Mark Cossey - Graphic and Web Designer

The error in banner advertising

admin — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 22:14:17 +0000

I'm switched off to banner ads. I haven't configured my browser to block the ads, I mean I just know where on the page they are likely to be and I sub-consciously ignore them. Even when you get the overlay type adverts my eye and brain is looking for a white cross in a black circle to get rid of it. Lot's of website rely on advert clicks for revenue and though I have no problem with banner advertising I just wonder if we need to re-think how adverts are delivered.

Better button bevels

admin — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 13:38:28 +0000

The 'out-of-the-box' Photoshop Bevel and Emboss tool is ok but it needs to be tweaked to create bevels that don't look heavy and ugly. Using Illustrator and it's Mesh tool to create bevels can give you greater control and produce more pleasing results.

Better car brake lights

admin — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 20:12:48 +0000

A recent incident whilst driving on the motorway got me thinking about the current design of car brake lights. Most cars work in the same way i.e. you push the brake pedal and the brake lights come on. It doesn't matter what speed your doing or how much pressure you put on the brake pedal it's still the same illuminated warning. If you are driving at speed and the car in front brakes heavily the only indicator (apart from the brake lights) is that car getting closer to you much quicker. When the car in front brakes lightly there is less of a problem but as mentioned earlier there is only one type of illuminated warning. Obviously keeping a safe distance should allow you enough time to brake safely but the reality is that people don't drive within the safe stopping zone. I think a slight tweak to current brake lights could help warn people of heavy braking:

Light brake pressure when mobile would show solid illuminated brake lights
Light or heavy brake pressure when stationary would show solid illuminated brake lights
Heavy braking when mobile would show strobe brake lights

Visualizing what I do

admin — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 22:41:19 +0000

I watched David McCandless sparring with Neville Brody on Newsnight a couple of weeks ago and followed it up by watching a good talk on The beauty of data visualization by David McCandless: I was so inspired by the TED talk that I put together my own visual interpretation of my technical and design skills. I'll let you tell me if I've been successful or not. Click for a bigger graphic.

A day of User Interface Design

admin — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 22:18:34 +0000

I'm surrounded by user interface design. From the moment I wake up I'm faced with some simple and some more complex interface designs that somehow I manage to work out. Someone, somewhere has thought about these designs and it's been their sole purpose to make the experience easy to understand, easy to do and easy to remember.

Sketching

admin — Sun, 15 Aug 2010 13:11:55 +0000

I've been sketching more and more recently. Making sure that I have a pad and pen nearby all the time has helped me to make a habit of using sketches as part of my work-flow. It has certainly helped me to work through my ideas quickly before moving onto the PC. I think it helps a lot with elimination so that I don't spend too long on ideas that won't work on the PC.

Using a Spot UV on a business card

admin — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 21:54:47 +0000

I recently designed a logo and business card for London based Personal Trainer Rachel Russell. The business card used a Spot UV finish which is can be quite eye catching and create a lot of impact.

Hidden costs of using off the shelf template web designs

admin — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 23:13:41 +0000

I rummaged around in the cupboard under my sink the other day to look for the window cleaner. I had a vague memory of what the spray container looked like and I knew it had a blue spray trigger lid. I found what I thought was the spray, grabbed it and sprayed the windows. I soon discovered that what I had actually found was a kitchen surface cleaner and on further investigation noticed that the containers for the window cleaner and the surface cleaner was exactly the same - apart from the label.

Am I a good designer?

admin — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 01:42:13 +0000

I've been asking myself that question a lot recently. I still don't know the answer. I started my first design job back in 1997, as a design assistant in an in-house design department of a national chain of English language schools. It wasn't easy but the skills I picked up in that job have been incredibly valuable and aspects of which have stuck with me.

Magazine adverts from 1981 compared to 2010

admin — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 19:34:42 +0000

I picked up a copy of a souvenir edition of Woman's Own from 1981 which celebrated the marriage of Charles and Diana and I found it quite interesting looking at the adverts from that period. I don't make a habit of buying these sorts of magazines (honest) but I decided to get hold of a recent copy of Women's Own and compare the two.