Today I was ordered to design a logo for a product we are planning to put on the market. Therefor I can’t tell you a lot about it.

Anyway, when designing the logo I ran short off good idea’s and concepts. Someone however came with the idea to try a new style of designing. Not the simple and clean approach but a more kind of arty approach. Me getting a bit nervous of the idea (it isn’t exactly the style I like most you know) began to make a test design about a brand who makes tasty drinks . I finished it just a few moments ago. Oh yeah! I ain’t that pleased about the used font either, will fix that in a later stadium.

And here it is! Keep in mind it is the first try of this new style. I got all the graphics from SXC and used a letter explosion which I got through a magazine that came with a handy DVD full of free stock photo’s and vector packs!

The last few months I keep hearing about Mash Ups and what they can do. In short it’s just a page which uses technology from other web services and sort of combines them on one. Take Google Maps for example. Use this tool to show visitors where they can find your products or to show them news at the location it happened. This would be a nice mash up in my opinion.

Wikipedia shows a very nice explanation and links to up to date documentation. I Quote:

In web development, a mashup is a web application that combines data from more than one source into a single integrated tool. The term Mashupimplies easy, fast integration, frequently done by access to open APIs and data sources to produce results data owners had no idea could be produced. An example is the use of cartographic data from Google Maps to add location information to real-estate data, thereby creating a new and distinct web service that was not originally provided by either source.

Of course it goes a lot further then I stated above.  However for that you’ll need a lot of programming experience. And it will be hard to make a professional mash up. I know this is new to the web, but developing goes quickly and new mash ups are launching as we speak.

Ever wondered why there has to be a project plan in advance of a design? Well, how about if you hadn’t any. Then you wouldn’t be able to design specifically for the kind of visitors the website will attract. That’s just one reason why a plan comes in handy when beginning to design a website. And not only website, but almost everything you will design in your life probably needs a good plan to begin with. Below I’ll try to explain it as simple as I can in my English.

The goal for every web design I make is to impress the visitor. Of course every one has a goal of its own, but in my opinion the methods to use are the same. The most common problem you can run into (the way I view it) is the taste of your visitors. Every one’s taste differs, so it’s hard to make a good, impressive and functional design.

Of course it’s possible to buy a pre-made template from for example templatemonster, but it isn’t your own creation then. Certainly, you can customize it in any way you like and maybe you’re that kind off designer. Maybe I’m to, who knows. However I always use a short list when designing a web page.

Today I got a comment on the first part of this post. The question asked was why I hadn’t added the color orange. Good question I thought by myself. Below you’ll find the answer.

Orange

Orange combines the energy of red and the happiness of yellow. It is associated with joy, sunshine, and the tropics. Orange represents enthusiasm, fascination, happiness, creativity, determination, attraction, success, encouragement, and stimulation.

To the human eye, orange is a very hot color, so it gives the sensation of heat. Nevertheless, orange is not as aggressive as red. Orange increases oxygen supply to the brain, produces an invigorating effect, and stimulates mental activity. It is highly accepted among young people. As a citrus color, orange is associated with healthy food and stimulates appetite. Orange is the color of fall and harvest. In heraldry, orange is symbolic of strength and endurance.

Orange has very high visibility, so you can use it to catch attention and highlight the most important elements of your design. Orange is very effective for promoting food products and toys.

Last week I suddenly received a email about a photo I uploaded on SXC. Permission was asked to use the photo of the coat rack by Osler. Osler is a law firm situated in Canada. The purpose of the photo was for a company lobby welcome sign. I asked for the end result of the usage end yesterday I received it!

I’m kinda proud of the fact a photo I made is used in a country across the ocean. Below you will find the end result.