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Good is the Enemy of Great

Really great design is hard. Good is the enemy of great. Competent design is not too much of a stretch. But if you are trying to do something new, you have challenges on so many axes.
-Jonathan Ive

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Original Article

Categories: Apple, Design.

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By Andrew Canella
— July 30, 2012 at 4:05 pm

Getting Back Zoom Feature In Mountain Lion (CTRL+Scroll)

I’m a big fan of the CTRL+SCROLL zoom feature in OS X. For those unfamiliar, when holding down the CTRL key you are able to two finger scroll in order to zoom in on portions of your screen. After I installed Mountain Lion, I quickly discovered that this handy little feature was absent by default. Here’s how to turn it back on:

Navigate to the Accessibility control panel

Click Zoom on the left

Put a check in the Use scroll gesture with modifier keys to zoom box

There you go- back to normal. Zoom away.

Categories: Apple, Design.

By Andrew Canella
— July 25, 2012 at 9:32 pm

Unintended Guacamole Purchase

Anyone else ever try to add “cheese” in the Chipotle app and end up purchasing guacamole (yes, it’s an extra charge)? Shouldn’t this selection be at the bottom with a slight separation so someone doesn’t needlessly get charged AND have to deal with a product they did not intend to order?

Categories: Design.

By Andrew Canella
— July 13, 2012 at 4:43 pm

Apple, Please Move The Skip Buttons Farther Out

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve accidentally hit “skip” while listening to a Podcast when in reality all I wanted to do was press play. Surely I can’t be the only one with this issue?

Categories: Apple, Design.

By Andrew Canella
— July 13, 2012 at 4:38 pm

The 6 stages of life every successful creative person passes through and why you should too?

In high school, my biggest passion was painting. After 16 years of schooling and learning from one of the most profound teachers in the city of Bhavnagar, I could sketch beautiful portraits and landscapes. My hand would pain but my passion would pull me to keep painting more.

But after completing high school, I found a stressful situation in my art. I wasn’t original. I had read and studies so many artists and books that somehow they  subconsciously taught me their style and methods of painting.

Name them from John Fernandes to Rembrandt, all of them were experts and I was trying to become them. I wasn’t following my passion anymore. I was following theirs, as if it was mine!

“You are what you do.”

I wasn’t an artist if that quote should be accounted. I wasn’t enjoying my art or the appreciation for it. I was quite lost because there was nothing else I could think of doing. All I had done in the past 16 years was that I had learned to copy and get appreciated for it!

Not that this state comes when you are the least creative! You are moving nowhere! Your creativity is down to hell! People are expecting you to copy more and you are not at all enjoying it! How dumb is that!

“From ashes rises the Phoenix”

Yes, then I did just that! I was exhausted and I didn’t want to continue. My mind just slapped me when it watched great European artists coming up with some great ideas and thoughts on making art and making it so original!

Original is the word. I wanted to be original. I wanted to create things that were never before considered of being. There was something calling me out in the dark that could redefine my creativity.
-Jay Astik

Fantastic article discussing creativity, the world, and how to move forward into originality. What I really find interesting about his discussion is his recognition of originality as something tangible- a goal, an achievement. I think we all fall into the trap of trying to mimic someone else’s system. A good intention and a great learning experience, but ultimately it leads to following a path of invented copy.

Original Article

Categories: Design.

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By Andrew Canella
— April 20, 2012 at 5:01 pm

Porsche 911 Designer Dies at 76

FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — He designed Porsche’s classic 911 sports car – the sleek model that evokes power, wealth and envy among aficionados – cementing his grandfather’s name into the modern psyche

Ferdinand Alexander Porsche died Thursday in Salzburg, Austria at age 76, Porsche AG said. No cause was provided.

Porsche, known as F.A. to his colleagues, was head of the Porsche design studio in the early 1960s when the company developed the 911 model that remains its brand-defining product. The car, now in its seventh version, remains recognizably the same vehicle, with its sloping roofline, long, low hood and prominent headlights.
-David McHugh, AP Business Writer

I don’t know what it is about the 911 that’s always caught my eye. Perhaps its the curvaceous hood that exudes sex, the retro yet timeless styling of the rear, or something as simple as it’s iconic round headlights that make it look soft, yet nimble and sporty. The 911 is a true classic and Alexander was an artist.

“A formally harmonious product needs no decoration, it should be elevated through pure form.”
-Ferdinand Alexander


Ferdinand Alexander sits atop an early model 911


2012 Model 911

Original Article

Categories: Design.

By Andrew Canella
— April 5, 2012 at 5:32 pm

A Banana In Your Pocket: How Apple Bought Saab’s Futuristic Mapping Software

Six months before Saab the car company went under the last time, Apple, in complete secrecy, bought a futuristic mapping spinoff from Saab the defense contractor. The secret is now out and maps on mobile devices will never be the same.

The company was acquired in July 2011 by an unnamed “Western company”, which turned out to be Apple, who have relied on Google Maps to power mapping software in iOS devices since the iPhone’s debut in 2007. Back then, the two companies operated in very different realms, but after Google released the Android operating system for mobile devices, they became direct competitors. If all goes according to rumor,all this sci-fi mapping will become part of the next version of a Google Maps-less iOS.
-Jalopnik.com

If these 3d renderings are just around the corner then they will absolutely blow away the current mapping technology that most consumers subscribe to. These are 360 degree maps that are more like CAD images than depictions of flat terrain. And they are accurate to within 6 centimeters of true spatial representation.

MIT Article w/Video

Original Article

Categories: Apple, Technology.

By Andrew Canella
— January 28, 2012 at 11:28 am

STOP SOPA

and PIPA.

If you’re not sure what SOPA is, have a read.

Categories: Technology.

By Andrew Canella
— January 17, 2012 at 8:26 pm

Mad Men Inspired Edition of Newsweek Coming Soon

Newsweek is planning an issue marking the return of “Mad Men” this March by adopting the magazine’s 1960s design throughout — all the way, it hopes, to the ads.

The design team is examining back issues for guidance. “From ’64 to ’69, Newsweek had this super-slick, dead-simple modern look to it,” said Dirk Barnett, creative director at Newsweek Daily Beast. “The ads were in color. For the most part, everything else was in black and white with thin, red lines.”

The look was similar to the design on “Mad Men” in a way, Mr. Barnett said. “When you watch ‘Mad Men,’ everything is so precise and tight,” he said. “It’s all about precision, really. That’s what we want to infuse into this.”
-Nat Ives, AdAge Mediaworks

Mad Men is my favorite show currently on the air. It combines excellent characters, productive plots and an accurate portrayal of what life was like in 1960′s America. I will definitely be buying this issue.

Original Article

Categories: Design.

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By Andrew Canella
— January 12, 2012 at 5:44 pm

Light Design Blows My Mind

The hanging light bulb freaks me out a little bit, but all in all these designs blow my mind (no pun intended). Check out Pieke Bergmans’ other work on designboom.

Categories: Design.

By Andrew Canella
— January 9, 2012 at 4:32 pm

Jonathan Ive Knighted

To be recognized with this honour is absolutely thrilling and I am both humbled and sincerely grateful. I discovered at an early age that all I’ve ever wanted to do is design. I feel enormously fortunate that I continue to be able to design and make products with a truly remarkable group of people here at Apple.
-Jonathan Ive 

I noticed that the award was called the KBE. The only Knighthood-like award I knew of was the MBE, which was awarded to The Beatles in 1965. So what’s the difference?

From Wikipedia:

The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom.[1][2] The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions. In descending order of seniority, these are:

  • Knight Grand Cross of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (GBE) or Dame Grand Cross of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (GBE)[3]
  • Knight Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (KBE) or Dame Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (DBE)
  • Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (CBE)
  • Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE)
  • Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (MBE)

Original Article

Categories: Apple, Design.

By Andrew Canella
— December 30, 2011 at 11:22 pm

It’s A Coffee Shop, Not An Indo-European Boutique


I’ve always thought that the popular coffee shop, which at one point was opening 7 new stores a day, used a rather gimmicky and cheap tactic to make drinks sound not only exaggerated in size but to also enhance their “intriguingly exotic” nature. The terminology is eloquent: therefore the coffee must be good. Logical.

For an explanation of the origin of these rather foreign cup sizes, please refer to The Hot Word’s post from almost a year ago to explore the mystery that is three variations.

Categories: Design.

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By Andrew Canella
— December 29, 2011 at 11:01 pm

The Embodiment of Design

Ultimately it comes down to taste. It comes down to trying to expose yourself to the best things that humans have done, and then try to bring those things into what you’re doing.
-Steve Jobs

Categories: Apple, Design.

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By Andrew Canella
— December 22, 2011 at 5:02 pm

SAAB’s 65 Years Of Innovation May Come To An End

From SAAB 93

Rarely in the annals of the modern global auto industry has a company capable of doing so much well done so badly, so deeply misunderstood a brand that could have been something very different than the dissipated, under-capitalized hulk it became.

GM blocked the sale of Saab to would-be Chinese investors on fears that GM technology licenses and hardware would become property of Chinese rivals seeking any advantage to exploit in their campaign to become credible global automotive players. Acquiring established brands such as Volvo or Saab, along with their distribution networks, would be giant steps in that direction.
-Daniel Howes, The Detroit News

A co-worker of mine (who has driven hundreds of cars for his job) once said: “Saab is the auto industry’s best kept secret.” He’s absolutely right. A little too secret. And as a Saab owner I’m sad to see them go.

The most well-designed, tasteful, and luxurious brand on the GM line was also it’s most neglected. There’s still time to save the company that has quite the list of innovations, but it doesn’t look as though GM is going to give anyone the privilege to let Saab’s unrealized potential flourish.

Original Article

Categories: Design.

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By Andrew Canella
— December 20, 2011 at 4:57 pm

Killing Fire With Style

A French company called Fire Design is attempting to address this problem by creating designer fire extinguishers. You can buy a polka dot, pink, and even “I heart NY” extinguisher if you’re willing to spend about 90 euros a pop (roughly $118). Note: traditional fire extinguishers start at about $15.

I’m not real crazy about most of the designs. Okay, I don’t like any of them. But I feel like the germ of the idea is ultimately good and could actually help save lives.. uh, fashionably.

Original Article

Categories: Design.

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By Andrew Canella
— December 16, 2011 at 4:36 pm