Archive for June, 2007
Everywhere I look there seems to be this thing between designers and their gadgets, especially when it comes to mobile / cell / gsm phones*. Whenever the subject is brought up it often results in a “mine is bigger than yours” debate. Its not just a phone anymore: its your whole life crammed into a little plastic object. Calling and texting isn’t enough either - if you can’t take a crap photo or shoot a bad video, email your friends and post on your favourite forum from your phone you’re lost.
Sure, as a web designer I can see the need for people in this line of work to stay up to date with current and new technologies, after all the mobile phone has become a content carrier and more and more people want to do more stuff on their phone. But do we really need camera’s and MP3 players on a phone? In my immediate surroundings that only results in sitting on a bus with some dimwit kid blasting the latest R&B crap out to everyone. Here’s the deal: if you want to listen to music, get a pair of headphones OK? The crappy loudspeaker on your phone makes it sound like crackling shit and sooner or later someone is just going to walk up to you and stuff it down your throat.
But I’m getting side-tracked now.
Anyway. Designers. Mobile Phones. The whole reason I’m writing this is because last weekend I finally caved in and bought a new one. “So?” I hear you say. “Everyone has a mobile these days, whats so special about getting one?”. Most people that know me, know that I’ve never had a mobile. Whenever we would meet up I’d call them from home to see where’d they be and then I’d come along. I’m lying. I used to have a mobile (although I got into it quite late) from 1999 until 2001. I got it when I was still in Belgium. Great thing it was, a little blue Nokia.
Then I moved to London and kept using it (yeah, that was smart) on my Belgian network: Hello ridiculous roaming charges. I can’t remember when, but I just stopped paying the bills. Phone got disconnected, and that was that. By that time I was more active on email and IM - and if people really wanted to hear my voice they could call me at work or at home. I started to make a point out of it too. If you want to talk to me, especially in a professional context, you can call me at work, or email me and I’ll be more than happy to reply. After 7PM its “me” time. Doesn’t mean I’m not working then, but during my evenings I don’t want to get bothered (unless of course, the client is in another time-zone, but thats something completely different).
Then 2 years ago I followed my now fiancée to Berlin for a month and needed a phone again. Just as I was going to get a cheap basic one, one of my friends offered an old Motorola Timeport in exchange for a packet of his favourite cigarettes.
Done deal.
So since the last 2 years I was back in the mobile world. Friends thought it incredibly funny that a) I had one and b) it was a relic. No MMS, no camera, just plain calling and texting. I liked that. Thats all I need a phone for anyway. I have a decent camera as it is, and having a camera phone only ends in you boring your friends with sending inane low quality images and racking up a sizeable phone-bill.
But then last weekend I had enough of it. Although the phone did what I needed it weighted a ton, and I never could work out how to call up missed calls and texting a message took ages (not helped by the fact that my years as a mobile free person made me the world’s slowest texter no doubt). So I got me a new basic Nokia phone that can call and send texts. Yes, it has a crappy camera and yes, I can surf the web with it (I think). I don’t need it - but thats the only thing that was available in the price range I wanted to spend that also was a tri-band phone.
In another 7 years or so and this blog still lives you can read about my third new phone.
* whichever name works for you.
Dazed & confused is looking at the 50 individuals and groups behind the most eye-popping, mind-blowing creative endeavours on the web today - and we’re happy to spot Bleep amongst the list.
Ashley Wood sent me this yesterday from an email he received:
“Also, maybe some stuff about how you and Muller work together, you’re the Lennon/McCartney of Design.”
Thank you Mr. Anonymous Fan Jeff!
Punk: Attitude was showing on UK T.V. last night - really good documentary on the rise and evolution of Punk. I know most of the stuff they showed, and its always cool to see archive footage of live shows, when at one point they bring up the band who was labeled “the first Punk band”: ? & The Mysterians. Never heard of them before (until I realised just now by a quick Google that I’ve heard their music), but man - that is probably the most awesome band name in the history of band names. Or comics, or Science Fiction. EVER.
“The Adventures of Question Mark & The Mysterians in the 9th Dimension”
Been working on this for a while now, the cover for Liam’s Machivarious Point novel (for Mam Tor™ Publishing), and I can’t seem to crack it.
I’ve tried a number of approaches combining the art he sent and adding design and type to it… trying all sorts of devices.
It doesn’t help that its a combination of fantasy and SF, so I feel I have to reflect both elements in the cover.
Anyway - I’ve been butchering the art in Photoshop and I think I’ve found an interesting angle to it all.
I’ve been involved in pitches lately, to some designers the bane of their existence, to other a relished opportunity to shine. I’m a bit stuck between those extremes. Pitching always involves a bit of guess work. Usually you’ll end up in a three way pitch against two other designers or agencies and most likely - depending what industry you’re in - you have a vague idea of possible “opponents” which makes the game a lot more interesting.
Sometimes we’re competing against an agency that throws 20 people on a pitch and present the client with 4 or more fully realised concepts, mood boards, brand strategies and anything else you can’t think of. We don’t have that physical man power to compete with those behemoths - although we’ve won our fare share of pitches against them. Of course, in similar scenarios we’ve also lost some - it all comes down to the client and what they are looking for, but there are some surefire ways to impress the potential client.
DO:
Keep it simple
I’ve never written more than necessary. It doesn’t mean I’m lazy, I just don’t believe in overselling yourself with fluff and unnecessary hype.
Less is more
When you’re invited to pitch there’s generally speaking 2 scenarios: they’ll ask for a written outline/approach, or they want to see some visuals. If they want visuals keep it to 3 proposals maximum. Any more and it shows you can’t make up your mind.
Follow your gut instinct
Usually pitches require a fast turnaround. Brief comes in on Monday, response expected by Thursday. This leaves you with little time to be creative. Often I just follow the first idea that pops in my head seeing a brief and run with it, 95% of the time I’m on the money. One of the few usefull things they thaught me in art college: always go with your first instinct. The more you fret over your idea, the more you’ll water it down and it will lose its impact.
Listen to the client
This sounds like an obvious one, but too often designers get the idea in their head to turn the brief to their hand and ignore what the client wants in favour of what they want.
The next time: What not to do.
I received an email yesterday from Wences to tell me that the site for the 2007 edition of MadInSpain is live, also asking if I could spread the word about it.
I was one of the speakers invited the first time around, and back then it was a bit of an experiment for Wences, who up until then never had organised an event of that scale. All of the guests were staying at the dorms of the university campus that hosted the event, which didn’t always work smoothly: there was a curfew (and yes, we smuggled in booze), and the faculty spontaneously decided to cut off internet access during the conference - resulting with me spending some time at the headmaster’s office using his personal connection to send some last minute client work back to London, under watchfull academic eyes scrutinizing my every click; and Preloaded canceling their presentation (because a connection was needed). Oh yes, I also lost my luggage courtesy of Easyjet so I ran around for 3 days in the same clothes blagging free T-shirts from various exhibitors (if any of you are reading, you’re awesome!) and showering 4 times a day to stay fresh.
Looking back, it was a great time - much thanks to Wences who worked his butt of to get everything running smoothly and looking after us. I remember him saying on the last day that it would be the first and last time he’d do something like that.
A year later I met up with him in London and he was entertaining the thought of doing another one, this time properly with a decent venue.
Looking at this year’s lineup it looks like he’s going to pull it off.