Almost all of us listen to music. We listen at home, while working, on the subway, while driving, while running. Yet many of us don’t think of music as much more than entertainment. Did you know that you can use music as a tool? With the right music, you can increase effectiveness, create better stuff more easily, get into your creative zone quickly and kick-start a productive day. Add music to your workflow for better results.This isn’t a recent development inspired by the iPod generation. People have been using music as a tool for thousands of years — ever since humans started hitting sticks against rocks. Indigenous peoples used music in rituals and ceremonies, drummers prepared warriors for battles, and significant life events (like weddings and funerals) are still marked with special music. (Image by renneville)So, how do you actually use music to increase creativity, productivity and effectiveness? Let’s consider a couple of ways of adding music to your workflow.[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!]Get Into The ZoneMusic has a strong influence on mood. Just try listening to some fast-paced energetic music while relaxing, or try getting pumped up with chill ambient soundscapes. It just doesn’t work. So, when you need to create something, play appropriate music to quickly get in the zone.Different kinds of music complement different creative tasks:Listen to airy and melodic music to design something that needs to feel light and warm.Dark and industrial graphics? Put on some heavier music.Futuristic and exciting visuals? Play some energizing, progressive electronic music.It’s like role-playing. The background music is your theme song, and you’re acting out the role. Each task to accomplish, each project you work on, becomes the mission of your “character.”Get Energized and Get FocusedThe human body naturally moves to rhythm. Whenever you hear a beat, you react to it subconsciously. Notice how people tap their feet or snap their fingers to whatever music is playing around them? You don’t need a sports drink or motivational coach to get going: upbeat music will energize you.Of course, what counts as “energetic music” differs from person to person. Fast-paced rhythms and uplifting melodies work for many, and laid-back beats and airy vibes do it for others. For some, it’s heavy and dark tunes. Whatever makes you feel like doing things, that’s your energetic music.So, to start with a bang, get motivated for a task or simply go for an invigorating run, listen to music that energizes you. Listen to whatever gets you excited in a “grab life by the throat and get big things done” way.When it’s too quiet, your mind can wander. You start paying attention to every little sound and get sidetracked thinking about random things. Playing music of a consistent style in the background helps you stay focused and reigns in your wandering mind. (Image by williambrawley)Even if you’re not paying attention to the music, a steady rhythm induces a meditative state of mind: you focus on the task at hand because you’re subconsciously being carried along by the music. There are no inconsistent noises to distract you or hinder your progress. Think of it like white noise (like rustling trees or rolling waves). Consistent, even ambient sound helps you working consistently. Style- and vibe-specific DJ mixes, as well as “smart” playlists, can be great for this. An example of this are online radio stations Pandora, Grooveshark and Last.FM.Background music doesn’t help everyone focus. For some, it can be a distraction; some work better in silence. And if that works well for you, there’s no need to stop. But if you find yourself getting distracted from time to time, give it a shot.Next time you lose focus, put on some music and see how the next hour turns out. There’s a good chance you’ll be more focused and productive.When To Turn Off The MusicAs the saying goes, one can have too much of a good thing. As much as music helps you to work, is there a time to turn it off? (Image by odreiuqzide)1. Ear FatigueThis is common sense: turn off the music if you start feeling ear fatigue. An aching head or throbbing ears will obviously distract you from work. Before you roll your eyes, consider that this is actually a common problem, especially for those who use headphones. After a few hours, non-stop music will tire your ears. Just as you should take frequent breaks to stretch, move and look around, so should you give your ears a break.2. DistractionMusic should be turned off when it starts distracting you. This probably won’t happen for a while, especially if you’re busy creating. But again, too much of a good thing is bad.When you start paying more attention to the music than to what you’re doing, turn it off for a while. The change of pace will help you refocus, after which you can always put it back on.What About Shared Space?Sure, playing music whenever you like is fine if you’re a freelancer who works from home or a location-independent person or someone who has their own office. But what if you work in a shared space? Is it a good idea to put music on in the background for everyone? Or is it better to keep the space quiet?There do not seem to be any strict social conventions, so if a group is working on the same project and they don’t require complete silence, play some mood-appropriate music. It might get the creative juices flowing and get everyone into a steady rhythm. After all, the point is to produce coherent, creative results. Working to a soundtrack can help a group gel.Returning to the analogy of role-playing, a shared musical experience while working can be like group role-playing. Think of your work as a “World of Warcraft” raid, with the right background theme to keep you all on task. A more probable analogy is office decor, which creates a distinct atmosphere of its own. Like furniture and decoration, music can augment a working atmosphere.Neutral music (i.e. nothing too experimental) won’t distract. Of course, the group should decide together; if everyone can agree on a certain niche genre, then so be it.What Else Does Music Do?1. Increase RelaxationWhether you play music while working, you can still use it to enrich your breaks. Music is especially helpful if you’re feeling stressed out and need a moment to relax. Relaxing instantaneously is nearly impossible, probably because shifting focus so quickly is hard. If you’ve been thinking about one thing, transitioning to something else can take a while.Music, whether upbeat or tranquil, can facilitate the transition. It’s like auditory yoga, except you’re not forcing yourself to do anything uncomfortable; the music does the work for you.2. Improve PresentationsJust as appropriate music lends itself to different creative atmospheres, it can also influence viewers of your presentations. Choose the right music and they’ll be interested, excited, even ready to buy.A good presentation might use music at key moments. Even a tacky ’80s hit could work: it could trigger nostalgia, thus winning over your client. The right musical “moment” could lead to viewers purchasing or investing in your product, following your guidelines or just paying closer attention.If you want prospective clients to take interest in your service, elicit their enthusiasm by playing music with an exciting build-up. To drive home a point or highlight a feature or benefit, sync a track so that the musical climax occurs at that point in the presentation. (Image by tobiastoft)Basically, decide what you want to achieve with your presentation. What is the viewers’ call to action? What do you want them to do afterward? Add music that suits the content of your presentation and that complements the emotional journey you want viewers to take. Music in a presentation elicits emotional investment, and you’ll probably get better results.Music Creates MoodClearly, music isn’t just entertainment. The right kind of music is a tool that improves your day — and not just your mood: it can increase and sustain your creativity, productivity and effectiveness.Remember these three reasons to add music to your workflow: to get into your creative zone faster, to stay energized and motivated and to get more important stuff done in less time.(al)© Oleg Mokhov 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: music
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Add Music To Your Workflow To Improve Results
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July 4 2010, 1:36am | Comments »
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I posted to smashingmagazine.com
Drawing Inspiration From Music
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Instead of getting into the heads of successful designers, we should be getting into the head of the audience we’re designing for. There are many ways this can be done, one of which is music. Relying on senses other than your vision can evoke a greater comprehension for what feeling must be conveyed through a design. In my early years as a student, I had a difficult time adjusting to the thought process of a designer. I’m a hands-on learner, and developing design ideas is more of an abstract art. Being able to recognize a good design versus a bad design was never the problem, but creating unique designs was for me much like an artist trying to draw purely from memory that doesn’t have that capacity. For a couple of years I treated design as purely an art, simply because I lacked guidance in this area and didn’t know any better, hitting the ground running with a project without methodically seeking out inspiration appropriate for the task at hand. That system didn’t prove to work well in many instances, and my failure caused me to question my skills as a designer. Instead of giving up, I fought to find my own way through the thick fog that clouded my vision of what was truly standing in my way: a lack of a methodical design process. As soon as I had realized where I went wrong, I dug right in to finding out how to do it right. After finding a process that worked for me, I started finding inspiration in ways that I never would have thought to turn to. I quickly got sick of thumbing through the CSS galleries and the like and started trying to look at the world in a different light. One of the most inspirational things for many people is music, designers especially. Elliot Jay Stocks has even released an EP. That’s all good and well, but how can music specifically bring design inspiration? Outside the [Music] Box Music and art seemingly go hand-in-hand. Many different forms of art, design, or creation use music to enhance the experience. Here are just three examples:
Movies use a soundtrack to enhance the visual experience and the content of the script, to create or develop the mood.
Ballets use music in combination with visual cues such as movement, make-up, costumes, or props to set the mood. They create a story without words, which breaks out of the box of normal storytelling methods and relies on other senses and tactics to let the story be told for them.
Car forums often feature a post (or many) posing the question: “what music do you race to?” Music affects everyone differently and there are many variations of answers to this, but it is obvious that almost everyone uses music to somehow set the mood for the task at hand. Making a Melody
Music tends to thrive on metaphors. One of the most popular examples is that of Peter and the Wolf. Soviet Union composer Sergei Prokofiev created a story using different instruments to depict different characters. This is a great example of how design can adapt methods from other arts.
Many websites, such as Freelance Switch, use a variety of colors and icons to depict different subjects within the site.
The above image depicts the metaphor of “Music From the Other Room”. When looking at it without knowing the title of the work, it might be confusing and meaningless to some. I first was annoyed that many elements were not completely legible, such as “music”. Then I re-read the title, “Music From the Other Room”, and realized just how perfectly it fit. The title reminded me of when I was growing up and we had a piano in the living room, which was just below my bedroom. I could hear the general melody of the song, but I couldn’t make out any details. After coming to this realization I again looked at the image and found just how well this metaphor was conveyed in this piece. Using artistic methods to create systematic design concepts can be both liberating and efficiently productive. It can allow your creativity to flow in ways that inspiration from other designs cannot, and having your parameters laid out ahead of time will guide the creativity flow exactly where it needs to be heading. Letting the Music Sing There is a rising mantra between designers: “Design less, think more.” Samantha Warren sums it up rather succinctly while AIGA goes into more detail. Before ever sitting down to sketch or design, you need to know your boundaries and the context which you will be designing within. Many accomplish this through Mood Boards. Finding music that fits the particular mood you’re trying to convey can get you away from recreating a tired idea and push you toward breaking outside of the box and marching to the beat of your own drum. One of the major guidelines that determines the outcome of a project is the audience. Not having much experience with a particular audience can limit your vision of what will appeal to them. If you’re designing a social media site for African-American teens in a particular city or region, this could pose as quite a challenge if your main concentration has been work for large corporations. Obviously looking to those whom have accomplished such a venture successfully is a good idea, but focusing on the past makes it difficult to design a unique and more successful future. Instead of getting into the heads of successful designers, we should be getting into the head of the audience we’re designing for. There are many ways this can be done, one of which is listening to the music that generally appeals to this particular audience–as well as the music that appeals to the minorities of this audience. Relying on senses other than your vision can evoke a greater comprehension for what feeling must be conveyed through a design. Retaliate What music moves you to design? Have you used music to set the mood for a project in the past? About the author Ann Edwards is a freelance designer from Indianapolis, Indiana. She is also an avid car enthusiast, music addict, and self-proclaimed web geek.
© aedwards for Smashing Magazine, 2009. | Permalink | 19 comments | Add to del.icio.us | Digg this | Stumble on StumbleUpon! | Tweet it! | Submit to Reddit | Forum Smashing Magazine
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May 10 2009, 5:16am | Comments »
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60 Beautiful Music Videos
http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2008/11/16/60-beautiful-music-videos/
By Ashley Ringrose Imagine if three minutes of video could save your career. That’s what happened to OK Go when the group produced its own film clip after its label threatened to let them go. Gone are the days of multi-million dollar music videos; today they are all produced with love on small budgets by a committed group of creative people. Below are 60+ original music videos to inspire you and get you excited about the medium again. Some old, some new, but I guarantee you haven’t seen all of them before. Note: these are presented in random order. Just something to relax on a rainy sunday. Please be patient: the page may need some time to load. You may also want to take a look at the following related post:
29 Brilliant Music Videos
The Music Videos 1: TISM: Everyone Else Has Had More Sex Than Me
2: Mansun: Taxloss
3: Queens of the Stone Age: Go With the Flow
4: Aphex Twin: Windowlicker (NSFW)
5: Aphex Twin: Come to Daddy
6: Lenny Kravitz: Are You Gonna Go My Way
7: Prodigy: Smack My Bitch Up (NSFW)
Watch in high quality on YouTube
8: A-ha: Take On Me
9: Beck: Girl
Get Quicktimes here 10: Pharcycle: Drop
11: Blur: Coffee & TV
12: Junior Senior: Move Your Feet
13: Royksopp: Remind Me
14: Peter Gabriel: Sledgehammer
15: White Strips: Fell In Love With a Girl
Watch in high quality on YouTube 16: Daft Punk: Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger (fan made)
17: Daft Punk: Around the World
18: Daft Punk: Interstellar 555 Clips
19: Tenacious D: Fuck Her Gently (NSFW)
Watch original Flash animation here More info here 20: Michael Jackson: Thriller
21: Lemon Jelly: The Shouty Track
22: Justice: D.A.N.C.E.
23: Justice: Stress
24: Justice vs. Simian: We Are Your Friends
25: Justice: DVNO
26: Beastie Boys: Sabotage
27: Radiohead: House of Cards
Get The Code and more info on Google Code 28: Coldcut: Timber
29: Eels: Novocain for the Soul
30: Gorillaz: Clint Eastwood, and Dirty Harry
31: Chemical Brothers: Star Guitar
32: Chemical Brothers, featuring K-OS: Get Yourself High
33: Weezer: Buddy Holly
Full version here. 34: Weezer: Pork and Beans Pork and Beans - Weezer
35: Coldplay: The Hardest Part
36: Bjork: Wanderlust
Official website for the video here 37: Gotye: Hearts a Mess
38: Funstorung: Sleeping Beauty
39: OK Go: Here It Goes Again
40: Metallica: One
41: Verve: Bittersweet Symphony
42: Supergrass: Pumping on Your Stereo
43: Santogold, Julian Casablancas, N.E.R.D: My Drive Thru for Converse
44: Bjork: All is Full of Love
45: Alex Gopher: The Child
46: Paula Abdul: Opposites Attract
C’mon, this was a classic when it came out! Don’t judge me. 47: Unkle: Rabbit in your Headlights
48: DJ Format: We Know Something You Don’t Know
49: Telemetry Orchestra: Suburban Harmony
50: The Bumblebeez: Dr. Love
Directed by my favorite director, Tom Kuntz. A true genius. 51: Jamiroquai: Virtual Insanity
52: Tool: Stinkfist
53: Red Hot Chili Peppers: Give It Away
54: Weird Al Yankovic: Bedrock Anthem
55: The Avalanches: Frontier Psychiatrist
Also directed by Tom Kuntz 56: Basement Jaxx: Where’s Your Head At
57: Wu-Tang Clan: Triumph
Directed by Brett Ratner! 58: Battles: Tonto
59: Sia: Buttons
60: Fatboy Slim: Praise You, and Weapon of Choice
61: Architecture in Helsinki: Do the Whirlwind
62: Softlightes: Heart Made Of Sound
63: Fujiya & Miyagi: Ankle Injuries
64: Yuki: Sentimental Journey
Last Click Here are three music videos that will get stuck in your head.
Related Posts You may also want to take a look at the following related post:
29 Brilliant Music Videos
(al)
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- inspiration
- music
- video
November 16 2008, 4:06am | Comments »
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