This is a quick roundup of things we have been reading recently here in the office.
Adobe Acquires Typekit
http://blog.typekit.com/2011/10/03/adobe-acquires-typekit/
Typekit is a site that allows you to use web fonts on your own website. We have used it ourselves on NextGenCel, Spindlewood Lodges, Wessex Audio Visual and Life Skills Direct and the acquisition by Adobe could bridge the gap in using web fonts offline for designing pages in PhotoShop or Fireworks as well as publishing fonts you choose yourself.
Aurasma – The World’s First Visual Browser
There has been quite a buzz recently with QR codes, and this goes one step further, allowing you to use your phone to interact with real-life objects. We’ve been playing with it in the office and, although it is early days it looks very promising.
Google Announce Real-Time Analytics
http://analytics.blogspot.com/2011/09/whats-happening-on-your-site-right-now.html
With the advent of instant, social media, the existing Analytics model has always looked like it is trying to catch up, usually only showing past activity, but with this announcement, you will have the opportunity to see real-time data on number of people on the site, to measure the impact of social media which sites like bit.ly have acheieved.
QR Code Study Published
In this American report, the demographic profiles of users has been analysed using over 14 million scans. The stats are probably what you expect: Research suggests that the average person interacting with a QR code is male, 25-34 with an income of over $100k but the study also lists the most popular places for a QR code, as well as where users are most likely to interact with them.
Urbanized. A documentary by Gary Hustwit
The Designers at HigherSites love Garys other films, Helvetica and Objectified as this film, focused around the design of cities looks to be equally as good.
Top 10 tips for naming your app
http://www.netmagazine.com/features/top-10-tips-naming-your-app
An article that explains why picking the right name can make all the difference.
See What You Print – A concept for a new type of printer
http://www.artefactgroup.com/#/content/swyp
This concept, by Artefact Group has a simple touch interface, that aims to make printing simple without the need for computer software.
Tumblr now generates more pageviews per month than Wikipedia, with only a tenth as many visitor
http://techcrunch.com/2011/09/26/tumblr-pageview-machine-bigger-than-wikipedia/
This post from Techcrunch goes to show how our use of the web is ever evolving, and even with 1/10 of the visitors Tumblr manage to generate more pageviews from Wikipedia thanks to its interconnected design at its heart.
25 Insights of becoming a better writer
http://the99percent.com/tips/7082/25-Insights-on-Becoming-a-Better-Writer
A handy collection of tips from some exceptional authors.
Google introduce a “standout” meta tag to highlight A+ news content
http://googlenewsblog.blogspot.com/2011/09/recognizing-publishers-standout-content.html
If you use this tag in your website, Google may show the link in its Google News featured section or search results. The tag is to be used for ‘standout’ news stories to display quality content.
Fun links:
Adidas Launch a ‘football boot with a brain’
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/8797144/Adidas-launches-football-boot-with-a-brain.html
This clever piece of tech allows people wearing the boots to have the average and maximum spec, number of sprints measured as well as intensity levels and total distance covered. This information can then be downloaded onto a smartphone or tablet.
Video: Floppy Disc Drives play Star Wars
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHJOz_y9rZE
Somebody makes floppy disc drives play The Imperial March!
The Squiggle of the Design Process
http://journal.drawar.com/d/the-squiggle-of-the-design-process/
Quite possibly the greatest explanation of the design process. Ever.
The new Adidas headquarters
http://koikoikoi.com/2011/09/new-adidas-headquarters/
This brand new building by Kinzo Berlin is more the 1,700 employees in Germany. The offices are stunning, and as you would imagine, feature lots of lines.
A simple site that allows you to choose a playlist based on your mood.
Programmer codes ‘virtual monkeys’ who re-create the works of Shakespeare
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-15060310
A US programmer has written code to re-create Shakespeare, and he is 99.990% there.
