Findings 4.12.09

I have to admit that I’ve been horrible at time management lately. Although I have quite a few blog drafts written, I haven’t been able to fine tune them.

Also, I miss Kutner. R.I.P.

8164.org

• DC Cherry Blossom – Photos from the Cherry Blossom Festival. I love this time of the year in DC.
• Absolut Brand – I used to collect Absolut Ads until I bought the Absolut Book. It certainly is one of the greatest marketing campaigns.
• More Tips on XHTML – Couple more tips on XHTML validation. You can also read the first article I wrote on the subject.

From Elsewhere

• Dear Designer, You Suck – Khoi wonders if we’re truly offering honest criticism among our peers. I think we’re too nice sometimes. Of course, we can be nice and constructive at the same time.
• Good Web Design is often Invisible – I agree with Steven’s point here. As I pointed out in my previous article, a good design falls in the background, serves its content, otherwise we’d just be decorating.
• Why I Choose the Harder Route as a Designer – Sometimes, I find the biggest challenge I face as a designer is always a people problem. Anthony makes some good points in his article.
• #savejon – A cautionary tale. – You probably heard the story that’s been making waves lately among design community. Designer Jon Eagle was sued for $18k for people ripping off his own work. Admittedly, my knee-jerk reaction was to side with him. This article reveals a bit more. Long and interesting read.
• “UX Vision” – Nathan Bowers is a designer friend I enjoy twittering with. He launched his UX blog site recently. Check it out!
• You Are Only as Good as Your Content – A very good article by Aaron. Content is the timeless, gimmicks will fade away.
• AIGA Salary Survey – The 2008 designer survey results.

Random/Interesting Stuff

• Short Letterpress Documentary – I have great appreciation and respect for traditional printers. What they do is something no computers can replace.
• Time Travel Cheat Sheet – Print it out, just in case…
• Benford’s Law (via Youtube) – I’m a math geek. It’s in my blood. This is one of the most fascinating things I’ve seen in a while. I will try it with my blog traffic data later.
• Golden Ratio Doodle – To prove that I’m a math geek, here’s an old doodle of mine during a meeting.
• Photography of Shinichi Maruyama – I love the kinetic energy in his work. Very inspiring to me.

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