5 Things Your Road Sweeper Can Teach You About Web Design

I’ve just read a post about how Leonardo Da Vinci can help you become a better web designer. I  see so many articles like this and while some of the articles are in fact very good and I understand the need to wrap the (usually very common sense) points about digital design into a vaguely interesting angle, it can get tiring reading these articles and their clumsy attempts at reworking their points so that they kind of fit with the chosen theme.  

So here’s my version of “5 things your *insert person/cat/walking stick/gardener/neighbour* can teach you about web design”.

I’ve randomly chosen: Roadsweeper

5 Things Your Road Sweeper Can Teach You About Web Design

1) Look left and right before you cross the road. Basic really, before you set off, make sure you’re clear on the brief. Ask, ask, ask people, if you’re unsure about anything, it will save you untold hassle later on into the project.

2) Be methodical, have a starting point and end point in mind. Don’t sweep the same spot all day. Yes, admit it, we’ve all been there. Focus on what you want to the end result to look like and how you’re going to get there, keep your eye on the prize and work towards it step by step. Or swish by swish.

3) Don’t get your broom stolen. Always have a spare broom, backup your work as you go along. Enough said.

4) Look at other roadsweeper techniques. A web designer needs to be constantly inspired and motivated. Look around, see how the other guy holds his broom. Does he have this year’s broom? How much is it, is it worth upgrading brooms? Did he get trained how to hold his broom that way, or did he read up on it? Ask around, search google for other roadsweeper techniques – you get the gist.

5) Unwind at the end of the day by putting away your broom and going to the pub.

So there you go. Amazing what you can learn these days.

I think road sweepers are cool.

[Digg]

The aliens are underwater now

The aliens are coming

Betsy goes for a drive.

Tilt Photography Pt 4

Tilt Photography PT2

 

Miniature Penguins, Boulders Beach, Cape Town

Tilt Photography PT1

Miniature Clifton 4th

Parkour

A new direction

I realised that since no one would take up my offer as my paid PA and do things like update the blog, I’ve decided that Brand New Media will now just become a gallery board of sorts so that I can publish my doodles and attempts at illustration when I feel the urge.  Then in years to come I can look back and cringe with embarrassment.

Watch this space then.

Or not.

SA Blog Awards 2008, March wallpaper, links, apologies and more.

March Wallpaper. View. Download. Enjoy.

I’m back. I’ve been away. Did you notice? No? I went away for aaages. No idea huh? Bleak.

Well, I’m back.

And just to get back into the swing of things, here are some links this fantastic Monday to get your procrastinating off to an early start this week.

Typetester – Typetester is an online application for comparing fonts for on-screen use. It handily puts fonts into three different groups: safe list, Win default, Mac default. It’s pretty useful and well worth a look.

For the colour geeks – Little-Known Meanings of Crazy Color Names vol. 3

Drips, splats, splots – I’ve been doing some advertising work for Sega and some of their new games for Viking and House of the Dead and hence have been using a lot of blood splatters etc. Came across this in my Google travels. Design Meltdown looks at sites that used the drips and splatters as design elements.

Search Engine Myths – And Lies! – Full Time Blogger brings to our attention an article by Gobala that reviewed Jon Leger’s “Search Engine Myths Exposed“.

Stat for the week:

Broadband subscribers rose to 829,300 in New Zealand in 2007. Not including sheep.

And in other news, WAYN.com, the social media travel could be up for sale at around £100m, any takers? If you’re thinking about going into digital entrepreneurship, social networks are still the way to go I reckon.

Lastly, and most importantly, the finalists for the SA Blog Awards 2008 have been released and BrandNewMedia is one of them! Amazing! BrandNewMedia has been nominated in the category “Best SA Blog about Design“. Not exactly the Oscars , but hey. Thanks to everyone who nominated this blog! Now if you could repeat the process and vote for BrandNewMedia to actually win the category, that would be awesome. Also remember to vote for Baglett ;)

Oh, and lastly lastly, I had a rant on an earlier post about the website for the new movie Untraceable. I ranted and raved that the website was kak and had nothing on it. Well, apparantly you’re supposed to click on the “The Federal Cyber Crimes Taskforce” link and well, the website is there!

I feel stupid.

It got pointed out to me awhile ago and I still feel stupid. Although in my defense I think it’s a pretty poor call to action. But then maybe I didn’t buy into the whole idea properly in the first place.