Desktop 240: Taking A Speccy

The article I wrote for the current issue of Desktop magazine was more controversial than most. It broaches the topic of design contests — a topic that is very polarizing.

One element that designers who abhor design contests as a concept neglect to factor into their criticism is how many designers use design contests as a lead generation activity.

Basically I use 99designs.com as a stepping-stone to get contacts. And for that it has honestly been just amazing. My income, literally just from winning contests, basically pays all my bills. Add to that all the follow-up work that comes in, and you’re rockin’. It’s as simple as that.

You can read the full transcript of the interview that I did with Richard Scott (complete with arguments in the comments for and against the topic, as expected) which formed the basis of my article in Desktop.

posted: 26.06. 2008, 13:29 Comment (0)

BATBY-GOB-STOPL And Other Crazy Acronym Mnemonics

I’ve always loved acronym mnemonics.

I’ve always used them as memory aids — for everything from studying Japanese characters to remembering the arrangement of musical notes to packing my bag for the day before I leave the house.

A TV advertisement by metlink a few years back contained a jingle (and an acronym mnemonic) that I still remember to this day – BATBY-GOB-STOPL — Buying A Ticket Before You Get On Board Saves Time Or Problems Later. (Watch the video on YouTube.)

I don’t know whether the ad convinced me to think harder about fare evasion on public transport, but the combination of a catchy tune, a hilarious host bopping in her seat to the tune and a clever, if somewhat preposterous acronym, meant that the ad was successful at sticking in my head to this day.

Speaking of which, here’s the mnemonic that I run through every morning: KWITLGPC (pronounced Kwittle-gap-see): Keys, Wallet, IPod, Ticket, Lunch, Glasses, Phone, Clothes. It’s the checklist of everything I need to remember for the day (clothes is in there because I ride to work, so need to remember to pack a t-shirt to change into).

Any acronyms or other crazy mnemonics that you find useful and would like to share?

posted: 19.06. 2008, 00:00 Comment (3)

Desktop 239: Carbon Currency

A blog post that one of my colleagues penned last year was the inspiration for this month’s column for Desktop magazine.

I’ve always been relatively conscious of minimizing the impact I make on the environment. My first girlfriend was heavily involved in organising environmental protests, clean-up days and the like, and I suspect that some of these philosophies rubbed off on me even after we parted ways.

Mostly though, being environmentally responsible just makes sense. So when my editor informed me that the June issue of Desktop would have a “green” theme, I jumped at the opportunity to not only shed some advice, but look inwards at what I could be doing better.

You know the drill: reduce, reuse, recycle; ride your bike or take public transport; install energy efficient light globes; grab a blanket or open the window instead of using the heater or air conditioner… most of that stuff is common sense. Instead I’ve come up with six ways in which web designers specifically can reduce the power they consume, thereby reducing their carbon emissions.

Read the full article online.

posted: 18.05. 2008, 22:58 Comment (0)