Writing about business, technology and design.
Editor
Mac.AppStorm
iPhone.AppStorm
Phototuts+
Founder
Design Shack
13 Styles
CSS Website
What a fantastic and beautifully executed idea. I’m looking forward to reading this throughout the year.
Selling an estimated 5 million units in its first year as a “base case” scenario, Apple’s tablet would earn the company $2.8 billion in additional revenue and solidify it as more than a niche product, a prominent investment baking firm said Friday.~
This piece of wild speculation seems ridiculous - leaving aside the fact that AppleInsider are saying this prediction comes from a prominent baking firm.
Without knowing the price of the tablet, when (and where) it will be available for sale, and how many units Apple are able to sell around the launch, any revenue estimate is nothing more than complete, unfounded guesswork.
The underlying secret to beautiful user interface design is realism: making 2D objects on your screen appear to sit in 3D space. Designing beautiful user interfaces has more to do with the why than the how.~
This is a wonderful article from Mike Rundle, looking into the thinking behind how realistic user interfaces are crafted. The advice and techniques are invaluable, whether you’re designing software or creating a website.
He also provides a downloadable PSD with a few of the examples in action.
If you’re planning on purchasing any new Mac software, today might be a good day to do so! Indie + Relief is a one-day project to donate the proceeds of Mac software sales to Doctors Without Borders.
It’s a great concept, a wonderful design, and a project worth taking part in. Credit should go to all the developers who have stepped up to take part!
I’ve spent several hours today putting together on a slightly re-worked theme for Design Shack. It introduces a little more colour, adds some funky CSS3 effects for those using Firefox/Safari, and dramatically improves the typography with some magic from Typekit.
I found it really wonderful to fully immerse myself in a day of designing - it’s been far too long!
The BBC has revealed its popular online catch-up TV service, BBC iPlayer, saw more than 100 million programme download requests during December in 2009.~ BBC iPlayer has grown from strength to strength over the past few years, and is a great example of a large, bureaucratic organisation stepping up to do something innovative. One hundred million downloads per month is nothing to be taken lightly! (via)
~ If you read one piece of discussion and speculation surrounding the Apple Tablet, make it this one from Shawn Blanc.The iPhone was billed as a new iPod, a mobile phone, and a breakthrough internet device. What three power plays will Apple use when describing the Tablet? I honestly have no idea.
I still think the Tablet will be awesome and maybe, just maybe, reinvent our approach to personal computing.
I watched two documentaries over the Christmas period, both of which I enjoyed immensely and would thoroughly recommend.
The first was The Pixar Story. This aired on BBC during December, and offers an incredible insight into how Pixar grew from one animator to the success it is today. It’s the best documentary I’ve seen for a few years, and features a fascinating interview with Steve Jobs - the investor who backed Pixar right from the outset. It gave me a better understanding, and completely new level of respect, for the animated film industry.
The second is slightly better known in design circles - Objectified. Although this didn’t quite meet the high expectations I had after reading so many fabulous reviews, it is certainly worth watching. I particularly enjoyed the interviews and filming with IDEO, a firm I spent a few days visiting whilst in San Francisco a few years ago.
If you’re searching for something inspiring to watch this month, you owe it to yourself to donate a few hours to The Pixar Story.
Around one year ago I purchased CSS-Website, a simple, appealing design gallery that I felt would complement my other portfolio of websites and blogs well.
Although the site has grown over the year, I came to a decision in late 2009 that it doesn’t make sense to manage two very similar design gallery websites (the other being Design Shack).
For this reason, I have started the process of merging CSS-Website across into Design Shack, focusing all my attention on a single project. This will mean double the update frequency for readers of either website, and a better quality of content.
If you read either site and would like to let me know your thoughts on the change, I’d really welcome it. You can email me, or drop me a tweet.
I love every design produced by Glennz. Each concept is always original, wonderfully designed, and a fascinating blend of two ideas you would never have thought to put together before.
