You need to accept the lows to appreciate the highs.
Journal
Resource 04
A one-page web project framework.
A simple aim; create a one page web project template – an easily customisable, flexible platform to showcase your latest work.
- Bootstrapped
- LESS integrated stylesheets – commented, variables, mixins, retina ready, minified.
- jQuery & Google Web fonts ready.
- Mobile friendly design.
Please feel free to download and use in your own projects.
Words 125
Brand guidelines also play an important role in a designer’s efficiency. In the current climate, where everyone has their eye on time and money, a well-managed visual identity can equal greater creative output. All the hard work has already been done, so it’s just a case of implementation. Therefore, you spend less time worrying about the how it looks and can focus your efforts on generating great ideas.
Words 124
From a designer’s point of view, we like following rules. We can’t get enough of them. Grids, colour palettes, point sizes, ‘x’ heights, margins – we love them. What we hate is being restricted. It is important to give designers enough room for interpretation, that’s why brand guidelines should be just that – a guide, not a creative straight jacket.
Words 123
To grow and maintain a strong brand, consistency is by far the most important factor. This ensures that your brand is immediately and unconsciously recognisable, wherever and whichever medium it is found.
Pictures 76
It’s been a long time since I’ve spent any considerable time in Adobe InDesign. Enjoying the experience, a few features that I would love to see in Photoshop.
Pictures 75
A Google Maps tooltip that made me smile. “This map is built for you”. Software for humans.
Words 122
Brand is the big picture. It’s what differentiates one business from another.
Pictures 74
A lovely use of color – TriplAgent for iPhone.
Workflow 13
A bright and bold design doesn’t have to be brash.
Words 121
A company’s brand is paramount. It expresses your culture and character and, in turn, helps establish your reputation in the minds of your customers.
Workflow 12
Learning to limit the numbers of colors in a design is important. The more color you add, the less prominence it has.
Pictures 73
A few well crafted brand marks.
karstenrowe.com have a Google+ page
Now verified on Google+.
Pictures 72
A clever & unique logo.
Workflow 11
I’ve grown to like Buffer. Their chrome extension just works.
Words 120
Always challenge the old ways.
Pictures 71
Gmail is renowned for its minimal UI. An example of removing surplus pixels, where possible.
Workflow 10
A simple website to showcase new design work.
By no means a ground-breaking or innovative design and very much a work in progress, but having a point of reference is important.
Pictures 70
Currently admiring the simplicity of the Google Drive UI.
Pictures 69
Feedly have a new underbar design.
Pictures 68
An example of a good welcome email – Slack.
Workflow 09
In terms of a quick design inspiration fix, Pinterest is a great place to be – composition, form, typography, color, texture.
Workflow 08
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-4H6U_28MDk&w=480&h=360]
Why I use Gmail – keyboard navigation.
Pictures 67
Square Space on dribbble. I’m not sure what else to say but a showcase of inspiring work.
Pictures 66
People tell me “print is dead”.
Pictures 65
I love shopping for a new Swatch watch.
Words 119
The term “remarkable” means being worthy of notice or attention or, in the context of the web, naturally persuading the viewer to mention or recommend a website to a friend.
Words 118
Design is not purely visual. Visual or graphic design is only a small part of what we do. Knowing that your first role as a designer is “problem-solver”, rather than “guy who draws stuff” is a good place to be.
Words 117
I take time out of each day to sketch.
Pictures 64
A nice package arrived in the post, courtesy of Newspaper Club.
Words 116
Even the nicest car won’t make driving in traffic enjoyable.
Words 115
Do you label a button Submit or Save or Update or New or Create? That’s copywriting. Do you write three sentences or five? Do you explain with general examples or with details? Do you label content New or Updated or Recently Updated or Modified? All of this matters.
Pictures 63
I recently visited the Käthe Kollwitz Museum, Cologne, Germany – stumbled across these great posters on the way in.
Project 07: karstenrowe.com
Words 114
When you write like everyone else and sound like everyone else and act like everyone else, you’re saying, “Our product is like everyone else’s”.
Workflow 07
I’m stilling loving Feedly. Web, kindle & iPhone. All my news in one place.
Workflow 06
I think most clearly when I’m running – Nike+ helps me keep motivated.
Words 113
A good pitch starts with a crystal-clear exposition of the problem you are trying to solve. The unspoken response you want in the minds of your audience are: ‘He may not have solved it yet, but this guy really knows what our problem is.’ Then elaborate.
Workflow 05
GitHub – making intelligent version control less painful for design folk like me.
Pictures 62
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1A9AoCJTuVU&w=480&h=360]
An incremental improvement – a quick demonstration of keyboard navigation and tab :focus on www.karstenrowe.com.
Words 112
Stress is not attractive at all. We love people who work hard but we don’t want them to be white and shaking.
Words 111
Go on a ‘re-launch’ programme to get yourself in better shape, get a tan, tone up and dress a bit more interestingly.
Words 110
Think about your customers and think about what those buttons and words mean to them. Don’t use acronyms or words that most people don’t understand. Don’t use internal lingo. Don’t sound like an engineer talking to another engineer. Keep it short and sweet. Say what you need to and no more.
Words 109
Build predictable websites. Design what the user expects. Do not try to build the next big web feature unless its absolutely a better, more intuitive way to complete an old task.
Words 108
Always anticipate that a user may not use your website the way you intend. Predict how they might misuse the website, and don’t let the consequences of misuse be undesirable.
Pictures 61
Words 107
Great brands work, they say to people that you care about quality.
Pictures 60
Always a pleasure to see Nutshell in the wild.
Words 106
Always look as good as you can and as good as you wished you felt without being too fussy.