cullmanndesign blog

Microsoft, not  traditionally known for their industrial design is developing, and will soon release, a mouse designed to travel as easily as it can be used. The Microsoft Hardware Group is positioning this piece to replace their “arc” mouse and compete with high-end user input devices like the Apple Magic Mouse and Track Pad. The new Microsoft design is arced in it’s use state and then rests flat for transport or easy storage while not in use.

Previews have been posted via twitpic.

The MTA has recently redesigned the New York City Subway Map. Not a drastic change from the 2 previous designs, the new version features additional information about subways lines and expanded visual indications for express and local routes.

New York’s subways maps are a unique piece of history and a part of New York City’s “branding”. For visitor’s, the maps are an integral part of using public transit. For New Yorker’s it’s an embedded icon for navigating those far-reaching parts of the city not frequently visited. Beyond the utilitarian value of the maps, these design pieces are facing travelers coming, going and while on New York’s subterrainian city. Having grown up in New York, the maps represent places I’ve lived, where friends and family are and memories of good times and bad. All of those dots represent day trips, jobs and people I’ve interacted with.

As a kid riding the subway, I remember the Vignelli’s stylized subway map. At that time, it the stylized version of the city was long in the tooth and when I had seen it, usually looked yellow and tired. It still reminds me of an aesthetic that harbors a sense of adventure and newness.

I’m glad to see that the MTA is posting a new version of the map. I don’t feel any nostalgia for the current version. More so than anything else, I’m glad for the big analog infographic that shows a landscape of options to subway riders.

If you’re visiting New York or a have been living there all your life, you can download a PDF of the new MTA Subway Map here.

The MTA has recently redesigned the New York City Subway Map. Not a drastic change from the 2 previous designs, the new version features additional information about subways lines and expanded visual indications for express and local routes.

New York’s subways maps are a unique piece of history and a part of New York City’s “branding”. For visitor’s, the maps are an integral part of using public transit. For New Yorker’s it’s an embedded icon for navigating those far-reaching parts of the city not frequently visited. Beyond the utilitarian value of the maps, these design pieces are facing travelers coming, going and while on New York’s subterrainian city. Having grown up in New York, the maps represent places I’ve lived, where friends and family are and memories of good times and bad. All of those dots represent day trips, jobs and people I’ve interacted with.

As a kid riding the subway, I remember the Vignelli’s stylized subway map. At that time, it the stylized version of the city was long in the tooth and when I had seen it, usually looked yellow and tired. It still reminds me of an aesthetic that harbors a sense of adventure and newness.

I’m glad to see that the MTA is posting a new version of the map. I don’t feel any nostalgia for the current version. More so than anything else, I’m glad for the big analog infographic that shows a landscape of options to subway riders.

If you’re visiting New York or a have been living there all your life, you can download a PDF of the new MTA Subway Map here.

A friend had asked me where they would begin if they had wanted to start building a website for their business. I started an email that outlined a few of the basics, starting with a URL and outlining what they wanted to say and who they wanted to say it to. Of course the e-mail started to talk about producing content and making some of that content available via blog. A thought had crossed my mind: Practice with you preach. Here is my open-letter for starting your first website (I’ll likely miss some of the finer points, so please feel free to contribute).

Before you buy a domain, start to design, find a host, before you start to write any content for your new website, you should decide what is it that you want to communicate? From the largest fortune 500 company to the blogger with the smallest audience, the owner needs to know what they are using the blog for. Most business (big and small) want to create an online footprint that let’s people know who they are, create branding and allow an easy method to locate their business. This is a great way to approach the challenge of your new site and allows you to define your goals. Those same goals can help steer your design, the writing style, call-to-action and a sense of scope moving into the future.

Now that you’ve defined what you are going to be using your site to communicate and who the audience is, you can look at what your competitors are doing. How are they designed? How do they speak to the audience? How do they handle their branding? If you’re planning on sharing this space with them, you have an advantage to learn from their mistakes and successes. You should also look at their design-and other designs on the web that you like so you have an idea of what styles you like and how they divide their messaging, contact information, pricing, call-to-action, etc,.

The beginning of a great website, and the foundation for your new online brand, is the domain name. If you are building a business, try to find a domain that IS your business name (mybusinessname.com). You can see if your domain is available for free using WhoIs.net, NetworkSolutions or GoDaddy. NetworkSolutions will also make name suggestions if the domain you are searching for is taken. I recommend sticking with .com names as opposed to .net or .us. You can also look at foreign top-level domains (the .com .net extensions on the end). Some of these can be used to create creative solutions for your domain name like bit.ly or del.icio.us. Just remember that you may be communicating this domain name (or URL) verbally and simpler is better! Once you have found your open domain name, you should purchase it. GoDaddy usually has the best prices and offers hosting at an additional charge.

Now that you have a domain name, you need to design your website. Find a designer? Hire an agency? Pay a web developer? How much does this all cost? I have a biased opinion here: I am a web designer and usability and web standards are VERY important to me. If your website is a fundamental part of your business or you are planning to use it as the foundation of your marketing and to generate business, you should work with a professional web designer and/or web developer. If the previous is true and you’ve never done anything like this on the web before change “should” to “definitely must”. If you believe your website isn’t going to make a dramatic change to your business or you don’t have a budget to invest in having someone design and build a website, there are several options that can leave you with a great looking website without a tremendous cost:

• Consider hiring someone right out of school or even still IN school. There are a lot of very talented and capable web developers and designers out there waiting for a shot to work with you. You can find some at your local college or university. Many students have a portfolio of work to show or may even do your project on spec.
• Look at a DIY solution like SquareSpace. This service, and others like it, give anyone with a vision a way to deign their own website and host. This takes all of the “tech” out of it and makes it easy for someone to get their start.
• Think about a blog format for your website. There are many, many businesses that use a blog for their PRIMARY customer interface tool. Platforms like WordPress, Tumblr and Posterous. allow you to turn a rainy-day into a start-up marketing platform. WordPress and Tumblr allow you to add “pages” that can easily make your site look like a brand.com with a “About”, “Contact” and “Info” page. All three of the platforms I mentioned are very easily customized with free or paid-for templates and designs that are a snap to install. All of these platforms also include hosting (many at no cost), metrics (to see who is coming or going from your site) and you can add your domain name so no-one will ever know that you’re using a blog engine to host your company’s web presence.
• Social media is a great solution for a start-up. This wouldn’t apply to all audiences, but if your business is selling music from indy artists, clever t-shirts or video games, a FaceBook fanpage may generate more leads than any .com website. If you’re selling turn-signal shut-off reminders for 60 year-olds driving oldsmobiles, a FaceBook fanpage would be a very lonely place for your brand. A FaceBook fanpage is easy to set-up, fast and free. There are several studies to support the this as a tactics, but you have to think about how this fits in with your product/brand.

Before you do anything, you should ask yourself how important your new site will be to your brand? If you believe that it is important at all, the investment in a professional web designer is well worth the cost. Finding someone who understands your needs, your industry adn will work with you collaboratively will yield results beyond your expectations. Designing and building websites is a craft and its proper execution will attract and keep visitors, improve your search engine ranking and define your brand as a whole.

Once you have decided on your design solution, you should begin to develop content. Again, you can work with a professional or write the content yourself. The content you create will drive design, so involving your designer/developer is important. The arrangement and importance of your work will drive how the site is constructed and how search engines will see your website.

With the design, copy and architecture all in place you’re site is ready for launch. Make sure that you tell people to go to your site! Tell everyone you know, put it on business cards, on your email signature, on your facebook page. Every person who visits your site helps create “buzz”. They may share it with friends or remember it when the need arises for your services next week, next month or next year. Don’t be bashful about telling others in your industry. Go to some blogs or forums focused on your industry. Leave comments and reply to threads with your business URL in it. Someone may see your contribution, go to your site and make a purchase or come to you for a service based on your contribution.

Lastly: Update your website with new content, news, customer reviews/testimonials. Not only will updated content make your website (and business) look thriving and alive, but it will also help you with search engine position. Once launched your website is a “living” brand footprint that needs to be maintained to thrive. It will also give your customers and users reason to return regularly and keep you and your brand top-of-mind.

For more about building your brand online:
http://blog.cullmanndesign.com/2010/02/building-brand-you/
http://mashable.com/2008/07/18/building-your-online-brand/
http://www.chrisg.com/social-media-brand/
http://www.slideshare.net/alihadi/build-your-brand-online-presentation