tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-375151042024-03-13T16:55:02.470+00:00{ design is a verb }"In design sometimes one plus one equals to three" (Josef Albers)Jay Duttahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14442586068392978329noreply@blogger.comBlogger34125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37515104.post-40528968014751697342009-07-10T12:12:00.000+00:002009-07-10T12:14:32.055+00:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.frederiksamuel.com/blog/images/wwf_paper.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 458px; height: 239px;" src="http://www.frederiksamuel.com/blog/images/wwf_paper.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Jay Duttahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14442586068392978329noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37515104.post-84864902120945802082009-07-07T09:05:00.004+00:002009-07-07T09:07:39.879+00:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://11.media.tumblr.com/vKIlTizARozqq65uo4w5y9H7o1_500.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 384px; height: 299px;" src="http://11.media.tumblr.com/vKIlTizARozqq65uo4w5y9H7o1_500.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Jay Duttahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14442586068392978329noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37515104.post-28405465407534322682009-05-15T11:53:00.007+00:002009-05-15T12:25:56.976+00:00<span style="font-size:180%;">Owning Effervescence</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.superbrands.com.au/images/logos/31.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 124px; height: 124px;" src="http://www.superbrands.com.au/images/logos/31.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>The Time Magazine labelled it "an indispensable rejuvenator to hard-working British colonials... a bitter, effervescent quinine water supposed to ward off malaria & malaise." I am of course referring to Schweppes, now commanding an extended portfolio of effervescent drinks from its classic Tonic to the new Cola. I have had a soft spot for its mark, rejuvenated in 2006-7 to take the 200+ year old brand to younger audiences. Its yellow brand flag exudes positivity and can't seem to contain the burst of energy, bubbles and positivity. Either way the brand seems to have made a healthy relationship with effervescence...<br /><br /><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/pRFfJJjLpqw&hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/pRFfJJjLpqw&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="344" width="425"></embed></object>Jay Duttahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14442586068392978329noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37515104.post-44391987466109030712009-05-14T09:44:00.008+00:002009-05-14T10:23:49.943+00:00<span style="font-size:180%;">Web 3.0</span><br /><br />Designed by OnLab, the 24-page interaction section of the Domus Magazine (March 09 issue) is a fold-out feat featuring two characters: Mr and Miss Web 2.0. The article, on the possiblities of Web 3.0, is marked by diagonal fold-outs (and ins) as well as uncomfortably force justified columns. The pages look elegantly foldable, but can be a holy mess or an engaging puzzle - indicative of the shape of things to come?<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.todayandtomorrow.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/intersections_1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 265px;" src="http://www.todayandtomorrow.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/intersections_1.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.todayandtomorrow.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/intersections_3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 669px;" src="http://www.todayandtomorrow.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/intersections_3.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Jay Duttahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14442586068392978329noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37515104.post-36784688090205875462009-05-12T07:32:00.000+00:002009-05-13T10:57:28.605+00:00<span style="font-size:180%;"><h>Now connected to Barrack</h></span><br /><br />Thanks to team Obama's enthusuastic embrace of the net and its new networking paradigms, just realised that I, and many others too, are just a couple of virtual handshakes or introductions away from the man at the helm of the US of A. I wonder how many of you would have actually searched for Obama on LinkedIn, I for one certainly didn't - pure serendipity.<br /><br />Post the online tryst with Barrack's profile I searched for our very own home grown politicians. My search for Rahul Gandhi, heir apparent to the Congress top job and likely future PM of India, brought up 225 results but none that seemed to match the person I was looking for. There were 116 Sonia Gandhis on LinkedIn, none of them the Congress President. Names like Manmohan Singh, LK Advani, Somanth Chatterjee, Priyanka Gandhi Vadera, Prakash and Brinda Karat threw up anything between 0 and 200+ matches. Maybe they are another election year (technically five years) away from getting closer to the people through social networks.<br /><br />Interestingly, Captain Gopinath and Krishna Byregowda, both 2009 contestants from Bangalore South Constituency for India's Lok Shabha or the House of Commons are on LinkedIn. Though further away from me in connection terms than Barrack.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwIGfLie7P9s9V8GTi0mj2eWqqmws6Q5zp6U-Q9ybf4Bc5epoh0lGICnrtYwlbwxKmSGOA7oo5jlAaSZrmsNyfzRrPY2h4f0aoVYBNPDGSqPaa4JoqjP3w_QXlmOlfIjK-rNglww/s1600-h/Barrack-and-Jay.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 217px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwIGfLie7P9s9V8GTi0mj2eWqqmws6Q5zp6U-Q9ybf4Bc5epoh0lGICnrtYwlbwxKmSGOA7oo5jlAaSZrmsNyfzRrPY2h4f0aoVYBNPDGSqPaa4JoqjP3w_QXlmOlfIjK-rNglww/s400/Barrack-and-Jay.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5335240652893581906" border="0" /></a>Jay Duttahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14442586068392978329noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37515104.post-24851377399149225442009-04-12T10:00:00.002+00:002009-05-13T10:49:58.158+00:00<span style="font-size:180%;">Share of Heart and Mind</span><br /><br />In April 2008, US Insurance giant <a href="http://www.libertymutual.com/">Liberty Mutual</a> unveiled its Responsibility Project. The multi-faceted project is based on a Television Commercial created in 2006. The tagline: 'Responsibility. Whats your policy?'<br /><br /><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/wMwoexR1evo&hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/wMwoexR1evo&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="344" width="425"></embed></object><br /><br />The popularity of the commerical inspired a series and then the community driven site that has short films, personal stories posted by its visitors, blogs, discussions, vote-in and the widgets to share it with the big wide world of social networks.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIyPV4YdkT1FXvQDE-VUkwjgDBvYSupEj-ZPHSHMFNU1_15UxuP9mtU6AclMKLSjDD1_VACksGq8TKdTWLJ1vfYhJBqJakQL7r2J-yKi8CHLAbO1zZMnKNxmVqVy0aWbunRxwG5w/s1600-h/ResponsibilityProj.png"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 231px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIyPV4YdkT1FXvQDE-VUkwjgDBvYSupEj-ZPHSHMFNU1_15UxuP9mtU6AclMKLSjDD1_VACksGq8TKdTWLJ1vfYhJBqJakQL7r2J-yKi8CHLAbO1zZMnKNxmVqVy0aWbunRxwG5w/s400/ResponsibilityProj.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5335258077235334194" border="0" /></a><br />According to Kathy McManus, editor of ResponsibilityProject.com: "I’ve seen the issue of responsibility debated and contested all over the world, by the powerful and powerless. Some ignore the topic with ease and others spend a lifetime pondering; however, everyone defines responsibility in their own way. The Responsibility Project gives everyone the opportunity to share their own experiences and expectations. By joining the conversation, we hope the online community’s members can test themselves, debate with others, get inspired and give inspiration.”<br /><br />The animation films as well as personal stories are debated, shared and discussed by the growing community of responsive registered visitors. In the recessionary times the brand positioning has struck a chord with the consumers at large. Whats more, in early 2009, Libery Mutual introduced a new campaign - a series of spots and films that traces the times of a fictional family, the Marlowes, as they go from <span style="font-style: italic;">"coping with recession to disciplining errant children" </span><span style="font-size:78%;">(NYT online, March 3, 09)</span><br /><br /><a href="http://www.responsibilityproject.com/">Responsibilityproject.com</a> will host all the campaign films apart from its regular content. A splendid initiative, though one cannot but wonder about role and the nature of 'strategic' altruism in helping people make choices. That anyway is another story for later...<br /><br /><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/dTqSQleU0Ms&hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/dTqSQleU0Ms&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="344" width="425"></embed></object>Jay Duttahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14442586068392978329noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37515104.post-34826621086400233212009-03-18T07:01:00.001+00:002009-05-15T10:05:34.865+00:00<span style="font-size:180%;">CS vs. MS</span><br /><br />Though Adobe CS (and Photoshop in particular) has inspired many a designer and designs on itself, one cannot but help smile at this clever little infographic (bottom) tracing the evolution of the designer. I for one have to grudgingly add Lotus Notes to my toolkit...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV2CMCBJvSIfak-Iik2ZtTvZiRpiH1unJE4r5HUwJMyUEXzgP7U0ooZNXM0oocmuxmBeP7mDl5gz_11joomQZj4dmb5uaDwtgxPY_G6p1Bn3HhXfQzYT66ryIDxNH9i9bZz8ltLw/s1600-h/photoshoptie.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV2CMCBJvSIfak-Iik2ZtTvZiRpiH1unJE4r5HUwJMyUEXzgP7U0ooZNXM0oocmuxmBeP7mDl5gz_11joomQZj4dmb5uaDwtgxPY_G6p1Bn3HhXfQzYT66ryIDxNH9i9bZz8ltLw/s400/photoshoptie.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5335263212012717522" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://img.ffffound.com/static-data/assets/6/6d659de2c94c6485430ed35bd2ae68fa34a9e29c_m.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 154px;" src="http://img.ffffound.com/static-data/assets/6/6d659de2c94c6485430ed35bd2ae68fa34a9e29c_m.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWY8FihR4M1NmsyKVmd03ekUPp2MdANkrt9MpKDZyqtkfCROpEpom_80-5HzwcNntr8joR9S18fB1FTMwiat-OLwilE2L99_Mkf_p3hZUPWsowKmN12jhpDBIMpv5Z_QinxVko8g/s1600-h/photoshop-box.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 250px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWY8FihR4M1NmsyKVmd03ekUPp2MdANkrt9MpKDZyqtkfCROpEpom_80-5HzwcNntr8joR9S18fB1FTMwiat-OLwilE2L99_Mkf_p3hZUPWsowKmN12jhpDBIMpv5Z_QinxVko8g/s400/photoshop-box.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5335263383655782818" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZpCKNATALZbyKJd_A1OczAcH-2YPlEyjDIpFvzNo9aSAecgBQA-jQAClqMv-0fbTJuTnvt4uSl32wiI89sQDbPIiA-E15XQms59WpTVEXEHjVaPGizi5mGDC96NKgQG7_3LnI6A/s1600-h/evolution_advertising.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 252px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZpCKNATALZbyKJd_A1OczAcH-2YPlEyjDIpFvzNo9aSAecgBQA-jQAClqMv-0fbTJuTnvt4uSl32wiI89sQDbPIiA-E15XQms59WpTVEXEHjVaPGizi5mGDC96NKgQG7_3LnI6A/s400/evolution_advertising.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5335262228994482786" border="0" /></a>Jay Duttahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14442586068392978329noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37515104.post-16151725379391884342009-02-19T08:57:00.000+00:002009-02-19T08:58:37.894+00:00<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/UUZzmi-iZa4&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/UUZzmi-iZa4&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Jay Duttahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14442586068392978329noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37515104.post-45436314271946727132009-01-23T09:56:00.006+00:002009-01-23T10:25:54.718+00:00<span style="font-size:180%;">A dashboard to the world</span><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /><br /><span style="font-size:100%;">If you loved watching the world go by from the confines of your verandah - then this site is for you. How much is fact and how much fiction, who knows and frankly it doesn't matter to me. What I find interesting is the take on 'here and now'—how it assumes a sense of urgency and immediacy. The forests being cut to the coffee cups being produced sounds alarming, though I am convinced this is just part of the story - the statistics is far more alarming. I can see an influence of Jonathan Harris' (far more rigorous) <a href="http://ifeelfine.org/">I Feel Fine</a> project and <a href="http://marumushi.com/apps/newsmap/newsmap.cfm">Newsmap</a>. </span></span><span style="font-size:100%;">Visit Sprint's site for the swirling dashboard and the widget (if you wish).</span><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /><br /></span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://now.sprint.com/widget"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 270px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5eOjBph4CFhs8h4PjLorakYQ3HCr6cqH_6xY0dcLzOAec5Pd7HqG-bykgtOhYPzs20iqhO612B6rQ48QfXEk4Kj2VfC7emCArEAFDqeQv_B3ggQMeZZ1Px5er5WPthcxoZT7r0A/s400/Picture+3.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5294428255418249218" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://now.sprint.com/widget"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 334px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlpq_1k-GbBeSv4ITl9KmuWzwsQBW-wn-iVh2SBzWPecP9zXJOwHDC6DbTpeq8M37Ss5Nt4U1PjTp1sPtOuH48yW4Nk997_JMC_2VzLE4YleKledz-OWCj-i3XCZ4YdaNDGe0GRA/s400/Picture+4.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5294428259423579474" border="0" /></a>Jay Duttahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14442586068392978329noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37515104.post-18942952677339682252009-01-08T13:11:00.009+00:002009-01-08T14:52:00.176+00:00<span style="font-size:180%;">A dozen Do-Nots</span><br /><br />The folks at <a href="http://www.rayandkeshavan.com/">R+K | The Brand Union</a> have designed an alternate calendar on the theme of (yes, you guessed it) how not to design a calendar. Here are a few of my favourites from the recommended 12 ways. In no particular order of preference or chronology. As a matter of fact, in the effort to make the calendar throughly non-functional, designers have deliberately left out months and days on some pages. Though most come with dates. If you want a signed, numbered limited edition digital copy, <a href="http://www.blogger.com/jdallcaps@gmail.com">email me</a> - though there would be a little cost - for printing, p&p.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht_89hfucoR-CzS8BXMKY8YzNQ9cn5SgrKd5CQi6zv8oDZeFesvz7pr4KdojyB7e1tg7abSzMynSh8NSqb7PrvEFsVzy4PfhdyXXamm3byBIue1naIozL2E92SMtTtAmPQy7Fi5A/s1600-h/0cover+page.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 213px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht_89hfucoR-CzS8BXMKY8YzNQ9cn5SgrKd5CQi6zv8oDZeFesvz7pr4KdojyB7e1tg7abSzMynSh8NSqb7PrvEFsVzy4PfhdyXXamm3byBIue1naIozL2E92SMtTtAmPQy7Fi5A/s320/0cover+page.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288923184769892306" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7QVmerK35m97RZZWi73GgHVqljboElzszbOBvB3t6eOeWSfvvi2Gf7aieki_AZs90wkn10XyClRsovtKKrFjTpF7EfWKmbcWVSrcyqcitHNDXZNWSXAnCQulzeiaA4BDwBkyQbw/s1600-h/1jan.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 213px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7QVmerK35m97RZZWi73GgHVqljboElzszbOBvB3t6eOeWSfvvi2Gf7aieki_AZs90wkn10XyClRsovtKKrFjTpF7EfWKmbcWVSrcyqcitHNDXZNWSXAnCQulzeiaA4BDwBkyQbw/s320/1jan.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288923744682266354" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqrEzrMQqTPLVeiJ9h9DGRh37lRPRX0UsfTU1imPbjTbbE3x6POpkivTDOrpaurdcEmwsnKTuz_VePaSMsNtuL5J_LTan7DDAnRyipmu8dPiLKNtxerOpOvfZ66pjP5e301kvOtw/s1600-h/11nov.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 213px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqrEzrMQqTPLVeiJ9h9DGRh37lRPRX0UsfTU1imPbjTbbE3x6POpkivTDOrpaurdcEmwsnKTuz_VePaSMsNtuL5J_LTan7DDAnRyipmu8dPiLKNtxerOpOvfZ66pjP5e301kvOtw/s320/11nov.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288923782188109970" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhldbvwaxeeYupgY0O6xrNh5YYfvCGvU6x_bTk_9pevcrZSlLGZbpunU5UYon0a-7YPYF0xP1v_E9G7mMHf_6RUaYdmQeqjn-C5kIUBgQ-tJ4AqeU1tmvB2v3Gk8OjwPRN43Wj70g/s1600-h/12dec.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 213px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhldbvwaxeeYupgY0O6xrNh5YYfvCGvU6x_bTk_9pevcrZSlLGZbpunU5UYon0a-7YPYF0xP1v_E9G7mMHf_6RUaYdmQeqjn-C5kIUBgQ-tJ4AqeU1tmvB2v3Gk8OjwPRN43Wj70g/s320/12dec.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288935576609781986" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL71G-dIBwsEq7wwrDYqI3GDl7j6LozlNmPakIlH9NxAL-3adDgdtvPuAQqGBQLICGcPGomD2KuNSY2Nbd5xbKmFDlyjfNYWwI3YLUu__kPmizYmC-EUcQgb0FTrFwzLbBoHmnIA/s1600-h/2feb.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 213px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL71G-dIBwsEq7wwrDYqI3GDl7j6LozlNmPakIlH9NxAL-3adDgdtvPuAQqGBQLICGcPGomD2KuNSY2Nbd5xbKmFDlyjfNYWwI3YLUu__kPmizYmC-EUcQgb0FTrFwzLbBoHmnIA/s320/2feb.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288923749436328050" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtq0gb5z2XYF41x91wPUpRNtfdKjZNbg94j8JQ6yybTqRp01kaV1smBb5_BiMwzCxs-h0I9yiBPnHKg2AoL-GNsKx2zFL-SI1yheF9VG4jocGIUVy2U4Mm1uuz7jREluRDQVdfCQ/s1600-h/4apr.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 213px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtq0gb5z2XYF41x91wPUpRNtfdKjZNbg94j8JQ6yybTqRp01kaV1smBb5_BiMwzCxs-h0I9yiBPnHKg2AoL-GNsKx2zFL-SI1yheF9VG4jocGIUVy2U4Mm1uuz7jREluRDQVdfCQ/s320/4apr.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288923750035404482" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkrXYor2X0CjSFadIHNeUESNbL-aqsa1dS_rpRdNxyM-aHbgAuK2FRiyvCWnPTDJ94jfRkDX3fDJCEjD44j7H9PJNLlILQvBaCbDWAuF7IOrZfbFe8rXDB9gR1Ih0kBIBpS1a-Lw/s1600-h/9sep.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 213px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkrXYor2X0CjSFadIHNeUESNbL-aqsa1dS_rpRdNxyM-aHbgAuK2FRiyvCWnPTDJ94jfRkDX3fDJCEjD44j7H9PJNLlILQvBaCbDWAuF7IOrZfbFe8rXDB9gR1Ih0kBIBpS1a-Lw/s320/9sep.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288923750386117858" border="0" /></a>Jay Duttahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14442586068392978329noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37515104.post-17368757458208110322009-01-05T13:06:00.001+00:002009-01-08T13:10:38.040+00:00<span style="font-size:180%;">New Year, New Calendar</span><br /><br />A new year. Time to change the calendar - not just the page...And as far as calendars go this one is one of the most innovative I have come across - in a longlong time. By UK based Mytton Williams Design Consultancy.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYNzJ5DMjYe8zRw79ef4CgmFk3KxszUb8b2BFbT4n1VqQObKXgDAP-Y2ryjM-3CgL-gW4C7fCLSL0vdfsBRA2-gwT-P2hLfJnmUbRaWLm1AwD5ftS9BejvxYdTZALSHBDQ-LUoxQ/s1600-h/caledar_2009_image_large.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 289px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYNzJ5DMjYe8zRw79ef4CgmFk3KxszUb8b2BFbT4n1VqQObKXgDAP-Y2ryjM-3CgL-gW4C7fCLSL0vdfsBRA2-gwT-P2hLfJnmUbRaWLm1AwD5ftS9BejvxYdTZALSHBDQ-LUoxQ/s400/caledar_2009_image_large.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288909212379239810" border="0" /></a>Jay Duttahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14442586068392978329noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37515104.post-50158449857194546292008-12-04T10:44:00.001+00:002008-12-04T10:51:03.268+00:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.swiss-miss.com/photos/uncategorized/2008/12/02/swatch927sw_image.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 430px; height: 430px;" src="http://www.swiss-miss.com/photos/uncategorized/2008/12/02/swatch927sw_image.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>...but not as if nothing happened!Jay Duttahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14442586068392978329noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37515104.post-58267214746063685872008-12-04T08:18:00.009+00:002008-12-04T12:11:03.582+00:00<span style="font-size:180%;">Social Sites, Laptops and Design Education</span><br /><br />A row of empty studios greeted me.<br /><br />It was as if the Christmas break had come early to my <span style="font-style: italic;">alma mater</span> - the National Institute of Design (NID). The rows of studios were buzz of activity when I was a student there some dozen years ago. The open studios partitioned by plywood sheets of around 4 feet would be home to many throughout the day and often late into night.<br /><br />Not any more, says Tarundeep Girdhar, my host and the co-ordinator of Graphic Design Studies at the NID. Remember the enlarger? A medieval device that would gobble us up as we entered its guts and tried to enlarge the drawings via a series of old-world reflections...<br /><br />The studio was the hub of all activity - a place where we would draw, sketch, colour, cut, argue, review, critique. This was a place where revered (or hated) seniors would pass by, look over the partitions and offer insights, feedback and criticism. As would visiting faculty and the full timers. The drawing teacher could comment on logo design and vice-a-versa.<br /><br />In the last week of November, I came to NID (after almost a decade) for the open juries - one of the evaluation method used to test students at the end of the semester. And by the end of day one, almost 9 hours of sitting through presentations - one thing was clear, there wasn't sufficient critiques happening on a weekly level. Context wasn't being clearly set for many of the theoretical briefs. Several student responses lacked the maturity or their very own perspectives that should reflect in the work of the particular year.<br /><br />On day 2, it became evidently clear that far too many students were spending far too much time sitting in their rooms, glued to laptop screens, their interaction mediated by mobiles or sites like facebook. No wonder the studios were sparse. The revered, hated or even apathetic senior were missing as were wide-eyed wonder struck juniors. I had a chat with a group of students later that night, well past their dinner time. Most of the group seemed to agree with my observation - they were spending far little time in the studios chatting, arguing (and drawing/cuting and pasting in the real world in real time) and most importantly learning from each other and their peers. My furniture designer friends would have a point of view on the poster. Over cups of chai we would agree, or agree to disagree - and each would leave a little more enlightened (or corrected).<br /><br />Real world interaction around a real printed or prototyped piece of work can not only help shape opinions and issues around the particular piece but also about design practice in a broader sense. Watching and participating in critiques is a surefire learning experience that stays well beyond the few hours that could be put in every week.<br /><br />As I left Ahmedabad the following morning early, I couldn't help but think of all those who shaped my opinion about design - through examples of delightfully good, sheer bad and utterly ugly work. My classmates, the seniors, the many visitors who passed through and commented on work, the juniors and of course my teachers.<br /><br />The challenge: how do we introduce the digitally connected generation to the real classroom and help them each find their own opinionated pathways through the richly layered world of design?<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIDswTj4XOSqQF571gMQvZyDdgXKdTl9EFtnu7ach1fMT1t-OpYaA7aO15-JvzftNLORQW8vz0lyyVM3j3j6sxXjh_eUeCdV4EjVKWTORgqiiCG6GK7HB_5Ijwv3QO8fKPpW0m9g/s1600-h/YashMishras-SocialNetworks.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 244px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIDswTj4XOSqQF571gMQvZyDdgXKdTl9EFtnu7ach1fMT1t-OpYaA7aO15-JvzftNLORQW8vz0lyyVM3j3j6sxXjh_eUeCdV4EjVKWTORgqiiCG6GK7HB_5Ijwv3QO8fKPpW0m9g/s400/YashMishras-SocialNetworks.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5275890375556688066" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >Above: Student Yash Misra's visualisation of his social networks is a fascinating study into the multiple platforms via which students interact at NID.</span>Jay Duttahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14442586068392978329noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37515104.post-65907180670575678372008-12-01T10:43:00.001+00:002008-12-02T10:49:58.481+00:00<span style="font-size:180%;">Every end is a beginning... </span><br /><br />What better way to restart the blog then begin with the end. Not just 'the end' but multiple ends. A selection from Dill Pixels' <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/djll/sets/72157608369709836/">magnificent collection</a>...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij2iVTT4w2FAzZ4Ahi28Hc76vYWopIx8g4qUsiSJDUdsopQIaUjr-tOQNLJpuLesHUt-jffFUZ0ppX0AJT_ak3in_AxopUug7pAa6nTY31xV2AeLSMdux0vUKFHEDyphORdjECcw/s1600-h/JD-EndTitles2.png"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij2iVTT4w2FAzZ4Ahi28Hc76vYWopIx8g4qUsiSJDUdsopQIaUjr-tOQNLJpuLesHUt-jffFUZ0ppX0AJT_ak3in_AxopUug7pAa6nTY31xV2AeLSMdux0vUKFHEDyphORdjECcw/s400/JD-EndTitles2.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5275142427233125314" border="0" /></a>Jay Duttahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14442586068392978329noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37515104.post-27014113700562425862008-07-21T08:18:00.002+00:002008-07-21T08:21:16.695+00:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQVsP5DkfL5GDqX6RYrBd41K5ySjQe2bhgDnAFxAoSoHLQZZ4QSiFHnwUDEBypzzrqOvUy4z4day2AM_qG9XQAiwUIRpWPf_kYQQwRkDv8p7S0EtL_FJycp3q9nhpv9CmnVrsBFA/s1600-h/chocoscrabble.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQVsP5DkfL5GDqX6RYrBd41K5ySjQe2bhgDnAFxAoSoHLQZZ4QSiFHnwUDEBypzzrqOvUy4z4day2AM_qG9XQAiwUIRpWPf_kYQQwRkDv8p7S0EtL_FJycp3q9nhpv9CmnVrsBFA/s400/chocoscrabble.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5225379004813284034" border="0" /></a><br />I am not sure who will enjoy this one more - chocoholics or scrabble lovers. Either way looks like the game won't last for too long.Jay Duttahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14442586068392978329noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37515104.post-10479709610120226672008-07-18T10:13:00.002+00:002008-07-18T10:27:44.944+00:00<span style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153);font-size:180%;" >The Brand Creature</span><br /><br />Brand consultants are famous for asking those bog standard questions that define brand personality: If your brand was a watch...what would it be? Or What car would it be? Or if it were an animal what would it be? Designer Corey Holmes' taxonomy turns the question on its head....absolutely fab...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.coreyholms.com/portfolio/18/nature.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px;" src="http://www.coreyholms.com/portfolio/18/nature.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Jay Duttahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14442586068392978329noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37515104.post-2395662711037741812008-07-03T18:10:00.004+00:002008-07-04T04:55:36.120+00:00<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">Banking on listening to your customers</span></span><br /><br />A recent letter seems to be doing the rounds on the internet - its author is allegedly a 96 year old unhappy soul, who, despite her age, seems to be as sharp as Edward Deming crossed with your earnest engineering grad. And with a great sense of humor. The reason for the letter is: "<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">to thank you (the Bank Manager) for bouncing my check with which I endeavored to pay my plumber with last month. By my calculations, three nanoseconds must have elapsed between his presenting the check and the arrival in my account of the funds needed to honor it.</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">I refer, of course, to the automatic monthly deposit of my entire salary, an arrangement which, I admit, has been in place for only eight years. You are to be commended for seizing that brief window of opportunity, and also for debiting my account $30 by way of penalty for the inconvenience caused to your bank." </span>And the solution is ingenious:<br /><div><br /><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">"In due course, I will issue your (Bank's) employee with a PIN number which he/she must quote in dealings with me. I regret that it cann ot be shorter than 28 digits but, again, I have modeled it on the number of button presses required of me to access my account balance on your phone bank service. As they say, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Let me level the playing field even further. When you call me, press buttons as follows:<br />1. To make an appointment to see me<br />2. To query a missing payment.<br />3. To transfer the call to my living room in case I am there.<br />4. To transfer the call to my bedroom in case I am sleeping.<br />5. To transfer the call to my toilet in case I am attending to nature.<br />6. To transfer the call to my mobile phone if I am not at home<br />7. To leave a message on my computer, a password to access my computer is required. Password will be communicated to you at a later date to the Authorized Contact.<br />8. To return to the main menu and to listen to options 1 through 7.<br />9. To make a general complaint or inquiry. The contact will then be put on hold, pending the attention of my automated answering service. While this may, on occasion, involve a lengthy wait, uplifting music will play for the duration of the call."</span> <a href="http://justlearningman.wordpress.com/2007/05/02/how-to-write-a-nasty-letter-98-year-old-woman-allegedly-wrote-this-to-her-bank-allegedly-the/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">Click here</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);"> to read the complete letter.</span><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Obviously it isn't real (I mean the 96 year old woman story) - it was written by a Peter Wear a columnist for Brisbane's Courier Mail and inspired by an incident of his cheque bouncing. This was 1999 but <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">many brands and businesses even today fail to answer the simple core question: "who do we exist for?" </span>IBM of course has a brilliant campaign that drives home the point, less eloquently than Mr Wear, but spot-on nonetheless...</div><div><br /></div></div></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www-306.ibm.com/software/eg/banking-ondemand-business/img/activities.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px;" src="http://www-306.ibm.com/software/eg/banking-ondemand-business/img/activities.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>Jay Duttahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14442586068392978329noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37515104.post-58011288742453851162008-07-03T09:14:00.004+00:002008-07-03T09:32:38.580+00:00<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">There is more to Bangalore</span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">than just IT</span></span><br /><br />In its June 28th edition, The Bangalore Mirror lists 10 interesting organisations that the city is know for other than the usual big IT names that its famous for like Wipro, Infosys, TCS, HP, IBM et al. The list features US Pizza, The Himalaya Drug Co., Avesthagen, Cafe Coffee Day and <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.rayandkeshavan.com">Ray+Keshavan</a></span>.</div>Jay Duttahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14442586068392978329noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37515104.post-54859900838869827772008-07-02T10:35:00.012+00:002008-07-03T05:09:22.261+00:00<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-large;">The journey of the BIAL brand mark</span></span><div><br /></div><div>Looking through my collection of hard-to-decipher file names, I came across this interesting little travelogue (below) - albeit in a visual form. The journey of the BIAL mark - from a sketch on the back of an envelope to a recognised marque. A good companion to my earlier rambling on the BIAL identity—therefore this post.</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYLHUPknTiZiW8sU5uYXpiBT9usYW1bWA7zYhUC0xsuylCertBIlszkLrevLpFVfDThcpbVMExudTeyBow8PEYiYhi47_qa2T9VXDwKZBPZ9xxrMZFVPmWrV3ecBoWMqmIXEkzuA/s1600-h/Bial-brand-journey-jay.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYLHUPknTiZiW8sU5uYXpiBT9usYW1bWA7zYhUC0xsuylCertBIlszkLrevLpFVfDThcpbVMExudTeyBow8PEYiYhi47_qa2T9VXDwKZBPZ9xxrMZFVPmWrV3ecBoWMqmIXEkzuA/s400/Bial-brand-journey-jay.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5218423542459727490" /></a></div><div>Most journeys for a brand creation or transformation are often seen one fine morning in the local newspaper or on blogs frequented by brandistas like me and my colleagues, or on one those hate-forums of designers that feel that they could have added far more worth and value.</div><div><br /></div><div>After all design and branding are a profession that are subject to extremes of subjectivism and open to criticism of the n-th degree. The objectivity that one can bring to the subject is the context (which in case of this particular logo was centred around an airport for the city of bangalore); production issues/constraints and long term strategic intent (in this case BIA wanted to get connect better with the city - else they already had a logo). Most skirt around the third issue conveniently - but it is often the most critical trigger for a brand change. BIA ceo Albert Brunner and his team took a strategic decision of opting for a fresh new mark instead of the corporate mark (with multiple arrows) which had no geographical connect. </div><div><br /></div><div>As the little road map above shows - many objective decisions shaped the final identity, as did several subjective opinions too. Several worth logos made it to the quarter-finals and sem-finals. Some dropped due to subjective preferences and many due to a lack of fit with strategic intent. My European biased colour palette was finally injected with a riot of tropical hues by my many wonderful colleagues, the dots were dropped, the type became stronger, the forms became sharper - perfectly fit for production, legibility and readability. The pleasing part was the partnership that was forged between the client, stakeholders and consultant teams to define what was right and relevant for the airport brand - not was was 'good' or what 'I like' or what 'my son or grandchild loves'.<br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCzTu99ECWeP3Q-_SkXksKbUsNup2iqw7y4jL6VULXxAQLoMYxABHqfNlOohy5pclYfXYuqnnHgJzjhfthBPOzfr3TKCIwSrPc_eXviFLHtjJm9obBMmRCuTotjJJe42KQfb4Jjw/s1600-h/bial-posters-alt-jay.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCzTu99ECWeP3Q-_SkXksKbUsNup2iqw7y4jL6VULXxAQLoMYxABHqfNlOohy5pclYfXYuqnnHgJzjhfthBPOzfr3TKCIwSrPc_eXviFLHtjJm9obBMmRCuTotjJJe42KQfb4Jjw/s400/bial-posters-alt-jay.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5218650322987261490" /></a><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">Jay Duttahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14442586068392978329noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37515104.post-89129342024953696032008-04-16T09:25:00.000+00:002008-07-02T10:28:27.671+00:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9uMyAWcwIXekatScJQ1nLZk1FfQ-Iv7nTsmIssTIBO7zH5tv2m402HN2fqr8ceGp0aMLLWNVjnOH5VvyYBj8yRj4GDO2dFF1pLihdI8pvisWvrAUXdAp5jmgecQHlGhi-zAorZQ/s1600-h/Jay-Bial-glass.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9uMyAWcwIXekatScJQ1nLZk1FfQ-Iv7nTsmIssTIBO7zH5tv2m402HN2fqr8ceGp0aMLLWNVjnOH5VvyYBj8yRj4GDO2dFF1pLihdI8pvisWvrAUXdAp5jmgecQHlGhi-zAorZQ/s400/Jay-Bial-glass.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5218345709697353474" /></a> <span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);font-size:180%;" >A Brand New Airport</span><br /><br />While I was still deliberating joining R+K, Sujata Keshavan (R+K | Brand Union MD) mentioned to me that we might be doing the Bangalore International Airport Identity. It was a fantastic piece of news I thought - after all you don't get to do an Airport identity every other day. Its a once in a career opportunity - or as it was to prove with my first year at The Brand Union - twice in a year one. My first interaction with the Bangalore Airport (the old one along Airpot Road en route to Whitefield) was a complete disappointment. It was a chaotic, overcrowded terminal - the outside was no more reassuring - neither was the traffic on the arterial roads. My memories of Bangalore were of a city in the ago when the Airport was pretty much on the outer fringes. Over a period of time as I began to accept the city as it was - I began to find other facets. The flowers on my windscreen, a number of roads where the trees criss-crossed and hid the skies, the changing colours in the misdt of greens - bright orange, flaming reds, soft lilacs, pinks and whites.<br /><br />We had already started the work on the Airport logo by then, emphasizing that the identity must connect the airort to the city, just as the airport would connect the city to the world outside. A number of routes were explored, hundreds of sketches revised, redrawn and reviewed. The crossroads of in our approach ws at the juncture of the old and the new. Should we look at a youthful, vibrant Bangalore - India's Silicon Valley or the timeless city of mild weather and gardens?<br /><br />We opted for the latter, supported by the views of Bangaloreans both young and old, the ones that would frequent the new Airport and the ones who would possibly watch from a distance, until someday they to were passengers. Our choice was ratified by a number of articles in media (around end of 2007), questioning the good that sudden implantation of western MNCs had bought to cities like Bangalore - questioning if all citizens of the new Silicon Valley were indeed happy on the newly acquired status. The answer, the articles suggested, were a clear negation.<br /><br />The Garden city route was the preferred one, after all Bangalore was better known for its various parks and gardens (and lakes or kere) than its monuments (some of them fairly recent in comparison to its Parks). The current logo, in different hues, made it to the shortlist. And then to the next round and the one after. My colleagues changed the colours, refined the forms and redefined the transparency. The clients voted overwhelmingly for this option (they could have retained an existing marque but didn't). It was a journey of over 7 months, a journey marked by learning and discovery - of losing and finidng a city that many of us now call home.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs-0HZOYSGVd7DP7Nfn6-6sm64Zq_roeK4nCwkieG9WXwVyVHQpva-97y_h1XwE6pRDfdk-XikFk1PjXP-XaJcfS1U0DkaJdm4bYNLBuBcNcjZqeLdzcPnLhJnKBkZPit9F8M3aw/s1600-h/Jay-Bial-posters-all3.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs-0HZOYSGVd7DP7Nfn6-6sm64Zq_roeK4nCwkieG9WXwVyVHQpva-97y_h1XwE6pRDfdk-XikFk1PjXP-XaJcfS1U0DkaJdm4bYNLBuBcNcjZqeLdzcPnLhJnKBkZPit9F8M3aw/s400/Jay-Bial-posters-all3.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5218347047565022850" /></a>The graceful, soft forms hints at the act of air travel - of converging and again of flying outwards. The colours are vibrant, the overlap emphasizes the rich tapestry that is a multi-cultural cosmopolitan city such as Bangalore. The colours of the logo are meant reflect the natural environs - the bright hues of the flowers, the softer teal green that represents both water and greens - leaves and grass. The symbol hovers above the typography like a hummingbird in perfect balance. The decision to put in the words Bengaluru instead of Bangalore was in a sense, to pay tribute to its founding fathers - to uncover its roots and be proud of it, whilst being contemporary, responsive and modern in every other aspect. The abridged BLR still holds as good.<br /><br />Seen against a number of Airport logos that with the city-connect the Bangalore Airport logo is fresh and distinctive - its colours typically Indian - a free, festive spirit, reflecting the spirit of Bangalore.Jay Duttahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14442586068392978329noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37515104.post-38338605447768304042008-01-17T18:26:00.000+00:002008-01-29T16:06:12.757+00:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5zRQ9Iy65Az5z7uKdd3_l-pDKhE1Hlzilg-uf-p1iyoTomJUBBqGKSa-y0WzH0FqxQ1f-d_zmA7O2_c0jub3x6kd6YKTC8D0Xawst56PXYYqKbZNOfGs8aAqIQm3SMPpviOZyJw/s1600-h/WIFPOSTER4.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5zRQ9Iy65Az5z7uKdd3_l-pDKhE1Hlzilg-uf-p1iyoTomJUBBqGKSa-y0WzH0FqxQ1f-d_zmA7O2_c0jub3x6kd6YKTC8D0Xawst56PXYYqKbZNOfGs8aAqIQm3SMPpviOZyJw/s400/WIFPOSTER4.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5160929380974526066" /></a><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">New year, new event...</span></div><div> </div><div><br /></div><div>Its been close to a year since I last wrote on Blogspot. My last post stands roughly 12 days away from the 365 that make up a year. And what a year it has been. The move from Manchester to Bangalore via so many accidents, incidents, worries and apprehensions, triumphs and adjustments. Its been a year of great and drastic change - some for the better, some for the worse. So what made me revisit blogspot and write again?<div><br /></div><div>I am wondering - is it because tomorrow we launch the first Indian preselections for the Webdesign International Festival 08. The posters have been done, the T-shirts are being printed, the invitations sent out - not the ones for the press. We have decided to hold them back - it may have meant a bit of chaos once the brief was read out and the teams scrambled for ideas and action.</div><div><br /></div><div>The posters were addictive - after a long time I sat down and did something that I couldn't move away from. No client constraints, no brand guidelines. Time was running out as usual - but in someways it froze as I worked across the type, the leading and kerning - the images, the lines. It was a fluid, quick series of motions transforming a blank canvas into a live piece of work. I am sure Pooja enjoyed working on her posters as much as I did. Tomorrow comes the big day, and Aude and the 12 teams. More then.</div><div> </div></div>Jay Duttahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14442586068392978329noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37515104.post-8871017432704467522007-02-01T07:52:00.000+00:002007-02-19T15:45:24.837+00:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPtChZLXlWtM7dnfrNqlUugRcWAiX5hk-38zWecjyozETqUoFOFQcjFBonhDDqqG3alnNUOKxO6dFVtCam2LtZyiev-n3_W8RAK93dON1hCDd3kbZ1cxSSqwdxrd3O0ikuNtEgAQ/s1600-h/typenavigator.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPtChZLXlWtM7dnfrNqlUugRcWAiX5hk-38zWecjyozETqUoFOFQcjFBonhDDqqG3alnNUOKxO6dFVtCam2LtZyiev-n3_W8RAK93dON1hCDd3kbZ1cxSSqwdxrd3O0ikuNtEgAQ/s200/typenavigator.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5026597725918249570" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);font-size:180%;" >Typecast?</span><br /><br />Have you been out font-shopping recently? I must admit I haven't been.<br /><br />Its not the fear of the overcrowded shelves or the shopfloor, or even the delay at the checkouts. Or spending too much time at your favourite shelf - of sans serifs or those block egyptiennes. Its just that time- slips out of our hands like fine white sands.<br /><br />But grab a moment and have a look at <a href="http://www.fontshop.com/">Font Shop</a> - a great resource, and almost after a year or maybe more, the site looks fresh, relevant and unobtrusive.<br /><br />The new fonts (typefaces if you will, please) and the most popular fonts are great for the designer 'on the run' - a quick check on where fonts are headed for in a post-Brody, post-Carson, post-post-modernist era. The best feature, though, has to be the type navigator. I have often asked my friends in the past to help me recall a name - trying to draw or detail typefaces in the process. Its a bit like a Pictionary with types - just that in this particular instance even you yourself can't recall the name. And likewise, we have all struggled to put a name to the face or a face to the name. But the the type navigator is a great help in sticky situations like these - it is an intuitive way and promises a few happy accidents on the way.<br /><br />Choose by form, font or designer - though it has to be the form search option that is appealing to the typographer in us all. The form gives a number of choices - in terms of weight, width, serifs or sans, angle, axis - and voila - at the end of it comes a list of your fonts. Some completely off from what you imagined it to be - but worth a go. I suppose its far more exciting out seeing and shopping for fonts rather than read my essays, jump to <a href="http://typenav.fontshop.com/">the type navigator. </a>Jay Duttahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14442586068392978329noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37515104.post-32449982660044772602007-01-16T18:41:00.000+00:002007-01-18T22:27:20.203+00:00<span style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153);font-size:180%;" >Remember Segregation?</span><br /><br />Few websites can claim to have the brevity of a Google's home page - Google's minimalism is packed with performance and high on the popularity list. The <a href="http://www.remembersegregation.org/">Remember Segregation</a> home page beats Google's minimalism - it's home page is home to merely four words - and yet the idea is effective, powerful and potent:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkSa9yZXZIlN9AeQQYvIKRmYO76M-ZVx0dduoD1B2yik6BagTirL1Lfli9vmji2Zg_yx44YJXZ8bicwMziehgch21fmZAOHHI5JLGpQWGgndLHLVopzQCKN0fJoVycXc2wqSLvgA/s1600-h/segregation1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkSa9yZXZIlN9AeQQYvIKRmYO76M-ZVx0dduoD1B2yik6BagTirL1Lfli9vmji2Zg_yx44YJXZ8bicwMziehgch21fmZAOHHI5JLGpQWGgndLHLVopzQCKN0fJoVycXc2wqSLvgA/s400/segregation1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5021037836230957154" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br />Remember Segregation remembers the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. and other illustrous figures from all walks of life who fought to make segregation history — in the US. The textured background, the grayscale images, the Grotesk and serif typefaces - all contribute to give it the look of archived material but not exactly dated. After all segregation didn't exactly end centuries ago.<br /><br />I remember an Advert from my student days that eloquently put events into historical perspective. The full page advert (I can't remember who designed/wrote it) had the image of Neil Amstrong stepping out into the Lunar landscape - the headline below read: "<span style="font-weight: bold;">And a year later black Americans could vote</span>".<br /><br />The "Remember...' site itself has this sense of serenity - of peaceful 'reconciliation' a term I found being generously used in South Africa - a coming to terms with the past and of moving on.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEVsBV0l_Z4mL2uk2Zl21vtcsav-n3Fca6KWOAcEXA0zbxWlERiLK5xC9bIp2MfJJ6NKVLokHn6LwvrEhlKM_hPygLNmH6eqCwYc-poNI3w18R52cSZ12JUueiAl_pqtztVVmnJw/s1600-h/0321344758.02._AA240_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEVsBV0l_Z4mL2uk2Zl21vtcsav-n3Fca6KWOAcEXA0zbxWlERiLK5xC9bIp2MfJJ6NKVLokHn6LwvrEhlKM_hPygLNmH6eqCwYc-poNI3w18R52cSZ12JUueiAl_pqtztVVmnJw/s200/0321344758.02._AA240_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5021158421732759682" border="0" /></a>You may not notice the lack of colour on the site - the shades of black interplay with the tones of white - a hint of sepia in the gallery and the warm grey of the background. The minimal palette does aid a minimal but effective menu system, clearly laid out and demarcated by 3 horizontal lines.<br /><br />I am reminded of Steve Krug (I had the good fortune of working in the same organisation as him) and his wonderful book - <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dont-Make-Me-Think-Usability/dp/0321344758/sr=8-1/qid=1169078183/ref=pd_ka_1/026-9249525-0941240?ie=UTF8&s=books">Don't Make Me Think</a>. For those who haven't laid their eyes on the inside pages yet - the book simply demonstrates how clear and highly usable sites can be built with a big dose of commonsense and an simpler principle - let not thy visitor fret or fume or try and make sense of what the site is or where to go and how. In line with Krug's advice, the RS site is clear and it is highly unlikely that you will struggle with the navigational basics.<br /><br />Although, site may be visually quiet - almost mild mannered and softly spoken - but its message is powerful. It is the that content makes you think. Spelled out loud and clear, lingering on long after you have closed your browser window.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3hQ5XpctUexYweBR-6eVe8kcxsv6W2l6QBxFK0FlUqWoppr8vAfZTdoag_sawpyhCQfDRwUD7QMR9b7Jr5QCeUvippaU3lWlERCOPeVBxzdHFXtBydTdD2JZbE6Cntd4iz7YfuQ/s1600-h/segregation2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3hQ5XpctUexYweBR-6eVe8kcxsv6W2l6QBxFK0FlUqWoppr8vAfZTdoag_sawpyhCQfDRwUD7QMR9b7Jr5QCeUvippaU3lWlERCOPeVBxzdHFXtBydTdD2JZbE6Cntd4iz7YfuQ/s400/segregation2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5021038390281738354" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(153, 153, 153);font-size:85%;" ><br />As I write this - in one part of the world Martin Luther King Jr's birthday is being celebrated while in another part, over 20,000 complaints are pouring in on alleged racial discrimination/abuse on a (popular) reality TV show.</span>Jay Duttahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14442586068392978329noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37515104.post-9327290239619653242007-01-07T00:48:00.000+00:002007-01-07T01:14:00.156+00:00<span style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153);font-size:180%;" >Enlightening inspirations</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJRYh6S5sLrISbBGRaUFAtaBiiYD2ElG5gxMvduuHz9C69wc6MoQIoLwwY5exOPNRW8PGJ0MG7eG63dZkMi3URms7Qte99bJqmSRBcEedGk5xaRtKpjWnfE6oC9X-OQMCcGoqJ-w/s1600-h/ikea-lamp.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJRYh6S5sLrISbBGRaUFAtaBiiYD2ElG5gxMvduuHz9C69wc6MoQIoLwwY5exOPNRW8PGJ0MG7eG63dZkMi3URms7Qte99bJqmSRBcEedGk5xaRtKpjWnfE6oC9X-OQMCcGoqJ-w/s400/ikea-lamp.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5017090096332495090" border="0" /></a>Ikea has a series of inspirators (I have borrowed the word from expedia) online. These are part guide, part illustrations of its product range and part carrot - the idea being to indulge in a little more Ikea stuff (of any sort). My favourites are the lighting guides. Or to be more specific its the the inspirator entitled <a href="http://www.ikea.com/ms/en_GB/furnish_with_light/fwl_start/index.html">Furnish with Light</a> (aka Light Up Your Light). The use of Flash gives a very relevant edge to the guide (an equally eloquent print version is virtually impossible) while being quite playful and charming. And there are opportunites to up-sell and cross-sell other products.<br /><br />Unfortunately its other inspirators (on <a href="http://www.ikea.com/ms/en_GB/rooms_ideas/roomsettings_camp/bedroom.html">storage</a>, <a href="http://www.ikea.com/ms/en_GB/rooms_ideas/bedroommoods_start/index.html">on bedroom moods</a> through colour, texture etc) fail toprove their leading edge via the online media. Some of there could have looked equally good, and done the job as well, in print. However, my key complaint is the slightly unplanned way in which these can be accessed - a little flashing (not animated) light bulb shows the way to different inspirators scattered around different pages on different country sites. Some countries, unfortunately dont have these on their site. Then the Ikea site (or rather the landing page of the individual stores) itself looks like it could do with a spring clean - a case of information overload. Or redefine its own storage (or layout) logic wrt these inspirators.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0p0VHP6jv50DIsUoUdEpu8JSlbLWcBR3DIbfnpk39QWqV_MKu987F3_uJLg51DEZ2Rvrk7Md8fXXzn6_T8Niot8xzP8TlT1zBKMcsaMnamU0hcu0vmUeejq279VgyyLjagLZGLA/s1600-h/ikea-lamps.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0p0VHP6jv50DIsUoUdEpu8JSlbLWcBR3DIbfnpk39QWqV_MKu987F3_uJLg51DEZ2Rvrk7Md8fXXzn6_T8Niot8xzP8TlT1zBKMcsaMnamU0hcu0vmUeejq279VgyyLjagLZGLA/s400/ikea-lamps.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5017090354030532866" border="0" /></a>Anyway, have a wander and go at switching lights on and off. And while you are looking at the lights you might fancy buying that picture, the vase or even that sofa.Jay Duttahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14442586068392978329noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37515104.post-41657991223728768242007-01-01T00:40:00.000+00:002007-01-07T00:47:29.582+00:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb_qcG5jTmOg6rFV24wYoPskgoxVu0odOCCAs9YTb8sU8df6deiJSts6nTXo_bAY9kx7Gg3Ftl7yayMUslTDXhLTgwzogpE_lyivoCiVGA_oUnK9gVa1T37ryf8YqQ73joy6zUdA/s1600-h/happyholidays.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb_qcG5jTmOg6rFV24wYoPskgoxVu0odOCCAs9YTb8sU8df6deiJSts6nTXo_bAY9kx7Gg3Ftl7yayMUslTDXhLTgwzogpE_lyivoCiVGA_oUnK9gVa1T37ryf8YqQ73joy6zUdA/s400/happyholidays.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5017082782003189986" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153);font-size:180%;" >A Brand New Year</span><br /><br />The start of another year - time for optimism - time to remember all those positive promises, those brilliant, marvellous, shinning list of things-to-do - hope you manage to tick off a big number off that list - and a happy and healthy 2007 full of great moments...<br /><br />See you online, this weekend.<br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153);"><br />PS: All the good folks at </span><a style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153);" href="http://www.ideasfoundry.com">ideasfoundry</a> join me in wishing you a great year ahead!Jay Duttahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14442586068392978329noreply@blogger.com0