Self-studying, why not?
You got all the information you need to have, use it!
Have you ever thought of using the information you have for disposal?.. World Wide Web is the place to find information about any subject. And if you want to, you can be an expert in almost whatever you want to be an expert in.
As an example I can tell you about the graphic designer education here in Denmark. It is a very nice education, for those who’ve never been into graphics before. I mean, they really start from scratch!
A friend of mine has been into graphics (at home, in front of his pc) for 5 years now, and he’s much better at graphics than an ordinary, just educated, Danish graphic designer these days.
He’s better because he has done hundreds of tutorials, seen hundreds of methods in solving design-related problems, surfed thousands of graphics-related websites, read a lot of books etc. He has studied at home, and he has by that developed into an expert in his field. An expert who knows how the trend goes, and an expert who is much more experienced than an educated graphic designer.
He has learned this “graphic-designer-skill” beside highschool and college, so while some of his mates are ready to start at the graphic designer education, he’s right now ready to work!
So…Why don’t you study beside school, work, family etc.?
I think it’s a great idea, not just because you develop in your field, but you also learn how to explore and find material about a given subject. No matter where you are, or where you work, finding the right information is a must!
Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala: How to help Africa? Do business there!
In this TEDtalk, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala talks about the overlooked possibilities in Africa. I think she has some great important points, and she is as a matter of fact right (in my opinion)! Where I come from, people has prejudice about Africa; we think they’re corrupt, and investment in Africa, is like throwing money out of the window.
Listening to the words of Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala don’t convince me that Africa “is safe and set” for business, but I must admit that I’m impressed by the numbers she presents. A very interesting and revealing talk.
E.g. try to mix her words with the idea of outsourcing to Africa?…
Creative ads! [#2]
This post is sequel to another “Creative ads!”-post I did some weeks ago.
Like in the last ad-post, I love this kind of advertising! It is so remarkable in its own way that everyone notice it. I don’t think it matters if these ads are targeted to a special audience or not, everyone can see the uniqueness and everyone is able to be amazed by this work of art.
Enjoy!
The sunprotectors are placed in all cars near discos, so that paparazzis can’t take pictures of what’s going on inside
to hit on in the evening. Don’t drink and drive.
What is beyond Web2.0?
The whole Web 2.0 era is absolutely astonishing in my opinion, I love it! All these great ideas, features, systems and sites…the development is absolutely beautiful, though it’s just all things in life made easier and online, or? 
The reason why I love it, is because of the mobility it gives me wherever I am. I can check my mailbox, hire staff, expand my network, earn money, sell/buy what I need, be entertained…etc. if just I’m connected to the Internet. I can live online, so to speak.
The fact that I almost live online, makes me think; what is next?
I haven’t researched the status of Web2.0 or Web3.0, I guess it’s an unsecure floating area…
But I hope Web 3.0 involves more mobility and complexity. In some way I don’t think personal computers will exist that long. In years I think the PC will transform into a personal internet-connection, and then you’ll have your desktop, your files etc. online. That could be sweet in some way
But, what do you hope? And what do you think? I’ll be happy if you let me know, either by comment or mail. Thanks.
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Other predictions:
Stephen Baker - Web 3.0 | I agree with this guy, and I believe in his predictions, they seam realistic to me
Phil Wainewright - What to expect from Web 3.0 | Interesting thoughts, but I hope Phils and Stephens theories could be mixed 
3 Amazing Creative Studios
Folowing studios are great sources to inspiration, if you’re stuck! They are pros and they know what they’re doing, learn from them , notice how they express their creativity… lovely!
Superdeux
Location: New York, United States
Clients: Hugo Boss, Comedy Central, MTV, Sony, Universal, Electronic Arts
Website: www.superdeux.com
Serial Cut
Location: Madrid, Spain
Clients: Nike, Rolling Stone, MTV Magazine, NEO2
Website: www.serialcut.com
Go Media
Location: Cleveland, United States
Clients: Warner Bros. Records, Coca-Cola, Tony Little, Metallica
Website: www.gomedia.us
Weebly. Are you a webdesigner?
Who kill the need for webdesigners? Sites like Weebly…
Weebly is a site for people who don’t know anything about webdesign, html or css. The only thing it takes to create a standard plain website at Weebly is logic sense. If you know how to handle Microsoft Word (or so), then you’re set to go!
Weebly has a lot of elements that you can implement to your website. Elements as google-map, flickr-gallery, video, images, blogs etc. There are many (compared to the fact that it’s a webservice) possibilities with Weebly, and they’re all easily accessible.
The only problem I see with Weebly, is the quality of the sites you’re able to create. If you hire a webdesigner, you’ll (usually) get a website which is of a much higher quality than Weeblys. Anyway, it’s a nice idea, and I believe it’s a matter of time before services as Weebly are as good as webdesigners today, therefore…be creative, energetic and innovative out there Everything is possible - tout est possible!
I created this snowboard-site within 45 mins. It includes a google-map, pictures and a blog. Take a look for yourself
Please, Flip the Coin!
Being an expert isn’t enough, you have to be able to deliver your knowledge in the right way!
Though I thought it was common sense, I still experience people who doesn’t know how to hand over their message correctly. It’s probably an endless discussion on how to deliver information, but I think it all comes back to your target audience. You really have to analyze the given situation and see it from another perspective, when you talk and communicate with other people. Whether your’re delivering your knowledge to a colleague, a friend, a customer, a company or a family member, I think it’s essential that you keep in mind which social and intelligent “status” you’re talking to.
This can be tough though, because you, in some cases, must be a fantastic judge of characters. If you try to see the world from other peoples perspectives you’ll automatically explore the world of definitions. Definitions on all kinds of things. We build our understanding of the world we’re living in on our own definitions. We live and act by them, and we’ve been doing this for decades.
If you take a look at your world, and realize how many definitions there are of that same world, how do you know the definitions which are the right ones to follow?
An old Greek philosopher, Socrates, once said:
As for me, all I know is that I know nothing.
This is a fantastic statement in my opinion. It supports what I’m trying to say. That, the more definitions of life you try to understand, the more you’ll realize that you don’t know which definitions to live by.
I don’t know if it’s a lack of self-confidence or it’s a sign of you being informed and intelligent, but if you’ve reached the point where you don’t know the right or wrong definitions and perceptions of the world you’re living in, I believe that you’re something special. Use it! Use your ability to flip the coin, and take advantage of other peoples experiences, opinions, perceptions, ideas, understandings etc. I think you’re rich! At least you are, compared to my environment
How does your world really look like?
(Just a thought I had to write down, I think it’s an interesting discussion of life)
Finally a student!
Finally I finished at Støvring Gymnasium, I’m now a graduated man. How wonderful? THAT wonderful! You’ve probably felt the feeling yourself, you’ve finished something, and you’re satisfied with the result.
When you graduate (in Denmark) you simply have to party! And so I did…And that’s why there haven’t been any posts recently. But please hang on! They’re on their way… I come back to my normal life at monday, and after that I’ll write as usual.
Thanks for your patience
Understanding variability!
Are you marketing your product to the whole world? STOP IT!
You are not allowed to be universal…
Malcolm Gladwell, an english writer and author, talks in this TEDtalk about the understanding of variability in this world! A talk I think is a must if you are a salesman, marketer, advertiser or a simple human being.
When you market your product, you need to consider if you want to create a need, or if you want to find the small amount of people who cares about your product (the early adopters, quote Seth Godin). These people will buy your product and spread the word about your (hopefully) great service!
If you do this, you’ll have a better chance of succeed in whatever you sell, distribute or offer.
You might also think of how you can use this in different relationships…bring the theory to your own life.
For myself? I don’t talk to people about marketing, if I know they are not interested in marketing.
What is your websites target audience?
This discussion learned me a lot of things. Some of the comments which have been posted there are of a great value to me, because they are well argued and well considered. You should check it out…;)
The discussion also made me conclude that you, as a webdesigner, need to determine what the target audience to a given site is, before you start designing. Often, webdesigners design a website from the content of the site. If it’s a website for baby-clothes, most designers would design in “baby-colors”, right?
Instead, why not build a site of elements, which all in some way relates to the target audience (in this case the parents)? I don’t know if it will work, I haven’t tried it yet, but if it works you’ll ensure that your clients get the best overall experience of your business, and that’s what you’re heading for! If you give your clients a nice service and a good overall impression, the word about your business will spread!
E.g.:
- You’ve sold a targeted site to a client, the client gets a lot of deals from it
= good experience - You’ve sold a untargeted site to a client, the client gets a few deals from it
= bad experience.
Therefore it is very important to know what works and what doesn’t, in different audiences. I’m not an expert in this field (deciding what works for different audiences), but I don’t think it’s that difficult.
The only thing you have to do is research. I think it would be a clever idea to find a person (or two) in your network who represents the target audience more or less. Ask what the person finds interesting about the design of a website, what does he/she like about websites in general etc.
You could also look at statistics of other sites. Which sites does people find confusing? which sites is the most visited? by what audience? There a lot of questions you could ask, and it all ends up in questions about your target audience, hmm…
Following this method, I believe that you’ll be able to create a more useful website than if you were without the knowledge about the target audience. As said I haven’t tried it out yet, but I think it could be interesting…
This is an experiment, if you try it, please let me know how it goes…
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