(this is more of a stream-of-consciousness entry than it is a well-structured essay, so I apologize if I jump around a lot)
There seems to be an inverse relationship to the natural evolution of a company on a progressing path and the perception of this company by the public.
I think people are funny, what they complain about, what they react to.
original Olympics logo:
London 2012 Olympics logo:
Dropping a pile of shit into an ice cream cone would make for a memorable (albeit foul and inappropriate) logo for the Olympics. Just because it’s memorable and would provoke a lot of arguments doesn’t mean its good.
The bottom line is a logo’s responsibility is to distill a huge amount of information and ideas into ONE MARK that conveys the essence of a product, brand, company or event.
The London 2012 logo not only miscommunicates, but needs the original Olympics logo embedded INTO it in order to put it in context! I don’t call that a ‘design element’, I call that a crutch.
End of discussion.
WWDC 2007 – Keynote Address (Quicktime video stream) – Like most of you, I already have all the details from the Keynote, but half the fun is watching Steve Jobs deliver the news.
Regarding Apple’s announcement that iPhone apps can be developed as web applications (sites), here are 2 different POV’s:
Why are the vast majority of agencies looking merely for people who know how to use certain tools? Why aren’t they looking for people who know how to produce modern product and truly functional results?
Adobe Launches AIR (Adobe Integrated Runtime), the artist formally known as Apollo (via TechCrunch).
Adobe has also dropped Flex 3 Beta (via MacNN) – this makes sense since it kinda ties in with their whole AIR product, letting developers create cross-platform RIA’s in browsers and on the desktop.
Microsoft is (read: wants to) going head-to-head with Flex/AIR with Silverlight. That’s great Microsoft, we’re up to version 9 of Flash and you decide to get into the RIA game. Flash has over 95% penetration and you’d like to to switch to your Silverlight plug-in why?
Video: Aero (Vista) vs. Beryl (Linux) – Ignore the crappy techno music and check out this amazing GUI for Linux. The 3-D rendering of application windows in particular blew me away.
I don’t think I want to post any news items relating to the iPhone. The tension in the air is so thick you could cut it with a knife.
My friend Bryan recently got back from Vegas …and some of the Nevada deserts. What he brought back was some cool stories and some great pictures, check them out on his new photography page.
“If you don’t know Kiera Knightly, she’s a slightly more mannish version of Orlando Bloom.”
Classic. God that ninja has a way with words.
Netscape releases Navigator 9 – I just installed it. It works. It has tabs. The few sites I’ve checked out seem to render ok CSS-wise. Problem is I just still have that bad Netscape 4.7 aftertaste in my mouth… (Hey, cut me some slack, I started web design in the 90’s, it was rough and left some scars.)
Movable Type 4.0 Beta Released – This site was built in Movable Type 3.3, I can’t wait to upgrade, it looks pretty hot.
Kurt Noble ditches Flash for tight HTML Relaunch (via NT) – Maybe it’s because I’m getting older, but there’s something to be said for nice, clean, functional HTML site with a dash of Ajax-y loading content for flavor. I dig it.
Humans make sense of the world through pattern recognition, here’s a pattern I’ve picked up on (and I’m definitely not the first):
August 29, 2006 Google’s CEO, Eric Schmidt joins Apple’s board of directors
9 October, 2006 Google Buys YouTube
9 January 2007 Apple launches Apple TV
2 April 2007 Apple and EMI Music agree to DRM-free tracks on iTunes
30 May 2007 Apple to feature YouTube video content on Apple TV
May 31, 2007 Youtube Signs Deal with EMI
Do you see where this is going? Apple (and Google (and EMI)) is no dummy. The iPod was tossed aside by initial critics…. Apple retail stores were said to go under within a year…. Apple TV is a dud says critics….
I’m not saying Apple is guaranteed success in the everything, but just keep your eye on them, before you know it, they might be in your living room (and phone, and music player and computer).
Today Microsoft announces the release of a new multi-touch screen product/technology called Surface. It allows you to interact with a screen in a very natural way, by dragging objects on the screen around with your fingers and using various gestures, not with 1 finger, but with many fingers on both hands.
Fake-Up (via *thefwa.org).
Rexona V8 from grupoW. Diseño ilustrativo y un juego muy divertido. Felicidades grupo!
Why Apple’s iPhone is Not the Next iPod:
Additionally, the potential success of the iPhone could be dampened by its price. If looked at as three devices in one, the price isn’t unreasonable — buying a 4GB iPod Nano and a BlackBerry 8700c (which acts as a phone and Internet device) separately for instance would set you back about $500. But when looked at as simply a phone, which is the way many people perceive the device, it’s just plain expensive. People may not be willing to pay $499 to $599 for a cell phone that does not function any better as a phone per se, in that it makes calls as well as the next phone.
Bullshit.
Other devices priced around $500 when they debuted:
Making the leap to ActionScript 3.0 – It feels like yesterday I was learning AS2. Good thing I’m an art director and not a Flash developer. What sounds cool to me? No more _root in the syntax.