Graphic Design

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A Good Day to Die Hard

Posted on by skulkaew

John McClane (Bruce Willis) is back in the latest installment of the Die Hard franchise, A Good Day to Die Hard, where he travels to Russia to help his seemingly wayward son, Jack (Jai Courtnery), who unbeknownst to him is an undercover CIA operative working to arrange the defection of a well-connected whistleblower and political prisoner, Yuri Komarov (Sebastian Koch). Komarov claims to have a file with incriminating details on high-ranking government officials but is, inconveniently, being jailed on trumped-up charges, so it’s up to the two McClanes to team up, protect Komarov from being and recover the file.

Peter Debruge of Variety writes, “A surly papa bear determined to protect his endangered cub, this expendable, action-packed sequel works like gangbusters, giving the new Dolby Atmos super-surround system (debuted on Brave) a real workout. Things go bang, the McClanes get their share of battle scars and the trauma of it all proves the perfect bonding experience to heal old wounds.” HSX predicts that the newest Die Hard film will rake in somewhere between $38M-$43M in its 3,500 theater wide opening.

To see Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation’s “Ode to Destruction,” check out the official Die Hard website.

Rating: R // Genre: Action, Crime, Thriller // Runtime: 1 hr. 37 min. // Starring: Bruce Willis, Jai Courtney, Sebastian Koch // Directed by: John Moore // Written by: Skip Woods, Roderick Thorp// Produced by: Dune Entertainment, Ingenious Film Partners, Origo Film Group, Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation // Distributed by: Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation

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Content versus Design

Posted on by skulkaew

Design, it’s totally and completely inescapable and impossible to overlook.

In publishing eras past, it was an afterthought. Content was first and foremost and appearance a secondary or tertiary concern. If you’re shaking your head thinking, “Content is still king,” I’ll touch on that in a moment. But over the course of the last century or so, there’s been a shift in focus between the two, and that much is evident in the changes we’ve seen with newspapers, and how front page formatting has evolved over time. There are a lot of reasons as to why this his happened, but I’d like to focus on how reader demographics have changed, as have their reading habits, without oversimplifying everything else. Because we consume information significantly differently than we did five, ten and fifteen years ago, organization has been changed to facilitate and streamline that process. The slideshow below shows how The Los Angeles Times has changed since its first edition from a paper crammed to the brim with information to something more cogent and palpable for readers.


“The Los Angeles Times” Headlines from Bravo Design, Inc.

Online, a website’s design is just as important as its content, if not more so, and can be the difference between a visit and a pass or a qualified lead versus an unacceptable bounce rate. To be clear, when I say web design, I’m not just referring to its aesthetics. I also mean its usability. Yes, content will drive traffic and have visitors coming back for repeat visits, but most guests won’t stick around initially if your page is difficult to navigate through or you’ve used GeoCities to build your business page. That’s not actually possible since the service is defunct. And yes, there are always exceptions to the rule, but you know what I’m getting at. There’s a direct correlation in increased conversion with a well crafted website, even if it has its shortcomings, and subpar metrics with one that’s poorly designed. This tidbit of advice isn’t esoteric. It’s money in the bank with real world application.

So what do you do? You build better. Sure, you can use your site but can your guests? If you paused for even the smallest of moments before answering that question, listed below are web design considerations you should mull over.

First and foremost, consider your goal(s). I can’t stress this point enough. What do you want from your website? Are you looking to increase readership for your fratire blog or are you selling <insert anything> or just schooling the general public on your service offerings? In Alice in Wonderland, there’s an exchange between Alice and the Cheshire Cat that’s paraphrased: “If you don’t know where you’re going, any road will get you there.” The quote is all-applicable to life, love and, most of all, your website. Figure it out and then plan accordingly, then plan some more and then execute.

Who’s going to be using your site and how will they be using it? Web content and print content are totally and entirely not the same, so you’re going to have to tailor your writing style to the demographic you’re targeting with their browsing habits in mind. Remember, no one (including marketers) likes marketese so try not to write that way. Next, ask yourself if you’re being engaging? Good design and substantial content will draw users in, which makes them want to connect with you. Without personality, your visitors aren’t going to feel compelled to stay, and this can be detrimental to your conversion rates in the long run.

Manage attention and try to not squander user patience. Two points to think about are lowering barriers to pave the path of least resistance and not providing too many options. The less action that’s required for a visitor to access your site, the better. First-time users who want to read an article or peruse through your site probably aren’t going to want to fill out contact forms or register accounts, and are apt to bounce when confronted with the like, so don’t make them do that. Second, if you’re offering way too many choices, your average user is going to have a difficult time making up their mind. That’s the difference between going to a restaurant that has what seems like an endless menu with samplings from each and every continent and going to one that serves three different kinds of hot dogs.

Last but not least, simplify. This point, though seemingly intuitive, is often the hardest to apply. The best designs speak for themselves, and as Dieter Rams said once upon a time are “as little as possible.” With minimal or no instruction, a child should be able to use it. You don’t have to reinvent the wheel here. You just need to focus on the essential while pruning away everything else.

If you’re still shaking your head, when it comes to content versus design, I’ll cede that they’re equally important, but that’s all. You can leave a comment below if you fervently disagree. If you’re thinking about shopping around for web development assistance, we have a write up listed in our design blog, which might help out in your search. When I initially wrote the entry, I forgot to include that the expert you hire should be SEO savvy, but you already know that. Just remember that the best designers are translators who can turn a vision into something tangible and that our portfolio is also pretty groovy.

If you’d like to download this entry in Word format, click here: Content versus Design.

Photo Credit: Tactile Design Group

 

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One Year

Posted on by skulkaew

This upcoming Sunday, the 26th, marks one year since I moved to Los Angeles from Dallas. If you’ve ever moved to a city you knew basically nothing about, you know how difficult finding an apartment or home is. But to be fair, it’s actually kind of a pain even if you’re only moving a mile down the road. Though the Internet enables you to browse through reviews of neighborhoods and properties, look at crime maps as well as check out schools, attractions and so on, it really only prepares you so much. I learned that lesson the day I signed my first lease here in a seemingly okay neighborhood only to find an intruder in my bathroom later on that very evening. With just one month left on my lease, the apartment hunting process has begun. What’s interesting is that as I invest more and more time into digging through what seems like an endless list of potential options, I’m starting to see the similarities, namely recurring problems, that pop up here and in both graphic design and advertising.

First and foremost, it’s no secret that the cost of living in Los Angeles is high. That’s reflected in everything from a gallon of milk to a gallon of gas. While I can’t afford to live in a 5,000-squarefoot mansion in the Hollywood hills, I’m very adamantly against the idea of living in a 300-squarefoot bare boned “bachelor pad” even if it is the most practical option from an economic standpoint. With regards to marketing and advertising, don’t assume that spending more correlates with yielding more. Research shows that there isn’t a positive relationship between the cost of an ad’s production and its corresponding sales effectiveness. If you’re operating on fairly limited ad budget, remember that it doesn’t take superhuman strength to move a 500lbs rock. One only needs a fulcrum, a lever and a little knowhow. There are a countless number of free resources, tools and forums you can use online to beef up your marketing efforts. All you have to do is put in the time.

Second, remember that all the marketing and spin in the world won’t fix a crappy product. Having spent a lot of time perusing about on Craigslist, I’ve gotten pretty good at eliminating lemons from the bunch by quickly skimming through listings. If you do find yourself looking for a new place, know that if at any part of a listing mentions “old world charm,” that usually means it’s haunted. Not really. But the 100-year-old building will usually look pretty scary so taking a pass is prudent for those who haven’t completely disqualified the existence of ghosts (e.g., me). Outside of apartment hunting, a brand’s strengths depend on more than just its name and the hype surrounding it. It’s dependent on the public’s perception of its quality. If a product is deficient in some way or another, that will show as soon as someone actually uses it, at which point they’ll probably decide to never repeat that mistake.

Finally, call it what you will but a big part of my decision making process in finding a new home is knowing that I’m going to spend a lot of time at this place. Maybe, I’m overly sentimental. On the short side, that might only be 12 months, though it may end up being much longer, but a one-year lease can certainly feel like an eternity if you get locked into something that’s not at all what you thought it would be [think: haunted apartment from point number two]. But in all seriousness, a home is more than bricks and mortar. Outside of being the place where I sleep, eat, shower, play videogames and so on, it’s where I can get away from the craziness that is Los Angeles. Provide more than just what’s necessary, and you stand to separate yourself from the pack.

Here’s to another year and not finding intruders in my next place, in the bathroom or otherwise.