February 2018 - Visual Identity

Designing a VUI – Voice User Interface aside

More and more voice-controlled devices, such as the Apple HomePod, Google Home, and Amazon Echo, are storming the market. Voice user interfaces are helping to improve all kinds of different user experiences, and some believe that voice will power 50% of all searches by 2020. Voice-enabled AI can take care of almost anything in an instant. “What’s next in my Calendar?” “Book me a taxi to Oxford Street.” “Play me some Jazz on Spotify!” All five of the “Big Five” tech companies—Microsoft, Google, Amazon, Apple, and Facebook—have developed (or are currently developing) voice-enabled AI assistants. Siri, the AI assistant for Apple iOS and HomePod devices, is helping more than 40 million users per month, and according to ComScore, one in ten households in the US already own ...

From Concept to Reality – A Guide to Logo Development aside

Designing a Symbol for Modern Brands With more and more companies and products competing for market recognition online and offline, a well-designed logo is a business advantage that captures the attention of consumers and represents the core values of a brand at a glance. A good logo is more than a generic icon; it’s an embodiment of what a company stands for—a visual ambassador for a brand. Modern brand logotypes It’s always refreshing to see a logo that lives up to a company’s ethos, but arriving at the right solution involves ample time, skill, and experience. A thoughtful design process is the key to developing an effective and creative logo, but what does this process look like? How does it ...

The Value of Design Thinking in Business aside

Successful businesses are making billions by recognizing the value of integrating “design thinking” into their process. Great design is simple, beautiful, and easy to use. It creates a sense of purpose and place. It responds to user needs, and it just works. Aside from these characteristics, how can we know whether a design is “good”? Moreover, how can a business know whether the investment of time and money into a design was worth it? The proof is in the numbers. Businesses have slowly come around to recognize that design can be used as a differentiator to respond to changing trends and consumer behaviors. Time and time again, Fortune 500 names such as Apple, Microsoft, Disney, and IBM have demonstrated the ...

5 Clear Signs That You Should Hire a UX Expert aside

If your company’s product is not performing as expected, it may be time to bring in a UX expert. Industry surveys show that every dollar invested in UX brings a return of between $2 and $100 dollars. UX covers all aspects of a system (website, app, product, service, community, etc.) as experienced by users. Great UX design can mean the difference between breaking it or making it as demonstrated by the success of Apple, Microsoft, IBM, Amazon, and Google. User experience design is the discipline of what UX designers do, and user-centered design (UCD) is the UX design process. Design thinking and HCD (human-centered design) are other terms that are widely used. All of them typically include user research, sketching, wireframing, prototyping, interaction design, visual design, user testing, ...

Monthly ArchivesFebruary 2018