Owen Shifflett - The Blog

Ok, Ok, I’m late to the party. We’ve been over this before right? The death of web 2.0, the rebirth of web 2.0, web 3.0. Silly stuff, but even more so, important stuff…if your in the profession of the internets.

Oh, you are? That’s great! Man do I ever have a bone to pick with that web 2.0. I hope he’s not here tonight because I’ve definitely had a couple of Schlitz Malts, and if I see him I can’t be held accountable for any fisticuffs that may or may not fly at his head. Can I talk candidly with you? After all, it’s just you and me here in this convo right? Hey can you hand me that bowl of chips? Awesome, thanks. I love that onion dip; it’s like crack in a metal cylinder. Man, that web 2.0 is totally lame. Everyone seems to like him, but he seems like such a big phony to me. I mean, I know it’s best to hate the game and not the player, but honestly, how can one guy be so many different things to so many different people. Jack of all trades my ass, he’s hiding something…

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I recently wrote a blog post about the importance of visual storytelling on the web at my new (and totally awesome) day-job/home, Viget Labs. Here’s a short excerpt and a link over to read the whole article if you are so inclined.

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Designers face many challenges when creating for the modern web. When embarking on a new project, we bounce around words like style, layout, mark-up, usability, visibility, and the flow of content. These elements are crucial to a cohesive online presence, and overlooking any of them would be a mistake. In our process, we sit down and conceptualize solutions that embody all these traits, but yet it’s easy to overlook a key element of design: storytelling.

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At the close of the coming week I’m going to be leaving CDG Interactive, after 3 great years, to take a design position with Viget Labs. Needless to say I’m super stoked (very much hugely uber excited to the max) about all the new opportunities, collaboration, and internet brain-trust (I’m pretty sure they have lasers) that Viget has to offer. I can’t wait to dive in and get to work…and participate in the soon to be fabled Viget Pushup Club.

It’s been a fun ride at CDG. I’ve had the opportunity to work with a group of passionate people on a wide variety of really great projects. I can’t put into words how much they have helped me grow as not only a designer, but as a professional in my field (even though I’m still guilty of wearing shorts and flip-flops to work).  I’m going to miss everyone immensely. I leave with great memories, a few hilariously embarrassing stories to tell the yet born grand-kids of the future, and a stronger passion for what I do for a living. I chalk that up as a win!

Thus starts the next chapter in my professional career, Viget bound.

Wow. Wow. Wow. I cracked open the latest Design Within Reach (DWR) catalog and was greeted with this amazing recliner. So swanky and hip. I saw a similar concept sans recliner at a shop in Madrid but this one takes it to the next level. It was designed by Jeffrey Bernett in 2005 as part of a challenge from DWR to create a recliner that didn’t meet the form function of all the other recliners on the market.

Not surprisingly Bernett just happens to have designed ergonomic seating for Northwest Airlines in a past life. Straight modern lines mixed with the steel legs, very rad. Makes me want to grab a martini, kick back, and watch an inflight movie.

I recieved an old copy of CA and a few other old design magazines as a wonderful gift from a previous boss. I packaged them away carefully when I made the move to my new house almost two years ago and am only now unearthing them from their tomb at the back of my closet (yes, I’m aware it’s a little late to be spring cleaning.)

This gem is the Journal of Commercial Art circa March 1960. A good year from the looks of it. Just cracking the spine on this puppy shows how much of a dramatic shift has taken place in the world of design over the past 50 years. Now this might be less of a culture shock to veterans of the business, but to a designer who has had a computer around as a design tool his whole professional and learning life it looks less like a few decades and more like a few planets away from how I work and what I know. View all content of this post »

Ah, young love, over-eager to experience a fresh experience, un-jilted by past experience. Designers rushing to start designing, tech rushing to begin prototyping, stoked by the fires of creativity. Oh these long and tall ladders we climb in excitement. But will we reach the top independently or come tumbling down winding shoots, back to the beginning?

Wireframing is an essential part of the design process, as you indubitably know if you’ve taken an interest in this article. Without it the process of designing for the web would be a nightmare of missing pages, dead-ends, and designer/producer blow-by-blow PPV fights. There’s no disputing it’s importance, So where’s the beef? View all content of this post »

Designing fireworks packaging has got to be one of those projects with at least a slight bit of remorse involved. You take some time to create a great label that will capture the essence of the product, maybe create a little excitement, only to see it blown to bits. It’s toss-away design at it’s best, and that makes it a little endearing. Kah-boom!

There is actually a long and storied tradition to firework label design. If you take a look at covers ranging from the 1950’s to present you can easily catch the changes in design trends, especially in the typography and illustration. Most evident is the jump from traditional hand-done illustration to computer-based art. Sadly a good majority of the packaging at modern day July 4th kiosks leave me bored and uninspired, typically poorly-hacked together, with very little creative spark. Luckily it wasn’t all that long ago when firework art was iconic and memorable. View all content of this post »

The first thing the comes out of my mouth the moment I wake up on the first day of every month is “Rabbit, Rabbit.” I can’t help it, I’ve been doing it since I was a little kid. In turn my mother has been saying it since she was little. So, is it a good luck charm, or a silly old superstition? I did a little digging to find out why I’m hard-wired to spout the rabbit mantra every month. Wikipedia actually has a posting about it, so immediately I felt like I had at least a few kindred spirits out there, outside of my familia. View all content of this post »

Archer is a newer slab serif from the wonderful people at Hoefler & Frere-Jones. I’ve had my eye on the whole family for a few months now and finally got a chance to pick this type up and give it a spin. Available now for commerical purchase, Archer was originally created as a suite of fonts for the Martha Stewart book Martha Stewart Living.  Not surprisingly Hoefler & Frere-Jones created a family that could work double-duty as both a sophisticated copy font while also looking and behaving great placed in charts, tables, etc. View all content of this post »

Jeff, Shuangshuang, and I went to check out the Project 4 Gallery over on U Street after work. They are currently showing two pieces by Jeff Soto who I really dig.

Project 4 isn’t a big gallery, it basically consists of a row-house with the gallery taking up the middle and top floors. Even though it’s small it’s got a really good vibe throughout. Because of it’s size you really have a chance to get up close and personal with the art, and a typical viewing won’t take you more than a half hour or so (plenty of time to take it all in). The current show features a series of installations, digital art, and the two Soto pieces. View all content of this post »