Cullmann Design Blog

Are you an early adopter? Trendspotting blog features a link to a new AdAge report outlining and recommending how to market to early adopters”. Much like the Seth Godin concept of capturing the “sneezers” of a group (the portion of any social network who identify, adopt and evangelize new things) this research paper classifies the early adopters and their flock into categories and allows readers to outline opportunities and tactics to have a dialogue these groups. The report is titled “Shiny New Things: What Digital Adopters Want, How to Reach Them and Why Every Marketer Should Pay Attention” and is available as a free PDF.

The release of the iPad and its settling into the market point to a distinction between the devices and software we use to “consume” media and create it. The digital workstation is long overdue for an overhaul and Microsoft Research is developing a solution. In recent demonstrations, Microsoft is leveraging their Surface technology to create a naturally manipulated user interface to draw, write, cut, copy and paste digital data. The demonstration presented shows how you can marry user input devices, in this case a pen, with touch to treat the screen as if it is a true “art-board”.

Surface, as demonstrated here, goes beyond previous generations of tablet and touch interfaces like those currently offered from Wacom and Adesso. Although these input devices make use of naturalistic behavior, they offer a limited surface area for manipulation and lack the utility of multi-touch demonstrated on the Surface technology. Both Microsoft and Apple have incorporated mutli-touch into their native operating systems, the keyboard and mouse software is still the primary paradigm for operation. This is partially due to software developers not yet taking advantage of the new native APIs available in the operating systems, but also a lack of clear indication as to how users will use these technologies. The introduction and evolution of “consumption” dedicated devices like the iPad may yield an answer.

Having used Wacom tablets for year and recently being able to spend time with the Surface, both offer an add a freedom beyond the mouse. Both pressure sensitivity and a natural movement allows fast and quick almost gesture-like actions. This is a benefit and attraction because of the nature of my work in design. I’m unsure how much wide-market appeal it will have or if, beyond page-turning and “flicking”, it can offer with today’s content structure. The iPad, the publishing industry and how developers begin to use this technology will help shape the next generation of user interface. I believe that this is why so many people are excited about the iPad and what it brings to the marketplace.

Interface design like the one presented by Microsoft Surface is creating a completely new arena for content creation and will also influence the aesthetics of design to come. Both print and new media designers may completely change their approach with the freedom presented by these new tools. It may seem strange, but there is an entire generation of designers who may not know what it is like to sit at a drafting table or balance a bottle of India Ink in their hands while burning the midnight oil.

Thanks to John Nosta for the Microsoft Research clip inspiring this post.

Nothing feels better than being able to help someone who’s really in need. This can mean a lot of things from donating money or possessions or to serving in your local community or church. Many people forget that the skills they have as marketers, designers, developers, writers can be a huge benefit to organizations in your local community or abroad.

For professionals—or students just getting started—your training, expertise and experience can help an organization that is struggling to get off the ground or reinvent themselves. As marketers and designers, we understand how much branding can mean for branding and communicating a message that can yield results. For many non-profits and community organizations, the costs associated with quality communication and marketing services can be overwhelming. This is an excellent chance for writers, designers, developers and anyone with an understanding of marketing to make a big contribution with a little of their free-time.

Were to start? If you’re interested in making a difference for a charity, you can reach-out directly to an organization that you know needs help or that you have an interest in. If that organization can’t use your help right away, they’ll likely add you to their volunteer list or be able to recommend an affiliate that can use your help. You can also go online to one of the many websites created to unite marketing do-gooders like yourself with organizations in need. Grassroots.org is a large and popular site. There are also many niche volunteer organizations who cater to special interests. Creativepaw.org is an example of a site that aligns creative professionals with groups who support and care for the interests of animals.

Before you begin you should think about what kind of services you’d like to help provide. Like any opportunity, knowing how to present yourself and your capabilities will help you and the organization you’d like to help figure out how best to apply your expertise.

You may also use this as a chance to self educate and broaden your capability. Unlike a traditional client, non-profits are happy to have support. This is an excellent opportunity for you to apply some new techniques to your craft or experiment with new skills. Although it’s best to communicate your plans with the organization that you are helping, most are open to trying new things and open to new solutions. There are few better ways to broaden your portfolio or create a case-study for your new marketing idea than to have a real-world example with non-profit.

Although donating your time is a great way to help the community and feel good about your contribution, you don’t have to be completely altruistic. Ask the organization you are working with for a contributor’s credit, a letter of reference or a link in their website footer. This will give some referral traffic to you or your website and may eventually lead to a new opportunity.

The most important thing to remember when donating your time, as a marketing professional or otherwise, is to enjoy yourself and know that your effort can make a big difference to any organization or charity effort.

In the last 20 years, the @ symbol has grown to mean many things to many people. It’s part of our identity, our brands, communication-in business and friendship. It can symbolize an independence that allows us to share our thoughts and ideas without censorship or it can represent a media that affords no privacy to anyone. Regardless, @ has become a significant part of our culture and of new media.

It is with this spirit that the Museum of Modern Art has recently acquired @ as part of their collection. The MOMA blog positions the acquisition as an opportunity to recognize and celebrate those intangible objects that cannot be housed or contained through traditional means. There is also a more traditional approach to the @ as a typographical element—a design that is elegant and well balanced—and as a cultural idea. The Department of Architecture and Design at MOMA recognizes how many different cultures and social sub-groups have adapted the @ to suite their needs. Examples include technologist who have adapted it for an identification device, others as a n expression for gender neutrality and others as a short-hand for animals and possessions.

The work, not currently on display, is featured as ITC American Typewriter and attributed to Ray Tomlinson, a typographer and designer. You may view the work by visiting the MOMA Collection.