It’s not just for the focally-challenged anymore…

If you haven’t yet noticed, trends regarding type size on the web have been reversing in the last few years. We used to think bigger type looks juvenile + that smaller displayed better—for example, setting body copy to Arial 11px, or even using tiny bitmap/pixel fonts in Flash-based sites—especially because our browsers didn’t allow for much back in the day of tiny 640 x 480 screen resolutions. Not to mention, using smaller text to be able to establish hierarchy between headings, sub-headings, body copy, + disclaimer notes on top of keeping important content “above the fold”. Project after project we’ve tried to push smaller, “cleaner”, pleasing-to-the-grid type to our clients + yet have always been requested to go bigger for legibility’s sake.

“Can we see it bigger than Verdana 11px?”

If designed properly, using 14-16px type for main content doesn’t seem to look so “clown-sized” these days. The NYTimes.com has been using this on their articles for awhile now. It’s a trend that seems to be more the norm to help improve online readability, to cause less strain to the eye, + to help some of us avoid from having to use the key command shortcut ‘COMMAND/CTRL +’ times three to zoom into our browser content. It helps that the commonly used screen resolution is leaning more towards at least 950px of usable width to accommodate a type size closer to our browser’s default type size, which is set to 16px.

Check out the case study by Oliver Reichenstein mentioned within the blog article link below. The visual comparison really puts it into better perspective. Also, read the comments following the article for other points of view. Something worth thinking about when considering layout options for a new website project.

Really, the moral of the story is: Use big type for good, not evil.

Relative Readability

Why go so big on type? There’s a short answer and a long answer…

This is an interesting way to get a good sense of how Twitter is being utilized amongst online audiences.

The best producers of short* content in 2008
*140 characters or less, on Twitter

The Shorty Awards honor the world’s top Twitterers. You can nominate as many people for as many categories as you’d like until midnight December 31st.

There will be an awards ceremony in New York in late January, where the winners can deliver their 140-character acceptance speeches.

shortyawards.com

Top nominees include categories such as:

• advertising
• apps
• brand
• business
• design
• entertainment
• finance
• food
• green
• humor
• music
• news
• nonprofits
• personal
• politics
• science
• sports
• startups
• tech
• weird

Man, I am in a dilemma. A quandary. A predicament.

I’m totally conflicted with the way "we" interact, communicate, and collaborate. (Notice I didn’t say disappointed or disillusioned — just conflicted.)

It all started when I was reading a Business Week survey on Y-gens (section attached below). The article really got me to thinking, or rethinking as I’ve had opportunity to consider this before. And I realize my perspective may be entirely skewed. 

I’ve been in the business for a long while now. In fact, I started way back when communication was electrostatic/thermal faxes were cutting edge technology (no laughter please). We had phone calls and face-to-face meetings with our clients. We sent our comps or proofs by courier. And quick a turn-around job was no less than two weeks. 

Now fast forward twenty-something years to today — from the twentieth to the twenty first century. Business moves in nanoseconds. For the the X and Y gens, and whatever generation is beyond them, business as usual includes gmail, IM, texting and social networking. Geezers are trying to keep up, but it’s a tremendous paradigm shift. One post-boomer I know can’t get through his day without his Linked-In fix. Another is still trying to work up the nerve to join Facebook.

So here’s my conflict: After participating in both worlds, and embracing the new business communications — as well as investigating newer/broader ways to communicate — I think we maybe missing something. That spark. That "electricity" in the air  when that one-to-one creative breakthrough happens. Missing the nuances of speech and body language. Missing personal interaction.

Our present means of communicating makes it convenient to have any number of conversations simultaneously —in a office, home, here or there. And that’s pretty great. But do we know when someone is out of kilter? Do we know when we’ve been misunderstood? Do we notice when things are starting to go wrong?

Folks steeped in the ways of multi-video conferencing, remotely sharing each other desktop, IM conversations may think this is all humbug. They may feel that work sessions on WebEx may offer every bit of that interpersonal connection and  creative high. I don’t know.

But that’s the conflict I face.

I’d love to hear other thoughts. Add them below. Or just ping me.

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According to a survey by BusinessWeek of almost 4,000 readers, Generational Tensions ranked in the top 6 issues impacting the workplace. With four generations in the workplace, these issues can grow from tensions to larger generational divides and conflicts. The 2008 Gen Y Perceptions Study[15], conducted by the Cal State Fullerton Career Center and Spectrum Knowledge, measured how Gen Y views themselves in the workplace in comparison to how the Boomers and Gen X view Gen Y. Some key findings include the following:

    * Gen Y Wants Instant Gratification: Managers and employers often complain that Gen Y “wants instant gratification” and it seems like Gen Y itself recognizes this, too. 89% of Gen X and Boomers agreed that Gen Y “wants instant gratification,” while 73% of Gen Y agreed with the statement as well.

    * Casual and Professional Can Co-Exist: Though almost three-quarters of all survey respondents agreed that Gen Y dresses and behaves casually, the generations agree that professionalism may not necessarily be a “casualty of casual.” Out of all 22 perceptions regarding Gen Y that we provided on our survey, Gen X and Boomer respondents disagreed with the statement that Gen Y “lacks professionalism” the most. Of course, this may not mean that Gen Y is viewed as professional, but the majority disagree with the view that they’re unprofessional.

    * Even Many Gen Y Think They Feel Entitled: Two-thirds of Gen X and Boomer respondents agreed that Gen Y feels entitled. Surprisingly, however, almost half of Gen Y respondents also agreed that their generation “feels entitled to job benefits they’ve not yet earned.”

    * Willing to Pay Their Dues?: Our study found that almost twice as many Gen X and Boomers agreed with the statement that “Gen Y lacks willingness to pay their dues” compared to how Gen Y participants rated their own generation. In fact, Gen Y was 17 times as likely to strongly disagree with the statement that the generation lacks willingness to pay their dues.

    * Masters of Multitasking or Misperception?: We often hear anecdotally that Gen Y is great at multitasking, working in team environments and self-directed learning. Though Gen Y agree that these are some of their strengths, their Gen X and Boomer managers and supervisors don’t agree that they excel at these working styles.

Relationship with technology

Generation Y has a nearly intimate connection to technology. In their 2007 book, Connecting to the Net.Generation: What Higher Education Professionals Need to Know About Today’s Students, Reynol Junco and Jeanna Mastrodicasa[16] found that in a survey of 7,705 college students in the US:

    * 97% own a computer

    * 97% have downloaded music and other media using peer-to-peer file sharing 

    * 94% own a cell phone

    * 76% use instant messaging and social networking sites

    * 75% of college students have a Facebook profile and most of them check it daily.[17]

    * 60% own some type of portable music and/or video device such as an iPod

    * 49% regularly download music and other media using peer-to-peer file sharing

    * 34% use websites as their primary source of news

    * 28% author a blog and 44% read blogs

    * 15% of IM users are logged on 24 hours a day/7 days a week 

    * 8% have confessed to having an online gaming addiction at some point in their life

So, some of you are probably wondering what in the heck is tacked on the wall across from the production area for the last week.  “SHOW NO TELL??  That doesn’t even make sense!”

Rewind back to your childhood…  Remember when your teachers would request for you to bring in an item of interest to “Show-N-Tell” your classmates?  There was always an interesting story behind each + every toy, every book, or whatever was brought to the front of the class.

In this case, we encompass + nurture the same idea from your elementary school years, but with a slight twist.

SHOW [ N O ] TELL will be a diverse gallery showcasing the individual talents of fellow workmates that you may have never known existed.  So, what is the title all about? It is, of course, a play on words where we will only offer the gallery viewers the former “SHOW” half.  As for the latter half, well… We will leave that in your hands.  If anyone has the desire to learn more about something they’ve see displayed on the wall, feel free to ask the person who created it.  You never know what you might learn.

At our studio, we believe that creativity + inspiration can exist in every shape or form; whether it comes from a towering art sculpture seen at a local museum or from something so minute + so common-place that if stared at for a lengthy amount of time it begins to morph into something completely new + wonderful.

With that said, all members of the studio are most welcome to showcase personal creations that you can proudly point to + say “I made this!”.  We’re excited to see your additions in the near future. So, hop on it!

Our first installment:

“Tight-Roll Revival” – collaboration effort, B+W triptych series

I am pissed. And here I thought that sexism in marketing was going the way of the water buffalo. But NOOOOOO.

On Saturday, my husband, David got a beautiful three dimensional piece in the mail. I could not wait to open it up- but since it was addressed to Dave, I did not open it. Instead I waited eagerly until he appeared, and watched as he opened a very beautiful invitation from American Express to become a platinum card member. The direct mail piece was a custom made box with a beautiful gross grain ribbon. And it kept unpeeling to reveal a beautiful veluum flysheet- and then the bummer- all that was in the box was a tiny 4"x4" brochure exclaiming the virtues of being an AMEX platinum card member.

My husband’s reaction: wasteful. environmentally unsound, stupid, and why did I waste time opening a box that was essentially empty? But I can tell you that Amex dropped a chunk of change on the piece.

So then, after all that drama, I turned to open my mail, and to my surprise, there was my invitation to become a platinum member. But the difference- mine was in a plain No. 10 envelope. And the brochure was standard fare. And I thought- how totally stupid of American Express.

Why?

Well for one- we have a joint account. Did they not think I would see his elaborate invitation as compared to my run of the mill DM piece?

Two, did they make an assumption on who was the big breadwinner and big spender in our house- the male? Wrong wrong wrong.

Three- did they not understand that as a woman I would feel somewhat slighted that my male partner got the uppercrust invitation and that I got second class citizen treatment, again?

Oh I am sure that they have tested this package. But they got it all wrong… Neither of us think it is wise to pay an additional fee for the privlege of having a grey colored card. And, both invitations ended up in our recyling bag.

I was reading an article in the December issue Investment Advisor that was addressing the dilemma that many advisors are feeling in today’s tough investment environment. Most are still counseling patience, but in the same breathe admitting that they have never really seem a historical precedent to what is occurring in the markets. The article contrasts the conflict between the head (rational judgement) and the heart (emotional reaction). What is interesting is the influence of the heart overriding the head- among the advisors. " This is the ultimate stress test. The emotional quotient of what we are going through is arguably for most advisors at an all time high," notes advisor P.J. DiNuzzo.

One reason for the increased anxiety, as if just watching the fortunes of your clients evaporate is not enough, is the entering  of uncharted waters. Advisors are in a situation without historical precedence. " I don’t think there is panic among advisors, just uncertainty." While the past performance is not guarantee of future results, they are hoping that history will repeat itself, and investments will return to an upward trend. But, as any good advisor will tell you, no one knows for sure.

This morning I got a phone call from my RIA. Now this guy is so cool and calm, that he wouldn’t sweat in the middle of a forest fire, let alone an economic melt down. He was responding to a call that I put in to him on the wisdom of harvesting tax losses- and yes there is wisdom there. What struck me, was his candor- his admission that he had not seen anything like this before, that his firm had never actually harvested tax losses before, and that he could not be certain as to the direction of the markets or my investments. I gulped.

But I also realise that the reason I stick with him is that he is completely without guile, and as honest as the day is long. One of the advisors in the article wrote," One of the things we are doing with clients is to remind them what their goals are and to keep the focus there as opposed to the immediate situation". Another noted, "I think that what differentiates my clients’ perspective from others is that they have a tremendous amount of trust. is what we are doing."

And when I think to my conversation this morning, isn’t that what made feel comfortable telling my advisor to let it rip? Trust and planning. And keeping your head screwed on  straight.

So, the powers that be, the NBER, National Bureau of Economic Research has made it official. The recession started last December. Call Mike Wallace! Or as I have been told (I am the only person in America that has never seen The Simpsons) Homer Simpson might say, "DOH!".

Not sure why it takes an official body to declare and recession, and even less sure that I understand why it effected the market as severely as it did. Look at the businesses closing, look at the papers reporting the daily unemployment rates, track the soup kitchens that are running empty. And then look at your own business and track the differences.

We know there is a recession when our clients start to request longer payment plans, lower budgets, and have more urgency in their voices. We know there is a recession when we actually win accounts that end up being put on permanent hold. We know there is a recession when the number of rfps dwindles and the number of bidders increases. We know there is a recession when we cut the hell out or our own budgets, and pressure our vendors the same way our clients pressure us.

So, it’s official. We have been in a recession for a year. Let’s move on!

*Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.

_ Atticus visits Grafik
_ 26 Nov 2k8
_ @ the studio

The thing about Grafik is that people constantly amaze me. It is the small funny things that keep me going. So even when things seem bleak, a small hand will reach out to tickle me!

In the midst of sick relatives, the dow dropping 500 points, clients panicking and me worrying about a sick puppy, I get an email from Mike. He asked me to click on this link and expressed his concern that the tone of our blog was maybe a bit too relaxed. www.psyclops.com/translator/translator.cgi

So I looked at it, and at first thought- hmmm maybe Tony’s tone is just a bit too relaxed… and then of course I saw my own entry that was liberally peppered with vernacular usages shall I say….

This is the thing that makes our studio special. The little tweaks, the little jokes. And while many people tried to get me to smile yesterday- Mike really succeeded! Muthafuking A!!!

Who knows why it took Google this long to give Gmail users the option of customizing the default look of their online email interface, but I’m glad they finally came around. They’ve got all sorts of colour palette themes to please almost every individual as well as more elaborate landscape + illustration themes.
One theme to highlight would be the “Terminal” theme simply because it is an ode to the nerdery + successfully taps into certain users’ nostalgia. But, I see it more as a quick 10-second chuckle, + then I’m over it. Because if you actually chose that as your theme you would have the hardest time reading your mail. Unless you enjoy hurting your eyes with #00ff00 type.

With some of the themes like “Mountain”, you can also customize by country +/or region. These themes change during the day based on the location information you provide to Gmail to correctly time these changes with your local sunrise, sunset, and/or weather.

Of course, I just had to choose the “Ninja” theme for my interface. I mean, how could I not? While viewing in Ninja theme mode, the star icons are replaced with ninja stars! Ninja stars! Can’t go wrong with that.