Search results

Off to the beautiful city of Antwerp (Belgium)! The Summer Festival (what a revolutionary name ...) took place there on 28 and 29 June this year. Here we see a mix of bright colours and rubber raft style coolness. They tried to include elements of flat design into the website which looks okay but you can tell they were desperate to follow the flat design trend. But all in all, the design is really nice. However, the inconsistent usage of typography is a negative point. Different fonts that don’t match as well as a full justification that creates ugly gaps between words reveal that people not familiar with design messed around with the website. Screenshots from the website www.summerfestival.be : In my next blog post I take a deeper look into the web design of the probably most famous festival in the world ... #posterdesign #festival #summerfestival

I want to give you some impressions of my Morocco holiday here in my blog. a lake in the Atlas mountains of Morocco green tea, anise stars, coriander seeds, cardamom seeds, Berber tea, peppermint tea and lemon grass tea the Strait of Gibraltar The beach of Agadir is probably the most beautiful beach of the country. The motto of Marocco: God, fatherland, king #morocco #holiday

A publisher decides to offer his magazines also for tablets in various app stores. Great idea! In order to execute this challenging task successfully, you need an app magazine expert who also knows about processes that are typical for publishing companies. Here are 10 things to avoid when publishing a magazine on a tablet: 1. BAD NAVIGATION With a print magazine, the reader knows to turn the page to continue reading. With an app magazine, there are twice as many options where to swipe to. Without a good guidance system, the reader might get lost. 2. TOO MANY ANIMATIONS Flashing buttons that clutter the page are annoying for many readers. Animations supporting the content are good, but not just for the sake of having them. 3. TOO MUCH COPY As tablet screens are back-lit, the reader’s eyes become tired more easily compared to print-reading. It might be worth reducing the amount of copy a bit. 4. TOO SMALL FONTS Attention: 1 page print magazine does not equal 1 page app magazine! The copy on tablet screens should be bigger than in the print magazine to improve readability. This results in a smaller amount of copy on 1 tablet page than on 1 print page. If you use too small fonts, readers have to zoom in and out what is not very convenient. 5. NOT ENOUGH PHOTOS Tablet magazines need multimedia fodder to make the app even more interesting for your readers. 6. PRINT PDF COPY IN THE APP Producing an app magazine on a regular basis, costs money. This money has to be earned! If your app is a 1-to-1-copy of your print PDF (incl. advertisements), you lose out on converting paying print advertisement clients into paying app advertisement clients. No income with the app = no budget to create a great app magazine and to earn good money. 7. PHOTOS WITH 72 DPI A tablet is a digital device. Yes. For digital devices you need photos with a resolution of 72 dpi. Yes and no. With 72 dpi you won’t go far on an iPad with Retina display. Here you need 200 dpi. And please: Tablet magazines with mini photos are spooky! 8. LINKS TO WEBSITES NOT OPTIMIZED FOR TABLETS Only link to websites that are optimized for tablets. Remember: Your app is viewed on a tablet! 9. TOO LITTLE INTERACTIVE FEATURES Tablets have a TOUCH screen. So let your readers touch the content and add interactive features to your magazine. Also, Apple might not even approve your app for the app store unless your app has something interactive to show. And: You wanted to offer an app magazine, so provide interactivities! Otherwise, you might as well stay with print only. 10. NO CONSISTENT BUTTON DESIGN Usability is very important. This is why you should have a consistent design for your interactive buttons. Offer your publications as an app! Simply send me an email and I’ll be happy to help you. #android #app #digitalpublishing #editorialdesign #interactive #ipad #magazine #tablet #retina #userexperience

A font should transport information in a beautiful way that is easy on the human eye. I have picked my (current) 24 favourite fonts out of my font "stock", which is comprised of about 1300 fonts. Today you see part one, next week you’ll see part two. I have ordered the fonts alphabetically, not by my personal taste. ABRAHAM LINCOLN (Elegant, reminds of the good old days.): Example: Abraham Lincoln served as a basis font for the logo of a fictive luxury food brand named Little Luxury. (Distinctive characters have been made even stronger.) AFTA SERIF (Good readability, slightly playful, the serifs are a matter of taste though. The k-minuscule is an eye-catcher, the double O-minuscule however looks a bit strange. The kerning could be better.): AGRAFA (Timeless, elegant, technical, transmits precision, only suitable as a dark font on a light background.): ALEGREYA AND ALEGREYA SC (Elegant, reminds of handmade things, i.e. in the food industry.): Example: I used Alegreya SC for an exclusive olive oil packaging. ANGILLA TATTOO (Great handwriting, suits the Vintage look.): BILLIE BOB (Hard, rough, but still offers a good readability.): BODONITOWN (Fantastic readability, elegant, timeless.): BOMBARDIER (A great handwriting, good readability, strong but still good looking, great for technical purposes.): Example: I used Bombardier for the headers in an infographic on commercial vehicles. BRAWLER (Good readability, but still edgy and hip.): CAMBO (Good readability, optimistic and happy font.): CHAPARREL PRO (Very good readability, transports a feeling of being grounded, offers a pleasant reading flow.): Example: I used Chaparrel Pro as the main font for a test editorial design. CODE LIGHT AND CODE BOLD (Looks great in combination, strong, elegant, the I-serifs are a bit too heavy maybe.): Example: I used Code light and Code bold for the corporate design of Randall Records. #typography #font

When I was in South America this summer, I also visited the possibly most beautiful city of the continent: Quito, the capital of Ecuador. I already knew that the Ecuadorians love good food. What was new to me, however, was the fact that they have their own shop for Ecuadorian chocolate. Republica del Cacao processes local cocoa and wants to create a feel of adventure, discovery, authenticity and real, genuine chocolate enjoyment. The corporate design on the website as well as the POS store design transport this feeling perfectly. That is not only chocolate at its best, but also branding that is taken into practise perfectly. Also want a unique branding that really sells your products? Get in touch with me! #branding #chocolate #ecuador #quito #pos #shop

The first time I came across the so-called miniature effect was when watching the Eurovision Song Contest a few years ago. The video trailers shown shortly before each performance often featured shots of public transport in the miniature effect. Today, this technique is still used quite often on TV and on photos. And this is how the miniature effect works: The desired object is placed in the centre of the picture, the top and bottom parts (i.e. a quarter of the picture) are made slightly fuzzy. This creates an optical illusion as if the sharp objects in the centre were miniature objects. This way, a train track could almost look like a model railway for instance. The miniature effect has become so hip that it is featured in many cameras already – in the actual photo taking process and/or the photo editing section. But also Adobe Photoshop offers this feature and you can use various settings to perfectly manipulate the picture. My camera is the Nikon D5100 and it comes with the miniature effect too. Below you’ll see some examples of the miniature effect compared to normal photos when taking shots of the Arocs truck of Mercedes-Benz: normal with miniature effect normal with miniature effect normal with miniature effect Copyright: Helene Clara Gamper / HCG corporate designs #camera #mercedes #miniature #nikon #photography #truck

I’ve been to one of my favourite cities again: London. What I probably love most here is the Camden Market. The atmosphere and the cool shops are a paradise for every lifestyle freak. Here are a few photos: #camden #camdenmarket #london #fashion #shopping

Illustrations are great. You’ll find out how great, once you enquire about an offer for the same where the price knocks you off your feet. Don’t get me wrong, illustrations that tell a story and do not just look like children paintings are wonderful and I’m a big fan of this. But, plasticine sculptures should become the next „big thing“ I think! More oomph, more fun and all that in a real, three-dimensional sculpture. I can only say: Thumbs up for plasticine! (Source: Neon magazine, sculpture by Sebastian Haslauer) Nicorette children campaign (DRAFTFCB KOBZA; Bronze Epica Award 2007) Land Rover Freelancer (TV spot) (Source: creativityhasnobounds.blogspot.com) Answer Car Insurance #plasticine #advertisement #print

The Deutscher Verpackungspreis (German Packaging Prize) 2013 has been awarded. Here, I want to show you some of the winners. ABSOLUT UNIQUE Everybody knows the vodka brand ABSOLUT VODKA. In a very complex procedure, four million unique vodka bottles have been produced, whereas no bottle looks like another one. Different colour layers and patterns have made every bottle unique. The thought of giving every Absolut Vodka consumer an individually designed bottle (with collector’s value?) is outstanding. Submitter: Ardagh MP West France SAS Designer: Family Business Producer: Ardagh Group User: The Absolut Company COMBIDOME For this product, the advantages of cardboard packaging (low weight, easy to recycle, durable) are perfectly combined with the advantages of packaging for a bottle. Everyone who has used the ordinary standard carton, is well aware of the difficulties to try and get the last drops of a favourite drink. This unique, bottle-neck shaped design is the perfect solution. Submitter: SIG International Services GmbH Designer: SIG Combibloc Producer: SIG Combibloc User: riha Wesergold Getränke GmbH & Co. KG ALVERDE NATURKOSMETIK Okay, these packaging designs are not very outstanding. But, organic ingredients and the organic/health aspect play a major (sales) role for alverde Naturkosmetik (natural cosmetics). The cardboard box consists of 80% recycled material, it was printed with mineral oil free, organic offset print colours (only renewable raw materials were used for producing these colours). The CO2 footprint is 76% smaller than with ordinary cardboard boxes. The organic theme was spread over the entire packaging process, which resulted in being awarded. Submitter: Carl Edelmann GmbH Designer: khdesign GmbH Offenbach Producer: Carl Edelmann GmbH User: dm-drogerie markt GmbH & Co. KG CHOCOLÉ These chocolate sticks are fantastically presented thanks to a round can packaging design made of cardboard, it looks very inviting. The high convenience factor brought this innovative, yet simple looking design an award. Submitter: Griesson De Beukelaer GmbH & Co. KG Designer: Griesson De Beukelaer, Van Genechten Packaging Producer: Van Genechten Nicolaus, Köln User: Griesson De Beukelaer RED BULL ILLUME 2013 IMAGE QUEST This packaging design was used for promoting a photo contest for sports and action photography. When opening the box (kept together with a magnet), the word „enlightened“ lights up. At the same time you hear the sound of a flash. This experience takes you directly into the world of photography. Submitter: Karl Knauer KG Designer: zooom production GmbH (Gestalter), Karl Knauer KG (Entwickler) Producer: Karl Knauer KG, Rox Asia Consultancy Ltd. User: Red Bull #packaging

I confess: I’m a proud owner of an iPhone 4s. Some of you might think now, that I’m old-fashioned or don’t move with the times, especially as the iPhone 4s is not even being sold any more (too "retro" maybe). You should always get the latest iPhone (which currently is the iPhone 6 or 6 plus) – at least when listening to all those Apple followers out there. Yes, Apple has become some kind of religion and also I am a loyal Apple customer as I’m very satisfied with every product I have ever bought from Apple. I’d like to see any other manufacturer do that. But the vast speed which new iPhones are launched at, sometimes wrinkles my brow. The "bad thing" is that you spend a lot of money for iProducts and two years later you have to pay big bucks again in order to get new iProducts that can match new iOS system requirements. At the end of the day, it is an ongoing spiral upwards, consisting of system requirements, new (useful?) features on new devices and their compatibility with iOS. Let me give you an example: The latest operating system iOS8 takes up 7 GB of your iPad. Seven gigabyte! The cheapest iPad (which is what most people might have) has a capacity of only 16 GB, what leaves 9 GB for data. Not very much. Hence: In the middle and long run, an update to iOS8 leads to buying a new iPad with higher capacity at a higher cost. (Apple, you are clever at making money!) But iOS8 had many inconvenient bugs in the beginning. Many people were complaining about what a bad operating system iOS8 is and how much it impairs other functions of a device. I was laughing in my sleeve when my partner got iOS8 on his phone and he could hardly use it any more - even simple telephone calls often failed! (By now, there are of course iOS8 updates that clear out most of those early, bad bugs.) What really aroused my interest in the iPhone 6 Plus though, is the display resolution of 401 ppi (approx. 300 dpi). For comparison: The "ordinary" iPhone 6 as well as the older models still being sold, have a resolution of 326 ppi (approx. 200 dpi). As a designer, I regularly work with data for print and digital purposes. Pictures for print need a resolution of 300 dpi, pictures for digital (Retina display) need a resolution of 200 dpi and pictures for all other digital media (without Retina display) need a resolution of only 72 dpi. You can imagine that picture files for 300 dpi are much bigger than files for 72 dpi. To put it plainly, when looking at a website on the iPhone 6 Plus, the pictures won’t appear crisp because nobody would use 300 dpi pictures on a website as this can drastically increase the website’s loading time. And since the latest Google report came out, we know that the loading speed is a very important figure as regards a website’s ranking on Google (SEO). If you want to optimize your digital products for the iPhone 6 Plus, you have to be prepared for Google punishing you by impairing your website’s ranking. Great. How does that affect iPhone apps? iPhone apps will end up having longer loading times. An iPhone app with let’s say 30 pictures at 72 dpi is easy to handle; but at 300 dpi, those 30 pictures might be a challenge for unpatient iPhone users. Solution for the designer: Use less photos and more vector graphics (vector graphics don’t have pixels)? Worth a thought. Realistic? Yes and no. I can imagine Apple taking the display resolution of 401 ppi onto iPads in future. As a designer I am horror-stricken by this thought. We will see how Apple proceeds with this philosophy. Apple’s touch ID technology. Well, the NSA will be cheered. #apple #iphone #iphone6 #iphone6plus

"Pictures say more than a thousand words." - or: "Advertisements that stay in our memory." #advertisement

You might not want to believe it, but there are still publications out there that have copy with horrible full justification. See this example: Weird letter spacing and big gaps between some words have a very negative influence on the reading flow. A short piece of text is still readable but a long piece of text will probably not be read. There are different kinds of justification: - symmetric justification (full justification) - asymmetric justification (left- or right aligned) - centred - text in shape (i.e. text in a circle) If you work with full justification, it is best to use hyphenation. Fully justified text without hyphenation kills the reading flow. In addition, you should always manually check the hyphenation at the end of every line (you will be surprised how some software programs hyphenate words!). Generally, centred copy should only be used for very special text parts, such as quotes standing out of the main text. Also, for invitation cards, centred copy looks very good. You can find out more about typography by clicking here . #typography #fonts #justification