1. flight001: HELP WANTED ✈ DESIGN INTERNSHIP IN NEW YORK CITY! We’re looking for a visually confident, verbally clever, graphic genius to join our team! You’ll be helping us with everything from developing sub-brands and package design to assisting with weekly web campaigns in-store signage and much more. If you think about travel every day, this is a rare opportunity for you. Apply today and be a part of our team of travelers! http://newyork.craigslist.org/mnh/med/2825437054.html This company should be ashamed of themselves for offering that design position as an internship. All you want to do is save money. Hopefully that intern is paid. they should just be hiring an entry level designer. Or a freelance designer to do things as needed. If then work w/ the same freelancer over and over a solid workflow will develop. And if they cant find a freelancer they like… keep looking. There are hundreds of thousands of us [designers] out there. (I checked the craigslist listing, they’re paying $15 dollars a day! I’m an entry level designer getting paid more than that an hour. ARE YOU KIDDING ME!?!) This shit is ridiculous. And not only is this killing the creative industry, but unpaid internships are also killing the economy in general! Super Relevant link![Do Unpaid Internships Exploit College Students?]  Recent news, also related:[Unpaid intern sues Harper’s Bazaar for minimum wage]

    flight001:

    HELP WANTED ✈ DESIGN INTERNSHIP IN NEW YORK CITY!

    We’re looking for a visually confident, verbally clever, graphic genius to join our team! You’ll be helping us with everything from developing sub-brands and package design to assisting with weekly web campaigns in-store signage and much more. If you think about travel every day, this is a rare opportunity for you.

    Apply today and be a part of our team of travelers!
    http://newyork.craigslist.org/mnh/med/2825437054.html

    This company should be ashamed of themselves for offering that design position as an internship. All you want to do is save money. Hopefully that intern is paid. they should just be hiring an entry level designer. Or a freelance designer to do things as needed. If then work w/ the same freelancer over and over a solid workflow will develop. And if they cant find a freelancer they like… keep looking. There are hundreds of thousands of us [designers] out there.

    (I checked the craigslist listing, they’re paying $15 dollars a day! I’m an entry level designer getting paid more than that an hour. ARE YOU KIDDING ME!?!)

    This shit is ridiculous. And not only is this killing the creative industry, but unpaid internships are also killing the economy in general!

    Super Relevant link!
    [Do Unpaid Internships Exploit College Students?] 

    Recent news, also related:
    [Unpaid intern sues Harper’s Bazaar for minimum wage]

  2. Issues in Honest vs Evil usability design Meanwhile on Reddit: If you do this on your site, FUCK YOU. One of the conversations that ensued, (this is not all branches of conversation, each blockquote is a reply to the line above it): ———————————- vectoredzev Welcome to the world of Dark Patterns…. Evil Usability Design… http://wiki.darkpatterns.org/Home ———————————- b3mus3d Whether you agree with it not, I don’t think this qualifies as ‘User Interfaces Designed to Trick People’, does it? ——————————— carlhuber Yeah it’s not tricking, it’s abusing. ———————————— mercurycreative  How is this abusive? If they asked for your credit card information would that be abusive? If you don’t like the terms of the agreement don’t download the product. ———————————- vectoredzev My concern with your statement, is you dont know how the product was offered. Was it offered, free, no commitment? Or was it a paid product. Either way, no one should be REQUIRED to publicize something before downloading it. It should only be an option. You mercurycreative are supporting evil design. ———————————- mercurycreative  Assuming the product was free, then I see no issue with this. It is neither abusive nor “evil design”. It is a creative barter agreement. They give you the content for free in exchange for you providing a little publicity. If you don’t wish to participate then look elsewhere for the product. It doesn’t appear that they ask you to support it or evangelize the product, just state that you downloaded it. This company is not REQUIRED to give you the product for free. They can offer you any form of exchange for the download they like. You are free to accept the terms or move on. Angry Birds does this to unlock levels. Is that abusive? Or a creative way to get marketing and engage the friends of a user? We need to start thinking of new ways to engage, market and monetize websites and their products. It’s all well and good to demand that everything be free and catered to your whims, but your clients need to make money off of their products. Either you be the creative person thinking up of new ways to market or someone else will take your job. EDIT: This wasn’t even an example from something in the wild. It’s from a demohttp://tutorialzine.com/2011/05/tweet-to-download-jquery/ ———————————- vectoredzev Btw. I posted a live version of one, down below. People use it, just not with that text, so its harder to find. Seriously, go read the website I linked to. Dark Patterns. You might learn something. What this tool did is not about engagement, its about being viral, and not in the good way. In forcing your name throughout the web. Tools like this are not an example of good experience, product, and branding. It’s an example of manipulation. Offer a product, with a requirement. The same way capitalism works. You mention marketing and monetizing. You’re right, that is exactly… EXACTLY what this is doing. But it’s not doing it in a reputable way. The point of Dark Patterns is to point out the ways companies “Monetize” and retain their users. But they do it without giving an option. In Louis CK’s iAmA here on Reddit. He pointed out that the LAST thing he did on his site was decide whether or not to let users “opt in” or “opt out” of the newsletter. That was his decision. He chose the default option to be “Opt Out”, and in doing so, gained the respect of more than a handful of his users. Which replied by thanking him in the AMA and supporting his album, which only cost $5. There is a difference between creative engagement and ruthless entrapment. That’s where the line is drawn between good and bad memorable & forgettable products. ———————————- mercurycreative I have read it. Which dark pattern do you believe this site is employing? ———————————- vectoredzev  While the costs are minute: http://wiki.darkpatterns.org/Hidden_Costs Also,http://wiki.darkpatterns.org/Misdirection And,http://wiki.darkpatterns.org/Road_Block You pick. The end… for now…. I dont know if the convo continued… but that’s what I was a part of. What do you think?

    Issues in Honest vs Evil usability design

    Meanwhile on Reddit:

    If you do this on your site, FUCK YOU.

    One of the conversations that ensued, (this is not all branches of conversation, each blockquote is a reply to the line above it):

    ———————————-

    vectoredzev

    Welcome to the world of Dark Patterns…. Evil Usability Design…

    http://wiki.darkpatterns.org/Home

    ———————————-

    b3mus3d

    Whether you agree with it not, I don’t think this qualifies as ‘User Interfaces Designed to Trick People’, does it?

    ———————————

    carlhuber

    Yeah it’s not tricking, it’s abusing.

    ————————————

    mercurycreative 

    How is this abusive? If they asked for your credit card information would that be abusive? If you don’t like the terms of the agreement don’t download the product.

    ———————————-

    vectoredzev

    My concern with your statement, is you dont know how the product was offered. Was it offered, free, no commitment? Or was it a paid product.

    Either way, no one should be REQUIRED to publicize something before downloading it.

    It should only be an option.

    You mercurycreative are supporting evil design.

    ———————————-

    mercurycreative 

    Assuming the product was free, then I see no issue with this. It is neither abusive nor “evil design”. It is a creative barter agreement. They give you the content for free in exchange for you providing a little publicity. If you don’t wish to participate then look elsewhere for the product. It doesn’t appear that they ask you to support it or evangelize the product, just state that you downloaded it.

    This company is not REQUIRED to give you the product for free. They can offer you any form of exchange for the download they like. You are free to accept the terms or move on.

    Angry Birds does this to unlock levels. Is that abusive? Or a creative way to get marketing and engage the friends of a user?

    We need to start thinking of new ways to engage, market and monetize websites and their products. It’s all well and good to demand that everything be free and catered to your whims, but your clients need to make money off of their products. Either you be the creative person thinking up of new ways to market or someone else will take your job.

    EDIT: This wasn’t even an example from something in the wild. It’s from a demohttp://tutorialzine.com/2011/05/tweet-to-download-jquery/

    ———————————-

    vectoredzev

    Btw. I posted a live version of one, down below. People use it, just not with that text, so its harder to find.

    Seriously, go read the website I linked to. Dark Patterns. You might learn something.

    What this tool did is not about engagement, its about being viral, and not in the good way. In forcing your name throughout the web.

    Tools like this are not an example of good experience, product, and branding. It’s an example of manipulation. Offer a product, with a requirement.

    The same way capitalism works. You mention marketing and monetizing. You’re right, that is exactly… EXACTLY what this is doing. But it’s not doing it in a reputable way.

    The point of Dark Patterns is to point out the ways companies “Monetize” and retain their users. But they do it without giving an option.

    In Louis CK’s iAmA here on Reddit. He pointed out that the LAST thing he did on his site was decide whether or not to let users “opt in” or “opt out” of the newsletter. That was his decision. He chose the default option to be “Opt Out”, and in doing so, gained the respect of more than a handful of his users. Which replied by thanking him in the AMA and supporting his album, which only cost $5.

    There is a difference between creative engagement and ruthless entrapment.

    That’s where the line is drawn between good and bad memorable & forgettable products.

    ———————————-

    mercurycreative

    I have read it. Which dark pattern do you believe this site is employing?

    ———————————-

    vectoredzev 

    While the costs are minute: http://wiki.darkpatterns.org/Hidden_Costs

    Also,http://wiki.darkpatterns.org/Misdirection

    And,http://wiki.darkpatterns.org/Road_Block

    You pick.

    The end… for now….

    I dont know if the convo continued… but that’s what I was a part of.

    What do you think?

  3. laughingsquid: The Arrival of the Microprocessor in Silicon Valley

    laughingsquid:

    The Arrival of the Microprocessor in Silicon Valley

  4. Did I mention my wordpress plugin has gotten 131 downloads already. In a day. →

    Do you realize how pumped this makes me feel?

  5. szymon: more honest logos by Viktor Hertz

    szymon:

    more honest logos by Viktor Hertz

  6. Tablet (iPad/Android) use on the rise! What’s your plan.

    If you’re a marketer and not already focusing on tablets, now’s the time. Consumer tablet usage statistics were recently released in a study and infographic created by The Pew Research Center in conjunction with The Economist Group, and the findings collectively illustrate a key point: as mobile usage continues to increase among consumers, tablets have become more than a passing fad and should be considered an important part of your mobile marketing strategy.

    [Source]

    Not only is this something that should be affecting people’s marketing plan, but also their entire web presence. While most tablets are capable of showing your website exactly the way its been designed, why wouldnt you provide a website experience that is customized for the tablet itself. Or just make an app that your customers can come back to day after day. 

    If you provide a retail service then imagine the tablet as a hand held portal into your store, they can swipe through categories. Moving quickly from product to product. Enabling them to move through your store quicker, and get what they need. Which will ultimately give them a better user experience; bringing them back to your store again. Take advantage of this medium and the landscape design, add a everpresent list of sections on the left hand side, and then product details on the right. 

    If you’re a blog you can do something similar, hosting a list of categories, or post titles on the left hand side, with options to read it later, or hide it. And then the post on the right.

    There is so much that can be done with the tablet layout to make the user experience a better one. What do you have planned?

  7. Oh btw guys… I found out I finally get to graduate college this week.

    Just thought you should all know.

  8. Check this out. It’s a UX/UI & Design based meetup, which is going to be happening the first Thursday of every. single. month. The people over at Thought Bot are hosting this and that’s pretty damn cool. Click through to RSVP using your twitter account (scroll down and see who else is attending). Obviously more people need to know about this so I’m not the only one showing off awesome stuff.

    Check this out. It’s a UX/UI & Design based meetup, which is going to be happening the first Thursday of every. single. month. The people over at Thought Bot are hosting this and that’s pretty damn cool.

    Click through to RSVP using your twitter account (scroll down and see who else is attending). Obviously more people need to know about this so I’m not the only one showing off awesome stuff.

  9. helloyoucreatives:

    Every 60 seconds a species dies out. Lovely idea, striking art direction.

    This is terrifying, and amazing. just… wow.

    (Source: poptartcreative)

  10. digitalpublishing: The most popular misconception about the Adobe Digital Publishing Suite (or any other InDesign-Plugin resulting in an iPad application): What you create is not an app. You make content that is displayed by another app. You cannot break out of that. This gives you great possibilites for editorial content, if you fancy other things, consider other tools.

    digitalpublishing:

    The most popular misconception about the Adobe Digital Publishing Suite (or any other InDesign-Plugin resulting in an iPad application):

    What you create is not an app. You make content that is displayed by another app. You cannot break out of that. This gives you great possibilites for editorial content, if you fancy other things, consider other tools.