Jan 13, 2011 0
GE was very aggressive in their advertising this past year. The use of augmented reality You can see more of GE’s campaigns at The GE Show.
Dec 26, 2010 0
I became interested in embedded operating systems like those found in cars early this year while developing ideas for clients. While the idea of designing special interfaces for drivers is as old as the automobile, making intuitive interfaces for computers and people without visuals is a somewhat less developed art. For these interfaces to work for a distracted driver barreling down the freeway is all new territory for almost all User Interface (UI) designers.
So why not leave automotive design to the auto-industry? Because the auto industry is coming to the user interface designer. Particularly, the explosion of smartphone ownership and a crack-down on handset use while driving will spur a market for applications to help the driver navigate, monitor conditions and make changes to their environment. Auto manufactures are quickly recognizing the need to create a safe and easy way to allow drivers to use their devices. Ford, an early adopter to in-cabin technology has announced a solution for developers to interface smartphones with their SYNC technology.
Ford’s AppLink SYNC SDK will allow for the voice-activated system in the car (which is already charged with navigation, audio and communication controls) to control applications on iOS (iPhone), Android and BlackBerry devices. Although Ford is not the only company to provide an computer control interface or voice-activated controls, it is the first to have a solution that developers are gravitating to.
Currently, the SYNC system, is only available in Ford, Lincoln and Mercury vehicles. Similar systems are available from GM (marketed under the OnStar brand) and Chrysler (UConnect), but few foreign car builders are providing a challenge to Ford. None of Ford’s competitors are as fast to provide solutions for developer either. For a market driven by technology, the uptake by the development community will fuel both innovation and adoption.
For someone who is designing solutions for consumers to take advantage of technology while driving, Ford’s AppLink is the first step to modern design solutions for developers and user interface experts. Currently, the SDK will provide developers the ability to use voice control, steering wheel buttons, text-to-speech features and vehicle data (speed, gps location, etc).
Although in-vehicle application development provides challenges, the ability to present the driver with solutions for comfort, communication, health and safety is a completely new frontier that had previously been limited to those in automotive circles.
Learn more about AppLink for the Ford SYNC
Nov 20, 2010 1
Are you addicted to your social media channel? Fanatical about Facebook? Totally tuned into Twitter? Then the team at RockMelt have created a browser you can’t live without. Like Flock before it, this new browser marries a ton of social media utility with the browser you’re using to roam the web.
Built on the Google Chrome open source project, RockMelt is a browser that is created around social interaction. It has much of the functionality found in the latest release of Chrome, but adds in-browser integration for Facebook and Twitter. The inclusion of Facebook comes from several very intuitive features: A sidebar showing your friends and the Facebook chat interface, your news stream, and the ability to share the website you’re currently visiting via a single-click button in the address bar.
If your tendency is more towards Twitter, the share button can toggle between Facebook and Twitter both using RockMelt’s own shortening service “http://me.lt”. A running Twitter feed is included in the sidebar without having to visit Twitter.com or use a third-party client.
As a Chrome user, RockMelt is easy and feels right at home, although on a smaller screen, the sidebar makes websites feel cramped and closed in. The browser is snappy and if you spend a lot of time sharing links and posts, than the embedded utility is a very nice cool addition. I think RockMelt feels a little strange, but I toss that up to my being a browser purist. I have been a long-time FireFox user and Chrome user. I tend to use only a very few add-ons for web development and debugging. RockMelt has been a fun diversion, but I’ve found myself returning to my old-favorites with no regrets.
Take a look at RockMelt’s promotional clip or listen to the interview with RockMelt CEO, Eric Vishria.
Oct 24, 2010 3
The GAP, a clothing retailer, recently learned how social media can influence their brand in a bad way. After revealing their new logo, executives where confronted with an audience unhappy with the new helvetica based, simplified brand-mark. Afraid of a backlash, marketing officers quickly retreated from their decision to launch the new logo and replaced it with the previous iteration.
How was this the wrong decision? Unfortunately, the GAP is being short-sited in it’s handling of the situation. The logo, designed by the agency Laird & Partners, is intended as an evolutionary component of retail branding already in place in over 3,100 locations. The stores, almost completely dominated by in high-contrast helvetica type are an excellent example of uniformity and icon brand identity. That brand identity has one exception, their logo. The implementation of this new logo (aesthetics aside) would solidify retail identity, online, and major media marketing. This is the position that likely led to the logo’s creation and one that should have been held to in the logo’s implementation.
Crowd sourcing is a term that GAP executive had mentioned in the spin following the logo being repealed. I don’t believe that major branding decisions or the wisdom of the masses would result in any impactful branding presence. Rather, the use of the “collective” lends itself better to viral media or the use of products in the market. The mention of this is as a solution is an escape from having to stand your ground as a leader-and in the case of the GAP, a leader in fashion and aesthetics.
Social media, powerful as it is in the distribution of message is a poor creation vehicle. The vision and focus that is required to create great things must come with a vision. This vision is not housed on Facebook or Twitter. Part of using these mediums is knowing their strengths and understanding that you have to control the message-especially when it is an unpopular one. It is very likely that the resistance to the GAP’s new identity would have never effected sales nor would anyone have paid much attention after several days had passed.
Although I don’t think that the new logo would have yielded a design award, it worked well with and represented the GAP brand very well.
Oct 11, 2010 0
Desk – Music and Sound Design from Aaron Trinder Film:Motion:Music on Vimeo.
Chris Cullmann is a Creative Director and Online Strategist. He works for Ogilvy CommonHealth Interactive Marketing, a digital agency dedicated to healthcare marketing. His professional and personal portfolio includes interactive websites, viral and social media, and online education applications. His portfolio and observations about the design and marketing industry can be found at www.cullmanndesign.com
The opinions expressed on this site are my own and do not reflect those of my employer or those who I am professionally connected.
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