Students completing degrees in creative subjects could be forgiven for feeling pessimistic about their chances of getting a job straight away, particularly as most are expected to undertake work placements for very little or no money, just to obtain the experience they need to get an actual job.

So why aren’t universities teaching the skills that students need to get a job straight away? Most people who have worked for several years in the design industry will say that they didn’t really learn anything at university and that the education really began when they were thrown in at the industry deep-end. I don’t think this is strictly true.

At university you will be taught how to approach problems and how to think as a designer. You will then be given three years of creative freedom to create all manner of things, using a variety of mediums. During this time you’ll likely be given opportunities to learn various software, but mostly you will muddle through and get yourself to a workable stage in the relevant programmes.

When you start working, you realise that what you knew might not be particularly relevant or efficient in the ‘real world’ and you quickly learn on the job (and from your new colleagues who hopefully have the time to impart their advice), thus creating the foundations of your skillset. What you have to remember is that this skillset will back up the creativity and thinking that you learned at university, and it simply isn’t possible to have one without the other.

Just before the UK headed into (yet another) bank holiday weekend, changes to the EU online privacy law came into effect – the law that applies to how website owners can use cookies to store user information.

From 26 May website owners now need to gain ‘explicit’ consent from their users before they allow cookies to be downloaded and used, the only exception been ‘essential’ cookies such as those used on e-commerce sites and where users choose to stay logged into online services.

While the law will not be enforced for another year, failure to take any action before 26 May 2012 will result in a fine of up to £500,000 in the UK.

The ICO (Information Commissioner’s Office) hopes the new regulations will lead to greater control over personal data but the upshot will undoubtedly be an outbreak in pop-up warnings and messages. The Radio Times website is the first I’ve seen to do this.

Although pop-ups certainly detract from the user experience, I suspect they’re simplicity will see them widely used as site owners decide on the best course of action. It will be interesting to see how the major players handle this new legislation and how users come to terms with the potential confusion of visiting UK and non-UK websites.

Chances are, browser developers will push their cookie management preferences to the front more and build in ‘defaults’ we can check and forget about (over and above what’s possible now) but until then, I’ll leave the following advice for users and site owners alike:

• First, look at cookie
• Now, identify the cookie
• Then, smell cookie
• Finally, eat the cookie… Om nom nom nom!

Photo credit: Flickr user neil conway

We live in a society that is dominated by rank and accreditation; every industry seems happy to be judged and critiqued by the ‘leaders’ and ‘experts’ within that profession. The design and advertising industry is no exception – there are countless awards and competitions to be entered, and hundreds of ‘top 10′ lists to strive to be part of.

But does it really mean anything?  Okay, so a nod from fellow piers is always appreciated, and followed generally by a little bit of self-smugness; but it gets a bit counter-productive when people start producing work that is geared towards winning those awards and hitting that all-important top 10. The focus on reaching the right solution to a brief suddenly becomes a little unclear – all because of competitiveness to be ‘the best’.

So does it stem from a society-wide insecurity and the need to have a pat on the back every now and then? Or is it just ambition – which can sometimes be mistaken as ‘greed’?

Photo credit: Flickr user terren

The title being ‘iPhone chips away at RIM dominance‘ eludes to the platform being at the core of the debate, and probably the biggest barrier to the business case (in reality). This was one of the first instances I’ve seen where Apple actually eclipsed all the hype and for me showed that market gravitas and pure hardcore usefulness, coupled with intuitive design-led R&D, have forced a corporate to break the rules based on Apple delivering the brand promise (as we call it). I know it’s a small blip in the market, and everyone (outside of business and finance) has been using iPhones for years, but the line “… also based on them being seen as a useful business tool…” embodies the technological step-change we are witnessing. This article form IT Business Edge goes into it in more depth: RIM vs. Apple: Should Cisco Buy RIM?

With this tiny bit of news in a mainstream UK financial paper, it really proves that even once ‘too-cool-for-school’ technology applications of existing media channels, with enough contributing cerebral input, can turn industries around and make it into the mainstream. Blackberry must be quaking in their boots (but I have to say that looking at the 20-plus Apple devices in my office this comment may have a slightly bias slant).

So, we should probably raise a glass to the Standard Chartered IT team who have boldly put their head above the banking PR parapet and announced such a revolution. This move may open the flood gates as I would expect a large proportion would have both devices running (iPhone for personal/ Blackberry for work), and probably left feeling underwhelmed when they have to use their preferred alternative – which ever that may be? I could make a guess…

As with all technological adoption cycles, the iPhone seems to be following the same path, but will we be referring to all hand held web-enabled smart phones as ‘iPhones’ regardless of manufacturer in the future? Maybe? Who knows…

Just a few desks remain available in our smart, professional studio space in SE1. Would suit small businesses or sole trader who is looking for a modern, central London location. Take two or more spaces and benefit from a discounted rate of just £295 per month (per desk).

Our office is just a 10-minute stroll down Bermondsey Street from London Bridge Station (soon to be home to The Shard) and within walking distance of the new riverside development at More London, Tower Bridge and Shad Thames (where you’ll find endless restaurants and the Design Museum). The no. 188 bus from Waterloo even stops right outside the front door.

We have 4 desks available and rent includes:

• Desk
• Chair
• Phone
• Heating
• Lighting
• Power
• Cleaning
• Network
• Alarm/CCTV
• Lockable storage

Along with:

• Use of boardroom
  (10-seater with large display and conference call facilities)
• Use of meeting room
  (6-seater also with large display and conference call facilities)
• Use of breakout area
• Use of reception area
• Use of roof terraces
• Use of bathroom (of course!)
• Use of shower room
• Use of kitchen

Optional extras:

• Use of fax
• Use of broadband
• Use of colour copier/printer
• Use of masseuse (yes really!)

If you’d like to get a flavour of the place, check out these pictures of the current Dusted studio. If you’d like pop down and take a look at the place in person, feel free to drop us a line and arrange a visit.

Following the Queen’s Speech last November, the Digital Economy Bill has been hitting the headlines for all the wrong reasons. Not least because of criticism from consumer rights and privacy groups regarding the ‘three strikes’ scheme – an initiative aimed at addressing online copyright infringement which could see the Internet connections of persistent offenders, cut off.

Not surprisingly, record companies, recording artists and writers will likely support the bill. Rather surprisingly, so does Feargal Sharkey, but I only mention this as I’ve recently learnt he’s the CEO of UK Music – an umbrella organisation representing the collective interests of our commercial music industry… For some ISP’s, it would seem a good heart these days is still hard to find (a good heart) as BT and TalkTalk have publically opposed the bill, voicing a preference for court fines for repeat offenders (as opposed to facing fines themselves for non-compliance).

As the government, Feargal and the ISP’s continue their crusades; much of the detail has also come under closer scrutiny, in particular Clause 17 which (allegedly) allows ministers to muck around with future copyright law at their whim, and Clause 43 (previously Clause 42) which some are saying, essentially makes every picture on the Internet free.

This, as you can imagine, could have a hugely damaging effect on the creative industry, especially for photographers and illustrators who rely on the Web as a primary sales tool. Stop43.org, a new site dedicated to campaigning against the Clause, neatly describes the problem:

“Until now, if someone found one of your photographs and wanted to use it commercially, they couldn’t without first asking you. Clause 43 changes all that by allowing the use of ‘Orphan Works’ – photographs, illustrations and other artworks whose owners cannot be found.”

In other words:
“Clause 43 says that if someone finds your photograph, wants to use it and decides that they can’t trace you, they can do whatever they like with it after paying an arbitrary fee to a UK Government-appointed ‘licensing body’.”

This licensing body is yet to be determined and while it does at least say works ‘found’ via the Web will still have to be paid for, it doesn’t say how copyright holders will be properly remunerated or the sort of use that will be permissible. This absence of clarity, it seems, is the primary concern for copyright owners but the Association of Illustrators talks a much calmer view, highlighting the fact that amendments are still being tabled and discussed as the Bill makes its way through the House of Lords.

However, this grey area could mislead people into thinking everything they find via Google Images doesn’t have to be paid for… Although I can’t help thinking some people already think this is the case. The likes of Getty and iStock must think so as they make it very clear who the copyright owners are, but for the rest of us, will it mean watermarking everything we put up online?

Photo credit: Flickr user bruchez

On my MA seminar debate last week at Goldsmiths we discussed the ‘author function’ in relation to value-creation in the economic context, interrogating the notions of originality and distinctiveness posited by Foucault in his essay “What Is an Author?’. Curiously, that topic led the group to challenge the definition of brands, in the classic sense, and ask themselves: what exactly constitutes a brand? Or even, what are the elements necessary to characterize an individual or name as a brand rather than an author/individual?

To start with, in a marketing intensive environment celebrity endorsement can be an efficient way to connect with consumers. The media exposure such individuals receive facilitate the process of communication as audiences recognise personal traits and identify themselves with another individual more easily. Brands, thus, get on the fast track to reach consumers, saving time and costly marketing efforts at the same time they eliminate much of the noise in the communication process. Sometimes – most notably in the sports and fashion business – this process gets such a traction that individuals move further and trademark their names and then a brand roll-out of different lines of products and commercial enterprises ensues, sometimes very successfully (Beckham, Moss, O’Neal, etc). However, differently from brands that are formed around entrepreneurs who strive in their field of expertise (fashion houses as the most typical examples), sports people, celebrities, designers and even artists (YBA) become brands through different means.

I would like to start the argument by acknowledging the importance of IP in the process of branding. The very raison d’être of any brand lies in their ability to combine a set of signs that create a distinguishable character in relation to the competition. The audiences thus recognise and decode the signs through cognitive processes, conferring the brand with a relatively distinctive set of meanings and perceptions, that is, one brand is a thing/object and not another. More importantly, brands try to delineate the boundaries, the semiotic space around their names; firstly by constructing a coherent system of visual signs (visual identity); secondly by using the mechanisms provided by intellectual property legislation (copyright and trademark) to safeguard their identity assets against unauthorized use. So, in what way a person, or a name can be suddenly designated as a brand?

First of all, brands should be understood in accordance to the industries and markets within which they operate. As an example, FMCG brands don’t work in the same way financial services or media brands do. In fact, brands and commodities become potential media themselves. In the past three decades they have become active actors in the circuits of culture, and that is exactly where their sign-value accrues, increasing the exchange-value of their products and services as a result. Brands, thus, operate within more or less complex networks; they engage in processes of synergy, co-creation and culture that according to Jürgen Habermas (among other critical theorists from the Frankfurt School) deems the distinction between the cultural and economic spheres irrelevant in this particular case. Henceforth, in the postmodern context, individuals who get a high level of exposition and adhere to specific sets of cultural values can be transformed into successful brands with real commercial value. In that respect, anyone has the potential to become a brand. But it’s not to say it is a simple process or that it can be constructed through a formulaic approach. There needs to be a base, a starting point upon which a branding exercise can then be developed: think of popular blogs, reality show stunts, sports, art performances, and so on. There’s also the case of artists who deliberately flirt with the concept of transmuting their image/names into brands – Andy Warhol featuring in a TDK TV ad, or the establishing of Interview magazine under the ‘Warhol’ brand; Keith Haring and its PopShop enterprise that sells diverse merchandising; Damien Hirst and the resulting dialectics of art x commodity found in his assembling line/factory-like approach.

To conclude, I think that individuals have the potential to become brands but it is not a venture suitable for all. There are certain connections and network interactions that must be already in place before one starts to license its name and image to products and/or services. So, in my opinion, it’s not only the road lying ahead but, more importantly perhaps, the walked miles that count when one’s trying to build a genuine, trustworthy person/brand.

“The name ‘BarCamp’ is a playful allusion to the event’s origins, with reference to the hacker slang term, foobar: BarCamp arose as a spin-off of Foo Camp, an annual invitation-only participant driven conference hosted by open source publishing luminary Tim O’Reilly.”

Wikipedia: BarCamp

The event was organised by volunteers and funded by sponsors from various industries. There was a wide range of pitches, which were voted upon and then scheduled into the morning and afternoon sessions.

As usual at conferences I had a tough time deciding which sessions to choose but in the end, I went for the following:

• iPhone app development
• Intro to HTML 5
• UI/UX Web Application Interfaces
• How to get the other 9 places on Google
• How to Market Anything Online

I was disappointed to have missed Down the Rabbit Hole, Balloon Twisting, Zero Budget Film Making and Eco box Shipping Containers as Home Sweet Home, as I’m sure they turned out to be pretty entertaining! Other sessions are listed at the end of this article.

In order to give you a taste of the session content, I have provided my notes from the sessions.

iPhone app development – Jeremy Olsen & Wess Cope

This presentation was split in two. The first section, lead by Jeremy Olsen, discussed the success of particular apps on the iTunes store. It was interesting to hear the opinions, many of which encouraged the use of rich interface design over basic functionality. Discussion also surrounded ‘hit base’ apps needing a large product launch to force sales and make it into the top 100.

The second section centered around the technical aspects of app development. Wess Cope detailed his methods of app development using web services, encouraging the storage of data in Google’s App Engine. He also recommended Stanford’s free iPhone Application Programming Series.

Intro to HTML 5 – Adam Hunter

Adam led this session which touched upon some of the elements HTML5. The main items were Geolocation, drag and drop, paste across domains, canvas tag, form validation, local storage and @font-face.
A more detailed explanation with examples can be found here: HTML5 Presentation

During discussions Wess Cope recommended the use of Sproutcore. Sproutcore is used by the Apple UI team and I’m told delivers HTML5 extremely fast!

“SproutCore is an open-source JavaScript framework. Its goal is to allow developers to create web applications with advanced capabilities and a user experience comparable to that of desktop applications.”

Wikipedia: SproutCore

UI/UX Web Application Interface – Wess Cope & Justin Holt

This was an interesting session which looked at interface design and user testing. Justin Holt and Wess Cope presented their UI experiences with heels.com and sixcentral.com respectively. Heels.com recently went through an impressive re-design, based upon extensive user feedback. Justin, a designer for heels.com, highlighted need for clear layout, navigation and strong ‘call-to’ action elements on sites with such a vast amount of content.

Wess, a developer of sixcentral.com spoke of the beta testing process and the invaluable feedback from testers. By opening up the application to 100 users, from different industries, it enabled them to create an application which suited the needs of most prospective users. He also touched upon ‘hallway testing’ and importance of colour.

Recommended tools were Lighthouse (bug tracking) and Get Satisfaction (user feedback and support).

Getting the 9 other listings on page 1 of Google – Robert Enriquez

Robert presented tips which will help your site rank on page 1 of Google.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
To achieve a page one listing on Google it is important to write articles, press releases, post videos and events, utilise social media tools, submit to relevant directories and optimise your Google business listing by including targeted keywords.

Here’s a list of sites where you can post articles:

• Ezine
• Goarticles
• Buzzle
• Free Library

Press releases can be posted on the following sites:

• Prlog
• Free Press Release
• PRWeb
• Marketwire
• PRNewswire

Videos can be posted here:

• Youtube
• Metacafe
• Dailymotion
• Viddler
• TubeMogul

Digital Asset Optimization (DAO)
It is important to include targeted keywords in titles, descriptions and alt tags of your assets. The asset description should also include unique content if possible.

You should concentrate on gathering the correct ‘back links’ to your digital assets. In many cases, the sites hosting your assets (YouTube etc) may provide more than one link, it is important to reference the link which Google ranks highly.

Online Reputation Management (ORM)
In order to maintain a reputable presence online, it is important to manage your profile on social media sites such as Linkedin, Twitter, and Facebook. You can use services such as KnowEm to control and even register your company name on various sites.

Universal Search
Finally, Robert encouraged the submission of content to more than 3-5 sites, which will increase the possibility of link referrals. This can be time consuming so you should use use 3rd party sites for faster and/or large submissions.

How to Market Anything Online – Corey Creed

In this session Corey introduced his 4Ps of Internet Marketing, which if you follow closely, we help you to effectively market your product online. A brief summary of the 4Ps are below:

Position Marketing
This relates to your position in search engines. Corey spoke of the importance of people knowing about your product (in order for them to find you with their keywords). You need to understand the keywords users search for to find your product and avoid concentrating on the name of your company. Google AdWords Keyword Tool can be very helpful during the keyword research phase. It may also be helpful to budget for an initial Google AdWords campaign as this is helpful in finding out user search patterns, which you can use to rank well organically in the future.

Partnership Marketing:
The importance of partnership marketing cannot be understated. It is extremely important to build trusted online partnerships, as this will help to promote your products. There are many ways to create partnerships, which include utilising trusted directories, social media networks (Twitter, YouTube, Facebook), article sites (eZine) and press release sites. Working at these relationships encourage people to learn, talk and share your products.

Permission Marketing
If a user has given you permission to market to them, the likelihood is that they know, like and trust you and are extremely valuable as they are interested in your products. In order to gain permission, it is important to encourage users to sign up for your email newsletter, RSS and social media feeds. Email newsletters are proven to work but you must take great care in presenting concise content in a well designed format. Another handy tip is to send a response exactly 24 hours after sign-up as there is a good chance that the user will be online and will remember your company.

(im)Provement
The presentation of your branding, website, emails, content and social media presence is extremely important as you need to present a professional, trustworthy image. Research has shown that users will spend more money on your website if it looks credible.

Along with branding and design, you should also assess your website analytics and recognise user patters such as ‘enter’ and ‘exit’ pages. You can also increase conversions by creating promotional pages for targeted campaigns (Google AdWords).

Talking Shop

Along with the presenters, I had a great time chatting with locals in attendance which included Josh McGlinn, Jeff Elder, Ben Ullman, Derek Hollis and David Wells. Oh and I mustn’t forget a big thanks goes to Lincoln Baxter III for sending through his notes from the marketing session!

The sessions I didn’t make

• 45 Questions about the Web
• Personal vs business brands – by @summerplum
• Manage Social Networks – by @dizzySEO
• How to write your resume
• Teaching geeks to talk to suits
• Eco box shipping containers as home sweet home
• Simple Content Management
• Fail Camp
• Future of Journalism
• Other Phones (Palm Pre)
• Creating webinars

Here are some photos and articles (via @budesigns)

• James Wilamor’s Flickr photos
• Cara Couture’s Flickr photos
• Tom Bonner’s Flickr photos
• Get a little weirder, Charlotte by Jeff Elder
• Technology, Media “Unconference” Draws More Than 100 To Area 15, by Andria Krewson
• David Zimmerman’s notes from Manage Your Social Networks

Earlier this week, I was invited along to my local Jelly session show as their special podcast guest to chat about Dusted’s plans to branch out into the United States. For the past few years, ‘local’ for me has been Charlotte, North Carolina where Dusted is soon to open its first overseas office.

Recorded live from Mez at the Epicentre in uptown, I spoke with Josh McGlinn and Nathan Longbrook at CLTJelly about everything from English accents, European tastes, Atlantic exchange programmes and of course, how Dusted is looking to expand to Charlotte, why we chose the city, and our plans for the future.

Listen to the podcast here: JellyCast 5: British Invasion!

CLTJelly was started as a way to bring freelancers together in a casual setting to share ideas, collaborate, and co-work. Jelly sessions have been hosted all over the country and though originally intended for freelancers, CLTJelly is open to anyone who wants to participate. JellyCast is a recorded segment (think podcast) that takes place on location during CLTJelly.

Photo credit: Flickr user spyndle

I was gobsmacked when reading about the [real] possibility of Comic Sans being chosen as the official typeface for the 2012 London Olympics.

Following the controversy surrounding the Olympics logo, 2 years ago, the idea of using a typeface with such an unsophisticated aesthetics comes as another blow to the design community. The Olympic Delivery Authority has considered other options: Gill Sans, Times and, ultimately, a bespoke type family, but on the contrary of what common sense would suggest, the later was sadly ruled out on grounds of costs.

The ODA also argues that Comis Sans had a friendly, universal appeal and that it encourages access and participation with a particular appeal to the young audiences. Surely, there are many other options of typefaces that manage to bring together all the requirements imposed by the organizers, including technical aspects such as being an existing system font, already installed in most computers. Nevertheless, the stakeholders involved in the process look rather inclined to go down the mediocrity path over intelligence, risking to alienate the general public, let alone the visually literate one.

It is becoming clear that, unfortunately, the decisions made by the ODA concerning the Olympics’ design strategy, have been poorly advised in many instances, leading to the display of an inconsistent approach to this discipline in which, paradoxically, the UK is well known for its excellence.

I only hope the Comic Sans affair is a April 1st hoax. Otherwise, it is not funny.