Infographic :: Canadian Line Formations
This visual came about when noticing the way Canadians behave when dealing with public services. There’s a nearly hive-mind quality in how we operate – just instinctively programmed how to form a queue. Just a little observation.
Icon design for gaming
I’ve had the opportunity recently to look back at all of the icons and sets I’ve developed for a poker game software company. They are used primarily within the game UI environment but we quickly realized they were useful much beyond this.
Icon design challenges a designer in three main ways–
- You need to come up with the essence of a particular idea, much like the process of creating a brand
- The icon needs to reflect the surrounding user experience and any interactive qualities it might have, and
- You are often working in impossibly small dimensions and restricted colour spaces.
It’s these main challenges that really appeal to me as a designer. It’s been quoted that design is a process of overlapping constraints until the final design reveals itself and the design of icons is a pretty pure example of this.
New personal site
Hi all
I’ve decided to launch a personal site + blog to run concurrently with offbeat studios. It will be more dedicated to general design observations rather than interaction design specifically.
http://peterchlebak.com
And a Short and sweet portfolio
http://cargocollective.com/peterchlebak
Upcoming social gaming project
Pretty excited about the launch of beanpark, a social gaming community. I contributed a brand and brand guidelines for the website, dashboard, and created some of the gaming UI. I think it’s unlike any of its competitors out there. While we went with tweaked primary colours for the main brand, I think the uniqueness comes from the cream background we’re using. The flatness of the rendering definitely calls for 60s inspired spot illustration. The main website is currently under development by a social gaming company that the client has been working with. Since it’s in the works we just have a ‘germinating’ page up for now at beanpark.com.
View the brand guideline document for this project here.
Cycling gear
There are two types of cycle commuters. Those that like to overtly advertise their practice, and those that consider it a normal part of getting around. If you fall into the latter category, you might find it difficult to find cycle wear that is both functional and low key.
Enter Rapha, a UK based company. While they have their roots in bike races such as the Tour De France, there’s no overt spandex or splashy logos. Instead you’ll find classic materials like merino wool and thoughtful but minimal features like reflective arm bands.
I for one love their tweed softshell jacket. But be sure to check out the rest of their offerings.
From an interaction design standpoint, it’s a great website as well.
Documentation for Interaction Design
I’d like to advocate for a moment the value of documentation to the interaction design process. With good documentation we can help reduce design cycles and going through all of those back-and-forth communications over tiny details. Plus as a side benefit they can elevate the role of design in a project. They are especially useful in larger, more complex projects.
Why document?
1. Showcase Details.
As designers we are responsible for being obsessive over details and we are the only ones who truly understand how details can impact a project. A positioning shift to the left or right as we know can dramatically change click through rates and affect the outcome of a project. We need to call attention to these visually small, but functionally big ideas when sharing proofs with the stakeholders.
The Stakeholder
The stakeholder doesn’t have the capacity to care for all of the details on a project. They actually rely on more detail oriented people (supposedly us) who in a perfect world ensure every element reflects the project in some way. As managers, stakeholders will most likely have multiple projects on the go so they always need contextualizing to help put their thoughts on your project.
Notes like “See attached screenshot where I’ve updated the button on the top right” can go a long way to get their brain back on your projects.
2. Impart Interactive Design
Although we act primarily as visual designers, we are also interactive specialists. As such we should be thinking about how things work as we design, and contribute thoughts accordingly. When time has been budgeted, we can use prototyping methods, where we isolate a particular interactive element and roughly script/code in behaviours. But we don’t always have the time to build out a flash file to show how every button might operate. A more time effective solution is simply add few notes on interactive behavior.
Old Faithful Shop
If you’re looking for a good example of retail design in Vancouver look no further than Old Faithful. It’s clear great care goes into the selection of objects, collections, arrangements and negative space. Heritage elements of the existing building like exposed brick and hardware are celebrated. There’s no specific era expressed here, just an overall sense of Terminal City Canadiana. Ultimately there is a purity and honesty to the presentation and selection of goods that rings true to the roots of our city. Check out their recently revamped website here.
Also be sure to check out the great collection of imagery that informs and inspires the collection at the shop here.
New work
Just added some new web work completed through a firm I’m working for in Vancouver. On these projects I’ve had a chance to put some of my usability and design thinking forward. Check out the new work here >
Photography services
We believe great photography is a necessary component of any great marketing campaign. There’s no better method of putting a face to your event than documenting real live social interaction with captivating images. We apply our studio’s functional approach to design to our photography practice, which means capturing focused, journalistic pictures of real people and live events. Check out our live events portfolio for selected work.
We’ve been busy
Between real estate marketing efforts and new brands in the communications and non-profit sector, Offbeat’s had a busy spring season so far. Check out the latest projects:
Websites
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Revelstoke Premium Properties website revamp » Leveraging the flexibility of the Ubertor Content Management System, Offbeat consulted this real estate agency to get the most out of their website with a top to bottom revamp. |
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Vineyard Collection website revamp » The Okanagan Group’s Vineyard Collection offers premium properties in sought-after BC wine country. In anticipation of a hot summer season, Offbeat provided a site refresh focused on the lifestyle aspect of the properties, and a corresponding newsletter design. |
Brands
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Starbott Commmunications » Starbott Communications is a Vancouver-based company specializing in technical writing for the professional industry. Offbeat worked directly with the principles to come up with a brand that balanced playfulness with business. |
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Ending Violence Association of BC » Coming from a recent name change, EVA BC needed a new brand identity to cement their newly established identity. With a highly collaborative effort, involving communications staff and directors, Offbeat guided the logo development process and designed the resulting mark. To impart a humanistic element, a subtle face profile was worked into the graphic |