Little Miss Designer

Facebook Places

Thu, 25 Nov 2010 16:00:36 GMT

So Facebook Places has been launched in the UK for over 3 months now, to much fanfare and scaremongering in the Media about privacy concerns and whether your local stalker could now trace your every move.

In my opinion and from my Facebook daily feed, very few of my 298 friends are using it, with the odd checking at the 'Cinema' and perhaps the most used ' into Bed'. Somehow the snappy video from Facebook on launch date that suggested we would start checking in everywhere and looking to see where our friends where to join them, hasnt caught on among my circle of friends yet anyway and definitely not for the right locations!

I find the whole process of checking in on the iPhone in particular very cumbersome and buggy at the minute - taking an age to search for nearby places and if i have to create a new 1 the Pin ends up somewhere totally random anyway, therefore i usually dont bother - as it takes too long & theres nothing 'fun' about it.

I think this is where Facebook is failing at the minute. Competitors such as Foursquare & Gowalla make the experience of checking in fun, colourful and useful. Their use of badges for different types of places alone draws me in, in fact i spent an hour a few days ago going though all the latest Disney World Badges and planning which i would collect first by checking in when i finally get to Orlando with my little girl!

Until Facebook make 'Facebook Places' an enjoyable, fun & quick thing to do - i wont be checking in anywhere and neither will my friends it seems.

What do you think? Have Facebook got the location based element all wrong?

Teux Deux - the To Do App i was waiting for

Mon, 17 May 2010 16:40:30 GMT

I love this little Web App & eagerly awaiting the release of their iphone App which according to their blog, has been in the pipeline for a few months now. With a simple straightforward user interface, it answers the needs I have required, without all the bloated abilities of the (useful) but unnecessary for me, very popular Things app from CulturedCode.

With Drag and Drop, easy hover to cross out tasks and 1 click delete - TeuxDeux is perfect for the daily list maker like myself, without being too feature full. Give it a try and let me know what you think.

Logorama - A (must watch) Oscar Nominated Short 2010

Fri, 12 Feb 2010 15:33:28 GMT

The following movie is a much watch - such a clever parody of corporate values & commercialism in our world today. I lovedAvatar but this is genius. Logotypes throughout represent the big brands such as McDonalds, KFC, Haribo, Evian etc

Very cleverly written & animated superbly - i really hope this gets the awards it deserves.

Watch Here

Build Conference 2009

Wed, 9 Dec 2009 23:20:40 GMT

Created for obsessive-compulsive designers, Build was no ordinary web conference.

The Build Conference in Belfast's beautiful Waterfront hall took place over the 1st week in November, and myself and Andrew were lucky enough to attend the speakers event on Thursday 5th of Nov, on behalf of the MadebyMint team. What a fanatstic day, and thoroughly enjoyed by all the attendees it seemed (taken from all the cheering each time a new speaker came into view.)

I felt it was a great insight and chance to hear some of the greats of our industry and their thoughts on the web today and where its going - and all in our little city of Belfast.

The speakers (and their topics) in attendance, below, whom where from all corners of the globe, rivalled any web design lineup I have seen. They were:

Tim Van Dam - "Passion"
Andy Budd - "Seductive Design"
Mark Boulton - "Font Embedding"
Ryan Sims - "Practice makes Pixel Perfect"
Wilson Miner - "Design & Build"
Eric Meyer - "A more Tangled Web"

Check out the accompanying website > http://buildconference.com/

My favourite talks of the Conference

Andy Budd - Seductive Design from Build on Vimeo.

Eric Meyer - A More Tangled Web from Build on Vimeo.

Did you attend?

If so what did you think of the conference as a whole? Who was your favourite speaker and or talk? Value for money? Interesting topics, professionally organised?

I'd love to read your thoughts..

Absolut Vodka Advertising

Fri, 25 Sep 2009 16:31:53 GMT

I love the latest campaign from Absolut, which in the attached images are posters that have been stuck up around New York in recent days.

The subliminal effect of the fonts describing the drink while also shaped in the style of the bottle is so inobtrusive yet strong.

As usual Absolut's designers get it right.

What do you think of Absoluts' branding? Got it right/ or too minimal perhaps for the average customer on the street? I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Getting started with Coda - Web Development Tool

Fri, 25 Sep 2009 16:27:34 GMT

A quick review of my love of using Coda - the recommended (by me) Mac Web Development Tool of choice from Panic*

I had been using Aptana for some time, but I became increasingly frustrated at its constant updates, which slowed the whole app down. Not good when deadlines are looming.

Twitter
So after throwing the question out to the Twitter universe, @suzyjohnston & @michaelfbradley both wholeheartedly recommended Coda, and on the last day of my 14 day trail I can safely say I love it!

Key points
- Split screen ability to view CSS & xhtml at same time
- built in Web Standards Compatibily check
- ease of upload to the web straight from app in 1 simple click (Goodbye Cyberduck, hello less RSI strains!)
- built in browser preview with live view of scripts and flash
- beautiful,intuitive, simplistic interface
- virtually no crashing (Dreamweaver CS3 take note)

I'm a very happy camper indeed, I just love when software works like it ought to :D

Thankyou Panic!
(Credits @Suzyjohnston & @michaelfbradley)

Anyone else love Coda? Or are there better app's/ tools, out there for the Mac + web development? If so do share! :)

theRedfox.co.uk's life begins

Tue, 16 Jun 2009 16:47:34 GMT

A new day a new client.... The Redfox has selected LittleMissDesigner to represent her life on the internet and I'm very proud to be working with her. Not only is she a long term friend but she also creates some beautiful jewellery from glass which she will be selling through her website in the near future.

Watch this space - and get some unique hand made designs for your own collection.

Click here to view the web URL

UnLtd Awards for social entreupreneurs

Fri, 12 Jun 2009 02:06:02 GMT

What a fantastic initiative i came across today, UnLtd* offers grants of between £500 - £15000 to give people with new ideas the help to make them become reality.

"UnLtd's Millennium Awards provide practical and financial support to social entrepreneurs in the UK; people with vision, passion, drive and commitment, who want to change the world for the better."

If you have a great idea and the only thing holding you back is the funds to run the project - visit this website now! There is lottery money just waiting for you if have you have a project that needs it!

Thats a lot of Single ladies! Flash Mobbing

Mon, 4 May 2009 11:58:16 GMT

A very funky flash mob took place in Piccadilly Circus, London on the 20th of April. All of which was to celebrate chewing gum brand Trident Unwrapped's announcement of an exclusive Beyonce I AM show at the London O2 Arena on 15 November.

Take a look

A flash mob is described by wikipedia as "a large group of people who assemble suddenly in a public place, perform an unusual action for a brief time, then quickly disperse."

Originally organised by groups { of mainly strangers} through the internet, it has now been picked up by the big marketing agencies as a way to generate a buzz around a product/ event etc which will be spread across the internet quickly and freely with the help of video streaming.

It has become very popular lately with many big brands and stars trying to get some media publicity and T-Mobile are leading the way, having created a You Tube channel dedicated to the announcement of new and past footage of Flash Mob events - see here. As you can see the viewing numbers on You Tube - there is a lot of interest in all their events - which is succeeding in promoting T-Mobile as a fresh and innovative company.

What do you think? Passing fad or leading marketing technique for the 21st century? Well I love it - can someone organise one for Belfast please?!

Pre-Birthday Celebrations with...Girls Aloud!

Thu, 30 Apr 2009 10:55:39 GMT

Yay ! I'm off work tomorrow from the day job at Mint Design as myself and the girlie's are heading tonight to see Girls Aloud at the Odyssey in Belfast, and a boogie somewhere afterwards. Can't wait - their music is really pop-py and upbeat, perfect for a girls get together!

Pre-Birthday Bash

It just so happens it falls before my birthday on Saturday so it will make tonight even better for me at least, and with tomorrow off I get to the enjoy the long weekend perfectly at home with the family.

Happy May Day bank holiday everyone!

Updated Pics from the Concert