Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ Category

More on design simplicity

6th December 2010

I’ve been a long time supporter of ‘design simplicity‘ for many reasons that I wont go into here. However, I came across this great observation by Seth Godin

He explains why we add too much:

“…As digital marketers seek to increase profits, they almost always make the same mistake. They continue to add more clutter, messaging and offers, because, hey, it’s free.”

Why it’s frequently a poor idea:

“In fact, human behavior tells us that this is a more permanent effect than we realize. Once you overload the user, you train them not to pay attention…”

And concludes:

“More is not always better. In fact, more is almost never better.”

While there are occasions when Choice Architecture can dictate that ‘more is more’, I think the principle of simplicity or focus in a age of increasing complexity is nearly always an improvement for users.

Seth Godin: The inevitable decline due to clutter

The office isn’t a good place to get stuff done

1st December 2010

Jason Fried talks about productivity and efficiency and how managers and meetings are the enemy of getting things done.

Well worth a watch.

There is an interesting comment by Dan Greenberg who uses a comparison with rowing to make the point that you get to a certain size where you need managers.

When it’s a single, there’s no room for a coxswain (equals there are no meetings or managers).

When it’s a quad, you have with and without coxswain. There’s a trade-off between the extra weight of a manager… and the better synchronicity of the team and steering of the boat.

When it’s an 8, there’s a coxswain. There’s no question that a manager is needed, even if the team is finely tuned and well-practiced at working together.

I don’t think Jason is advocating to do away with managers, I think he’s advocating being mindful of how imposed distractions kill productivity. Finding the right balance is all about the personalities of the people involved.

We often talk about whether we should have music on or not. Some think the office is like a morgue without, some can’t get anything done with.

You can’t please everyone all the time.

 

3Sixty advent calendar

1st December 2010

Ria has made this amazing advent calendar. Each day a different gift from someone at 3Sixty. Todays gift was for Matt, a guitar lesson from our resident Pete Thownsend – Andrew Arnott.

What is Beauty?

17th November 2010

What, exactly, is beauty? This question has been occupying the minds of philosophers, anthropologists, neuroscientists, art critics and ordinary people alike for centuries of human history. And while many may subscribe to the “beauty is in the eye of the beholder” theory, this, it turns out, may not be the case.

One of my favourite sites

28th September 2010

Rated People
The smarter way to find a tradesman.

We have thousands of recommended tradespeople across the UK.
http://www.ratedpeople.com/

Not particularly creative execution. But, what a brilliant idea and wonderful use of social rating. Something we’ll be seeing more of in the coming years.

So, what about 3Sixty doing a marketing business version?
The smarter way to find an ad agency, digital agency, design…

Good bit of utility for our industry and clients.

Loyalty – By Seth Godin

10th September 2010

Just found this on Seth Godins blog. Interesting and insightful as always:

Loyalty is what we call it when someone refuses a momentarily better option.

If your offering is always better, you don’t have loyal customers, you have smart ones. Don’t brag about how loyal your customers are when you’re the cheapest or you have clearly dominated some key element of what the market demands. That’s not loyalty. That’s something else.

Full article

What motivates us?

22nd June 2010

Surprising conclusions and wonderfully illustrated. Almost hipnotic.

ACDC Vs Iron Man 2 – Architectural Projection Mapping on Rochester Castle

6th May 2010

On the site of a thousand years of violent history, ACDC were pitted against Iron Man in a ground breaking architectural projection mapping project. The front facade of the Great Keep at Rochester Castle, was brought to life using the latest in 3D animation techniques. This onslaught of the senses, saw the castle confront it’s ultimate challenge. Warping, morphing, spewing and collapsing before the audiences eyes. Let there be rock!

Apple launches iAD

9th April 2010

Apple Launches iAd: Masks A Bigger Problem For Marketers

…marketers, do you believe that buying ads on the iAd platform with solve your marketing problem? It won’t. As a marketer, you need to be the “app” not the ad. The app is what everyone downloads, talks about, and interacts with. The ad is the thing that gets in the way of of the fun. Which would you rather be?

Fascinating read, and I completely agree.

Design Ethos of Dieter Rams

9th April 2010

A principled designer and the epitome of ‘elegant simplicity’.


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