Wednesday Laughter

Some of my favorites from this huge collection of funny signs:

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Web Redesign FAIL

Times of India has the largest circulation among all English-language tabloids in the world, across all formats. Nevermind the inaccurate content, incorrect grammar, a large number of persistent pop-ups and a questionable selection of “headlines”, it is still the most-visited news site for Indians. You would think such a website would have a well thought out flow and look/feel. Their latest attempt at “redesigning” their look and feel lacks any logical reasoning whatsoever.

Better readability? I beg to differ

No – that yellow is not a coding/computer error, I checked. Can someone please explain what is the purpose of making the background of your home page YELLOW? Make your viewers appreciate you? Take you more seriously? Be able to read/find content easily?

Sitting is Killing You!

I’m moving over to the Standing Side. Get that post-lunch drag? Slouching over causing back problems? Getting tired of sitting?

I’ve been trying out a stand-up desk at home for the last couple of weeks ever since I found out two of my co-workers love their stand-up desks…and they really do help! I yawn less, and I get more work done – while extending my life span :-P ! So to prove the benefits further, here’s an infographic on why sitting is killing you:

Via: Medical Billing And Coding

which one is mine?

Being a graphic designer can often be frustrating – we see room for improvement in any design around us. Take, for instance, these two pieces of paper that I got back after I paid for dinner with my credit card today:

Receipts for dinner at an Indian restaurant

Just thinking about this receipt from my (the customer)’s point of view, the main problem is: How do I distinguish between which one is the customer copy and which one is the merchant copy?

Right now, there are quite a few issues with these two copies:

• Even though it says “COPY” in the top third section of the left paper, it doesn’t stand out much – definitely isn’t something I’m going to notice at the first glance.
• I don’t really notice the “customer copy” or “merchant copy” at the bottom of either of the papers at all.
• Both the papers have areas where I can fill out the tip and calculate the total: which is the copy I give back to the restaurant?
• The actual amount that I have to pay gets lost in the volume of numbers on both the papers, so I have to look for it. This is the first thing I want to know when I get the bill – I shouldn’t have to search for it!

All of these combine to waste my time, and cause confusion when all I want to do is go home and nap. If we have to keep the credit card machines that read my card and generate these receipts exactly the same, then some easy ways to fix these problems and make it easier to distinguish between customer and merchant copies would be:

• Write the words “Merchant copy” and “Customer copy” in bold on top of the papers (Which one do I sign?)
• Right below, put the amount in bold (How much did I spend?)
• This followed by the space for tip and total on the merchant copy (What is the total amount I have to pay?)
• Only the total on the customer copy. I can calculate the tip later from my copy if I really want to know.
• Next put in the transaction details (How did I pay for this?)
• Restaurant details (Where did I spend this money?)
• From a customer’s point of view, those really are the only things I need to know. The remaining numbers on the bottom 1.5″ of the current customer copy are numbers I would probably only use if I am disputing the total at a later date.

Of course most restaurants (and most businesses for that matter) have an extra sheet with an itemized bill attached along with this credit card receipt, but the point is – this confusing sheet of paper is still present: something that can be improved with small changes in layout and formatting that’ll make them much more efficient.

good design doesn’t need much!

you don't need to have the best software to make good designs!

it doesn’t take much to make designs that make you smile! just a marker and some (broken) eggs :-)

(thanks to shweta mehta for this link!)

good card bad card

We get so much junk snail-mail these days that its a relief when you get to see a post card with a clever message. Self-mailers that require a degree of interaction on part of the consumer are even better.  I think these two designs are extremely effective:

Bodog Casino Wallet Direct Mailer

Eviction Notice Party Mailer

They’re effective because of:

• The unexpected: I don’t usually see a wallet (or an eviction notice) in my mailbox. So I’m immediately paying more attention to see what this is about. I don’t expect to find what looks like a $100 bill in it either. So I take a closer look and read what it says. Both the main aims of a direct mailer are now achieved. (1) I opened the mailer and (2) read the information the casino wanted me to read. There’s a much higher chance of me actually visiting that casino now than if I had received the same code written on a 6×4 postcard.
• Interesting layout: The scroll format involves me in the process of getting information (I have to unwind the scroll to see all the text) instead of just putting it all there and expecting me to passively read it (I mean, common, don’t we get tired of reading the long, drawn-out memos?) The font colors, size and orientation have been cleverly used to make it easy as well as interesting for me to read. I’m automatically more interested in attending this housewarming party!

But at what point does it become an overkill?

A real blood bag filled with fake blood

Spike TV Holiday Card Meat Self Mailer

I mean, really? The first thing I would do on seeing either one of these in my mailbox is throw them out. What about those customers who get freaked out by blood? What about vegetarians?

try to answer me!

So I figured we’d get this started with an article that I’ve printed and stuck on my work desk. Its called Four Things I’ve Learned about Designers, by Warren Berger.

I read it whenever one of my clients can’t answer a simple question I ask them if they don’t particularly love something I’ve created for them (not that the disliking is an issue – I have some projects from my freshman year of college that I still go back and edit randomly). The question I ask is this: Why don’t you like it? And the standard answer I get is: I don’t know – I’m not too crazy about it. So then I sigh inwardly and go back to doing what designers do best – ask the “stupid” questions: Do you not like the color? Does it look too crowded? Too empty? What do you take away when you first look at it? Why do you have to have corporate language when the creative is intended for college kids? Why..What..When..Where..

As frustrating as these might get (for my client as well as me), so far, they’ve led to better end-products. So I don’t think I’ll be removing that article from my desk any time soon!