Saturday, January 15, 2011
5 Non-traditional Valentine's Day gift ideas for creative people and geeks • 11/365 •
What does Valentine's Day mean to us now days? What exactly are we celebrating? Truth is, it isn't really relevant - and it's not even just about romance any more either. Kids are pressured into buying cards for their classmates in elementary school (too early for romance) and they come home filled with unfairly-traded chocolate and tooth-rotting sugar.
I say it's not necessary. If Valentine's Day doesn't mean something to you personally, skip it. Still, romance is lovely. So if you just feel like being romantic (or if your sweetheart will deduct major points for non-participation), then try something besides the usual chocolates. Here are a few ideas that creatives and cool geeks wouldn't expect, and will love to receive, with or without flowers.
Alex Bogusky's new venture, Fearless, has a shop, the shop has t-shirts. What could be a better message than "Fear less love more"?
Mimoco - designer usb flash drives. Because they are cool, creative, original... and useful. Romance in the digital age.
Veer is always great. Give a message of "unity" with these ampersand cuff links. To me, the ampersand is a symbol of unity, love, oneness. It's inclusive. With "and" there is no separation.
Obey isn't the most romantic word in marriage vows, but it's quite fabulous when on something Shepard Fairey created. Give an artistic piece of history - on a business card holder.
A URL. It's more practical than buying and naming a star, and more affordable! Buy "www.Iloveyoupeggysue.com" (or whatever their name is) and put a special message up there for your loved one to see. Be romantic all year ... change up the message and send your love links every few weeks!
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
"Cool Infographic" is not an oxymoron • 10/365 •
"You might be a geek if ... "
"...If you get excited when new infographics come out."
"...If you really wonder what Yoda would say about it."
I don't know how I ended up talking about analytics and infographics. I especially don't know how I ended up liking them! Alas, what could be more interesting to an analytical, visually creative person, than to breathe life into mountains of dry data by giving it color, form, even motion?
Infographics are da bomb. I'm going to start making some. Next week, maybe. For now, here are two of my favorite sources ... just in case you wanted to get smart and look at coolness at the same time:
Since issue one, they have featured "Transparency," where not only do they shed light on important topics, make them digestible eye-candy, but they invite a guest designer to create them every month. Sigh. I love you, Good Magazine.
Just like Fast Company, Fast CoDesign never fails to be entertaining, informative and hip. If loving them is wrong then I don't want to be right.
On a final cautionary note, as with everything in our universe, there is a dark side to infographics as well. Please don't believe everything you see/hear/read. Consider the source. A lesson can be learned from this one Sarah Palin's "target map" infographic removed from her site right after the tragedy in Arizona today.
Yuck. Bad timing. What would Yoda say?
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