Flash Catalyst
Adobe Creative Suite the creative professionals bread and butter tool set, has yet another product added to the tool belt - Adobe Flash Catalyst. I have been keeping an eye on this product for a while (I played with the beta version of it) so I'm quite excited to see how the full release version works. The tool is meant to act as a bridge for Flash with Adobe's visual programs Illustrator, Photoshop or Fireworks without the need of programming. Instead of being bogged down in the development of Flash coding the tool is meant to bring interactivity to visuals produced in Illustrator, Flash or Photoshop in a quicker fashion without the need for coding knowledge. This would enable a designer to quickly prototype rich interactions without having to divorce the actual interaction from the visuals and branding. For anyone whose ever tried to prototype rich interaction in a static format (like wireframes) they can relate on the fact that it's difficult task indeed; and a bit of a oxymoron. Hopefully I will be able to get a copy here at work to test out.
How to prototype a Mockingbird
A colleague of mine linked me to a nice web based prototyping tool called Mockingbird. It is currently in beta, and clearly has a ways to go, but it seems promising. This would be a great tool for a beginner interaction designer to play around with as many of the common shapes and tools are prebuilt. I would also recommend to use it on a simple site that isn't too content heavy. The tool definitely needs a notation tool however. Check it out.
Siftables – Absolutely Bloody Brilliant
David Merrill gave a humble but mind boggling inspiring speech on how we can change the face of how we interact with information and technology. I've seen and heard concepts that are very similar to what Siftables do, but this is the first time I've seen them implemented in such a real and fluid manner. We desperately need to find new ways to on how we interact with our digital information so that we can make it more accessible to all demographics. As a species we've developed an understanding of our surroundings through the use of our 5 senses, but our technology today uses maybe 2 of these. These genius little blocks could have such a profound impact on how our children learn by being able to grasp hold of their information and physically interacting with. Amazing work.
Be sure to check out the video from TED.
Fresh Fonts
I am at a bit of a loss for this article as I do not speak the necessary language to reserach the group or the project itself. Fortunately, a picture is worth a thousand words - English words in this case! It appears the people at autobahn.nl set aside some time to investigate some novel approaches to creating new and visually appealing fonts. The used a variety of squeezable goods such as toothpaste and the results are really quite impressive. Even though the real life product eventually meets a slimey fate as it slides and melts away, they held up long enough for the team to translate it into a longer lasting digital medium.
A great way to approach brain storming and encourage creativity. Do it hands on! Go check out the page.