Desktop Eutopia! I’ve been longing for pre-OSX and pre-Vista days, when customizing my desktop and UI (Mac or PC) was a pleasurable distraction that I devoted a certain amount of time to every day, like reading a good book on the train. Since modern (read: less open) operating systems like OS X Leopard and Windows Vista have been introduced, such a pursuit has become more complicated while sitting atop shifting technological sands...

Mike Rohde takes note-taking to a higher level with his fantastic and engaging sketch notes. I first became aware of Mike’s sketchnotes from the first, and surely not last, Seed Conference featuring Jason Fried 37signals, Jim Coudal Coudal Partners and Carlos Segura T26 in Chicago.

Renewing an interest in music listening is prompting a restoration in-progress for my long-neglected, uninformed, audiophile-wannabe, hi-fi. I’m sure many of us have found ourselves awkwardly bent over the backs of stacked players, preamps and amplifiers in dark, cramped quarters, struggling to see which connector gazinta what. While adding a nice, entry-level, dedicated CD player, this week, there was an “ah-ha!” moment. Take a look at the image above. Notice anything unexpected?

PROCEDE® is the R.BIRD method for exploring creative strategies and greater possibilities. Its principles are drawn from more than a quarter century of experience and, not, merely invented for the sake of marketing. Our work at R.BIRD respects our Procede principles on every project. I’d like to share some thoughts with you on the fourth principle of Procede:

There are no wrong answers

Patterns, our series of reports on observations in package design for consumer products is quite popular. In fact, the most popular report we’ve published is about Energy Drinks. The Energy Drinks report has been downloaded thousands of times and viewed online many thousands more. Our report on Energy Drinks documents our experienced observations on how the makers, marketers and designers of these drinks use visual cues to communicate and attract buyers.

Skipping through a recent issue of Real Simple magazine over lunch with R.BIRD creative director, Joseph Favata, our page-flipping was unavoidably interrupted by the stiffness - and thickness - of an “yellow tail” advertising insert (top-left-inset). Pulling on a tab embedded in the insert set off a series of yellow blinking lights on the tails of what might be lightning bugs. Curious, as always, we decided to tear this insert apart to find out what’s ticking inside.

It’s been a a few years since I purchased a first-generation pair of B&O ear-“pieces” at a pricey boutique in Greenwich, Connecticut. I paid too much for the privilege, but took the risk. I’ve not been disappointed. I still prefer the Bang & Olufsen Earphones to anything else I have tried since.

Deriving color palettes from found imagery is not a new idea, at least for most professional designers. So, what else is new? Technology assistance in color hunting is now just seconds away. Not too long ago, I posted Floor Tile Design - a very simple solution to discovering a useable palette using environmental observations, such as a photograph. Here’s a new twist…