Posts by Ian

I booked a stand at the Brighton and Hove Business Show one week before the exhibition. A week in which I was flat out with client work during the day. So, I spent 24 hours over that week getting my act together. Here’s what happened…

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The BBC recently requested feedback and suggestions on how their commissioning process and ASL might be improved. These were my thoughts – I’d love to hear yours too…

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We think it’s time there’s a Top Trumps pack for online design.

“I’ve got 85 for interactive design — 37Signals.” “Ha! I’ve got Cooper. 90.”

Here’s the file, for download and customisation. What categories would you use? What score would you give yourself? How can we get a system that stops everyone awarding themselves 95 points?

No fighting in the backseat…

Download Web Trumps.ai.

When we’re working on a project, we often have to compare complex things – features/services/software – and work out which one is the best in the given situation. I use a spreadsheet and create a matrix. This is what you should end up with. Click on screen shots to see the next step. There’s a brief explanation of each step underneath.

Open a spreadsheet, and in A2 type Criteria and then copy and past your criteria list beneath that, one cell per item.

Select cell B1 and type in Weighting. Assign a Weighting value to each criteria. The value represents the level of importance this item has within your overall decision. It doesn’t matter what range you use as long as you’re consistent. I used the range 0.1 (not important) – 1.0 (essential).

Starting in cell C1, label two cells for each software package you’re reviewing – label the first one the name of the software e.g Product A, and the second Score $ e.g Score A, horizontally across the top.

Select the Score value cell.

Create the formula =PRODUCT(weighting column, Score $) and press ENTER.

In the highlighted cell C1, you will see a little cross on the bottom right corner. Click and drag that vertically in that column to copy the formula to those cells too.

The formula is copied to those cells …

… and the values are calculated.

Repeat steps 4-8 for each product – add a formula …

.. copy it to all the other cells.

Starting in cell C3, review each software package against your criteria and assign an appropriate value. I used the range 0-5, but you just need to be consistent.

When you’ve finished scoring all your criteria, you want to add them all up. At the bottom of your product score rows, add the formula =SUM(D3:D11)to add up each column. Repeat for each score column, changing the values appropriately e.g. =SUM(F3:F11)

It may be no surprise that product with the highest figure gives is the favoured choice. Now go back and add additional criteria rows so it eventually comes out the way you wanted it to

We’d love to hear what you think about these designs for a new marketing pack.

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Update September 2008 – Position is now filled.

For the second year running we’re involved in the Brighton Internship Programme run by Wired Sussex. We are seeking an enthusiastic web designer who can demonstrate real flair and ability to come join us for 6 weeks. There may be further opportunities for the right candidate…

It’s a great package for any intern – you get paid, gain more experience, a portfolio boost and access to some invaluable training.
The 6 week scheme starts in September 2008.

Full details of the scheme and all the 20+ positions available can be found at: http://www.wiredsussex.com/Projects/bip.asp

Please apply via Wired Sussex directly.

I was lucky enough to visit this exhibition while in New York a couple of weeks ago. I took a few stills and videos of interactive works that particularly caught my eye. Most of this is documented on the Design and the Elastic Mind website, but here are a couple of extra views…

Below is a talk given by the MOMA design curator Paola Antonelli, who gives an overview of the main themes of the exhibition and a closer look at some of the works it encompasses.

Source: http://www.ted.org/index.php/talks/paola_antonelli_previews_design_and_the_elastic_mind.html

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Zoom in on the image

The Webby Awards, the leading international honor for the Web, today recognised Moore at Kew as an Official Honoree, a distinction that recognises work exhibiting remarkable achievement. The website has been selected as an Official Honoree for the Art category.

Moore at Kew was designed by 72 dots Ltd, managed by Chris Marsh and produced by 72 dots in conjunction with the Kew web team.

Hailed as the “Oscars of the Internet” by the New York Times, The Webby Awards is the leading international award honoring excellence on the Internet, including Websites, Interactive Advertising, Online Film & Video, and Mobile Websites. The awards are judged by the International Academy of Digital Arts & Sciences, a global organization that includes David Bowie, Harvey Weinstein, Arianna Huffington, AKQA Global Creative Director Rei Inamoto, Matt Groening, Jamie Oliver, Internet inventor Vinton Cerf, and RealNetworks CEO Rob Glaser.

“The Webby Awards honors the outstanding work that is setting the standards for the Internet,” said David-Michel Davies, executive director of The Webby Awards. “Moore at Kew’s Official Honoree selection is a testament to the skill, ingenuity, and vision of its creators.”

Ian Hallworth, Creative Director at 72 dots said “This was a fantastic project to work and one that we were extremely proud to have been involved with. The website took off immediately with loads of people adding comments and getting involved with the photo competitions. It seems the work of Henry Moore really captured people’s imaginations. Naturally, I’m over the moon about the award – to be recognised internationally is testament to the fantastic team effort that went in to creating this great site.”

If you’d like to read more about how we approached the design of the Moore at Kew website, you can read a case study.

The 12th Annual Webby Awards received nearly 10,000 entries from over 60 countries and all 50 states. Out more than 10,000 entries submitted, fewer than 15% received this honor and were deemed Official Honorees.

About the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences (IADAS):

The International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences is dedicated to the creative, technical, and professional progress of the internet and interactive media. The Academy is an intellectually diverse organization that includes over 550 members consisting of leading experts in a diverse range of fields, such as musician David Bowie, Virgin Group founder Richard Branson, AKQA Global Creative Director Rei Inamoto, “Simpsons” creator Matt Groening, Real Networks CEO Rob Glaser, The Huffington Post’s Arianna Huffington, AKQA Global Creative Director Rei Inamoto and The Weinstein Company’s Harvey Weinstein. The Webby Awards and The International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences are registered trademarks of International Data Group. For more information, visit www.iadas.net.

We celebrated the launch of our brand spanking-new website with a launch party down on the Brighton seafront

Last Friday (14th March), we celebrated the official launch of the new website with a cracking party down at OHSO social on the seafront here in Brighton.

Those who found there way through the thick fog rolling in off the sea and managed to clamber over the piles of pebbles after the recent storm, were treated to a cosy night out of the elements.

We were blessed to have Gladdy Wax from the eponymous Sound System play a sweet reggae, roots, dancehall, soul & funk set into the late hours. Big up Gladdy. He’s available for hire on 07711 444 188…

Along with the top tunes was a selection of the finest cup-cakes know to man (and woman).
Carefully baked and crafted by Alice from Alice’s Cakes using our brand colours and logo, they were a sight for hungry eyes. She’s currently baking her new website. No doubt that will be a tasty treat too.

We also tried a little offline social networking experiment – do you recognise yourself?

A massive thanks to all of you who came down and made the night such a great success.

Users of PureData might be interested in this new handbook put together by a leading digital arts organization.

folly have announced the completion of the first edition of an important new project, the Digital Artists Handbook: The Digital Artists Handbook is a new, up to date, reliable and accessible source of information that introduces artists to different tools, resources and ways of working related to digital art. The touchstone of this new compendium is free/libre open source software (FLOSS) and technologies. The Handbook has been edited by Marloes de Valk and Aymeric Mansoux of GOTO10, a collective of international artists and programmers.

Creative Director Kathryn Lambert said

folly are very excited to announce our Digital Artists Handbook, which we hope will be an indispensable resource for artists seeking an introduction to the world of free and open source technologies. folly strongly believe that FLOSS is an empowering, cost-effective and democratic way to introduce digital art technologies to artists

Building on the collaborative and accumulative nature of the web, the Digital Artists Handbook will always be a work-in-progress, with new articles being commissioned on an ongoing basis, and new fields explored. The goal of the Handbook is to be a signpost, a source of practical information and content that bridges the gap between new users and the platforms and resources that are available, but not always very accessible. The Handbook will be slowly filled with articles written by invited artists and specialists, talking about their tools and ways of working Kathryn Lambert said “We’re especially pleased that folly has worked with a range of international artists and specialists who have shared insight into their areas of expertise”.
The digital artist handbook is brought to you by folly and has developed out of ongoing consultation with artists working with technology, which has shown a need for removing the barriers for artists to use digital tools. The project is supported by Arts Council England.

The artists and practitioners who participated in the first stage of writing the Handbook are: Kristina Andersen, Frank Barknecht, Tom Betts, Florian Cramer, Phil Chandler, Olga Goriunova, Kathryn Lambert, Olivier Laruelle, Thor Magnusson, Nicolas Malevé, Aymeric Mansoux, Iman Moradi, Jon Phillips, Tom Schouten, Marloes de Valk, Peter Westenberg, and Simon Yuill

To find out more information then please click here.
Thank you
Alastair Ball