Colors In Corporate Branding And Design

Color is a major consideration in any Web design. Whether for an individual, small company, or major corporation, color scheme is one of the most significant factors in the overall look and appearance of a website. In some cases, the designer may have the sole discretion in making color choices, but many times a color scheme has already been established and needs to be followed. In situations where a company already has a strong brand, color usage for the website can either build or take away from this.

aMap: Mapping Complex Arguments in a Visual Format

aMap [amap.org.uk] is a new venture designed to promote the art of arguing by mapping out complex arguments in a simple visual way across social media. aMaps come both in printed and internet formats.

The initial aMap project was set up to look at how "visualization techniques" could be used to help create simplified visualisations of complex arguments, with the overall aim to help the average man on the street be able to engage and participate in complex policy issues. The current goal is obviously to investigate different routes of how to best visualise arguments in a social, online medium context.

Lessons from the art of storyboarding

Storyboarding is a great way to begin to visualize the story of your content. (In animation) storyboards are used to develop the story.

Designer Philippe Starck Embraces his Feminine Side [exclusive video]

Philippe Starck, resplendent in black leather pants, came to New York’s Soho House this week to promote his latest project –- a set of sleek stereo speakers he designed for Parrot, a French wireless technology company whose CEO, Martin Seydoux, is one of the designer’s oldest friends.

iDock

Looking for a functional dock for your iPod/ iPhone?

Blob Architecture's Patron Dies

One of the most influential branches of architecture in the last 15 years is "blobitecture," which produces futuristic (often blob-like) forms using cutting edge technology, Jan Kaplický just passed.

Can Design Improve Fuel Efficiency?

Arguing for aerodynamics as key to saving fuel.

Fujitsu Siemens Computers Wins 2009 iF Product Design Award

Fujitsu Siemens Computers won the 2009 iF product design award for the ESPRIMO Mobile series professional notebooks as well as for the ESPRIMO MA, a tablet PC design specifically for the health care sector.

What Beautiful Future Gadgets Will Be Made Of

Gizmodo’s editorial director Brian Lam gives Kara Johnson the final word on tomorrow’s gadget materials. Kara explains that unpainted plastic is the future, and that we need to move beyond injection molding and look at sheet processes for 2D layers. For more on materials and the future of gadgets, click here.

Bright ideas for dark days

In tough times, it's the brightest ideas that get noticed. And for those who can adapt quickest, recession offers a chance to steal a march on the competition.

Skip Hop’s Wishbone Bike 3 in 1

Something simple for the kids.

Bell Mobility Launches a New UI

Earlier this week the Canadian communications company Bell Mobility released phones with new user interfaces (UIs) designed by frog.

Designers Are Capable Of Transforming Cities Beyond The Industrial Age

If you think business is competitive, think about cities. Every city is struggling to find innovative ways to heighten their creative energy and transform their cities to a post industrial age era.

Electronic Books–A Human Factors perspective

Richard Pak offers his thoughts on the design of the Amazon Kindle. There are some critical “book behaviors” that the device does not afford but are critical to him.

How NOT to design a logo

Logo design in today’s world is totally under rated.

People do not understand how important a good logo is and how valuable it is to their business.

Three Mobile User Experience Trends to Watch in 2009

2008 was truly a milestone year for mobile. In an industry that has long felt downtrodden by a multitude of technical and business constraints, wild and exciting inflection points burst like fireworks across the mobile landscape, bringing visibility to our industry and renewing our hopes.

John Maeda: My journey in design, from tofu to RISD

Designer John Maeda talks about his path from a Seattle tofu factory to the Rhode Island School of Design, where he became president in 2008. Maeda, a tireless experimenter and a witty observer, explores the crucial moment when design met computers.

Hitachi Reinvents TV Remote As A Trackball

I'm tired of having to deal with several TV/AV remotes with two hundred tiny buttons and a screen for Windows connectivity. Simplicity is what I love, which is why I find Hitachi's trackball-style reinvention superior.

Lenovo IdeaCentre 600: Thinnest (Hottest?) All-in-One PC on the Block

Lenovo's IdeaCentre 600 is a pretty splashy debut: Its first ever all-in-one is a simple curved slab that's supposedly the thinnest all-in-one in the industry.

Objectified

As he did for Helvetica's namesake typeface, Gary Hustwit gathered the world's top designers for his forthcoming documentary Objectified, telling the story of the magic behind the objects we use every day. Read the rest here.