelance Web and graphic designerMattijs Bliek, Helium WorkxMichel Branco Bio, Branco Creative StudioEwout van Lambalgen, illustrator and Web designerErik van Nieuwburg, Rumbling SkiesRolf Coppens, GrrrJens Kanis, designer and developerJonno Riekwel, JonnotieNelleke van der Maas, Designed By NellekeCaspar Hardholt, MediaCTMarten de Jongh, creative freelancerCan Certain Web Design Characteristics Be Called Typically Dutch?Erik van Nieuwburg: “There is a very typical Dutch school of architecture, photography and graphic design. But in the field of Web design, I do not see a typical Dutch identity. Perhaps this has to do with the international nature of the Web.”Maarten Kleyne: “I do not think you can pin this down as, ‘This is pure Dutch Web design so let’s hang it on our wall next to the wooden shoes, tulips, cheese and other things.’”Harald Dunnink: “A certain clarity and simplicity characterizes Dutch design. For myself, I try to bring the traditional conception of creativity, aesthetics and clarity of Dutch design into the digital domain.” Christian Annyas has a similar opinion. Also, Woud Hobbelink agrees and feels that sometimes, Dutch Web designers seem reluctant to experiment. The products are usually somewhat stiff.Rolf Coppens adds: “Simplicity and conceptual working are characteristics you often find in our Web design.” Caspar Hardholt has a similar opinion: “I think Dutch Web design is less complicated and very natural. As the Dutch saying goes, ‘Just act normal — that’s crazy enough.’ And I guess we don’t like stock photography. We make it more personal.” BrandrepublicErik van Nieuwburg: “Dutch Flash projects are more about being functional than about having rich animations, at least when compared to many English-language projects.”Rogier Strobbe: “If I may pick out one element that the Dutch have been known for, it is surely typography. We have some of the best typographers in the world. Think of Gerard Unger, Martin Majoor and Jos Buivenga. Of course, the Web has never been known for its rich typography, but let’s hope that @font-face and initiatives such as Typekit will change that and take typography to the next level in the coming years.”Rose Calis adds: “The big Dutch Web design agencies still control both the market and the appearance of most designs on the Web. Freelancers spend a lot of time on the latest trends, as their designs often show. But I think the Netherlands is running a bit behind.”Dutch Web Design: VPROChristian Annyas nods approvingly: “It is hardly innovative. With the exception of a few.”Jens Kanis: “You’ll see that we communicate more formally to our customers, while many US companies go for the informal approach. Look at Google and Apple. They talk to their customers differently than we do to ours.”Marten de Jongh: “Best of all worlds!? The Netherlands is a multicultural society, and that’s what you see in its designs. Brazil is known for its illustrative qualities, the North Americans own the drop-shadow and use a lot of glass effects, and the French are more artistic. I think the Dutch have a little of everything.”Michel Branco reflects: “Dutch designers characterize themselves as ‘unconventional’ and not mainstream. Perhaps an appropriate term for Dutch web design would be ‘unconventional Web design.’”Is There A Dutch Web Community?Wimer Hazenberg: “There is a Dutch design world, I think. Whether or not we can identify with it is another question — not with the establishment in any case, like Lost Boys.”Jens Kanis: “It differs according to the person. I do operate in a Dutch Web design community, but I am mainly focused on the international scene.”Mattijs Bliek: “Yes, there is one, but you have to search for it. My experience is that it is found mainly in the Amsterdam area, which certainly appears to be a creative hot spot in the Netherlands. I find that being around other designers who challenge and inspire you is really good.”Erik Leutscher: “Web design is an Internet profession, which means that all you need to become a successful Web designer today can be found on the Web. I don’t think a ‘Dutch’ Web community exists.” WerkplaatstypografieNelleke van der Maas: “I’m not sure. I don’t meet up regularly with other Web designers, apart from the new year’s drinks organized by creative recruitment agencies like Aquent. But because I freelance for advertising agencies in Amsterdam, I often see the same people at events, conferences and the Spin Awards.”Ewout van Lambalgen: “I’ve never noticed anything. I work as a freelancer, and I mainly follow international websites.”Jonno Riekwel: “There isn’t a huge Web community in the Netherlands. Not that I know of anyway. I regret not having a community or organization that allows Web designers to come together more often, as Fronteers does for front-end developers.”Harald Dunnink: “I prefer to be around people who love their profession, who are ambitious and creative. This could be a creative developer, illustrator, artist or designer, but also a baker.”Erik van Nieuwburg: “The Flash community is a true ‘community,’ with much cohesion, because the group of people who make a living off Flash isn’t a very big one. I think it’s a great community, where you can often get immediate help with complex issues. At conferences, like Flash on the Beach and Flash in the Can, you can meet up with Flash celebs like Keith Peters and Mario Klingeman, drink a beer or two and jabber away with them!”What Does A Web Designer Or Agency Need To Be Eye-Catching?Jonno Riekwel: “Plenty of design companies are in the Netherlands, but you really stand out when you’re transparent and do good things. Like Mangrove, which organized an evening to watch Objectified. Agencies should do stuff like that more often.”Jens Kanis: “It can be difficult to earn your spot in the Dutch design industry, but it is certainly possible. Invest descent time in good and clear communication with your customers, which will eventually pay off. Be honest with your clients, even if the message isn’t positive or pleasing.”Erik van Nieuwburg: “If you are building a blog, for instance, you could see how WordPress does it, but you could also think about how the user would want it exactly. A great example is Nalden, where the established concept of a ‘blog’ was completely flushed down the drain.” NaldenWimer Hazenberg: “Do not accept the Web 2.0 style blindly. Go back to the basics, and from there you can create something that serves someone’s needs. We all know the basic styling tricks. It is more about finding a fitting solution to the issue at hand.” Ewout van Lambalgen agrees: “Don’t look too much to what other designers do, because it will only affect your own designs. (Un)consciously, you would always be copying from others, and then you wouldn’t stand out from the crowd.”Caspar Hardholt: “You will be successful if you make your customers more successful.”Matthijs Bliek: “To be completely honest, I do not like the term Web designer, because it limits you. Mike Kus puts it well in his article on 24 Ways: ‘A key factor in creating something original and fresh for the Web is to stop thinking in terms of Web design. Don’t design for the Web, just design.’ Do something crazy!”Christian Annyas: “90% of all designers in the Netherlands are typical mediocre designers. The world of Web design primarily consists of rehashes of old recipes.”Rose Calis, who has just started freelancing: “First, put everything you do on a list before you officially start as a freelancer. A beautiful and technically well-built website is not enough. A customer might give up on a poorly drafted briefing that is full of technical jargon. Be unique and refreshing, and above all keep investigating. You’re never too old to learn.” W139Nelleke van der Maas: “A portfolio that not only looks beautiful but shows that the designer has thought about usability. Attention to detail makes me notice someone. Have they put effort into designing their own icons, for instance? Or have they used nice typography, unusual navigation or any new technologies?”Woud Hobbelink: “Experimenting. Freaking out with your Photoshop/Illustrator document!” Erik Leutscher agrees: “Dare to violate the rules. You might screw up a project once, but learn from your mistakes and become a better designer.” And Harald Owings puts it succinctly: “Talent, the will to work hard, a healthy kind of dissatisfaction and a computer.”Maarten Kleyne: “Sometimes innovation can be found under the hood of a design and can be more innovative than the design itself.”Matthijs Bliek has these words of wisdom: “Take up new technology such as HTML5 and CSS3.”ConclusionsThe Dutch are individualists. Despite having created a big pile of outdated websites, this small community is getting its creative act together. Web designers from the Low Countries generally love clear design, incline towards minimalism and prefer to work conceptually.Given the rich graphic history of the Netherlands, there is still much honor to gain on the Web. Hopefully, @font-face will accelerate this development. Heeftstijl.nlThere is no distinct Dutch Web community, considering the Dutch are individualists and internationally oriented. The industry is fragmented, unprotected and not well represented. The only Web design blog that tries to give the Dutch community a face and contribute to a sense of high-quality design for the country is Heeftstijl. Perhaps it is worthy of the term “Dutch Web design.”Certainly, inspiration can come from many different sources. Erwin Olaf is highly valued, as is poet Wim T. Schippers. Dutch designers refer to Bas Ording (Apple OS X), Momkai, Delta (Boris Tellegen), the late Kioken Inc., Jos Buivenga and Mediamonks as sources of inspiration.And Now You Decide, With a ShowcaseAdobe User GroupJens KanisIwitDawnG-Star Next Raw ReporterTheyN8Grafisch Lyceum RotterdamKunsthalVinginoMode ArnhemAnnyasJochem MyjerHanazukiSapph LingerieCreative ConnectionBadabingdesignDewerkelijkheidverzinjenietDesign.nlVenhoevenCSMatias JansenPVDADoelstelling2WehkampUnga ToysJoods MonumentDutch Design Agencies ShowcaseMomkaiAchtungMediaMonksPostmachinaBooreilandOnstuimigGrrrFabriqueRefunk.comEldesignDe InternetjongensCreative MonkeysAdenaBiqiniDesigner ShowcaseDesigned By NellekeJeroen HomanJeroen van EerdenSjoerd DijkstraAnnyasFrishBothHelium WorkxMKleyneJonnotieToko Rose Wij Zijn RoodSpecial thanks to Maarten Kleyne, Momkai, Frish, Eldesign, Designphunk, Toko Rose, Christian Annyas, Helium Workx, Branco Creative, Iwit, Booreiland, Rumbling Skies, Grrr, Jens Kanis, Nelleke, MediaCT, Marten de Jongh and Jonno Riekwel.Related PostsYou may be interested in the following related posts:Showcase of Web Design in ChinaShowcase of Web Design in IsraelShowcase of Web Design in RussiaShowcase of Web Design in GermanyShowcase of Web Design in MexicoShowcase of Web Design in Ireland(al)© Edgar Leijs for Smashing Magazine, 2010. | Permalink | 6 comments | Add to del.icio.us | Digg this | Stumble on StumbleUpon! | Tweet it! | Submit to Reddit | Forum Smashing Magazine Post tags: netherlands, showcases

  

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