05.28.2010
Sean Farres /
Creativity /
Graphic Design /
News /
Transportation
The environmental catastrophe happening in the Gulf is horrific. No one really understands the ecological consequences from this mistake yet. In a CBS survey, 70 percent disapproved of BP’s response. Designers agree too and are using their voice to express their disapproval. Greenpeace is asking for a redesign of BP’s logo.
View Logo Gallery
Enter the Greenpeace BP logo redesign competition
Learn more about the Deepwater Horizon oil spill
05.07.2010
Corinna Proctor /
Creativity /
Usability
After years of suffering through accidental CAPITALIZATIONS and wondering why keyboard manufacturers give such prominence and high priority to the Caps Lock key, I decided to simply remove it. And wha-la, my life is all the better for it. The key functions remain in tact, as anyone who has accidentally popped a key will tell you, but now, the rubberized button takes up only about 3 mm of space in my life as opposed to about 2 cm. Granted it isn’t very attractive, but it is highly functional, as the risk accidentally tapping the bubble is significantly less than tapping the entire key. Customization rocks.
02.22.2010
Sean Farres /
Creativity /
Design Inspiration /
Industrial Design /
Trends
I am always fascinated by the design the Olympics. From the environmental graphics down to the tiny icons of each individual sport they all have a special relationship to every host city. The 2010 winter games in Vancouver do not disappoint. See the design process of the first sustainable Olympic medals made from electronic waste.
02.04.2010
Sean Farres /
Creativity /
Graphic Design /
Local
One symbol which represents NC in the worst way is our current lottery logo. The mountains and lighthouse are child’s scribble. Our beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains are mushy mounds of dirt. Our beach coast is a stack of bobby pins. North Carolina Education Lottery you are a winner in poor graphic design. Please play again.
01.28.2010
Sheila Crosby /
Creativity /
Graphic Design
Over the holidays, my family and I traveled to Ohio to visit relatives. In the southern part of the state, I snapped this picture as we drove by.
I didn’t realize at the time that much has been researched and documented about the Mail Pouch barns, as they are referred to. I just thought it was a cool nostalgic image. In my quick search for more information on these barns, I discovered a book called Advertising Barns: Vanishing American Landmarks by William G. Simmonds. From this book, I learned that this campaign lasted 100 years and this ad has been painted approximately 50,000 times. (The words along the bottom of this barn used to say “Treat Yourself to the Best.” )
Growing up in Ohio, I can’t say I recall seeing these barn advertisements but I’m glad I had the chance to learn a little history about them. I hope they continue to stand the test of time.
11.23.2009
Sean Farres /
Creativity /
Design Inspiration /
Graphic Design /
Green Technology /
Human Factors /
Industrial Design /
Medical /
Trends
One medical brand incorporating good design is Help Remedies. The simplicity is genius. The greatest feature of the medicine is no use of excessive fillers. What stands this product out even more is the packaging. Its main message is how it can heal me. What I like even more is that the packaging can go in the compost. Does your Advil do that?
In-Store Display
11.13.2009
Sean Farres /
Community Involvement /
Creativity /
Design Inspiration /
Graphic Design /
Green Technology /
Human Factors /
Industrial Design /
Local /
User Research
What a great meeting at the TriUPA & HFES Carolina World Usability Day event. HumanCentric had the opportunity to present our new recycling solution to this year’s design challenge. It goes without saying we were the clear winners in the design challenge (well… we were the only entry, but let’s not get caught up in the details…). The audience was very receptive and had lots of great questions about our process, information graphic and in-home bin prototype. Click here to view our presentation.
Many audience members wanted our solution implemented across the Triangle to jump-start awareness and increase recycling. HumanCentric is very excited about the community support and would love to have our vision for a better recycling system become a reality. If you would like to join our campaign for a greener Triangle please contact Alexander Hussain at HumanCentric. HumanCentric’s next steps are to connect local government officials to present our improved recycling solution.
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Alex presenting our solution
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Information Graphic
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Sean’s demo
07.17.2009
Caroline Madigan - Former Staffer /
Creativity
When HumanCentric was asked to shoot video for a project, Alex and I got pretty excited. We set out to experiment, gathering materials for a video setup.
The project required footage of ice and water in motion. Our challenge (and the fun part) was filming in a way that reflected the product’s visual language.
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