Mental Models, Design Patterns, and the Norman Door: A Night of UX Design

Posted on by AIGA Baltimore

Exactly what is user experience (UX) design? In a hands-on workshop lead by Phil Bolles, a DC-based designer and educator, that very question was asked to the crowd of 20+ attendees. Responses included “the easiest way to get from Point A to Point B” and references to the Norman Door, but ultimately, attendees agreed that the essence of UX is asking the questions, “Who is this for?” and “What are they trying to do?”

While the role of a UX designer is multidisciplinary, the ultimate goal is to be an advocate for the user. How one goes about this, with respect to web and mobile applications, was explored through rich discussions, activities, and real world examples.

One of those examples was an exercise in developing the mental model of a pizza tracker app. The goal of the mental model is not to illustrate how ordering a pizza via an app works, but how the user thinks that it works. Through this exercise, we were able to anticipate a user’s goals and tasks as they walk through the ordering process.

In the end, attendees were left with not only an excellent list of UX resources (see our list below), but also a deeper knowledge of design patterns, qualitative insight and mental models, and an understanding of how they all these things fit into the role of a UX designer.

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What are your favorite UX resources? Share them with us on Twitter!

UX Resources:

DeDesign the Web
http://dedesigntheweb.com/
Test your knowledge of popular websites just by looking at the wireframes

The Design of Everyday Things by Don Norman
http://www.jnd.org/books/design-of-everyday-things-revised.html
Donald Norman’s book on the good–and bad–design theories behind everyday products

Designer Hangout CO
https://www.designerhangout.co/
Join 5800+ UXers from around the world on Slack to discuss user experience.

Apps

UX Companion
http://www.uxcompanion.com/

POP App (Prototyping on Paper)
https://popapp.in

Books

A Book Apart
http://abookapart.com/

Rosenfeld Media
http://rosenfeldmedia.com/

User Experience Team of One by Leah Boule
http://rosenfeldmedia.com/books/the-user-experience-team-of-one/

Podcasts

Accidental Tech Podcast
http://atp.fm/

The Big Web Show
http://5by5.tv/bigwebshow

Let’s Make Mistakes
http://www.muleradio.net/mistakes/

A Responsive Web Design Podcast
http://responsivewebdesign.com/podcast/

Other

A List Apart
http://alistapart.com/

Boxes and Arrows
http://boxesandarrows.com/

Daring Fireball
http://daringfireball.net/

Jesse James Garret’s visual vocabulary
http://www.jjg.net/ia/visvocab/

LukeW Ideation + Design
http://www.lukew.com/

Nielsen Norman Group
http://www.nngroup.com/

Shannon Crabill is a HTML Email Developer at T. Rowe Price. Outside of the Internet you can find her riding her motorcycle and binge-watching home improvement shows on HGTV. Tweet her at @shannon_crabill.

Meet the 2015-2016 AIGA Baltimore Board!

Posted on by AIGA Baltimore

Each year, we ask our members to vote on the entire slate of Board Members, each of whom volunteers for a minimum two-year term, helping shape the direction of our local chapter and the design community at large. Some of these individuals are brand new to the board, and others are in the middle of their term.

The proposed 2015-2016 slate of board members is below. Please take a moment to review the introductions for each board member. AIGA members will soon receive an email with a link to vote either for or against the entire slate. So be sure to cast your vote, as voting will end on Tuesday, June 23rd, 2015!

Interested in joining our team of volunteers? Check out our available volunteer and board member positions and get in touch with us at info@baltimore.aiga.org.

 

Vanessa Ulrich, President
Term ends: June 2017

Vanessa Ulrich is a communications strategist currently working in public relations. She has done freelance work in graphic design, brand development and writing, and is passionate about bringing clarity to complex ideas. Vanessa graduated from the University of Maryland with a dual B.S. in Marketing and International Business and from the Savannah College of Art and Design with an M.A. in Design Management.

She grew up both in Montgomery County and Thailand, and is proud to call Baltimore home. Vanessa enjoys downloading fonts she swears she’ll use someday, going on runs around Riverside Park, and networking with all the amazing people who make Baltimore such a fabulously quirky city.

After falling in love with graphic design in grad school, Vanessa sought out AIGA as a way to stay plugged in and give back to the local design community. As incoming President, Vanessa’s goal is to promote the value of design and design professions, and expand AIGA Baltimore’s presence and relationships within the community.

Chad Miller, Membership Chair
Term ends: June 2017

Chad Miller is a Senior Graphic Designer for MedStar Health and his passion is deep for design and illustration. If you were to follow Chad around on a weekend, you may just find him hiking the great outdoors, collecting designer vinyl, reading graphic novels, immersing himself in pop culture (the geekier the better), enjoying an adult beverage here and there, and spending time with his lovely wife and daughter. Oh, and also drinking coffee. Lots and lots of coffee.

As the newly appointed Membership Chair, Chad’s goal is to engage with the chapter’s members, hear their feedback and respond in kind, all in an effort to establish and improve relationships, ensuring a positive membership experience.

Joseph Anthony Carter-Brown, Programming Director
Term ends: December 2016

As a graphic designer and entrepreneur, Programming Director, Joseph Carter-Brown is what you might consider a “jack of all trades.” His breadth of experience (in tech sector consulting and training, apparel design, higher-ed teaching, web design, brand development, publication design and screen printing) has been a key factor in helping numerous small and mid-size companies throughout the DC, Virginia, Maryland and Atlanta areas conceive and execute key branding initiatives. Joe holds a BS in Graphic Design from Full Sail University and has a passion for all things art and design. He enjoys learning as much as he can and takes on new design challenges as often as possible.

As Programming Director, Joe is focused on raising awareness of design and its importance in the larger corporate, social and economic conversation. In his role, Joe works hard to connect designers to broader professional and developmental resources in the Baltimore community.

Jermaine Bell, Programming Chair
Term ends: April 2017

Jermaine Bell is a graphic designer who holds a BFA in Graphic Design from the Maryland Institute College of Art. Through his work at Havas Worldwide, he has gained footing in advertising with clients like Michelob Ultra, Liberty Mutual Insurance and Constellation Energy. Jermaine is also a Contributor for the Arts & Culture Blog Bmore Art.

Jermaine Bell is well-suited to his role as Programming Chair because he enjoys planning events that engage Baltimore designers and community members. His unique voice and his passion for inclusivity fuels him to work towards providing a comfortable space for people to talk about design and issues that can be solved through design thinking. Through programming geared towards embracing diversity, Jermaine will also work to give all designers—regardless of their race, gender, or any other demographic status—a more significant voice in the local and national design community.

Kerry Tasch Korrer, Social Design Chair
Term ends: January 2017

Kerry Korrer is a senior art director for an advertising and marketing agency and a freelance designer in her limited free time. She fuels her passion for branding, communications, interactive design and advertising with adventures in the great outdoors, yoga, craft beer, and funny gifs on the interwebs. Originally hailing from the great state of Wisconsin, she is now proud to call Baltimore home.

As the Social Design Chair, Kerry aims to educate, inspire and encourage involvement in social design initiatives. She comes to the role with a desire to connect design to causes that are important to the community, and to showcase the great work that is already being done throughout Baltimore.

Gary Rozanc, Education Director
Term ends: January 2016

Gary Rozanc is an assistant professor of graphic design at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, where he teaches responsive web design. He received his BA in Graphic Design from Cleveland State University and his MFA in Visual Communications from the University of Arizona. Gary has also presented his research and findings on inquiry and problem-based learning methods at international and national peer-reviewed conferences, including AIGA’s bi-annual National Conference “Head, Heart, Hand” and the “International Conference on Design Principles & Practices.”

As the Education Director, Gary continues AIGA Baltimore’s strong tradition of educational programming, which includes the annual spring student design conference and portfolio review, Ink & Pixels. Gary works to find new opportunities to grow design faculty involvement in the Baltimore design community and increase student engagement.

Vivianna Bermudez, Education Chair
Term ends: March 2017

Vivianna Bermudez is a Graphic Designer for the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. As a strategic communications professional, she enjoys fusing together creative vision, extensive design knowledge and marketing expertise with a passion for higher education. She received a BS in Fashion Merchandising from the University of Delaware, and is currently pursuing an MA in Communications from Johns Hopkins University. From a Blue Hen to a Blue Jay, Vivianna has relished the opportunity to work with talented students, faculty members and researchers, and will continue forging a path towards equality in higher education.

As the newly appointed Education Chair, Vivianna works to promote and expand student and faculty participation in the Baltimore design community. She also helps to provide growth and networking opportunities for design students and professionals.

Kate Lawless, Communications Director
Term ends: April 2017

Kate Lawless is a Communications Designer at the University of Maryland Faculty Physicians, Inc. With her BA in English from West Virginia Wesleyan College and her MA in Publications Design from the University of Baltimore, Kate has strengths in writing, making visual connections with words, and translating those connections into fully developed pieces, from flyers to emails to eLearning courses.

Through her role as Communications Director, Kate is able to help strengthen Baltimore’s creative community and grow the design profession by way of making ties with the people in it, both in person and online. She comes to the position with a passion for design thinking and a love for sharing it with others. By serving on the board, Kate is able to give back to the design community both far and wide and keep in touch with Baltimore’s creative undercurrents.

Meredith Burke, Web Chair
Term ends: January 2016

Meredith Burke, Web Chair, is a freelance designer who lives and works in Baltimore City. Having earned an AA in Publication Design from the Community College of Baltimore County and a BS in Corporate Communications from the University of Baltimore, she has a wide range of skills, including print design and production, web design and front-end development, project management, and writing. She also enjoys tutoring and training others in the use of design applications and coding for the web.

As Web Chair, Meredith’s goal is to help improve and maintain AIGA Baltimore’s web presence. She provides front-end web development, content management support, consultation on technologies and best practices, and connections with Baltimore’s web tech community.

Update: Since the time of first publication, we’ve added two *new* board members. Please welcome Leo and Rob to our team!

Leonard Brady, Board Operations Chair
Term ends: June 2017

Rob Schilke, Outreach Chair
Term ends: June 2017

Letter of Introduction from Vanessa Ulrich, Incoming President

Posted on by AIGA Baltimore

I am incredibly excited to officially begin my first term as President of AIGA Baltimore this summer, replacing the leadership of our amazing outgoing Co-Presidents, Jennifer Marin and Stacey Fatica.

I’ve worked with Jen and Stacey for two and a half years since I joined the board in February 2013 as Visibility Director. In that role, I connected with other organizations in the Baltimore community to build relationships, collaborate on events and create awareness and understanding for AIGA Baltimore’s goals. I’m so inspired every day by all the people who make Baltimore a creative, innovative, and fabulously quirky city.

As incoming President, my goal is to promote the value of design and design professions while continuing to strengthen the chapter’s programming and community involvement. Under Jennifer and Stacey’s leadership over the past two years, AIGA Baltimore produced more than 60 amazing events to bring education and inspiration to the Baltimore design community. In 2013, Design Week was also recognized officially by the state. I seek to continue to strengthen this legacy.

Assisting me in achieving this goal is a board powered 100% by volunteer AIGA members. Each one has a specific area of focus, and each brings a diversity of thought, talent and passion to the board.

Education
Gary Rozanc, Education Director
Vivianna Bermudez, Education Chair

Gary and Vivianna led a highly successful Ink & Pixels student portfolio review conference this past April. They are currently planning next year’s annual conference, and are working to develop new ways to engage with AIGA Baltimore’s student groups.

Programming
Joseph Anthony Brown, Programming Director
Jermaine Bell, Programming Chair
Kerry Korrer, Social Design Chair

Joe and Jermaine are leading the planning for Design Week 2015, all while working to execute several special events as well as our regular monthly Blend and Converse events. Kerry leads social design programming, and she’s got a few key initiatives she’s gearing up for.

Communications
Kate Lawless, Communications Director
Meredith Burke, Web Chair

Spearheading our outreach online via email and our website are Kate and Meredith. They also manage a committee of dedicated communication volunteers who assist with our blog, social media, and other communications needs.

Membership
Chad Miller, Membership Chair

The newest member of our board, Chad, will cultivate AIGA Baltimore’s relationship with you, our members, encouraging you throughout the year to engage with us, give feedback, and add your voice to our initiatives.

I am honored to lead and work with such an amazing team. But nothing we do would be possible without a strong community of people passionate enough to volunteer their time to this effort—people who volunteer to speak at events, offer up their spaces for us to use, review portfolios and serve on committees. There are so many people who have helped make AIGA Baltimore what it is today. A two-year term is not a long time, and I hope we can continue to carry that torch and serve the evolving needs of our chapter’s membership and the Baltimore design community as a whole.

I look forward to a great two years serving as your new chapter president.
Thank you,
Vanessa Ulrich

From Reviewee to Reviewer: Ink & Pixels From the Other Side of the Table

Posted on by AIGA Baltimore

I began attending Ink & Pixels in my junior year at Towson University. At the time, I was preparing to screen into the design program in order to complete my BFA in Graphic Design. The screening requires a phenomenal portfolio from all candidates to secure a spot, and as I walked into Ink & Pixels I thought I had one. I remember thinking how blown away the reviewers were going to be with my awesome portfolio and design skills. So I sat down across from my first reviewer and introduced myself.

Shockingly, the reviewer was appalled by my lack of professionalism. Despite my best efforts to enhance my appearance that day—I wore a shirt tucked in with a tie to match my personal brand colors—my work and portfolio presentation just didn’t stand up to the test. Looking back, it wasn’t much better put together than a wet rat. But I was stupidly cocky.

After a few questions in, I warmed up to the reviewer and we found our level ground. She complimented my work where it was deserved while detailing every nook and cranny that I needed to change in order to create a quality portfolio. My reviewer took the time to ask me about where I wanted to be professionally after graduating. She asked what designers influenced me and gave me tips to make my goals easier to obtain.

In the weeks to follow, when I was accepted into TU’s BFA program, I decided that my reviewer’s tough love was the best advice I could have gotten. I appreciated the feedback so much that I decided to return to Ink & Pixels the following year, too.

The review sessions from both Ink and Pixels ‘13 and ‘14 allowed me the opportunity to talk with professional designers, some of whom were hiring managers and many of whom I am still in touch with. They told me exactly what I needed to hear and didn’t sugarcoat it. No one held my hand nor did I receive a lollipop at the end. These professionals were there to make a real difference in the way I think and create as a designer, and the advice they gave me extended beyond just presenting my work.

In December 2014, I graduated with my BFA in Graphic Design from Towson University. Before graduation, I put together a fantastic portfolio using everything I had gained from Ink & Pixels. I also used the connections I made with my reviewers to get invited to 10 different interviews. Yes, 10! Those connections got me a full-time job.

So, now it’s my turn to dish out advice: if you’re a student thinking about attending an Ink & Pixels conference in the future, don’t think; DO. It will change your future.

For Ink & Pixels 2015, I knew it was time for me to give back as a portfolio reviewer. I helped several students take a look at their portfolios from a new perspective, guided them on their work and their portfolio presentation, and dished out all the advice and lessons I had learned over the past couple of years.

I reached out to each student I was fortunate to meet, and have even been able to pass on a resumé here and there to hiring managers who may have a fit for the graduating student. It feels fantastic knowing that I am now able to help make a difference in their careers.

A few more words of advice: if you’re a student who has passed through Ink & Pixels and working as a professional, please give back. We can continue to make sure great design is being ushered out on to the world, especially in Baltimore.

Register for Ink & Pixels Portfolio Review!

Liam Clisham, an AIGA member since 2012, owns and operates Five31, completing motion and graphic design for a variety of large and small business, including Exelon/BGE, Keller Williams, and recently Discovery Communications.

How to Give and Receive a Good Design Critique

Posted on by AIGA Baltimore

Why is critique so important?

As designers, we don’t design in a vacuum. A good designer will need to learn to take the feedback from their peers, clients, and bosses to solve a particular design problem. Critiques will also help you broaden your communication skills as a designer, as there is always the opportunity to articulate why you did what you did or to better explain your idea to the reviewer if they don’t see it as clearly as you do.

A good critique can involve both positive and negative feedback, which can be tricky to navigate. Here are some quick tips on how to give–and receive–good design feedback during a critique.

How to give a good critique:

The Love Sandwich
The best way to approach critiquing someone else’s work is to sandwich the feedback with love. If you think of your critique as the sandwich, the bread would be what you “love” about the work and the middle—the fillings—would be what you didn’t like as much.

First, tell your fellow designer what aspects you like about the piece, whatever they may be. Be descriptive. Instead of just saying “I like it” explain why you like it while using specific examples from the design whenever possible.

Next, move onto the constructive criticism. If you think certain aspects of a design aren’t working, try to explain why or offer suggestions on how they can be improved. Asking the designer questions may help them to see problems in the execution of the design that they may not have seen on their own.

You may also want to limit your use of personal pronouns, like “you,” to make sure your critique is about the design work and not about the designer. We all feel personally about our work, but during a critique it’s best to separate the person from the piece. For example, say you have a critique about a line intersection. You may want to say, “The way this line intersects with that line…” instead of “The way you intersected this line with that line…”. This will help reassure the designer that the criticism is about the work and not about them, as designers.

You don’t have to agree or like the decisions of the designer but their work deserves honest feedback. Put yourself in their shoes. If they are brave enough to share their work and ask for feedback, then they deserve to get that, both the good and the bad.

Finally, don’t forget to repeat or elaborate on what you liked about the piece so that the critique ends on a positive note. This way, the designer knows the piece may need some reworking, but also that there are aspects of the design that work as-is, too.

How to receive critique well:

A Grain of Salt
Hopefully, your fellow designer will follow the Love Sandwich guidelines and give you a great, honest critique. During a critique, It’s important that when you hear the good and the bad feedback to take it with stride. Design isn’t math. There are no right and wrong answers; only subjective opinions that may differ from one designer to another.

That being said, remember that a critique is about your work and making it the best it can be; it shouldn’t be about you. If you disagree with specific feedback, explain your decisions thoughtfully but also listen to what’s being said. Remember, those who are giving critiques generally do so because they want to help you grow as a designer, so try not to get defensive or take their criticisms personally.

And, if you don’t agree with specific comments you receive during a critique, it’s okay to ask for other opinions, too. Baltimore is filled with great designers who are willing to help and who love to give a good critique. There are also online resources like Dribbble or Behance that you can log into and share your work with others around the globe. Anyone, even a non-designer friend or coworker whom you trust to give honest and constructive feedback, can be a good resource. And, a good round of feedback is always better than no feedback at all.

Students and recent graduates! Want to have your work critiqued by Baltimore area design professionals? Register for Ink & Pixels, AIGA Baltimore’s Student Design Conference, before it is too late.

What’s the best or worse feedback you have ever gotten during a critique? What advice would you give to someone taking part in a design critique for the first time?

Related Articles:

The 4 essentials of a design critique

The Art of the Design Critique

Design Criticism and the Creative Process

Photo by Jeremy Drey for AIGA Central PA

Kate Lawless often daydreams about how she can make a full-time job out of what she does for AIGA Baltimore. When her head isn’t in the clouds, you can find her designing communications, digital signs, documentation, and online software demonstrations and interactive elearning for the operations department of a large healthcare company in Baltimore. Tweet her at @katereeez

Shannon Crabill is a New Media Specialist at T. Rowe Price. She has a love for social media, tech, all things do-it-yourself, baking, coffee and the occasional cringe-worthy pun. Outside of the Internet, you can find her dancing, riding her motorcycle and binge-watching home improvement shows on HGTV. Tweet her at @shannon_crabill

And The Winners Are…

Posted on by AIGA Baltimore
After drooling over very colorful and inspiring workspaces of the AIGA Baltimore Instagram community, it is finally time to announce the winners of last month’s Instagram challenge. DRUMROLL, please! May we present:

 

Emilee Beeson:

http://instagram.com/p/zqqWxoO555/

 

and Tiff Mason:

 

http://instagram.com/p/ys3d–xC2Q/

 

Congratulations to Emilee and Tiff! They each won a 1-year subscription to Skillshare!

 

We’d like to give all our challenge participants a BIG THANKS for sharing your workspaces with us. We loved seeing where you work, your colorful walls, pretty posters, creative desktop backgrounds, and awesome adaptations of our challenge hashtag, #bmoreAIGA100. To see all the entries, head over to Instagram and search the hashtag #bmoreAIGA100, and stay tuned for more challenges and Skillshare giveaways!

 

Now that we’re feeling workspace inspired, how about joining us for a mix-and-mingle at Price Modern on Tuesday this week?

 

20150310_workspaces_1000x600

We’re getting together to dive deep into the topic of designing creative workspaces and we want you to come join us! Light refreshments will be provided, and we may head over to the Ottobar afterwards, too. See you there!

Event Recap: Adobe Responsive Design Workshop

Posted on by AIGA Baltimore

AIGA Baltimore’s Adobe Edge workshop wasn’t just about the tools we have at our disposal; it was also about the process of designing responsively. Most of us in attendance were designers who happen to code but that wasn’t our specialty, so Brian Wood, our guest lecturer, went over plenty of web basics to catch us up.

The Tools

Brian worked for Adobe for 13 years and now spends more time doing what he loves most: lecturing about web design, including Adobe’s own suite of development tools for designing, coding, and testing responsive design. The suite includes:

  • Edge Animate – Useful for making animations, web banners, etc. using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. Interactive elements can be built using Edge Animate; however, it’s not meant for building an entire site.
  • Edge Reflow – Used for rapid prototyping and visually showing responsive elements.
  • Edge Code – A simple, text-only code editor, similar to Sublime Text.
  • Edge Inspect – Built for testing on actual devices in real time via an app on your device (tablet, phone, etc.) and a Chrome plug-in. A local or live site can be mirrored on each device on same network.
  • Edge Web Fonts / Typekit – Hosted fonts that are free with an Adobe Creative Cloud subscription.

Additionally, we had access to free web fonts available outside of a Creative Cloud subscription, such as Google fonts.

What is Responsive Design?

Mark Boulton, whose design studio created the Gridset responsive layout tool, says, “It’s making sure your layout doesn’t look like crap on different sized screens.”

Responsive design, also called mobile optimization, refers to a website that is viewed on various devices without degradation in user experience. There are two main types of responsive design. The first is based on overall screen percentages, called a liquid layout. The second uses liquid in conjunction with breakpoints (or media queries) to force elements to adjust at specific points based on the size of the browser or viewport window.

Responsive design differs from adaptive layouts where the widths are static, or set, and media queries are used to establish breakpoints that adjust the layout where it starts to fall apart. For more information, check out the great resources at the end of this article.

Let’s Get Started

It used to be that a web designer would build a mockup of a website in Photoshop, show it to the client for approval, send it to development, and bam! we’re done. Now, the job is generally more difficult because there’s so much more to consider when building a responsive website, not to mention many designers are expected to take on the front-end development themselves.

One of the first steps we can take when designing a responsive site is to decide if we should start a design for mobile first or desktops. Looking into the analytics for a client can be helpful in determining which direction to start, but when working with Reflow, it doesn’t really matter because at the end of the Photoshop design process, the mockup can be plugged directly into Reflow, which will do the hard work for you. While it’s possible to start from scratch in Reflow, the connection with Photoshop is the power behind the program.

Also, it’s always a good idea to see what everyone else is doing before beginning the design. Learn from the experts. Compare notes. Be awesome.

Best Practices in Photoshop

The client-specific devices you’re supporting are tailored to fit their needs. The size ranges, or device map, dictates your initial wireframe and document setup.

Using a grid is key in developing a clean responsive site mockup. Not only does designing in a grid make it easy to keep elements aligned and balanced, but developers also often use grid frameworks. If you know you’ll be working with a developer, ask what grid they’re using. Knowing this and designing with it in mind can minimize how much of your layout your developer has to fix during production, which ultimately gives you control over your design.

While it is possible to manually create a grid by dragging and measuring guides in Photoshop, there are plug-ins available that will speed up the process. Check out the reference section below to find those.

If you design for mobile first, the term “above the fold” may come to mind when scaling up proportionately for the desktop. While this still matters somewhat, modern audiences know to scroll down, so don’t sacrifice too much based on print design principles.

You will want to use vector objects for graphics because, when moving your design into Reflow, a vector object allows for scalability while a raster object does not. Also, Smart Objects should also be used for editing images so the process can be as non-destructive as possible. Since you’re designing for big and small devices, images should always be bigger than you need. SVG is the recommended format for saving logos. It works in most browsers, it allows for the logo to scale, and it can easily fallback to a PNG should the browser not support an SVG.

Moving into Reflow

Reflow is a very visual program with five simple tools: Move, Shape, Text, Image, and Form.

The program looks at your layer order in Photoshop to determine where elements fall within the HTML document, so remember to place the elements for the top of design at the top of the Photoshop layers.

Overall, we found that Reflow does a really good job of developing code based on the Photoshop document, but minor tweaks were still needed. While moving and editing elements, Reflow updates the HTML and CSS as needed and in the end, all code can be exported to a code editor for additional fine-tuning. There are no semantics, as classes in the HTML and CSS code are created based on layer names and not HTML attributes like <h1> or <p>.

Fixing our Design in Reflow / Using Media Queries

Once you’ve decided what direction you’re designing for (mobile vs. desktop), it’s time to start setting up breakpoints in Reflow. Developers used to code for three breakpoints, but now not only are there many more devices and sizes to compare to, but we should also consider breakpoints based on the size of the viewer’s current browser window to make sure the design doesn’t fall apart at any size.

When making a change to the layout in Reflow, you’ll either need to be in a specific breakpoint or add a new breakpoint. Otherwise, the changes may only apply to the default breakpoint, which controls the global style for all devices.

Within Reflow, all elements are arranged using margins and all items are floated left by default. Understanding this, we can keep a consistent visual experience by using the control panel on the left in conjunction with our breakpoints, telling the elements when and how to change. This includes changing percentage widths for the horizontal layout elements, where to add or remove columns, and when to show or hide elements.

Wrap Up

Although Brian was only able to scratch the surface of what Reflow can do, through this workshop I was pleasantly surprised to learn how far forward Adobe Edge has come in recent years. Not only can Reflow speed up the production and prototyping phase, but its ties with Photoshop allows us—the designers—to stay in control of our designs and how they render across devices. In turn, this allows us to work out usability, legibility or breakpoint issues before our project is handed over to our developer. Alternatively, in the case that we, the designers, are also the developers, Reflow has already done the bulk of the hard work for us.

Responsive Design References

http://alistapart.com/article/responsive-web-design/
– The article that started what we now know as responsive design

http://johnpolacek.github.io/scrolldeck.js/decks/responsive/
– What The Heck Is Responsive Web Design?

http://mediaqueri.es/
– Inspirational gallery featuring responsive websites at various screen and device sizes

http://viljamis.com/blog/2012/responsive-workflow/device-map-2012.pdf
– A sample device map

http://gs.statcounter.com/
– Statistics showing what device resolutions (and more) are using the web

http://www.getskeleton.com/
– A common web developer boilerplate that includes a grid system for mobile and desktop

Photoshop Guide References

http://guideguide.me/
– Plug in for Photoshop that makes creating grid systems easy

http://gridpak.com/
– Responsive grid generator that includes a grid CSS file and PNG’s for use in Photoshop

Shannon Crabill is a New Media Specialist at T. Rowe Price. She has a love for social media, tech, all things do-it-yourself, baking, coffee and the occasional cringe-worthy pun. Check out her work at http://shannoncrabill.com/

BLEND Recap: Tim Bojanowski at Zen West Road Side Cantina

Posted on by AIGA Baltimore

Last Tuesday, Tim Bojanowski spoke at AIGA Baltimore’s monthly Blend. Tim is the leading adviser and principal of Zest Social Media Solutions and to him and his team, brands concentrating only on increasing their number of followers are sweating the small stuff.

blendsm

He told us that online consumers are looking for information and that social media is as crucial to their search as Google. Brands that take of advantage of providing free information through their social media channels capitalize on an opportunity to build what he calls a “tribe.”

“A tribe of loyal followers is more likely to comment on, share, and read posts,” said Tim, “Each follower within the tribe subsequently possesses a higher potential to convert.”

To brands interested in building tribes over a massive following, Tim advises them to use storytelling. He said, “The best narratives follow a series of causality surrounding the brand’s niche in the market. They say, ‘I am good at these things, here’s how I do them and here’s why.’ Taking 20 minutes to create a post that tells a story about something your brand created will go farther to increase your social equity. More than relying on the grumpy cat.”

Joshua Uzzell is a Baltimore-based graphic artist who provides illustrative branding, web design and development services. Follow him @joshuzzell.

Touring through the National Parks Conservation Association’s Brand Journey

Posted on by AIGA Baltimore

When Scott Kirkwood joined the National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA), headquartered in Washington, DC, as the senior editor of National Parks magazine 9 years ago, he knew he had a lot of work to do. The magazine was in desperate need of a redesign, the annual report had been neglected, and the logo hadn’t been revised since dinosaurs roamed the planet. He could sum up the brand in one word: stale.

But he said “We can do better!” Scott buckled down and began making small tweaks to the design department’s production and nearly 10 years later he’s lived to tell the tale of the NPCA’s brand revitalization. His side-kick, Annie Riker (who came on as a designer at NPCA in 2006) joined him on Tuesday, January 28, 2014, to talk to a large audience of brand-hungry design lovers at Groove Commerce’s new digs in Harbor East.

Participants nodded in agreement as Scott and Annie revealed their views on cultivating client and partner relationships and what constitutes engaging content. Check out some of the highlights from our Twitter feed below and some great moments captured above.

Continue reading “Touring through the National Parks Conservation Association’s Brand Journey”

HOW Interactive Conference 2013: Tools & Resources

Posted on by AIGA Baltimore

When I first set out to write about what I learned over 3 fabulous days at the HOW Interactive Design Conference in Chicago, I realized (as I sifted through pages and pages of notes) that what’s needed here isn’t another recap of sound bites from the event. What I usually hear from design conference attendees is “it was good but I was expecting more” or “I had a great time but it only reinforced what I already knew.” If you’ve scoured hundreds of articles, blogs, and books about how to be a better designer then you don’t need to learn more, you need to do more. So, with this article, I figured you’d want tools to get the job done.

I’ve put together the tools and resources that the speakers shared at HOW, some of which are free.

PROTOTYPING & WIREFRAME TOOLS

sketches

Axure.com
Make interactive wireframe and prototypes without writing code.

UIStencils.com
Get the tools you need to sketch any type of prototype with pen and paper. Check out this iPhone Stencil Kit!

Protosketch
Build fully-interactive prototypes from your UI Stencil Sketches.

FluidUI.com
Design working mockups for mobile and tablet apps in the browser to share instantly.

Invision
Quickly share a mockup or demo a mobile app with this prototyping and collaboration tool for designers.

Flinto
Make your designs interactive. Create iOS prototypes with your rough sketches or final mock-ups. This tool adds interactivity by linking screens so you can quickly share with your client.

Skala preview
Send pixel perfect previews from your Mac to as many devices as you like. And if you’re working in Photoshop CS5 or higher, you can preview as you edit.

Codiga
A cloud-based drag-and-drop mobile interface builder. Import your own code or choose from their JQuery powered library of components.

Wirify.com
Convert any web page into a wireframe. The PRO version lets you export and edit the wireframes into a variety of formats.

Sketch
A vector graphics app (Mac only) for web and UI design. Render text, create artboards, and use its adjustable 960 grid for wireframes. Using Sketch Mirror, you can preview your work on your iPhone and tablet over Wi-Fi.

USABILITY TESTING

Silverback
Usability testing software for designers and developers. Screen capture, record live video & audio of your users testing your website.

Optimizely
Website Optimization and A/B Testing

UXrecorder
Mobile Website Testing for iOS

DESIGNING & BUILDING

Chris Butler

Macaw
Tired of designing in Photoshop and Illustrator? This web design tool writes code as you draw it.

Codrops
A web design and development blog that publishes articles and tutorials on the latest trends and techniques.

Hammer.js
Javascript library for multi-touch gestures.

Adobe Generator for Photoshop CC
Create image assets in real time.

Adobe Edge Reflow
Design responsive CSS layouts for all screen sizes and export to an HTML code editor with Adobe Edge Reflow CC.

Communication is Key

BOOKS, BLOGS, AND MORE…

Want to know more? Here are some books from the HOW speakers themselves. If I hadn’t brought all carry-on luggage, I might have bought every one of these. Thank goodness for the internet.

Patrick McNeal – Twitter
Creator of designmeltodown.com
Session:  What You Need to Know To Be An Effective Web Designer
Books: The Mobile Web Designer’s Idea Book, The Web Designer’s Idea Book

Chris Converse – Twitter
Codify Design Studio
Session: How to Turn Your PSD Documents into Web Pages
Some Great Resources and Templates can be found here

James Victore – Twitter | YouTube
Keynote Speaker
Book: Victore or, Who Died and Made You Boss?

James Pannafino
Associate Professor, Millersville University
Session: Interdisciplinary Approach to Interactive Design
Book: Interdisciplinary Interaction Design

Chris Butler – Twitter | Blog
COO, Newfangled
Session: Master (minding) the Process: Presentation Slides
Book: The Strategic Web Designer

Margot Bloomstein – Twitter
Principal, Appropriate, Inc.
Session:  Making Meaning in Content and Design – Presentation Slides
Book: Content Strategy at Work

Todd Zaki Warfel
Co-Founder, Nimbly App
Session: Interactive Prototyping & Exploration of Standard Prototyping Tools
Book:  Prototyping A Practitioner’s Guide

Terry White, Sr.
Worldwide Evangelist, Adobe
Session: Create HTML Websites, iPad Apps and eBooks Without Writing Code
Tutorials

Cameron Moll
Founder, Authentic Jobs
Session: Visual Execution of Branding Across Platforms
Books: CSS Mastery , Mobile Web Design

Christopher Cannon
Senior Designer, Bloomberg
Session: Designing Data: How to Create Meaningful Visualizations – Presentation Slides

Brian Wood
Co-Owner, AskBrianWood.com
Session: Bridging the Designer/Developer Divide

David Sherwin – Blog
Principal Designer, frog
Session: Using Storytelling Techniques to Create Better Interactive Experiences
Book: Success By Design: The Essential Business Reference for Designers

Dan Rhatigan
Type Director, Monotype
Session: Tailored Type for Screens – Website

Want a play by play of the event? Here’s a beautiful summary of the social media from the conference as it happened.

Have you used some of these? Do you have something to add? We want to hear about them!

Jennifer Marin is the co-president of AIGA Baltimore and she clearly loves resources.