Brian Suda, software developer, informatician and author of “A Practical Guide to Designing with Data”, presents some of the best and most beautiful visualisations on the web that are based on time, geography, sound data and more. The ability to create beautiful infographics and visualisations is easier now than ever. Much like the explosion of easy to use fonts created a design monster, misunderstood use of data does the same for visualisations. Having a source of quality design is key for inspiring the next generation of infographics. Visualisations, infographics and interactive data have brought us many hours of delight, but are they actually useful? With companies like visual.ly churning out infographics with the click of a button it’s easier now than ever for anyone to make and share their creative … Continue reading →

Dieter Rams is one of the most important designers of the 20th century but his famous 10 principles for good design focused on industrial design. Here Lisbon-based designer Nuno Loureiro applies them to web design “My heart belongs to the details. I actually always found them to be more important than the big picture. Nothing works without details. They are everything, the baseline of quality” – Dieter Rams Since I got to know the work of Dieter Rams back in college, I became fascinated by the exceptional products that he made for Braun from the 1950s onwards. He was able to start a revolution in the way we use household appliances that we still use as inspiration for designing today’s world, and you couldn’t have a better example than Apple. … Continue reading →

Web design is a craft that is constantly evolving and yet also sometimes sabotaged. The moment a design is released, a new version is born. In the beginning, like a baby, it seems vulnerable and weak, but in time it grows up and becomes self-sufficient. Redesigning a website for its own sake doesn’t prove anything; quite the contrary, it reveals a lack of effectiveness on the part of the designer. Product design is a craft in which new versions come to life with increasing difficulty. We can learn a thing or two from it when designing for the Web. First, let’s look at some examples. How many designs for the iPhone has Apple released since 2007? The answer is one, with only two tweaks. How many Motorola phones for Android … Continue reading →

For design to be meaningful we need to tell stories. We need to design the invisible, the cues, the messages and the extra detail hidden beneath the aesthetics. It’s all about the story. From verbal exchanges around the campfire to books, the web and everything in between, storytelling allows us to share, organize and process information more efficiently. It helps us understand our surroundings and make emotional connections to people, places and experiences. Web design lends itself perfectly to the conventions of storytelling, a universal process. However, the stories vary because they’re defined by culture, society, politics and religion. All of which need considering if you are to design stories that are relevant to your target audience.