I love the design today. And I love the web. Sure, both may have their issues, but when talented folks share so much great stuff online, like photos, icons, videos, etc. It’s hard not to find value in it all.
Freebie: Brands Icons And Color Style Guides 100 Icons, PNG | Smashing Magazine.
When I opened my “generic” store-brand Claritin (excuse me Loratadine) the box I thought held two bottles actually only held one. And I just chuckled and shook my head. What a waste.
I understand. I’ve been in the meetings where the client wants the packaging to be “bigger” so it’s perceived to be more expensive or impressive. But when it’s your own store brand for a product that’s fairly common-place now. It’s simply a waste of resources and frankly, bad for shelf space. Why take up more space on the shelf, cheating valuable space away from other products.
Sometimes, as designers, we simply have to call-out stupid for being stupid. The packaging is a waste of space and waster of resources and simply generates more trash. I doubt it makes a significant impact on overall sales.
So as I type this post…I’m shaking my head some more. I mean really… such a waste.
An interesting article by Dmitry Fadeyev about why free is a bad thing (usually).
Avoiding The Pitfalls Of Free | Smashing Magazine.
This is interesting to me. Not only that the Ampersand use to be part of the alphabet, but how the word itself came to be. Silly perhaps. But none-the-less I’m fascinated.
It’s known that Apple is making its Operating Systems available for download… and that each update has been modestly priced. But what really took me by surprise was the latest incarnation of their Server OS. Yes, it too has been getting less expensive over the years. But now Apple, with OS X Server (10.8) for Mountain Lion has truly done something remarkable.
Yup, that’s correct. If you purchase and download Mountain Lion for $19.99 – for another $19.99 you can download and install and run a fully capable server. One that offers a lot of capability and power (since it’s based on open source solutions). But it comes with an easy-to-use and administer Graphical User Interface (GUI).
I think this one has snuck by most tech writers… since I haven’t seen many commenting on this. But I think this is really a game changer for small businesses. Apple hasn’t really ever tried to push hard into businesses (they’ve always been more of a consumer company) but with this inexpensive add-on and very affordable Mac Mini Server (starting at $599) they’re making quiet in-roads into business. Stealthly they’ve put together a robust small business server solution that’s made simple-to-use.
Wow. I wish I could have attended this lecture. I’m a big admirer of Paul Rand. I would have woken up extra early. I hope that this lecture was caught on video and that someday it’s made available. I’d love to watch it. I’m enamored with this synopsis…I’m sure I’d enjoy it in its entirety.
Thoughts on Paul Rand – Writing for IDEA Magazine.
