Mr.
Matt
Spangler

Photograph from the outside by TIAS of the unbelievable “Volcano Stadium” designed by Jean-Marie Massaud

Not that surprising-big bulkly promotional flash boxes are a mostly useless relic of the past…especially ones like this site that never change. People expect new and relevant content presented to them each time they return to a site, and its becoming true for sites that are more transactional and e-commerce based as well.

What I find more interesting here is the nearly complete lack of attention people are paying to the navigation in both of these studies. Users pay attention to the “home” button, because as they look at content on the site they will eventually want to come back home to jump back off to new content…but with all the attention paid in UX designs to making sure there is a deep, exhaustive drop down navigation, the truth is that  today’s web site surfers don’t use it.

Thats why you’ve seen sites, like Gawker, have nearly no navigation elements, but instead use content callouts at the top that are fresh and constantly changing to push people around their sites. 

via mareen: via sebastianwaters:

The test participant in the top gaze plot fixated a few times within the big empty color block before the content downloaded, then spent the remaining time looking at the rest of the page. This user never looked at the big promotional space after it had rendered. The second user (bottom gaze plot) happened to be looking away from the screen during the 8 seconds when the promotional content downloaded. Thus, the first time he looked at the page he saw it as intended, complete with the entire promo. – Jakob Nielsen’s Alertbox: Website Response Time(via slantback)

Interesting. Bookmark for everyone in our business.

From my friend Sebastian:

“I think of this “Swiss Army tool/battery/case” like a “concept car” trying to capture people’s imagination and tap into the fascination men have always had for gadgets and tools. It combines an iPhone with your key survival tools in a single pocket piece.”

via mikehudack: via iwasframed: via bending bike

Design student kevin scott designed this unusual bending bike that not only folds up tightly but can be used to locks itself up. The de montfort university industrial design student designed the bike to make its safer and easier to lock up your bike in the city. His design looks like a normal bike when in riding mode, but a simple level on the frame triggers the frame to go from rigid to pliable. A ratchet system built into the frame enables the bike to simple be bent around a pole fitting one side of the handle bar into a closure under the seat, locking the bike in place. The design just won runner-up for the business design centre new designer of the year award at new designers. Scott will be using his prize money to further develop the bike, building more iterations for a full testing of its viability.

Great Pantone chairs from Seletti that were a hit at ICFF.This is a great product for small NYC apartments. I’ve been looking for a chair that is fashionable, comfortable and foldable to allow for bigger dinner parties. 

When I see things like this, I think design just might save us.

nickdouglas:

Almost Genius: The Cardboard Box That Fits Anything Perfectly | Fast Company

Ever see one of those artfaggy concept designs and go “oh shit, that’s not artfaggy at all but incredibly useful and to my layman’s eyes scalable and affordable!”?

Timeline of Oscar de la Renta’s journey from the Dominican Republic to become one of fashions greatest designers.

“In 1950, at age 18, Oscar heads to Spain to study painting at the Academy of San Fernando in Madrid. While living there, he becomes captivated by Spanish culture, from the music and art, to the bullfights and flamenco, to of course…the fashion.

Oscar’s interest in the world of design grows and he begins sketching for Spain’s leading fashion houses. He soon lands a coveted apprenticeship with Spain’s most renowned couturier, Cristóbal Balenciaga. Working there, Oscar becomes immersed in his craft – observing the sample rooms, studying the clothes, learning the techniques.”

via baubauhaus

Great design.

via bunch:

How great is this book cover design from Jennifer Carrow for Stacey D’Erasmo’s The Sky Below? I found it over at the Book Cover Archive, which is a pretty easy way to accidentally kill half an hour.