Here’s a look into some of the elements that inspires us when designing whether it be websites, logos or animations. Design is more than simple math, placement and color coordination; it needs to tell a story. This talk is presented by Yves Behar originally on the TED in 2008. An oldie but a goodie.
WordPress Tutorials (FREE!)
As a helpful resource for some of our clients who are newer to WordPress we’d love to point you in the direction of some of the free lessons wordpress.org has supplied. Since we customize the content management system (CMS) of the sites we create not all the lessons will be applicable or helpful but if you’ve ever wondered how to add new pictures, update pages or fire off some blog updates, this is the resource for you. Of course we will always be ready and willing to help you along the way but just in case we’re stuck and locked in the back trunk of a suspicious vehicle and haven’t yet MacGyver’d our way out, feel free to refer to this link or simply Google search: “How to do <insert your necessary action> here in WordPress” and there will be a world of free information to help you!
Animation & Video: The Future of the Web
As some of you may know, talonX produces cool little animations or short videos for logo stings, explainers/introductions and promotions. Most of our video displays are produced in Adobe After Effects but we have been known to branch out to a few other forms of media and have been in collaboration with some Chicago based companies to produce introductions for longer online videos. While these are outside the typical realm of web design the reason we’ve opted to learn, create and produce these animations is because because the nature of the online world is changing. While static sites will always have their place and be functional for many situations, consumers are leaning toward the motion and interest produced by videos. [quote]If a picture is worth 1,000 words, a video is worth 1,000 pictures.[/quote] When someone lands on a website and your product or service offering is not abundantly clear to […]
Our Offline Workspace
We’re back in the swing of things after a brief jaunt away to South America. We’ve also upgraded our working conditions! They’re not as peaceful and serene as an ocean view but they’re ergonomically sounds and have been infused with LED lights to add to the coolness factor which we’re 50% sure might get old after a few weeks. Why did we opt for standing desks? Well we’ve always been keen on healthy living and atypical positive working conditions but in this case we’re also motivated by legitimate science rather than purely non-rational emotional reasons for our choices (we promise our design work is also based on rational reasoning, not spontaneous emotion!) A New York Times Magazine tracked approximately 123,000 Americans and discovered that the death rate for those who spent six+ hours a day sitting was 20% higher than for those who sat for less than three hours a day. […]
Design; Being Good, not Just Looking Good
Without a doubt web design is one of the most flexible art forms out there. From the first ‘<‘ in an a series of HTML, CSS, or PHP you literally have the ability to turn lines of code into objects of beauty. Sure there are rules than need to be followed; common sense, W3C requirements, best practices and standard setups but realistically you can do a lot when it comes to taking an idea in your head onto the web. An artist is only limited by his ingenuity and with a computer as your palette and the internet as an infinite resource you have a lot of breathing room. So where is the connection between design and business? A designer can create a beautiful website, but unlike an actual piece of art, websites are often appreciated for the function and developmental aspects as well as their design. The most loved […]
talonX Web Team in Transit
Hey all, you may have noticed that the talonX team has been traveling a lot (mainly regarding ongoing projects in the United States). This is just a heads up that our team will be away for an entire eight days from August 4th to August 12th south of the border. We’ll still be in contact via email in the evening (MST) and should be be able to handle critical issues within a 24 hour period. We do our best to offer the highest in customer service so we’d like to pre-warn everyone that we may be a little delayed in responding in the upcoming days. We appreciate your business and if you have anything last minute requirements make sure you send them over now so we can handle them for you!
The Truth About Web Design
In the digital age everyone knows something about making a website. From one page website builders to complex layers of PHP, Ajax & jQuery and everything between, most people have fiddled with making something that is eventually plonked down somewhere on the world wide web. These days you don’t need a university degree, you barely even need knowledge of coding or even color coordination for that matter as there’s a growing number of platforms that take care of that for you. This being the case, where does the lonely and oh-so-talented web designer find himself (or herself) in this world where digital knowledge is coming to the people and the power balance is shifting from specialization to everyone-ization? People in positions of power or in possession of certain levels expertise sometimes tend to fear the spread of knowledge, the growth of others who may, at some point, come to compete […]