New work by Swiss artist Zimoun is further proof that the simplest of materials and technologies, imaginatively utilized and carefully assembled, can produce delightful, captivating experiences.

(More on Zimoun's Zimoun's vimeo page.)

Whyte studied urban environments using movie cameras, recorded observations, and interviews in an attempt to understand how people actually use outdoor spaces such as plazas, sidewalks, and street corners. Whyte's earnest and often humorous narration make the film entertaining, but more than this, the material itself --the people watching-- is fascinating. Moreover, many of Whyte's findings challenge commonly held assumptions about urban design.

Watching this film was one of the most entertaining and educational hours I ever spent in graduate school. There are lessons here that any designer can learn.

Unfortunately, the video is out of print, but you can still pick up a copy of the book which covers the same material.

For Paul Rand's posthumous induction into The One Club Hall of Fame, Imaginary Forces created this short film, combining original animation with a videotaped interview of Rand himself, that encapsulated his unique and timeless contribution to the design community.

Via

After you've seen the video, be sure to read the blog post, where Graphicology author J. Jason Smith breaks down some of the shots together with the original covers.

1. The Revelation

We've been thinking recently about our business practices here at Design Less Better, so this recent speech by John Thackara really hit home for me.

It meanders a bit, but excluding the environmental stuff early on, I can appreciate at least three points he made about the business of being a thinker:

1. There is a need for deep thinking Folks will pay for strategy, futurism, ethical frameworks, etc. because most of them don't have time to come up with it themselves. It's a simple assertion, but creative types might take it for granted. We tend to think other people are like us.
2. A lot of well-known designers and thinkers don't have it as great as it might look. Like you, most of them have boring work they have to do to keep the lights on, but it's not the kind of thing that makes for a good lecture.
3. The monetary rewards of those "good" jobs you see in the lecture are also less than one might expect. Thackara claims that he only gets paid for about 25% of the hours he works. The other 75% of his time is writing, thinking, and hustling so he can land those paid hours.

This is not at all the point of Thackara's speech, but it's something I appreciate nonetheless as an insight into the process of how such a person works and an indicator of how important passion is in being successful at it.

2. Meet Mr. W

Love this wonderful German (yet English-speaking?) ad. Clever!

3. Dropbox – The Power of a “Value Based” Startup

We're huge fans of Dropbox, so this writeup on the company's strategy was of interest.

Essentially, it boils down to design less better.

Rather than follow the mantra of "release early, release often", the Dropbox team focused on a set of limited, but useful features that worked beautifully out of the gate. This high level of polish for a free product helped retain and gratify users who then went on to market the software to their friends.

Speaking as a user, that's exactly what happened to me. Dropbox is limited compared to the many other file-sharing sites out there, but this also makes it simple to use. And Dropbox does it so well that I can't help but recommend it.

4. This is not content

A recent post from 37 signals had this nugget, which is not an original observation, but bears repeating nonetheless:

[People don't want "content"] What people want is opinions, analysis, techniques, experiences, and insights. The best of all these come as a by-product from actually doing stuff.

One might rephrase this as: make things, not content.

Time to follow that advice...

1. Watch this Presentation: Square

Something that caught our eye a while back. This video is one of the most clever and legible explanations we've seen. It takes a complex, multi-step product and makes it seem accessible to anyone. Bravo!

2. The Six Things Clients Want

A nice reminder of what the designer's job really entails, e.g. you aren't just building your client a website, you're inspiring them, bringing in ideas, and improving process. See past the product in the contract. What does your client really want?

3. Adobe's Magic Paintbrush: Context Aware Fill

Very impressive technology demo. The "uncropping" part at the end is astounding. I was skeptical, but it's not a hoax. This will be in CS5.

It's not 100% perfect, but from the look of things, it's about 90% what you'd get if you spent hours with the Clone Stamp. I'd call that progress.

((as somebody commented on the Adobe blog, with this tech, sites like iStockphoto are going to need some new watermarks...))

4. A Manifesto of Manifestos

I like this post and tend to agree with its observations. Sort of a meta-manifesto.

Needs to be 10 points, though. A nice round number. ;)

Procrastination by Johnny Kelly
Graduation film from the Royal College of Art, 2007.

Link.

Hat tip to Thinking aloud.

1. Saul Bass: On Making Money vs Quality Work

"It costs every designer money to make things beautiful."

2. Productivity in 11 Words

Photo by Jayel Aheram

"One thing at a time. Most important thing first. Start now."

Probably the best thing I read last week.

Via.

Read More...