Deadlines need to be realistic and achievable, ask yourself a few questions:

1. What is involved?

2.What could go wrong (risk assessment)?

3. What do I need to do?

4. What do others need to do?

5. How much time will it take me and the other members involved to complete our work (solo and collaboratively)?

6. Have I allowed myself enough time to complete my work before setting a deadline others need to follow?

7. Have I understood what is involved?

Once these few questions are answered you can start to plan your project. Your deadline day could coincide with a product launch or an event your organising, or maybe you only have a certain budget and so time is constrained by how many hours can be spent within the budget. Say your project is a printed brochure, you need to know how long it will take to print. If said date is September 10 and it takes 2 weeks, final approval should be given on 28th August. I would highly recommend allowing a couple of days buffer time. So your deadline will be 26th August.

How many rounds of changes do you need, how many people need to approve the copy and design work? The more people the longer it will take – factor this in to your timings. Let your client know that you are planning the project and give them a time scale for them to turnaround feedback. If they know, they can plan it in to their diary, saving time in the long run.

I realise this may sound like ‘a perfect world’ kind of stuff but some projects do run this way. The projects that run to schedule are the ones that have been thought through by both the client and the agency. Both have been open and honest about what needs to happen in the work process. If you slip or the agency slips, the deadline slips.

Of course we will do our utmost to help you out of a tight spot. And if we see risks or slippage we’ll inform you. But this is a blog post about prevention not cure!!

How do you brief a design agency? Where do you start? I would start by looking at your objectives – make a list of all the things you want to achieve with your piece of communication. Are they achievable? Do they line up with your brand values? Will your stakeholders/consumers/customers relate to them? What return would you like from the investment you are making?

Your brief forms the foundation and walls of your project (the skies the limit), a change in brief is a change in the foundations and structure, its a bit like moving the goal posts half way through a game and it’s back to square one. Whilst this is doable and agency’s are flexible it’s recommended you work most of this out before hand. However, if you are unsure of the answers to the above questions we can collaborate with you and work out the answers together in step by step.

Asking yourself the right questions first is a good place to start, run them by a colleague or your boss, to make sure all of the info is clear. If you would like to know more about this please refer to our white papers on our website.

[ Download Protean Theme for WordPress (Beta) ]

Update: A new version of Protean is now available and hosted on GitHub

You can also preview the theme in-the-wild at: www.buildingtothink.com

Please note that Protean is a beta and that it provides only limited functionality. This release does not feature a traditional site navigation, nor does it support widgets. It’s an experiment, albeit a solid one. Be sure to let us know what you think.

Protean is released under the Creative Commons Attribution 3 license, meaning that you are free copy, distribute, transmit, and adapt the theme in whatever way you like as long as you credit Landau Reece somewhere on your blog.

A brief overview of the customization features

We’ve built Protean with the explicit aim of making customization as easy as can be. Knowledge of HTML or CSS is not a prerequisite. Fact is, we’ve created custom controls with which you can manipulate the following:

Page Style—You can easily change the background and color scheme of your blog posts using the Page Style interface (see below). (You’ll find the same interface under Appearance as well. From here you can control the global site design).

Banner Style—Each blog post is accompanied by a custom banner (think of it as the advertisement or poster for your post). In addition to a background image or color, the banner also features your post title and excerpt.

The inspiration behind Protean

We’ve invested a considerable amount of work in Protean. But we would not have arrived at this point if it wasn’t for: (1) the rise of HTML5 and CSS3, as well as the release of WordPress 3. These developments got the cogs spinning, so to speak. An immense amount of inspiration was also drawn from designers such as Jason Santa Maria and Dustin Curtis who got us thinking about blog-post customization in the first place. (Check out “The Death of the Boring Blog Post” on Smashing Magazine for more information). Last but not least, we would also like to credit the readability-on-the-web renaissance for the contribution it made to our thinking around design and, well, readability. If you would like to learn more about this, be sure to check out “In Defense of Readers” on A List Apart.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Can I use Protean on WordPress.com? —You cannot, no. At this point in time, Protean is only available to those lucky few running their own WordPress installations. If you wanna give that a try, you can head over to www.wordpress.org and download your own copy. Note, however, that you’ll also need to arrange your own web hosting etc.
• What about browser compatibility? —Protean works well in most popular browsers. We’ve tested Internet Explorer, Safari, FireFox, and Chrome on PC and Mac—all with good results. (We’ve used CSSPie and HTML5Shiv to get IE to recognize our use of new web technologies, but IE6 is, not surprisingly, still a bit wonky).
• What are the technical requirements? —Minimum requirements are WordPress 3 (or above) along with PHP5 (or above).
• What size background image do I need for new banners? —Banners images need to be 870px wide. Height is variable and so you can experiment with that. In our testing we found 870×300 to be a good size (see www.buildingtothink.com) but it’s really up to you.
• What’s with the name? Sounds like some sort of meat product.— 
In Greek mythology Proteus is a sea god with the ability to shapeshift. From his name comes the adjective “protean” which means “versatile”, “mutable”, or “capable of assuming many forms”—all of which are good characterizations of our theme’s abilities (check out the Proteus entry on Wikipedia for a complete picture). So no, it’s not a meat product.

The early birds…

It is likely that any brand with a half decent digital team are going to be releasing iPad compatible apps throughout 2010 as a knee jerk reaction to having a presence on this new medium. Simply jumping on the bandwagon, however, is unlikely to see beneficial returns to companies, who must consider the app as part of a fully integrated marketing mix, defining its objectives and correlating effect.

As a brand,  you first of all have to consider is your target consumer likely to buy an Ipad in the first wave? Are they more likely to let the buzz settle down and make an informed decision based on reviews, possible waiting on the next model which will undoubtedly have a camera, more memory and less glitches. Will they latch on to the concept once it becomes commonplace, or are they the type that just doesn’t get this new-fangled technology and are impressed when they manage to send an email.

Once you have identified the likelihood of your consumers and perhaps more importantly, potential consumers purchasing an iPad, how can your brand fully utilise the potential to engage.

A good model to exemplify the opportunities held by the Ipad is the Hierarchy of Effects, AIDA: Attention, Interest, Desire and Action. Apps will serve a different purpose depending on the objective in relation to this model

Attention

This is time to make yourself seen and provide a means for consumers to interact with your brand. This should be attention grabbing and therefore can have little or no direct correlation to a brand. A good example here is the Barclaycard flume ride app, which took a lead from the TV advertising campaign and acts as a fun way to introduce you to the brand.

Interest

Once the initial bond has been created, it is time to educate the consumer about your product or service. Freeview provides you with detailed TV listings, Tescos allows you to see where all of their stores are located throughout the UK.

Desire

Desire and Interest are very closely linked, but apps can take advantage of the subtle differences between these two classifications. Tesco’s App showing where stores are is interesting to a consumer, but using geo-tagging to identify the closest stores to you, then shifts this to desirable. Similarly Primelocation’s app makes full use of the touch screen experience and also allows users to surf properties in keeping with their individual requirements and desires, before leading them on to the website.  Third party apps such as voucher clouds can also be used to advantage in this section, giving the user tangible reasons to explore a brand further.

Action

Finally you have a direct conduit to release purchasing power where an app is the direct link between consumer and sale.  Unsurprisingly the new boys on the street, e-retailers have been the quickest to capitalise on this, with the likes of Ebay and Amazon offering a direct call to action with their apps.  A mix of the three previous classifications can be used to bolster the proposition, Amazon offering a tracking service once goods have been ordered, making it more desirable in the eyes of the consumer.

There is the potential for the I-pad to overtake the Iphone in terms of App applications.  The daddy of the Ifamily offers:

• Bigger and brighter screen visuals allowing for greater potential to induce the WOW factor.
• Increased size also increases the potential for interactivity as there are more touch points and moving between them are less cumbersome
• E-reader credentials are unique to this incarnation and could be the vital shot in the arm that the flagging publishing sector is crying out for, itself an industry reliant on advertising revenue/consumption patterns.

The advantages of App delivery on the iPad can feasibly justify a greater charge for the consumer, which has been reflected in the USA, where many are going for $15 upwards. The next generation of Apple devices operating off iOS 4 a platform for iAds, allowing marketers in effect to sponsor any App they choose and target potential consumers more effectively.

It is likely that in the next few years, smart device ownership is going to be just as common as having a mobile phone. What is yet to be seen is if the iPad can offer a credible alternative to the smart phone and exactly how the device will fit into today’s lifestyle habits.

One thing that does come to mind is a potentially frustrating but ultimately rewarding purchase I made a week or so ago.

I had reached that point where you look for something to watch of an evening and find that you can’t see anything on your DVD rack that would even remotely fill that bedtime viewing void.
So I found myself the next day scanning the DVD aisles at my local HMV. Disappointment abounds. If you’re not into cheap horror flicks or fitness videos you’re out of luck sir I’m afraid.

But then something catches my eye – The cover art is a little A-Level Photoshop: Design lifted straight from the marketing materials for 300, less than stellar clone n’ stamp work on the background. But here we have Mads Mikkelson, Le Chifre from Casino Royale, covered in ritualistic tattoos and brandishing two axes. His battle-scarred face has a look which means that someone is about to have a very bad day. In the background we have a viking army charging forth.

Amateur graphic design aside, this already looks like the greatest film ever made. “Why haven’t I heard anything about this Valhalla Rising?”, I thought, “well, from the look of this cover they obviously had little to no money to spend on marketing, but then some films have all the marketing capitol in the world (2012, elbows pointed your way) and amount to little more than a two-hour seizure. And anyway, I mean, an angry Mikkelson wielding dual axes! This has to be good!!”.

It was at this point that I was asked to either keep my voice down or leave the shop.

Anyway, the purchase was made and I made my way home to enjoy what I thought would be a viking epic with enough blood n’ guts to incite Ragnarok.

Needless to say that this was not meant to be. I was expecting a mindless splatter-fest, and was instead treated to 90 minutes of introspective vikings gazing meaningfully into a thick mist.

Okay so I was disappointed by what the film could have been, and a little annoyed at being lied to via packaging design by those tricksy fiddlers at Momentum. However I was pleasantly surprised by what the film actually turned out to be. Disturbing, hypnotic, and beautifully photographed (in Scotland I might add), it has easily become one of the best films I’ve seen so far this year.

I don’t want to go too into detail as to the plot and meaning of the film, and to be honest this has a lot to do with the fact that I myself have no idea what the film is about. But it is also because I feel that it is a film which is best viewed with no prejudices. See it, enjoy it, think about it.

Firstly, there should be a few consistencies between Illustrator and Indesign. I am a fan of InDesign, and in my previous job I was using it all day and everyday. This allowed my transition into Illustrator relatively easy, but although both programs offer a lot of the same features, they are formatted in different ways. Like websites, should the functionality not be easy to use as to not let the users think too much, especially when a designer is switching between the two programs frequently? You have to think twice at times when switching between the two programs. For example, locking an item should be the same command in both, but yet it is not, you then have to think which one it is, at times, when it should just be automatic.

Further, times have changed and with it the programs should too. Designers, rather than programmers are now commonly designing websites. Therefore rather than designing them in Dreamweaver, they are being designed in Photoshop or Illustrator, before programming starts. Creating a storyboard for the programmers to follow. Illustrator isn’t just for illustrating anymore. Websites are now being designed similar to print based items, using well thought out grids and good typography. Therefore is this not another reason as to why Illustrator should align itself more closely to InDesign?

Sure, some would suggest Photoshop for designing a website, however the type features are poor and frustrating to use. So a better alternative I believe is Illustrator. And websites aside, for packaging and all cutter guide work, it does highlight a few issues or perhaps should I say features, which could be improved on, for ease and efficiency. Therefore below I have created a wish list for Illustrator.

Locking Items

1. Unlock one object at a time.
Similar to InDesign. But in Illustrator’s defense, returning to InDesign, being able to unlock one object at a time means that you can still select the nodes of all locked items, which gets in the way. So perhaps Illustrator has scored a point there, to my surprise. But having to re-lock every object to release just one is not ideal either. In all fairness though, the solution, I am unsure of.

Swatches

1. Colour breakdowns and pantone numbers could be listed.
Could they use the same format as used in InDesign, displaying the breakdown or Pantone reference next to the coloured box. That way I am less likely to select the wrong colour, especially when there are a number of similar looking colours.

2. The Pantone/spot colour option should ideally be selectable alongside the CMYK and RGB options.
Again just like InDesign. Currently, to select a Pantone you must go through a list of items to find the swatch book option. Further to type the required Pantone number one must then select the search field option. To make matters worse, the search field doesn’t work correctly, it will sometimes not recognize a Pantone colour or will direct you to a different number to what you have actually typed, allowing the user to feel very frustrated. My solution to this would be to allow the spot option and search field to appear alongside the CMYK and RGB options, in other words, display it just like InDesign. Why it is so difficult to find the correct Pantone is another thing, why it is even an issue puzzles me.

3. To create a tint without having to select it as a global colour.
To explain this further, each colour needs to be ticked as a global colour to be able to create a tint. Do we actually need this global colour tick box, as until using Illustrator I had never come across this terminology?

Gradients

1. To allow us an option for creating gradients which can include a transparency.
Currently a gradient can only be created using solid colours. So if you want to create a gradient which sits over an image or a coloured background one has to use a Gaussian blur or select the background colour for your gradient. Obviously when this is a photo, this is not achievable, or if so, I would like to know how?

Pages

1. Multiple pages within the document.
Like Freehand. Although good news, since writing this blog, apparently this has now gone live in version 5 of Illustrator!

Grids

1. In document setup have an option for creating margins, columns and gutters.
I can appreciate that the original versions of Illustrator were purely for illustrating, however these days Illustrator is being used for websites, and therefore a quick and easy grid system is wanted.

Free Distort

1. To skew and transform the actual object.
Currently to skew an object one has to use a pop up window with an ‘outline’ view only, so one can only guess what the finished outcome will be. It therefore usually takes a number of times to get it looking correct. If we could skew an object where we can actually skew the actual object not just a small outline view would be great.

Clipping Mask

1. I only want to be able to select the masked image when I select the bounding box or inside the bounding box.
Currently one can select the invisible image which has been masked, therefore one selects this masked image without realising that it is even there. Therefore the masked object gets in the way when trying to select other items. Masking in InDesign is one thing that they do really well. If you could select a masked object by only clicking on the visible areas people wouldn’t need to lock so many items and the locking system would not be such an issue.

Exporting PDFs

1. Allow us the option to export ‘layers’ as ‘pages’ within a PDF.
As it stands now if one wants to export a number of layers within a document, one needs to export each one as a PDF and then import them all into one PDF file. It can be quite time consuming.

Well, that completes my ‘wish list’. I must say since beginning to write this blog, a new version of Illustrator has been launched. I am yet to use this new version, but some of those who have been lucky enough to use it could possibly let me know if some of my issues have been resolved, or perhaps you know a solution to my problems. I would love to hear from you. My predictions for future versions are that they will evolve quite dramatically. I believe we will see Illustrator and InDesign amalgamate. Or at least adapt Illustrator for the web more. But like all good things, they take time, and in Illustrator’s defense, once upon a time, few would have been using Illustrator for web design.

Another pull factor for me is that the blog is on the girlie side of masculine/feminine influences, which appeals greatly to me. I’m often making crafty items at home, everything from hand made cards, to little baskets of chocolate surprises. I love making a gift that is that bit extra special with a handmade touch and this site has some really great ideas and inspiration.

Take a look and let me know what you think.

Generally speaking, I am always a little slow on the uptake when it comes to things like this and have also recently migrated from Safari to Firefox and now to Chrome so my alphabet is perhaps not as representative as it could be, but I liked the idea and decided to give it a whirl.

As Tim says “It’s a simple game : Go to the address bar in your favorite browser, and type one letter. Start with “a”, end with “z”.”

A: www.adobe.com
B: www.bbc.co.uk
C: www.creativereview.co.uk
D: www.dibiconference.com
E: www.emberapp.com
F: www.facebook.com
G: www.gowalla.com
H: www.hootsuite.com
I: www.iconfinder.com
J: www.juno.co.uk
K: www.karstenrowe.backpackit.com
L: www.launchpad.37signals.com/signin
M: www.maxvoltar.com
N: www.ndesign-studio.com
O: www.ow.ly/url/shorten-url
P: www.propaneapp.com
Q: www.quotesondesign.com
R: www.realmacsoftware.com
S: www.soundcloud.com
T: www.twitter.com
U: www.upgrade.cargocollective.com
V: www.viking-direct.co.uk
W: www.wordpress.com
X: www.xero.com
Y: www.youtube.com
Z: www.zootool.com

It really is that easy, give it a try and post your alphabets below.

If you feel like checking out a few of the other people who have posted their URL ABC:

David Airey
Sam Brown
Andy Clarke
Brian Hoff
Jack Osbourne
Elliot Jay Stocks

Enjoy…

My first encounter with the Mac was back in 2003, the beautifully multi-coloured G3. It had me before I had turned it on – they should really ship all Mac’s with an option on the colour.

The iMac, iPod, MacBook, Time Capsule and mostly recently the iPhone have since followed and somehow made their way from the Apple Store into my bedroom.

The iPhone is the best gadget out there. Yes this is a very Fanboyish thing to say, but I do believe it to be true.

Over the last few years, the iPhone has won the hearts and minds of millions of users, who speak of the slick design, intuitive interface and powerful functionality – the seamless integration of phone and media consumption platform have made it the undisputable king of the smart phone market.

I haven’t been able to stop talking about my sexy new white iPhone 3GS since I bought it – an apology goes out to Rachel, who has had to bare the brunt of my enthusiasm, no need to worry, I think I’ve got the majority of it out of my system.

So how does the iPhone contribute to my life as a designer?

I consider myself lucky to have an iPhone, after waiting over a year and then some for the price war to kick-off, which never actually happened, I finally conceded and bought one. I’ve got to say, it’s fantastic! I have spent considerable time at the App Store adding some jazz to my phone. Many of the apps are useless, some are excellent, here is the excellent;

1. iGoogle

   Stay on top of your email, organise your calendar, manage your contacts and trackdown your whereabouts.

2. Weather Channel app

   Ride to work in confidence or make plans to get wet.

3. Starbucks app

   Find a place to refuel on route.

4. Newsstand

   Catchup on the news in the queue, no need for that free newspaper landfill rubbish.

5. Awesome note

   Never forget or misplace your next big idea.

6. Tweetie 2.0

   The hottest iPhone twitter client out there, I recently made the upgrade from TweetDeck – a charming free iPhone and Mac twitter client, well worth checking out if your feeling poor.

7. Outpost

   Stay in sync with your 37signals work-flow.

8. Mobile Photoshop

   No need to say anymore about this one.

I’d like to quickly wrap-up the post with a short conclusion, there are many apps worthy of a mention but I wouldn’t want to discourage your exploration, what works for me isn’t going to work for everyone, so go explore, the possibilities are endless.

If you’d like to post your findings or voice an opinion on any of the above feel free to start a conversation below.

I spent the turn of the year in Newcastle with some old friends. We spent the train journey North discussing our goals for the forthcoming year, and more importantly hatching the plan that will help us achieve them.

I quickly saw the potential of a possible blog post on the back of our conversation, so I scribbled down some notes (read more about my scribbles here).

Amongst us there was a broad range of resolutions; from the slightly humorous pledge to have better cuticles (nails), to the more common and serious aim to smoke less cigarettes.

It’s taken a couple of weeks to make sense of, tidy and publish this post, apologies for the delay, but I did get there in the end, so here it is – my not so definitive list of New Year Resolutions for Designers.

1. Keep your workspace clean

   Regardless of how you like to keep your workspace – being organised is in some way beneficial.

   So clean out your draws, file that paperwork that needed filing, shake out all the crumbs in your keyboard, and wipe down your desk.

   Allocate some time early in the year to trim the fat and organise your internet stuff. Unsubscribe to email newsletters, edit down your RSS feeds and close redundant email accounts.

   Your now ready to work.

2. Better manage your email

   I recently migrated from Hotmail to Google mail – I’d advise you to do the same. Ryan Carson’s Email Power Tips tutorial was the main factor behind my decision – some great tips, thanks Ryan.

3. Backup your work (regularly)

Investing in a Time Capsule (if nothing else) helps you sleep at night – no more tears!

4. Get some exercise

   This one always seems to deceive me – but it’s important to keep fit, however painful. Being fit increases your brain function, which inturn increases your creativity, which is a fundamental attribute of being a rockstar designer.

5. Live beyond your work

   Get out there – go for a walk, run, ride, coffee, pint – just don’t take your MacBook with you.

   It’s important to take time out!

   The bottom line is that creativity and new ideas come from life experiences, so no life beyond work means no new ideas. So be social – it’s the only way you’ll grow as a designer.

6. Read more books

   Amazon is a great place to start – it’s personalised recommendation filtering provides a steady stream of further reading.

   There is a unmanageable amount of content on the web but books are different – you can take them where your MacBook can’t go and refer back to them with ease.

   My advice would be to make a conscious effort to pick up and read more books than you read in the previous year.

   Here’s Paul Boag’s reading list to get you started.

   I haven’t discovered a good book-sharing app as of yet – anyone got one to recommend?

7. Make time for personal design projects

   Personal design projects are a great way to boost creativity and remind you of the reasons you love what you do.

   Commit to at least one personal design project, even if it takes the entire year to finish.

8. Network with people

   The New Year will bring new opportunties – new workshops, talks, conferences, gallery openings, art exhibitions, and other social gatherings relevant to your life as a designer – pencil them in your diary!

9. Get some business cards

   Business cards are like grown up top trumps. They have your name on it, your position/title, and a bunch of numbers and information about yourself. Design, print and hand them out liberally.

   Alternatively, I find Facebook for iPhone is increasingly commonplace when swapping contact details.

10. Work smarter

    You know what works for you and you know what wastes your time.

    Use the internet to make your life easier, not harder.

    37 Signals, delicious, hootsuite and ember are all web apps that I’d highly recommend, so go check them out and speed up your work-flow.

11. Don’t expect a gold star for everything you do

    Design for self, not reward.

12. Build your social networks

    Get accounts on popular social networks such as Facebook, Flickr and Twitter. Even if you don’t use them tomorrow, you may lose your chance to grab your username. But start using them to market yourself, meet new people and build your personal brand.

13. Get analytics

    It only takes five minutes to get analytics code into your site. It will give you a wealth of information that you can use to measure your success.

14. Learn some code

    Gain an understanding of the basics of HTML, CSS and Web Standards – you won’t regret it.

15. Don’t get green fatigue

    Re-double your green efforts – reducing the world’s carbon footprint is everyones responsibility.

Some parting words

“Smile more, stress less, be generous with your knowledge and try to look pretty every now and then!”