Archive for August, 2006
August 22nd, 2006
Because we don’t know what is really important to us, everything seems important.
Because everything seems important, we have to do everything.
Other people, unfortunately, see us doing everything, so they expect us to do everything.
Doing everything keeps us so busy, we don’t have time to think about what is really important to us.
- Anonymous
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Thought of the Day
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August 19th, 2006
Last week, I posted a review of today’s most popular logos of Todder TV and analyzed them in the areas of design, emotion and representation. I then boldly declared the winner, loser and honorable mention (at least in my own mind) of each of these categories and overall.
Earlier today, I had the distinct honor of showing a 2-year old and a 4-year old - a true representation of the target Toddler TV audience - the logos I chose for that original post. They excitedly identified, like most kids would, most of the logos with energetic chatter about the characters and storylines.
But then they pointed to three of the logos and asked one, innocent question:
What are these?
Much to their confusion and my pride, they were asking about
- The Backyardigans - voted worst in Emotion
- Dragon Tales - voted worst in Design
- Higglytown Heroes - voted worst in Representation and Overall
I gave them both a lollipop, a high-five and my business card. “Call me when you can drive, kid. I can always use a great designer.”
For the full review, please read (or re-read) “The Best and Worst Logos of Toddler TV“.
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Design, Media
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August 13th, 2006
Competition among search engines to “deliver fast and relevant information” is fierce. Companies such as Google, MSN, Yahoo, Lycos, etc. are in a frenzy to grab your loyalty (and your homepage) by shoving down your throat the power of their search algorithms, uniqueness of their results layout and innovativeness of their added features.
When Ask.com reinvented itself in February of 2006 - most visibly with the retirement of Jeeves - they introduced new technologies and features in the hopes of turning around one of the lowest ranked search engines. (For more information about these enhancements, read Richard MacManus’ well-informed post on the subject.)
One such feature, named “Binoculars“, allows the user to see a site preview by rolling over a, you guessed it, binocular icon. With the help of AJAX technology, this thumbnail image appears without refreshing the page. While it’s obviously a cool feature that’s intended set Ask.com apart from the competition, there are some usability and design issues that should be addressed.
I’m sorry to have to break it to all of my fellow web designers out there, but this pixilated 246×260 screenshot is now part of the user’s decision-making process. This also means that it should be part of our design process. Let’s explore how.
- Visual Emphasis of Site - Search engines are used to find a requested contextual or graphical item with varying degrees of specificity. The thumbnail view shifts the focus away from this relevant information to a high-level visual layout of the site. The result is that the user could choose to visit a site because it has the right shade of blue instead of the best information for their search task.
- Inaccurate Previews - According to their FAQs, screen captures are taken periodically and not in real-time. This means that what the user sees is not always what the user gets. The large PDA sale image in the preview is suddenly replaced my something completely unrelated once they click to the site. And even though it’s a technological limitation of Ask.com, do you really want a potential client subconsciously blaming your site for the differences and visit another site? I’m not saying that this will happen, but it’s a consideration because it could happen.
- Product Treatment – Usability principles state that the main reason someone goes to a site is to perform a task, regardless of how targeted or loosely-formed it may be. When the user’s task is to find a product, they’re specifically scanning for details of that product. They want to know how it looks, how it’s used and how it benefits them. Think about the user. They’ll have to click through to see how the product is used and its benefits, but they can see how it looks right in the site preview. And that image can lead them to or away from your site. So, when you’re designing, remember that what looks like a perfect image size of your product on the actual site might look small and inferior in the preview and vice versa.
- Behavioral Interruption – With roughly a decade of search engines behind us in one form or another, users are accustomed to the visual and behavioral aspects of these engines. They know what keywords to search for and how to type them in (and, or, comma, etc.) as well as what to expect in the listed results. Users, including myself, quickly scan the first few words of each result plus any relevant search content (abbreviations, numbers, etc.) and move on to the next listing until they find what they’re looking for. This behavior is fast and effective.
What these binoculars do is place a big stop sign in the middle of the highway. The user has to get out of their almost automatic scanning mode, slowly move the mouse so it hovers over the binocular icon and then view/comprehend the preview image. If it’s not what they’re looking for, they press the gas pedal down to once again get up to scanning speed. This adds time and frustration to their search. There’s a reason Steven Krug titled his usability book, “Don’t Make Me Think”.
Now this analysis is all well and good if it wasn’t for one important question – do people actually use it? I’ve talked to several people in and out of the web profession who consider the “binoculars” preview just a gimmick and nothing more. If that’s true, I just wasted a whole lot of words. But on the other hand, I’m sure there’s someone within the hundreds (or millions) of people reading your search result that consider the preview just a little bit more useful.
So, are the “Binoculars” Site Previews a gimmick or gold? Are they fantastic or just fluff?
What do you think?
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Design, Usability
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August 11th, 2006
It seems like just yesterday that I started this blog I called “Spectorbrain”. It all began about 4 months ago.
[cue the daydreaming music and fuzzy transitions]
One day, I think it was a Tuesday, I was innocently avoiding work with some Jib Jab animations on-line when I was interrupted by some energetic ramblings. I turned around to see someone who just seemed to appear out of thin air. Due to his fast-talking and multiple digressions, I didn’t quite understand everything that was being said. But for some reason, the word “blog” keep coming up.
I curiously asked, “What is this blog that you’re speaking of?” He explained the ins and out of blogging and several hours later, I was convinced. At that moment, I knew I must blog. But when I turned around to tell him the good news, he was gone.
After minutes of intense blog training and preparation, I wrote my first post, “Hot Dog Hijinks and Frank’s Fun Facts“. Although this was an entertaining and politically-charged article, I quickly decided to refocus my efforts towards my passion and profession - design.
Now, 50 posts and one site redesign later, I’m proud how this blog has grown and appreciative of everyone who has made it possible. Thank you for your readership, comments, e-mails and support.
And a special thanks to those who have helped drive traffic to Spectorbrain over these last few months including:
Without you, I’d just be writing for the Garfield figurine on my desk. Thank you all.
Epilogue: I recently met up with the mystery blogger at the local mall. He was finishing his second cup of Dippin’ Dots as he approached. He congratulated me on my blog with a solid handshake. We talked for a few minutes before he turned to walk away. “Who are you?” I asked. He replied simply, “You can call me Burbanked.”
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Kudos, Site News
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August 10th, 2006
I’d like to raise a glass to Bob Thaves, the creator of Frank & Ernest and an originator in the field of comics. Mr. Thaves sadly passed away last Tuesday at the age of 81, leaving behind his loving family and many generations of F&E fans.
Thanks to his twisted phrases and unconventional observations of life, Bob Thaves changed the way comics are read and drawn. This is easily demonstrated by the tremendous success of Frank & Ernest over the past 30+ years - appearing in over 1,200 newspapers worldwide and read by more than 25 million people daily.
The F&E comic strip was a platform for his many innovations including:
- the first single comic panel presented in a strip format
- first to vary the roles and settings of its characters
- first to use block lettering with a font he created
- first to use comic book-style digital coloring for the Sunday pages (introduced in 1995)
- and one of the first comic strips to have its own website - www.frankandernest.com.
Thank you, Mr. Thaves, for the many years of insightful humor and contributions to your craft.
And now, a word from our sponsor.
Philosophy of Life: What it comes down to is, when you come into the world you have nothing … when you leave you have nothing … and in between there’s the IRS.
–Bob Thaves
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Media
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August 9th, 2006
A designer knows that he has achieved perfection not when there is nothing left to add, but when there is nothing left to take away
- Antoine de St-Expurey
The whole essence of good drawing - and of good thinking, perhaps - is to work a subject down to the simplest form possible and still have it believable for what it is meant to be.
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Thought of the Day
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August 4th, 2006
Are you one of the millions of bloggers out there who are trying desperately to use the power of Digg, but can’t seem to get dugg? Are you foregoing the high ideals of user-powered content and just trying to send more traffic to your site? Then this information is for you.
Stuart Brown took the time, effort and technological talents to attempt to answer the unanswerable, “How many Diggs do you need to make the homepage?” He set up a script that logged the average number of diggs per homepage story. The results are detailed and interesting to decipher. For example, most of the front page diggs occur between 6am and 8am, when most people are starting the work day. This is in stark contrast with the people I know who spend most of their work day reading blog posts and digging them. By the way, you didn’t hear that from me.
Read it for yourself. It’s a well thought out post with solid data to back it up.
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Blogs
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August 2nd, 2006
I’ve always been fascinated with toddler TV, specifically the animated shows. You’ll find techniques in this genre that you’ll rarely find in any other demographic, such as puppetry and stop action. When I have the opportunity to watch these shows with children, I take advantage of it. My attention is split among the storyline, the animation techniques and the kids’ reactions.
And let me tell you, I’m Mr. Popular Adult when these shows are on. Oh, yes. I’m frequently told to “Shut up. You’re ruining it for the kids.” Is that really fair? Must I suffer this cruelty because I simply point out things that are so intriguing to an animation fan and professional designer but quickly destroys a child’s illusion that these characters are real? Yeah, probably so.
The Question
As I watched the “Toddler TV” episodes and how I and the audience reacted, it made me wonder - do their logos receive the same reactions as their shows? I can tell you with confidence that there are some shows I love and some I absolutely hate, both on a professional and personal level. Do their logos bring up the same feelings? Are they helping or hurting the success of the programming and the larger brand? Why?
The Audience
Before we get to the logos, let’s define my self-imposed label of “Toddler TV”. These are television shows that are targeted towards 2 to 6 year-old children. They’re usually found on PBS Kids, Nick Jr., and Playhouse Disney as well as every DVD collection of every parent of children in this age group. There are obviously some older and younger kids that also watch, but we’re going to stick with this target demographic for the sake of this discussion.
The Criteria
I’ll be rating these logos based on the following areas:
- Design - This area takes a look at the more technical aspects of the logo, such as the font choices, color palette, white space, etc.
- Emotion - Here, I’ll examine what feeling the logo emotes and if it’s in line with the show’s character and personality (as much as I can as an adult)
- Representation – Does the logo accurately reflect the show? Can you gather the setting, storyline, etc. from just looking at the logo?
- Overall – Which logos stand out and which ones give up?
So without further ado - the logos.
[ View Larger Images ]
You’ll notice that I didn’t include the long-established logos in this discussion, such as Sesame Street, Mr. Rogers Neighborhood and Clifford. Purely from a design perspective, they were created in a different era with different design trends and societal influences.
I’ve also excluded any logos that include the show’s characters (Arthur, Dora, Wiggles) because the emotional response and level of animation integration could be based on the characters and not the logo itself. And since many of these shows use both logos interchangeably, it didn’t impact my analysis to choose the non-character versions. The only difference is Arthur, which doesn’t have a non-character version.
To see a larger version, click on the selected logos below.
Design
BEST – Bear in the Big Blue House
This is a very clean and well-balanced logo. All of the lines, including the wonderful font choice, seem to follow the same slight curve, almost like they’re following the horizon. These curves coupled with the lack of hard lines and corners makes it calm and welcoming. There’s also a great balance between the brown and blue as well as the colors and surrounding white space. And although bear’s face is the majority of the logo, it rests comfortably within the surrounding space and doesn’t overpower the design.
WORST – Dragon Tales
This logo looks unfinished not very well thought out. The color palette of green, green and greener blends the logo into a grassy blur. The blue outlines don’t help because they’re too close to the dark green to bring out the tail or anything else. The font choice and placement crush the words within the tail to an almost unreadable status. Dragon “Tales” – Oh, it’s a play on words. I get it. Thanks for over-explaining it.
HONORABLE MENTION - Bob the Builder
This one was a toss up between Bob and Little Einsteins. But solely from a design perspective, I have to give it to Bob. Unlike most of the logos, this is a very heavy and compact design that works for the show it’s representing. The hard lines and heavy bevel of the background bordered with rivets works well with the font and spacing choices of the show’s name. The yellow letters are beveled just enough to fit nicely in the steel-like structure, but not too much that it competes with it. And while the tight kerning might hurt another logo, it aids in the portrayal of a solidly-built structure. Very well done.
Emotion
BEST – Barney & Friends
With a simple illustration and flowing fonts, this logo does a great job of making you feel like singing and marching down the street without a care in the world. It utilizes all the available white space to give that open air feeling while appealing to all ages of their target audience.
WORST – The Backyardigans
Besides the two “Nick Jr.” flowers, there’s really nothing to give the viewer any sort of feeling. What emotion you get from the color yellow is minimized by the squashing of the uppercase letters as well as the equal thickness of the yellow and its similar green border. A negative emotion is probably not what was intended when designing this logo, but that’s about the only emotion I get.
HONORABLE MENTION – It’s a Big, Big World
Although the design has something to be desired, this logo allows you to feel the emotions also found in the TV show. The logo height combined with the extending kerning and individually-angled letters adds some spontaneity and playfulness. The well-chosen contrast between the lower-case and upper-case words also adds to this feeling.
Representation
BEST – Dora the Explorer
This logo does a great job of representing its TV show and the larger brand. The font colors are bright, unique and energetic. And with the leaves in the background, an adventurous feeling is created for the viewer. The two “Nick Jr.” butterflies add the final touch with the element of nature. The entire package works flawlessly together to give a solidly represent the show.
WORST – Higglytown Heroes
This logo shows absolutely nothing about the TV show it represents, not even subtly. The color and font choices are unrelated and since the characters are egg-shaped, it’s beyond me why the logo is not the same shape. Especially in the children’s entertainment industry, some representation should be present, even subtly. This logo just doesn’t work.
HONORABLE MENTION – Blue’s Clues
This is an excellent example of how to use a logo as a main story element. In the show, the blue footprint indicates a clue location. Children interact with the show by actively looking for these blue footprints throughout the story and using those clues to decipher the puzzle.
Overall
BEST – Dora the Explorer
Although the design isn’t as polished as some of the other logos, it’s definitely a solid choice as the overall winner. The treatment of color, font, layout and white space is pleasing to the eye and gives the viewer an energetic and adventurous feeling. The logo also does a great job of representing the TV show and the overall brand. It effectively does this with its design and the use of the blue arrow as a key plot element in the show itself. Others may have come close, but this logo stands above the rest.
WORST – Higglytown Heroes
There isn’t much that’s inspiring about this logo. The colors don’t compliment each other and the shape isn’t symmetrical or pleasing to the eye. It seems like everything is competing for the same space. Besides being poorly designed and executed, this logo elicits no emotional response and no indication of what show it represents. Although there are definitely other logos that I’m happy to put here, this logo offered nothing positive in any of the categories of this review.
HONORABLE MENTION - Bear in the Big Blue House
As I previously mentioned, I’m very impressed with the clean and well-balanced design of this logo. It also gives the viewer a very calming and welcoming feeling and effectively represents the show. Not necessarily in literal terms, like the rivets in the Bob the Builder logo, but more in the personality of Bear through the illustration.
Well, that’s my 2 cents. Now, as promised, it’s your turn.
Please take a moment to let me know which logo you think is the best and worst overall and within each category. Feel free to add a logo that I didn’t include in this article. I’ll do my best to post the results for our own selfish enjoyment.
Or, if you want to play it old school, just leave a comment ranting about the Wiggles and the end of the world. You know how I love a good rant.
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Design, Media
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Thought of the Day - The Work/Life Runaround
