I found this in my Stumbleupon wanderings:
swiss-miss.com/2010/02/im-sorry.html
Clever. Inside joke? Not if you use Windows shortcuts. Your designer will appreciate it.
Oh, it’s Command+Z to the designer, most likely a Mac user.
“Every good design needs a focal point.” Garr Reynolds begins in this meaty blog post.
Explaining “Tokonoma,” Garr moves from the Japanese architectural and cultural explanation, into the realm of practical application in—of all things—presentations. He takes the real-life, explains the concepts, and turns them back into the real life.
Brilliantly depicting before and after examples of presentation images, Garr shows examples that my most-practical and literal-minded followers can swallow.
I encourge you to apply the principles if you do any of the following:
Read his post on presentationzen.com.
rabbit ears and clicky dials
Blending contemporary technology with old school retro designs, these 10 tech finds will take you back to an era when “network” meant three channels and there was a USA but not a USB.
Posted on Mashable.
Hmmm, would you stand three inches over and hold onto the right antenna? Ahh, there.
Kat Neville writes on Smashing Magazine “The Art and Science of the Email Signature.”
Nice work. Too many of my friends and coworkers have loaded down their signatures with every number, every tagline, every graphic logo of the company, in every color in the company-approved brand palette.
Brevity. Clarity.
That’s all recipients want.
Also, if the majority of your email is sent inhouse, then create an internal signature that’s your default.
Name, Extension.
Period.
No need to tell your coworkers the name of the company you both work for, your own Web site, and monthly Marketing tagline.
Speaking of company brand, the pastel colors some companies include in their palette are instant turnoffs. Try reading this: andy gee, communication specialist
Hey gang, another 1612-week session of our GetFIT Wellness IQ program starts in a few weeks, and I’m returning to captain a team for the 12th straight session. This session will be slightly different from past ones: I want to lead a new team of losers. I’m forming a team of “first-timers or failed-returners.” If you’ve never joined a Wellness IQ GetFit team in the past, or have tried a team but failed at your personal goals, this year choose me as your team captain.
I’m not creating a team that’s going to win first place in the team competition and take home the cool prizes. Those teams already exist and I applaud them. Please don’t sign up for my team if… Continue reading
On vacation from work for a week during this year’s run of “An Evening in December,” I just blogged about “relying” on someone during unexpected interruptions.
On my other blog, read a teaser about our first full-cast run through.
behindthescenes.wordpress.com
From vspblog.com:
“To raise awareness about the connection between diabetes and eye health, VSP’s headquarters will be lit blue each night. VSP is proud to participate in this global event. Signs of diabetes can be seen in an eye exam before a person is even aware they have it.”
And another fellow vspblogger wrote:
“World Diabetes Day is a global awareness campaign that’s celebrated every year on November 14. Iconic landmarks and buildings across the world are lit in blue to create a united voice for diabetes awareness!
Together we can shed light on the impacts of this growing disease and the need to find a cure.”
Read more from vspblog.com
Friends who aren’t on Twitter often ask me how to get beyond their “get started” phase. Other friends tell me of the frustrations with Twitter that drove them away. Still others remind me that their busy lives don’t allow them to engage with Twitter as often as they’d like.
To all of these friends, I may have found an answer. Read this helpful list Continue reading
eye-to-eye with a lens
For those who haven’t heard that one, photography is a balance between two parts, science and art. The science : light, equipment, and mechanics. The art: composition, timing, light, balance and contrast, and story. My point? Too often, people concentrate on Continue reading
I promised a follow-up blog post about the writer who was suffering from writer’s block. Today, the conclusion of our story.
“Jay’s” piece went through a 3-level approval process, yet escaped with very minimal changes from the reviewers!
Her biggest challenge was in reducing word count! Remember that her initial problem was just getting started!
Her second challenge was selecting a title. Remember that the title was the piece she was initially stuck on. Our writer’s block breaking tactic allowed her to skip the title, get started on the content, and come back to the title later in the process. (NOTE: seldom do I start with a title or working headline. I also save my introductory paragraphs until the end, after I’ve developed my major points and conclusion. Only then, do I go back and write the opening paragraph. Think of that writing strategy for a moment, how else will I know where I’m going until I’ve gotten there first? I’ll wait for you to process that.)
I read her final piece, which listed three challenges and identified the strategies to overcome each challenge. The piece flowed, displayed a logical organization, and read with a tight writing style. Its final title made sense and captured the flavor of the full content.
In summary, Jay’s final piece came in at 3 pages, about 37 paragraphs, with a word count of 1,440 words.
Success story!
Related posts:
I think this interface would pose a challenge for us here in the United States. Two questions:
Now that you’ve strained your neck to view the page, did you notice the language setting at the bottom of the screen capture?
"geeWHIZ" 