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July 4, 2007 - Comments Off on Virb Brings Creative Verve to Online Communities

Virb Brings Creative Verve to Online Communities

If you're a designer, we implore you to turn your back on the poorly designed community sites out there and have a peek at a standards-compliant community called Virb.

While your friendly designers and coders at theMechanism usually spend our days holed up in our Creative Bunkers in New York and London making magic, on occasion we must leave the confides of our software apps, sketchbooks and meetings to explore the outdoors. And by “outdoors,” we're referring to the “new outdoors” -- free of menacing bears, wolves, intellect-enhancing novels and games of Go -- online communities.

For the mighty Margaret Martin in London, her solace is sometimes found in the World of Warcraft. For Standardista Jeffrey, it's the singular joy of his Flappy. Many of our entertainment-based clients have dived headfirst into the most fiendish of web site communities known as mySpace. And while mySpace will hopefully soon be swallowed under it's own bile due to the overabundance of creeps looking for dates, we were recently alerted to a nicely designed web community called Virb.

Virb functions in a similar manner to the brainchild of Marketing hero Seth Godin’s online community called Squidoo, by taking a very clean, clear approach to design and modularization of content. Virb was made by the same folks who made a little-publicized, but lovely musician site called PureVolume. While we all agree that there are too many online communities vying for the attention of kiddies, teens, and eventually creeps, we're hoping Virb's ease of use eventually buries mySpace. However, our resident Standardista, Jeffrey Barke reminded me that the mighty mountain built by mySpace may be too hard to climb by any competitors.

In the meantime, I'm leaving the "new outdoors" to dip my toes into the "old outdoors," by re-reading The 48 Laws of Power. By the time I'm finished, what we know now as the web will be carried around in our pockets -- and desktop computers will be the devices of the aged.

Dave Fletcher is a Founder and Creative Director of theMechanism, a maxi-media firm in New York City and London. He ranted about mySpace & the Dumbing of Design in July of 2006 and hopes that he lives to see the day that online communities appreciate the importance of a standards-based approach.

Published by: davefletcher in The Design Mechanism

July 3, 2007 - Comments Off on theMechanism’s work considered Usable & Elegant by Smashing Magazine

theMechanism’s work considered Usable & Elegant by Smashing Magazine

According to Smashing Magazine, theMechanism’s recent design for Waggener Edstrom Consumer group is “Inspirational, Usable & Elegant”. They also threw around words like “profound” and “enduring” too.

We wholeheartedly support and trust their judgement.

From Smashing Magazine:

We all love beautiful, usable and impressive web designs. To achieve them, web developers need to focus on many aspects, but basically it all boils down to the question, how well the content is presented and how easily the information can be perceived. Harmonic color schemes are as important as solid and consistent typography. Precise visual structure and intuitive navigation are essential for both usability and accessibility. In fact, mostly it's a keen attention to small details which gives web-sites a profound and enduring nature.

We've selected some more of them. Over 60 elegant, usable and impressive designs with a well thought-out color scheme, typography and visual structure. Their beauty lies in the way the information is presented. Their usability lies in the way they communicate presented data. That's what makes them different.

Have a peek at all the inspiring designs from various firms right here.

Published by: davefletcher in The Working Mechanism

July 2, 2007 - Comments Off on Smash that iPhone!

Smash that iPhone!

PC World’s Eric Butterfield recently tried to damage the freshly birthed iPhone by putting it through a series of “stress tests.” While I predict that soon enough, a bevy of companies will be offering tasty carbonite sheaths to coddle your $500+ investment – for now – watch this video to see how the rapturous little device is holding up to Butterfield’s physical persecution and torment...

Published by: davefletcher in The Design Mechanism

June 27, 2007 - 4 comments

Hippies Continue to Take the Bad Rap in 2007

hippy adAt the Creative Bunker in NYC, we occasionally receive a bit of spam-enhanced snail mail that tickles our funny shins to a higher degree than Josh’s (frequently made-up on the spot) silly tales.

I'm not necessarily a long-term fan of the “Hippy” (though I would have likely been one back in the 60’s primarily because of my profound love of Patchouli and hopping about), but in this latest piece of poorly designed rubbish that came across my desk, the “Hippy” in question is not really a participant in the subgroup of the counterculture that began in the United States during the early 1960’s at all – but likely the owner of this delivery service wearing a Rastafari Crown with fake dreadlocks flashing a half-assed peace sign.

As a result, we will never use this delivery service, not based entirely on the fact that we appreciate good design as opposed to this nonsense, but because we don’t like seeing the “Hippy” getting any more attention for being a dumb-ass than the Gieco Cavemen or Potsie from Happy Days.

Just because you have a beard and a dream, and your Uncle Cleatus claims he can write some “bad-ass” copy doesn’t mean it’s a good idea. Stick that in your pipe and smoke it... Hippy Delivery Man.

Published by: davefletcher in The Internal Mechanism

May 28, 2007 - 2 comments

Another Reason for the Rich to Relish a Longer Layover

Anyone who flies inside what I’ve come to refer to as “mechanically–challenged, winged space parrots” – even semi-regularly – knows that the entire process of getting from “Point A” to “Point B” usually includes several points in-between and continues to devolve into a painfully demanding & hebetudinous operation. Whether getting to the airport only to experience the blitzkrieg of hundreds of hostile travelers trying to reach their destinations before anyone else; to the poorly designed automatic check-in kiosks; to worrying whether or not your regulation size bag will be squeezable into an undersized compartment above your head or forced below the plane because there simply are too many knuckleheads and not enough room. Worrying about whether or not you can bring a dollop of soap in a baggy, for fear that you'll be forcefully held at gunpoint by security guards and trained attack wolves, makes the overall trip a consistently wearisome panic attack waiting to happen.

Thankfully, much like an Advil, cheerfully delivered by an enchanting Koala bear, Qantas Airlines is showing the obscenely wealthy that those headaches are over.

While on layover in Sydney or Melbourne, you me and the rest of the weariest travelers can merely dream of relaxing in luxury, nestled within the new Marc Newson-designed Qantas First Class Lounges. Designed like the futuristic lair of The Jetsons or James Bond, these fantastically designed chill-out spaces sport individual marble-lined shower suites, Payot cosmetics and Kevin Murphy hair products, as well as a library stocked with best selling books, magazines, newspapers and board games – all free for the price of a first class ticket. There's also an "˜entertainment zone' with plasma TVs and Sony play stations. A trip from Melbourne to Budapest will knock you back a little more than $14,000. Once again, great design becomes limited to only the people who can afford it.

But, for even that price, they are quite breathtaking, and give the “filthiest of the rich” an experience they are, I'm quite certain, already very used to: facials, internet, marble showers and plausibly, off-duty attack wolves that apply and lick perfectly posh and pedicured feet with all of the skin moisturizer and lotions airport security confiscated from my suitcase at the security check.

Published by: davefletcher in The Design Mechanism, The Thinking Mechanism

May 23, 2007 - 2 comments

Google Buys Feedburner, Eyes Abaddon Next…

Google just purchased Feedburner 4 hours ago for a cool 100 Million. Word is that they've already been in talks with Satan about buying his hot place of suffering and torment for an undisclosed but much larger sum.

When reached for comment vacationing in Los Angeles with Dio and Charo, Ol’ Scratch crossed his hooves and hissed through his curiously well-groomed goatee, “I've been telling those cats over and over that I need my pad for the Rapture, but they’ve assured me that they’re just going to hold on to my bottomless pit of misery and hatred until I need it.”

Is the dot-com boom-boom primed for a “Second Coming,” or is Google just trying to show they have more money and time on their hands than The Almighty? Only time will tell...

Published by: davefletcher in The Programming Mechanism
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May 23, 2007 - Comments Off on Sue me, I win

Sue me, I win

According to this report from News of the World, Ann Summers (Google it...) has released a “naughty thing” for the iPod, called an iGasm. The interesting point here is that Apple isn't denouncing the device itself. They are threatening to sue over the ads. By the looks of the press, traffic (and most likely warm, hard cash) that Ann Summers is reaping from the immediate backlash, this iPod-toting Neanderthal wonders what type of message this sends to young designers for seeking originality in your final branding solutions.

Surely (if this becomes a successful product, which you know it will...), the debate goes on for stressing the power of originality in our fine profession vs. the incessant lust for controversy to create profitability in new product launches. If this sort of stress gets to you consider getting a natural stress relief supplement. Lawsuits are expensive, unpredictable and stressful. Unfortunately, sometimes they are unavoidable. Whether you were injured because of someone else's negligence, wrongfully terminated from your job, or need to enforce a contract, you may need to start a lawsuit to protect your rights.

Often the first clue you have that you're being sued is when you receive a summons. Many physicians describe their initial reaction as one of shock, disbelief or denial. Intense distress follows, including feelings of depression, anger and physical illness, and usually lasts about two weeks.

Sue me, I win? Perhaps, but definitely you might want to take in to consideration what you just learned.

Published by: davefletcher in The Thinking Mechanism

April 4, 2007 - Comments Off on The MechCast: 107

The MechCast: 107

Dave, Josh, Jeff and Tony chatter about recent projects, 30 Days 'til I'm Famous and celebrity racism. theMechanism also talks about bad design, using cute characters in design, celeb designers and more about Anna Nicole Smith.

Go and get our 7th delicious Episode

Published by: davefletcher in The Mechcast

March 8, 2007 - Comments Off on The MechCast: 106

The MechCast: 106

Dave, Josh, Jeff and Tony drone on endlessly about Jeffrey's first month, Anna Nicole Smith, the UK Space Program, NASA, adult diapers and the Grammys. theMechanism also tells The Police where to find us for their necessary new web design in our first podcast of 2007.

Go and get our 6th mighty Episode

Published by: davefletcher in The Mechcast