3 thoughts for the week of September 28, 2009 (vector logos, Microsoft & escapism)
September 29, 2009//Last Updated January 6, 2013
- Dear Business Owner, we’d like to take a moment to talk to you about your logo. For the love of all that is good and right in the world, please, please, please have a vector version of your logo. Vector files print crisp and clean at any size. Examples of these file formats include .ai (Illustrator) and .eps (Encapsulated Postscript). Often, you (the average business owner) will not have the software on your computer to open, view or manipulate these formats. We can promise you that this in no way diminishes its value. There will come a time when you need to send your logo to a vendor to appear in a sponsor booklet, or screen printed on a bag, or embroidered on shirt, or blown up on a banner, and we can promise you that that vendor will want a vector file. It is all too common for businesses to send out low resolution jpegs or gifs out in the universe to represent them. These files do not reproduce well, and that means that that business owner is not putting her best foot forward. If you do nothing else to protect your visual identity, have a vector version of your logo. Trust us, it’s for the best.
- As much as it may pain us to say, Microsoft has recently peaked our interest. Late last week Gizmodo reported on a new device called the Courier which reportedly is in the “late prototype” stage of development. If this device is all they promise it will be, it will consist of dual touch screens that open like a book. Tablet computers (those without buttons that work on touch inputs) have been long been touted as the next “big thing” in the personal computing industry. Could this unique “booklet” format be Microsoft’s attempt to come out on top of the innovation curve? We are sure they are still feeling the sting of Apple’s iPod domination over the Zune. Are we looking at the next big battle Booklet vs. Tablet in a showdown for supremacy? You can be sure Apple is preparing their strike as well. Regardless of the ultimate champion (no launch dates have been announced from either company but industry leaders speculate that it will happen within the next year), the way we interact with personal computers is about to change. It’s exciting to imagine how these new devices will change our lives. How will it affect us as designers? Will we now be designing for large finger optimized areas or dual screens? What types of UI will fall out of these designs? Are these devices primed to take on netbooks and e-readers? It’s like something straight out of StarTrek, right?
- At 3thought we know there’s more to life than work work work. So, we’d like to encourage you to indulge in a little escapism over the next couple of weeks/months. One easy way to do this is to go to the movies. It’s simple and easy. It takes you out of your standard mode of operation and lets you suspend reality for a couple hours. This is always a good thing. Shea is super excited about going to see “Where the Wild Things Are.” Yes, it is based on that children’s book we all remember and from the trailers, the visuals look amazing. Simply beautiful works of art and imagination. Matt is taking his escape in a different direction. He is most looking forward to seeing “The Road.” Based on the Pulitzer Prize wining book by Cormac McCarthy, the movie tells a the tale of a father and son trying to survive in a post-apocalyptic world. This darker premise stretches the imagination to contemplate what one would do when faced with impossible situations completely out of one’s control. What is your favorite form of escapism? What type of tale gets your imagination firing on all cylinders?
Posted in 3 Thoughts, Blog