If anything, learn to write

Writing is essential to professional communication. That being said, why is that so many professionals still can’t decipher the difference between your and you’re; to, too and two; and there, their and they’re? Not to mention the widely accepted ambiguity that surrounds comma usage. Education plays a large role in developing technical writing skills, and everyone should commit to taking at least one technical writing course during his or her career.

Those who are skilled in technical writing have a significant advantage when it comes to any form of content curation – especially business documentation such as reports and communication such as professional emails. Technical writers also possess strong editing capabilities – which makes them a valuable member of any team.

All You Need to Know About Technical Writing Tools

Technical Writing There are a few questions that constantly bog the minds of technical writers. – Are there any suitable technical writing tools for the task I am presently doing? Something that would minimize my efforts and produce better quality output? – Can my company afford it?

A comma, though seemingly insignificant to some, can play a big role in how your message is received.

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Online, there are lots of resources to help individuals strengthen their technical writing skills.

Basics of Technical Writing – Videos & Lessons | Study.com

Technical writers often produce a variety of manuals, business reports and proposals. This chapter’s instructors can introduce you to the basic features of technical communications and help you understand some of the rules governing this mode of writing.

Just like any acquired skill, the best way to improve your writing is to practice, practice, practice.

2017 is shaping up to be BIG and BOLD

Graphic design is continually evolving – building on existing principles of design to produce new and innovative concepts.

What can the world expect from graphic design in 2017? Bigger and bolder design.

8 New Graphic Design Trends That Will Take Over 2017 – Venngage

So we’re already into 2017, in case you haven’t noticed. That means you probably have already broken one of your New Year’s resolutions. Don’t worry, my resolution to get better sleep has already been dashed. But one of my resolutions that I will not be breaking is to become a better graphic designer in 2017

Keeping up on social media trends will improve your ability to promote your designs to a wide audience.

[Infographic] Top 6 Graphic Designs Trends of 2017

These days, Internet has become the primary market for businesses and the place where customers notice almost all of the brands they go on to patronize. We have, over the past decade, entered a new age of marketing where a business’s web presence and how it portrays itself on the internet is much more important than how it works.

Band branding is the best branding.

Pentagram draws on Pink Floyd history to create visual identity for new label

Design agency Pentagram has expanded on iconic album artwork by the duo Hipgnosis to create a visual identity for Pink Floyd Records. The original stencilled lettering used for the band’s 1977 Animals album has been extended into a full alphabet and used in a logotype for the group’s record label.

Design inspo by the talented Malika Favre.

Malika Favre

The work of French artist, Malika Favre

While in the midst of letting your creative juices flow, always remember you audience – who is the design looking to attract, and for what purpose is it being designed. Your message should be simple; your design can be anything you want it to be.

“Simplicity is about subtracting the obvious and adding in the meaningful.” – John Maeda

Bow down to social media

In terms of marketing, social media has become a primary resource for building brand – whether that brand is your company or yourself. That being said, establishing a voice and remaining relevant can be a challenge. Being disruptive and consistently providing information, that is informative and adheres to your brand, plays a substantial role in gaining people’s attention.

Disruptive innovation is the new trend.

Breakthrough Brands 2017

Illustration by Michael Solita What does it take for a brand to truly break through in today’s crowded market? Just as it has with everything else, digital transformation has upended the traditional rules of marketing. In less than a decade brands like Uber and Airbnb have attained the kind of consumer mindshare that companies used to have to work decades to create.

Keeping on top of emerging social media trends is the key to staying relevant.

5 Social Media Trends That Will Dominate 2017

Social media is one of the fastest changing industries out there. Sometimes a cutting-edge technology changes the social game, or an old idea (e.g. virtual reality) gains viral popularly. Either way, the results always have a huge impact and 2017 will be no different. Here are five social media trends that will dominate 2017.

Many of today’s top brands rely heavily on social media to promote themselves; those looking to promote themselves or their business should do the same.

Social Media Strategy in 2017: How to Create an Extraordinary Strategy

Crafting an effective social media strategy to help you achieve your goals can be a real challenge. Like we mentioned earlier this week in a post about goal-setting strategies, coming up with social media goals for our marketing team here at Buffer has often been a bit haphazard for us.

The fact of the matter is, if you want people to know your name, chances are you’re probably going to have to bow down to social media. Your only other alternative might be to scream it from the rooftops . . . just sayin.’

MEME COURTESY OF SERPLOGIC

Wayfinding: It’s all around us

Wayfinding is all around us, yet it is not always consciously recognized – and it is not always executed very well.

You might be wondering, what is wayfinding? Simply put, wayfinding aids in the process of getting people from one destination to the next as seamlessly as possible.

designworkplan

Wayfinding has the function to inform people of the surroundings in the (unfamiliar) build environment, it is important to show information at strategic points to guide people into the right directions. Complex structures in the build environment are interpreted and stored by the human memory.

Though conventional signage (i.e. traffic signs) do play a large role in wayfinding, they are not the only factors at work. In the following instances, designers use the ground to implement wayfinding techniques that aid in directional awareness.

Using Floors, Pavements and Sidewalks as Wayfinding Signage

Using painted and taped coloured lines As you might have seen in the post on urban wayfinding, the use of painted lines to lead users on complex routes that have a lot of turns, can be an extremely effective method. The route might be a mile plus for example, and involve numerous turns both left and […]

Per Mollerup is the man.

Wayshowing and Waylosing with Per Mollerup

Per Mollerup, Dr. Tech., is a writer, design thinker, and professor of communication design at Swinburne University of Technology in Melbourne. From 1984 to 2009, he was owner and principal of Designlab, a Copenhagen-based, award-winning design consultancy specialized in wayshowing and branding.

Good wayfinding is a beautiful thing.

Next time you’re at a mall, airport, university, museum, hospital, or any place where a need to move large amounts of people from one place to another would be considered an important consideration, keep an eye out for wayfinding at work. It’s fun! . . . or at least I think so.

The people have spoken: No more boring documents

When looking to grab people’s attention, a well designed document is essential. Unfortunately, many documents continue to circulate that require some serious creative inspiration. When in the throes of a creative crisis, having an information designer close by is sure to lighten the burden –  as they are skilled in both technical writing and document design.

A well designed document is both beautiful and informative.

New Catalog Brochure Design Templates | Design | Graphic Design Junction

Creative, clean and modern Business Brochure Templates ready to use for corporate, designing agency, graphic designer, corporate annual reports or personal portfolio. These brochure templates can save your time and money in creating a professional corporate informant. All brochure templates are fully editable, easy to change photos, print ready (CMYK/3mm Bleeds/300 dpi).

Nowadays, design layouts must be created to succeed online. New technology affords designers the ability to expand their creative possibilities – which includes making their documents come to life. A fantastic example of this potential is the The New York Times‘ Snow Fall: The Avalanche at Tunnel Creek –  which was awarded a Pulitzer Prize.

Snow Fall: The Avalanche at Tunnel Creek

After a few minutes, the small talk faded. Worries went unexpressed. “When you’re up on top of a peak like that, it’s usually hang out for a second, and then it’s momentum,” Castillo said. “You just kind of feel it. Everyone’s like: ‘O.K., we’re not here to hang out.

In terms of data visualization, Baur suggests, “Worry less about novelty in designing for interaction, and more about using it as a tool to offer readers an individualized experience”

The Problem With Interactive Graphics | Co.Design

In his talk, Baur notes that he got these numbers from talks given by Times graphic editors Gregor Aisch and Archie Tse (you can find Aisch’s talk here and Tse’s talk here). Baur lead with these numbers not to depress people about the value of data visualization, but rather to bring up the question of how interactive designers can more effectively bring people to their work.

I think it’s safe to say that a well-thought-out, purposeful design will win out every time.

 

Info Designers: The Solution to Your Problems

Information designers have the ability to take complex information and simplify it for the masses. In addition, information designers are capable of brainstorming innovative solutions to real-time problems. That being said, where do information designers fit in the fast-paced reality of the 21st century? With their skills in problem solving, technical writing, graphic design, information architecture, usability and wayfinding – to name a few – information designers are equipped with the knowledge and the skills to tackle any problem in any industry – making them a valued member on any team.

Information design at a glance:

Information designers – and their ability to think innovatively – are continuing to become valuable members of interdisciplinary teams.

Thinking Beyond The Interface | Co.Design

Around 2010, designers the world over proclaimed Photoshop was dead in web design. We moved away from static comps, learned to prototype, and invested our time in tools like Sketch and Axure and designing directly in code. Pixel-perfect comps were finally dead, and it was awesome.

The skills of an information designer:

As long as there are problems to be solved, design thinking will will continue to thrive.

 

Think Circular

Every year, as we all fawn over the newest, shiniest toy, last year’s model is left deserted.  Do consumers every really stop to think about what becomes of last year’s junk once they’ve purchased this year’s treasure? What becomes of last year’s iPhone, or the dishwasher you just replaced? Designing for a circular economy creates an awareness around these kinds of questions, and looks to implement innovative solutions to decrease our ecological footprint and plan for the future.

IDEO continues to amaze with their endless stream of innovative ideas and design thinking processes.

Designing a Circular Economy

What if we had a new way to design products, services and businesses that were good for people, the planet, and business?

A circular economy is a better economy.

Image retrieved from: http://www.wrap.org.uk/about-us/about/wrap-and-circular-economy

Being conscious of our consumption – and the waste associated –  is a step in the right direction toward achieving a more circular economy.

Ideo Says The Future Of Design Is Circular

When Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam replaced its lighting, it didn’t pay for the bulbs. Instead, the airport pays for light as a service-and Philips, which designed the system, is responsible for recycling or reusing anything that breaks. It’s an example of the growth of circular design.

If we were all to think a little more circular, our home would be a much healthier place.

Wayfinding: It’s Important

Wayfinding is heavily ingrained in our subconscious. Why is it, however, that we are so unaware of it? Wayfinding can be as simple as a stop sign – red + octagon = stop – or as complex as navigating a busy international airport. Over time, we adapt to wayfinding elements – such as signage – as they become part of our subconscious day-to-day interactions.

Wayfinding is all around us. Airports are a great location to study the effects of wayfinding in action – as airports must move thousands of people – speaking numerous languages – through their doors every day.

Entro Communications’ Calgary Airport Wayfinding

When Calgary Airport in Alberta, Canada, began planning a major expansion to include the addition of two new concourses with 24 new gates, they knew a smooth transition would require an expert team of wayfinding professionals. The plan to expand Calgary Airport (YYC) included the addition of two new concourses to accommodate the increasing number of U.S.

Who doesn’t love a little bit of wayfinding inspiration?

Wayfinding & Signage | Cartlidge Levene

 

Signage is mere background noise . . . until it’s not.

The true unsung heroes are wayfinding experts who help us get from point A to point B without a hitch. You won’t ever consciously stop to thank them, but – in the event you get lost – you may very well stop to curse them.

Social Innovation Is the Future

Human-centred design is the way of the future. With so much information at our fingertips, how can we use our growing knowledge to implement lasting, meaningful change? Designing for social innovation will help move us toward brainstorming innovative solutions to solve pressing social issues.

IDEO continues to take the world by storm with its brilliance in human-centred design.

Design Kit

Design Kit is IDEO.org’s platform to learn human-centered design, a creative approach to solving the world’s most difficult problems.

How might we engage in human-centred design to redefine Canada’s homeless shelters?

This Building Is Redefining What A Homeless Shelter Means | Co.Design

From the outside, Eva’s Phoenix-a new teen homeless shelter in downtown Toronto’s Fashion District-looks like a classic Art Deco brick warehouse. But inside, it’s organized like its own city, complete with a main street, townhouses, common “squares,” and more.

Human-centred design has the capacity to save lives.

This On-Demand Taxi Service Is Saving Expectant Mothers’ Lives In Tanzania

In northern Tanzania, where distances between villages are vast, and less than a dozen ambulances service about 2 million people, being pregnant can be a death sentence. High-risk expectant mothers regularly fail to get medical attention because they can’t get to a hospital in time.

Being conscious of your surroundings and the people around you will open your eyes to potential possibilities for social innovation. People don’t always know what they want; innovators are the ones who are tasked with finding that out.

“If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses.”

– Henry Ford

Creative Spaces Drive Creative Thinking

Strategically crafted work spaces help open the mind to creative thinking. With so many directions to go in, how does one decide on a work space that inspires design thinking? Honing in on company culture – or personal tastes – and embracing individuality are important considerations when determining how to make creative minds spring to action.

Introducing communal work spaces that reflect company culture and focus on the nitty-gritty details – like ample power supply and wi-fi – contribute to the overall feel of creative work spaces.

13 Ways to Make Your Workspace More Creative

How to supercharge your space for creativity.

The sky’s the limit when it comes to designing the perfect work space.

12 stimulating design offices to stir the senses

For some lucky creative agencies the days of dull and drab cubicle spaces are long gone, with employers realising that inspiring surroundings can have a direct effect on their employees’ creativity. They don’t have to be located in famous buildings – a tranquil setting, games area, or amazing design office mural can all help to stir the creative juices.

Adding graphics to your work space may provide new creative inspiration.

5 Ways to Enhance Workplace Experience with Graphics

An experiential graphic design pro shares tips for enhancing your space with wayfinding and environmental graphics. The workplace is constantly changing to accommodate a shifting workforce with various expectations and working styles. This accommodation is not only a trend in some workplaces, in many it has become a vehicle to attract and retain the best talent.

The nitty-gritty.

Office Design Trends for 2017 | Fuze Business Interiors

In today’s busy environment with ever changing technology, a well designed workplace should change effortlessly according to the task at hand. Developing areas that can be easily adapted to suit changing requirements is an essential element of design in 2017.

Work spaces should no longer adhere to cookie-cutter norms. Companies should make an effort to transform their work spaces in order to motivate employees and cultivate innovative thinking.