11 posts from 2006
- January
- February
- March
- April
- May
- June
- July
- August
- September
- October
- November
- December
Santa is a lazy bum. He thought he'd call flickr and ask for some help doing his round. Flickr and Santa then sat at a table next to a cheminey and had some glu wine thingy and some strippers and some fruit cake (everybody hates it but me, I know). Santa doesn't need to move his butt this year,, See the proof below!
Oh actually it's a pussy,, sorry
Whilst Paris is screwing around again, I thought I'd give my head a rest
Thanks for the fun the hyrax,, this is my contribution to your post: http://thehyrax.vox.com/library/post/things-i-like-to-do-when-i-am-alone-part-1.html
Double Damian / Dplanet:: whammy today :)
My favourite music producer of all time is Dplanet. His beats are an eclectic mix of classic Hip Hop, Detroit Techno, Dancehall, Dub, Grime and Electro.
Currently he's working on a super hot Mixtape (Planetary Assault) featuring Konfab, Ben Sharpa, MiddleFinga, Jaak, Terror MC, Oracle Flo, Sketch, Purple Simba and Shyam, aNon, Trusenz, Rato and more to be confirmed.
I dare anybody to still claim hip hop is dead after a listen to this gem in the making,,
What I really like about what Dplanet does is that he makes music for the body that makes you wanna move,, which hip hop doesn't always do. He's got a unique sound and is not scared to mix different influences previously not so related to hip hop as we've heard it.
My favourite stuff are the Purple Simba & Shyam track that you can hear on his myspace page - the track is called My Peoples and got played on BBC 1 Extra (listen to the show here), yay :) (Thanks to Maluka for bringing them down to Cape Town!)
I also am growing very found of Afrikans rapping,, Jaak is a bloody genious, Terror MC a legend in the making.
There is very little to no US influences which I can only applaud cuz we're in South Africa after all.. yeah,, some people tend to forget about that ;)
Have a listen... http://www.myspace.com/dplanetbeats
You can also download another mixtape which Dplanet was heavily involved with: Drudge Dialect
Damian says:
"Wayfaring is a community mapping site that allows you to create personalised maps, share them with your friends, explore created by others and connect and collaborate."
Damian's "places I like in Cape Town" map is here: http://www.wayfaring.com/maps/show/28053
This website uses the Google Earth map, which still amaze me so much: I can see exactly where I live, where I went to school and where my mum stays,, so go and play with Damian's map and mark your places of interests! :)
"and the only way you can do that is to get in touch with designers."
J. Maeda
Read the full article:
http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/100/beauty-of-simplicity.html
Watch the clips of the work in progress video :) (these links will take you to the Vimeo website).
More to come soon! :)
Irrational Studios is a specialised user experience, information design and branding studio.
Our primary client, Travelstart, is expanding to 15 countries in 2007 and we need some extra help handling the design roll-out.
We found this quote from Terry Irwin about hiring designers. It rings very true for Irrational Studios too:
"It was always a useful litmus test for interviewing prospective designers to put a 1040 Income Tax Form on the desk and ask them how they would like to redesign it. If their eyes glazed over or they broke out in a cold sweat, I knew it wasn't likely to be a good fit."
So to paraphrase: if you're not passionate about making complex information understandable and meaningful to human beings, please don't apply!
You'll be responsible for:
- Design of promotional material for both print and web within brand guidelines (business cards, competition updates, email signatures, wine labels, signage, newsletters, web banners etc)
- Maintenance work on the 15 international Travelstart websites (everything from preparing images to rolling out templates)
- Assisting with daily studio tasks
We know it's not glamourous, but the position offers the opportunity to learn in an environment where best practices in UX and Info Design are being implemented for a successful international online business.
Requirements
- Photoshop
- ImageReady
- Illustrator
- Basic understanding of the principles of HTML + CSS
Advantageous
- Flash MX
- Affinity for grid systems
- Undying love for Edward Tufte :)
Personal Skills/Attributes
- Willingness to learn
- Ability to think systematically
- Disciplined
- Obsession with detail & clarity of communication
Details
Remuneration: Negotiable
Province: Western Cape
Education level: Diploma
City: Cape Town
Type: Permanent
Job level: Junior
Benefits: Negotiable
Contact
Anne-Sophie Leens
Irrational Studios
+27 21 462 6062
anne-sophie@irrational-studios.com
Vida has managed to get things very right by giving equal importance to their products and price, customer service and branding / brand experience.
1. They've concentrated on quality over quantity. They have a limited range of products available, at reasonable price and great quality. Nobody does coffee, muffin or buns like Vida. And they have the free choccies ;)
2. The customer service is absolutely impeccable. They remember your order, sometimes your name. They greet you with so much warmth and energy and they're entertaining,,
3. It seems for Vida that the branding and user experience is as important as their products and customer service (yay someone who finally gets it!).. simple, efficient, lifestyle. Great brand, very recognisable and slick. They've also created a cool little lifestyle magazine with great interesting useful content and awesome visuals, all of this whilst representing South Africa. So what they get they give back. I like that a lot,,
Yet another nice Vida trip...
Went for the usual morning fix and the friendly barrista tells me that because I drink so much of their stuff, he wants to give me a teeshirt to rewards my loyalty,, yay! Well I must say they got that one right too, the design is cool and I can overgo the sponsor brand logos and actually wear it. Might as well get the regulars to promote your brand..
Well done Vida,, you've got it right and I wish you well :)
PS: Now just don't go and put your prices up like silly Sundance, or take out my favourite off the menu like Crush, that'd be a crime against the coffee society!
This weekend's reading: http://www.historyofthebutton.com/
(Thanks to Damian for the link)
Day 4
We thought we'd get some outdoors banners for our new Cape Town office,, we're situated just off Gardens Centre at the entrance of the motorway, one of the main entrances to Cape Town centre. High traffic and visibility.
We've commissioned Upfront Signs for the production of these giant pieces of branding (yay! exciting, we'll finally be a "proper" company and everybody will see us!!) and mentioned that the wind blows rather strongly on this side of town.
We did have a jokey bet about how long they would last,,
The answer is: (drum roll...) 4 days!
Not bad (feel the irony there),,
I hope they will get all out on customer service and help us achieve our branding dream. They're the banner specialists!
Will post more as the banner disaster unfolds,,,
