Yesterday’s iPhone update became available at a whopping 669.8 mb in size. The iPad update was 596.9 mb. Admittedly, I’m the first guy to download updates or jump into new techno-gadgets. I love it. I love the way these new things look. I love the way they feel. It seems so many ideas and interfaces are learned and then, in an extremely short amount of time, brought to fruition. It seems ‘worth it’ to live on the edge of this technology—even enjoying the occasional BETA. For someone like me who uses the technology daily, I know the downsides of the current release or design and when they are addressed in the next version, I’m on it. Most often to a shiny, improved product. I’ve never been burned, or had my computer or device explode, or been unable to make things work. They just have. Always.
There are a few great features with these releases including: AirPlay Enhancements, Safari Performance, iTunes Home Sharing, iPad Side Switch, and Personal Hotspot for iPhone 4. But, to the size of the updates I have to say ‘really‘ Apple? Really? It’s enormous! Bigger than my last iMac update (I think*). You haven’t let me down yet so let’s hope it’s ‘worth it’.
*A total guess
It happens. Sometimes things just don’t click. I’ve been there and it’s a familiar place. But it’s not hopeless, which it so often seems. I was talking to a student today from the College of St. Scholastica design program and we were discussing creative hang outs. Until I was talking about it out loud, it never really dawned on me why I liked the places I liked, or what made them feel energetic. What we shared was we liked that these places were unfinished, or eclectic in some way. So when you’re looking for your brain to start processing, the places that make your brain work are the places that will feed you incoming ‘improvements’—enter the mind of the creative. Our conversation highlighted our local coffee shop downtown called Jitters and compared it to the Starbucks just down the street. OK, so Jitters has plastic plants, mauve wallpaper, and a varied mix of themes dressing their interior, but it’s a state of dare I say, ugliness, that stirs creativity. Starbucks has every i dotted and every t crossed, it’s warm, it’s friendly – it’s complete—there’s no heavy lifting left to do there. No more ideas. No more improvements. No energy. Like a creative coma. People find creativity in just about anything, but there is something provoking to say about raw, ignored reality.
As with most any graphic designer you will meet one thing they do is hoard ideas. And by ideas, I mean photos, papers, images, samples, type, swatches, textures, objects, links—just about anything that captures their attention to be saved and later used or repurposed in some way down the road.
I do this. I have been doing it for as long as I can remember and it’s messy. Space consuming is an understatement—whether it’s on my hard drive or closet.
I ran across Evernote a while back, but I wasn’t ready for it—maybe my digital life wasn’t ready for it. But now, it is proving to be necessary as my iPhone, iMac, and Firefox bookmarks, even with the help of delicious were becoming too much. Thanks to Evernote, they merge it and store it. The search window and UI are well thought through and drag and drop friendly.
Taking some time to revamp the site, improve the UI and make it easy and simple to keep updated. Probably the biggest improvement is simply showcasing multiple pieces at the same time which hopefully helps you more easily see the style of my work. And just overall, a fresher, cleaner design based on some things that have inspired me lately. I am grateful for the help, guidance and supreme talents of Martin Olson @ KILO, who made this layout possible in the WordPress framework. Thanks, Marty.
Enjoy. If you have an opinion that’s screaming to get out, please share as I’m always am open to feedback.