Studio Missive #2
Hi friends,
In the past couple of weeks, I feel like my home — and my studio is in my home, so thus my workspace — is under attack. We had wasps attempting to intrude, a foundation that leaked during thunderstorms, and our air conditioner stopped working last weekend (it was just a dead compressor, thankfully).
On top of that, when the contractors came to fix our foundation, I had to move the modem so they could access the cracked wall behind it. When I moved the modem from its normal place on the shelf to the floor, our internet went down for a few hours. (Our ISP’s customer service told me that’s because the modem “knew” it had been moved, which is… a curious thing to say about a hardwired computing device.)
Everything is fixed, but to say I’ve been beaten down and I’m glad it’s Friday is an understatement. Happy weekend, everybody!
What’s inspiring you?
- The work Kurppa Hosk did on a new design language for Nike is presented so well. The design language is called Podium, which exists “to help teams move faster, with greater purpose. Less wheel reinvention.” I love the concept, and love the idea, and I’m curious if Nike can stick with this through the years. (It’s also a lot of work to design a system for an org as large and varied as Nike! Kurppa Hosk is a huge international agency, and I can’t imagine a smaller shop turning this work around in a short period of time.)
- Gabriel Shoyombo’s article for Smashing Magazine speculating on the future of CSS was a great read, covering the history of the language and its context before looking at its future. Eventually, it came to the central questions: “Is the boundary between CSS and Javascript blurring?” And my favourite question: “Is logic in CSS helpful or harmful?” (I think it’s helpful, and I love the question because I previously didn’t know there was another point of view.) Also, did you know that it’s becoming possible to make carousels without Javascript? I did not, and I would like to remove Javascript from every carousel and accordion I ever write in the future. (I’d love to make fully accessible hamburger menus on mobile without Javascript too, but I’m not sure we’re there yet.)
- My friend Kevin turned me on to Nick Broomhall’s YouTube channel this week, and I can’t stop watching him. Watching somebody who’s good at what they do while they work, especially when they’re so joyful about the work, is a joy. (It’s my favourite YouTube genre.) I loved Nick’s gleeful realization that he could use a riff he wrote a year prior for a new song he was working on in this video.
What are you working on?
I’ve been working on a website redesign and fresh brand identity for Bruce Mayhew, a new client of mine, and made a few stylescapes for the project. Stylescapes are sort of like moodboards, but they’re a step above that, and purposefully designed as a collection of typopgraphy, images, colours, and textures that might get used for a web project.
Once I’m done researching and understanding the positioning of a brand in the marketplace, I typically design three stylescapes. The client gets a chance to look at them, and tell me what works or doesn’t work about each one. This helps get us aligned on a shared vision early on in the project.
Bruce was kind enough to let me share his stylescapes with you. Bruce is a corporate trainer who teaches soft skills to the people within organizations. An organization has goals, but they can’t accomplish their goals if their people struggle to communicate with one another. Bruce helps bridge that gap.
You might be surprised to learn that’s a unique niche within the corporate training industry. My job is to find a way to visually communicate what makes Bruce’s training unique, and get a website going that reflects his unique value proposition.
I won’t tell you which stylescape was Bruce’s favourite. I think it’s a more interesting exercise if you consider what your own favourite is and why.
I give each stylescape a name, so the theme can be spoken aloud and given direction. I called this one "Imperfect Humanity."
This stylescape is called "Evolving Leaders." It was designed to tap into the idea that we are always evolving and growing as humans, and like the world around us, we are not static. We grow.
This approach is meant to evoke somebody who brings modern class into a coaching realm, like if your business coach got a little electrocuted during a fitness routine. I call it "Inspiring Connection."
I’ve grabbed a few closeups as well to share a closer look at some of the details in these. They take a fair bit of time and research to produce and design. In essence, you’re laying the groundwork for multiple different design themes and getting the client to give you feedback on what they think will work best for their taste and the taste of their customers.
This closeup, from Imperfect Humanity, was a big winner for the general vibe.
I love how the map in the background came together with the green to imply earthiness in this closeup from the Evolving Leaders stylescape. The pull quote is a guiding light for the entire project.
This closeup from Inspiring Connection is clearly unfinished, but demonstrates the value of stylescapes right away: this is an opinionated, obvious direction that stands apart from the others.
One of the ideas for Imperfect Humanity was putting images in soft, round shapes, and marking them up with crayon or highlighter-like effects. The idea was to suggest imperfection and softness, and make Bruce feel approachable. (No hard edges!)
Stylescapes are not perfect. They’re a jumping off point. I’m neck deep into more detailed design work now, and working on these first helps get everybody aligned before the more detailed work begins.
Thanks for reading. I appreciate you! Catch you next week.
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