Four Fifths Design

Inspiration for the Creative Mind

Month: December, 2011

Bird Is The Word

It would be foolish to argue that Twitter is not, and will not continue to be, one of the fastest and most efficient ways to communicate quickly with one another. Sure it only allows for 140 characters to be expressed, but I find that this regulation is the beauty of the service. Unlike some, I tend to stop and honestly think about what I tweet because of the mere fact I want to be able to express my thoughts in 140 characters, without any further explanation or confusion. It’s a challenge. It’s almost an art form. And for some, it’s their downfall.

I’m currently working on a project that is to be launched in 2012 and it’s quite meaningful to my career. It’s indeed a website, but there’s so much to it…so much representation that needs to be effectively portrayed. It’s not going to be an easy task, but it should be one of the more fun projects of the year. So where do I start? I’ve come up with concepts, I’ve come up with wireframes, I’m just about ready to begin designing.

Is it odd that I start with designing the Twitter page first? I’ve never done this before. However, I did in fact start with the Twitter page for this project. I’ve spent more time on the concept for this page than I have on full websites in the past. It’s important to represent the ability to communicate with others in the most appealing way. 2012 is sure to be yet another year of social media growth. And though Facebook is already massive, I feel Facebook is for friends you never should have been friends with, and Twitter is for friends you should have been friends with all along. I honestly feel Twitter is potentially more powerful than Facebook.

For an agency, an identity, a service, Twitter could potentially be among the top methods used to draw attraction, work, and money. It only makes sense to then pay extra attention to the detail put into a Twitter page. In 2012, I am going to spend more time on the pages that are quickly becoming over saturated; on the designs and iconography that has become universal; on the methods in which we communicate both digitally and physically. And I’m starting by attempting to make a killer Twitter presence on my first big project of the year.

Here are a few shots of design that have inspired me in the process…the first shot is an element I’ve completed that is to be the foundation for the rest of the Twitter space in my current project. They’re some of the many faces of the Twitter bird.

Fenix Music

Designer: Dominik Wasienko

I’ve come across a recent interface, designed by Dominik Wasienko, that has got me really excited. Not necessarily because I think the design is good, bad, effective, progressive, or otherwise. Rather, I’ve found it fascinating that this design has made me cringe, and also made me jump in joy.

Fenix Music, which seems to be an interactive design interface across various platforms, presents itself as an uber vibrant piece of work. It’s primary elements, such as its navigation, are not hard to understand, but are masked by complexity that is born straight from the visual aesthetic surrounding them. The colors are bright and contrasting. Various elements are jagged in shape, and others perfectly round. The particular detail in areas such as (what seems to be) a calendar are structured in a familiar sense, yet embedded in visual choices that aren’t often associated with a calendar.

Around each corner of this design, I find myself not immediately understanding exactly what is going on. But it doesn’t take long to not only understand it, but completely get it – get what’s going on and how it pertains to the overall whole of the project. This forces me to consistently explore the project, raising the level of intrigue just enough that I keep wanting more without becoming frustrated. I suppose it’s the clash of wanting immediate and complete understanding of purpose, versus the reality that I have to take the time to figure things out before truly realizing its intention, that makes this piece so interesting to me. It’s reminded me that it’s worth taking a moment to really pay attention – pay attention to the power of design.

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