Everyone has also probably been on the receiving end of a lengthy project email wondering if there is anything that they need to do or if they were just included to keep them in the loop!

What if there was a way that the sender of the email could specify certain passages of text for each user which would be seen by all, but highlighted conditionally for that specific user. Basically a way of  saying “Hey Jeff, this information needs your attention”.

Example;
I’m writing an email to a team of three to give them a bit of an update on where a project is at and what is required to forward it. Below is the email I’ve written out to everyone.

Now I’ll tag the receiver specific content for everyone.
I’ll select some content and then click the Receiver Specific Highlighter tool which I’ve added as an icon on the end of the toolbar.

Now each user’s specific content is tagged.
Also tagged is some information for everyone to take notice of.

This is what Sarah sees when she opens her email from me.

And this is what Michael sees when he opens his email from me.

Conclusion

This isn’t a be-all end-all solution to project management. If you have lots of projects with large teams its probably a good idea to be using a project management tool like one of those offered by the brilliant company 37Signals (not paid to say that). Or you could use one of the many other project management suites out there.

As you can see I’ve used the Gmail email interface for this example because I use Google Apps for all my mail, contacts & calendars. I’d love to see them pick this up and run with it. I estimate it would take one experienced technical developer about 1 hour to write this into the system.

I would love to get your feedback on this, feel free to take it, expand on it, comment, tweet, like it, whatever. Just get your free serve of good karma by linking back to this original article.

The film – directed by Gary Hustwit – opens in a workshop with a printer setting individual letters in a stick to form the word Helvetica. The introductory scenes then go through the motions of setting the stick of type into a guide, inking the roller to then ink the letters and then producing the beautiful image on a crisp white card which you see above. It’s a brief, yet beautiful insight into the lost art of printing and typesetting by hand. A fitting way to start this film.

Possibly over length yet continually captivating the documentary displays Helvetica – the sans-serif typeface designed in 1957 by the Swiss Haas Foundry - as a icon of the emergence of rational typefaces which can be used as visual expression for contemporary information such as shopfront signage, public transport guidance systems and advertisements to reflect an idealism and a strength through design. The film intimately displays monologues with numerous designers in a way that makes you feel as if you’re sitting in the studio watching the mind of the designer work in their own individual style. The monologues cover the designers personal experiences with using the typeface as well as a general emotional response to the typeface and how it’s shaped the industry for them in particular.

Whether you  love it or hate it, there is no denying that the typeface Helvetica has made a huge impact on society since it’s creation in 1957 through the decades continually finding itself the favourite of new designers time and time again. This film is a must watch for designers, typographers or anyone with an interesting in modern art and the social impacts of the millions upon millions of people who have been unaware of their exposure to this original typeface in their life.

Running time: 80 minutes. Film not rated.

Credits

Produced and Directed by: Gary Hustwit
Editor: Shelby Siegel
Director of Photography: Luke Geissbuhler
Motion Graphics: Trollbäck & Co.

Links

Website of the film Helvetica

Buy the film on Amazon

Quick Facts

• In the Vietnamese alphabet ‹d› represents the sound /j/ in the south and /z/ in the north.
• In printed texts of the English Language,  on average ‹d› represents only 3.38% of the total letters used. The most common is ‹e› at 11.16%.
• Based on the lack of information regarding ‹d›, I’ve concluded it is one of the lesser interesting letters in the English Language.

The History

It’s not known for sure how the letter-form ‹d› evolved into its current form but it is suggested that it may have developed from logogram of a fish or a door. There are various Hieroglyphs of Egyptian decent which may support this. There isn’t a lot of information regarding ‹d› that can be found from research on the internet or in books available to me. If I find out anymore whilst researching the remaining 22 letters I will update this article to include the new information.

Typography

Alternate Forms

Sources

• http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/page/frequencyalphabet
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vietnamese_alphabet

The problem with quick and cheap is they are very rarely associated with another word: Good. You can have have cheap design, you can have quick design, you can even have cheap quick design, but you will never, ever, have GOOD, cheap, & quick design.

Yes templates are often cheaper than hiring a designer to create a custom solution from scratch, however with templates the ROI (Return On Investment) is almost guaranteed to be depressingly low. Templates look like templates, your customers will notice and form an emotional view of your company as, cheap & lazy. Using a business card template is one of the worst mistakes you could make in forming a relationship with potential customers. As a first point of contact with your business, your business cards need to confidently, but not arrogantly say “we’re the best”, “we’re cutting edge”, “we have the solution to YOUR specific problem”. They need to be memorable, first impressions count! Handing someone a horrid business card is like saying “Hi, we’re bad at what we do”, “we don’t actually care about what we sell”, “our products aren’t as good as other brands”.

Think about how many sales you’d need to generate to pay for the extra cost in having a brilliant business card designed, or a fantastic website built. Chances are it’s a tiny percentage of how many sales leads you will actually generate by having a well branded business in the first place!

Design is not a commodity like fuel, water, clothing, or food. Design solves specific problems. As anyone in business long enough realises, every product or service sold or rendered is a solution to a problem. It’s vital to craft your solution around the problem of which you’re solving, otherwise you’re simply shooting in the dark.

Design around content.

Have you ever looked at something and said to yourself “wow that works”? You can’t quite put your finger on it, but it just speaks to you, you find yourself attracted to it. Quite often you’ll find that others don’t share that same attraction. Believe it or not this is done intentionally, when you design a brochure, you’re not simply putting the information and pictures on the page and making them look pretty. Good design asks “who do we want to speak to” and “how do we want them to feel”. The choice of colours, the structure of the layout, the font used for the heading and the content, the tone of the pictures, it’s all consciously chosen to motivate your customers into following a specific action path and developing an emotional link to your company.

Design should be consistent.

The image you portray about your company needs to be consistent across all points of contact with your customers. Your business cards need to evoke the same emotional response with your customers as they get when they come into your store, when they visit your website, or see an advertisement in a magazine or newspaper. This consistency means that your customers will see one part of your marketing material and subconsciously get the same feeling they had last time they dealt with your company. SO MAKE SURE IT WAS A GOOD EXPERIENCE. That part is up to you!

These highly positive emotional feelings toward your company is something which you will never achieve through the use of design templates of any sort. Good design doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg. Find a design studio you feel comfortable with and explain to them what your trying to acheive. Ask for a quote and go from there, chances are it won’t be as big of a cost as you might think.

1. Change your copyright info to 2011.

This is such a simple yet important task however I see so many websites each year forget to do this. Having the copyright information read 2010 instead of 2011 will immediately cause your site to appear outdated. Make sure this is done on all pages, not just your homepage.

2. Check your contact details are correct

If your details are incorrect its going to make it really difficult for your customers to get in touch. There’s nothing worse than trying to call someone only to end up talking to someone completely different. Make sure your Phone, Fax, Email, Postal & Physical Address’s are all correct and up to date.

3. Add new content

Are you launching a new product or service in early 2011? You probably want as many people to know about it as possible. Update your site with the new product/s and make sure to include as many product benefits as possible. Some beautiful product photographs will also help move the sales along. Competition is fierce and you’ve gotta be the clear choice for your customers. If you don’t have any new products or services you’re offering just yet it’s still important to update. So consider changing product photographs and imagery around and re-writing the information so it appears to be new. Fake it until you make it!

4. Remove old content

We’ve all been there before; you’ve finally decided which product or version you want to buy, your getting excited about it and you don’t even have it in your hands yet. You send the order through only to be greeted by a phone call or even worse, an email, which says something along the lines of “We’re sorry to inform you that the product you ordered is no longer available”. It’s frustrating and you’ll probably just go and spend your money elsewhere. Don’t put your customers through this. Take a look at your website and if their is any products or services which you no longer offer, remove them immediately!

5. Check your social media accounts

When was the last time you tweeted something important or useful? Haven’t added anything to your Facebook page for a while? The importance of social media is ever increasing and in 2011 it should be an even bigger part of your marketing plan. Make sure to tweet about that new product you’ve launched. Send a message to your Facebook fans letting them know about the special offers they get because of their loyalty to your brand. Implement a strategy for your social media, what you will share, how often you will share it, etc.

6. Know your customers and know your product

This is an important thing to do not just on your website but as part of your entire marketing plan. Take a look at who it was you were selling to last year and figure out if that’s still your target market. It’s important to really know who your selling to in order to figure out how to sell it to them. Just as important as knowing your customers is knowing your product. You should be able to rattle off the benefits for ALL your products or services without really having to think too hard and make sure all your sales staff can do the same. Be the experts in your industry.

7. Define your goals for 2011

Sit down and decide on what it is you want your website to achieve in 2011. Do you want to increase sales by 50%? Do you want to increase telephone orders? Have clear goals of what you’re trying to achieve and then implement them with a strong strategy to ensure your moving towards these goals not away from them. Ask yourself what you’ll achieve by achieving your goals. This step will make you really think about why you’ve chosen your goals. It’s easy to say “I want 50% more sales” but what exactly will this mean to YOUR company. What do you need to put in place to make this happen?

Depending on your company and it’s website there may be other things that you should do as well. Spending a little bit of time on updating your site now will save you a lot of time in the long run. Use the quiet time at the start of the year to get everything done and to implement plans and strategies that you’ll execute throughout the year.

Remember:

Failing to plan is planning to fail.

Winston Churchill

High Indulgence is a company started early in 2010 providing High Tea at your home. Don’t know what High Tea is? Don’t worry, I didn’t either before starting on this project. However taking the time to thoroughly research the tradition and understand its background helped me to better understand what High Indulgence is offering. High Tea is traditionally a light meal served in the early afternoon consisting of quality tea’s served in fine china, delicious sweet treats and gourmet savoury appetizers.

This is a service which is generally held at fine establishments in which the customer would visit to enjoy the experience. The market difference High Indulgence has is that they bring this service to your home or office. Arriving early they setup all the tableware and place settings, once the guests arrive the High Indulgence staff serve the attendees the numerous food and drink offerings then leave in order for the host and their guests to enjoy their event. Afterwards the staff return to pickup the tableware and place settings and ensure the host and guests had a great time.

Photon Creative’s involvement

Photon Creative got involved in this project as early as the naming of the business. Brain storming with the business founders we ran through hundreds of different names, discussing the merits and pitfalls of each and every one. After days of ongoing discussion and bouncing idea’s around, we finally decided on High Indulgence because of its relation to the service offered, it’s strength and prestigious atmosphere and it’s low competition from an Internet Marketing point of view (more on this in a later Article).

After deciding on the name we quickly got to work on creative a corporate identity to accurately fit the companies services as well as appeal to their target demographic (25-60yr old Sociable Females). We were working within the agreed theme of ‘Vintage Glamour’ to create a stylish yet well established corporate branding. After numerous sketches and quick draft illustrations I finally found myself fixated by one particular idea. I sketched out a rough concept and presented it to client.

They absolutely loved the concept and approved it to be developed further. After working on the logo by hand to finish the elements, I then digitised the logo using Adobe Illustrator to neaten it all up and perfect the swirls and layout.  This got it to the stage where you could really see it coming together.

I showed it to the client once again and they were just as delighted with the development as they had been about the first initial sketch. A very positive and rewarding sign!

After adding colour to the logo and working on the final touches, we decided to change the typeface used from Adobe Minion Pro to a beautiful typeface called ‘Veloute’ which we all unanimously agreed suited the corporate branding and business style on a much better level.

High Indulgence on the Web

Maintaining the classic elegant stylish was vital to reinforce the visual identity of the company. A center aligned layout was the most suitable option providing an bold viewing experience without sacrificing usability or content legibility. A large scrolling banner image of the various table settings and foods accompanied by bold headings form a rhythmic lively visual.

Check out the live website here: http://www.highindulgence.com.au

The products page was laid out in such a way that the reader its guided into choosing the preferred package which has the highest profit margin for work involved. It’s an important part of website design to sculpt the user experience and information pathways to result in your objectives being met, whether that’s for the viewer to get in contact with you, or to purchase a product directly from your website. Large colourful graphics and colour coding also plays a large part in forming a memorable experience.

The whole process of creating the corporate branding from concept to completion took less than 4 weeks. Continual communication with the client ensured both parties had a through understanding of the projects status and meant that any problems or new ideas got dealt with quickly and either incorporated into the project or dismissed after thorough processing. This also helped in keeping the project on track and at the forefront of everyones minds.

Photon Creative services utilised

Business Naming Research
Corporate Design
Copy Writing
Business Card Design
Photography
Retouching
Domain Registration & Hosting Setup
Website Design & Development
Social Media Setup

Links

http://www.highindulgence.com.au

In this article you will notice some strange markings when referencing letters. To put it simply, where you see ‹ › around a letter, this is to refer to the letter itself as a letter. Where you see / / wrapped around a letter, this is to indicate that I am referencing the pronounced sound of the letter. I trust this will make the articles easier to read and understand.

“Get on with it” I can hear you say…

Quick Facts

• The letter ‹c› is pronounced as a soft ‹c› /s/ when used before ‹e› or ‹i› and a ‘hard’ ‹c› /k/ elsewhere. Naturally there are a few exceptions such as ‘soccer’ and ‘Celt’ where /k/ is used instead of /s/ as expected.
• In the German language it is more common to see the digraph ‹ch›; which is pronounced /k/, than to see ‹c› on it’s own.

The History

The evolution of the letter ‹c› from its origins to its modern counterpart is very long winded process with the letter form and usage changing many times. In the interest of maintaining interest, I’ll endeavor to sum it up precisely.

The origins of ‹c› can be traced back only to the Etruscan language (1-100AD), to explore ‹c› further we need to go back and explore the letter ‹g›. It was during the first century AD where the letter ‹c› was adapted from the letter ‹g›. Let’s go back to Ancient Egypt (3000BC) where the form of ‹g› resembled that of a bent stick, ‘gimel’, with the meaning ‘throw’.

It’s form remained largely unchanged until it’s adoption into the Greek alphabet where ‹Γ› represented ‘gamma’. When it first became part of the Etruscan alphabet  it took the form ‹›, then later in Classical Etruscan ‹›. After its divergence into the two letters ‹c› and ‹g› it was utilised in early Latin inscriptions in its modern form ‹C› along side  ‹K› and ‹Q› to represent the sounds /k/ and /g/. It was during the 3rd century BC where the modified character for /g/ was introduced and ‹c› was kept for /k/.

Typography

As with ‹b› I have decide to show some beautiful typographical variations of ‹c›. Its rounded form remains somewhat constant whilst the decorative serifs, condensed or extended proportions and thickness of stroke bring an individual flair to the letter.

Alternate Forms

Sources

• http://ilovetypography.com/2010/08/07/where-does-the-alphabet-come-from/
• http://members.peak.org/~jeremy/dictionaryclassic/chapters/pix/alphabet.gif
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C

A company’s website and logo become its identity. It therefore becomes important for businesses to get their brand identity just right in order to avoid monotony in the market. In order to attract customers, a business needs an attractive website and a logo that can reel in even the most finicky of clients. Remember, people don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it.

It can be very difficult to create a top quality logo that not only reflects your company’s temperament, but which also has enough visual appeal to attract potential customers. Corporate branding is vital to shape the emotional reaction your customers have to your business. Thinking about a logo and website as mere pictures and statistics is one of the biggest mistakes you can make in the business world.

The problem with fixed price design services.

There are a myriad of web based companies out there offering fixed price design services such as the $99 logo or the ‘complete’ website package for only $300.

While a fixed price range does make initial browsing for an affordable website design quite simple, you should run from them like the plague. Companies that charge fixed prices, charge for a fixed set of requirements. How can they possible know what your business requires before they’ve even spoke with you and got to understand what your business is all about? These fixed price services are  dangerous to your brand integrity.

In order to offer a design service, usually with ‘unlimited revisions’ for such a low price and still be making a profit, these businesses generally use templates. These templates are not going to meet your requirements as each business is unique. Using one of these fixed price services might save you a little bit of money initially, but you’re branding will look cheap, your products or service will look cheap by association and over time your customers both current and prospective will develop negative emotional reactions to your brand and start to go elsewhere.

Want a valuable design?
Use an experienced design agency.

A valuable logo or website design will come from working with an experienced design agency. Yes the initial costs of working with a proper design agency will probably be higher than a fixed price service, but the value of what you will get in return is simple incomparable. A good design will speak to your customers on a subconscious level. It will entice them to choose your product. It will inform them of the value they’re getting from YOUR business.

Despite what many will tell you, design is not simply making things pretty. It’s sculpting the way your customers relate and interact with your business. It’s forming relationships with your customers so strong that they’ll want to purchase your product or use your service even when it’s not the cheapest option. They’ll come back because they believe you’re the best in your industry. This high level of experienced design combines both visual appeal with a structure or architecture that has real cognitive thought behind it. THIS is valuable design.

Choosing a great design agency isn’t difficult.

I can guarantee that any design agency worth dealing with will have no problem discussing your design requirements with you. Find a few agencies and give them a call or send them an email to arrange a meeting either in person or over the phone. If they try and lock you in to certain packages or projects before you feel they understand your business it’s a good indication you should go somewhere else.

A good design agency will be happy to talk with you and inform you of the ins-and-outs of your project requirements. Once you feel they understand your business and your project then take the next step and ask them to provide a quote. If you’re happy with the quote let them know so you can get started right away. Don’t leave it till the last minute, your agency will appreciate the extra time to provide you with a quality design solution to fit your needs and help your business grow.

Quick Facts

• ‘B’ is often confused for the German letter ‘ß’ which actually stands for ‘ss’
•  The Finnish language only uses it in loanwords (words borrowed from another language).

The History

The letter ‘B’ as we know it today was introduced by the Egyptians in their hieroglyphs and represented the floor-plan of a house. Around 1050BC the letter ‘B’ was adopted by the Phoenician alphabet in its earlier form which resembled a straight edged back-to-front ‘e’. The Greeks adopted the letter ‘B’ which was then merged to become part of the Roman alphabet where its basic architecture remains the same today.

Typography

Since there are no major variations of the letter ‘B’ other than its upper-case and lower-case form I decided to show the letters in a few different typefaces. It’s minor variations from a typographic aspect as with many other letters, can be quite beautiful.

Alternate Forms

That sums up the background of the letter ‘B’. I’m going to push these bite-sized information bursts out twice a week, to get through all 26 letters in a reasonable time frame. If the alphabet isn’t your thing, there’ll also be other articles published frequently. So stay tuned.

Sources

• http://ilovetypography.com/2010/08/07/where-does-the-alphabet-come-from/
• http://members.peak.org/~jeremy/dictionaryclassic/chapters/pix/alphabet.gif

This is the first part of a 26 part series of bite sized articles where I aim to inform you of few things about each letter which you probably didn’t learn in school. I find this stuff really interesting and it’s because of this that I’m writing these articles. I hope you get some value from it too. If you have any questions about any letter feel free to comment and I’ll do my best to answer them for you.

Now the most obvious place to start this series is the letter ‘A’, so here we go!

Quick Facts

• The shape of ‘A’ can be traced back to an Egyptian pictogram of an Ox.
•  ’A’ is the third most common letter in the English language.

The History

The letter ‘A’ has origins estimated to be from 1600B.C. It’s form has changed over the past few thousand years but its linear form served as a base for the evolution of the letter to how it is today in Modern Language. The Ancient Greeks adopted the letter around 8BC however it wasn’t quite the same as we know it to be today. The Ancient Greeks version of ‘A’ is what we know as an ‘upper-case’ letter which was laid over on its left hand side to form a ‘less than’ mark with an additional vertical line running through it. Soon after it’s adoption, the letter in it’s upright format became a more common way to write ‘A’. There was however slight localised variations such as the angle which the cross mark is set or shortening of one leg.

Variations

The letter ‘a’ has two standard variations in its lower-case form. The most common form today is that of which the letter consists of a circle and a vertical stroke on the right hand side. The technical name for this version of the letter is “Latin alpha”. For legibility reasons, most printed publications today use the other form which consists of a circle with an arc over the top which is joined on the right hand side of the letter. This version has origins from the Uncial Script.

Alternate Forms

Sources

That sums up part 1 of the A-Z History of the Alphabet. If you have anything to add please feel free to comment.