Contemporary web design hits the Chase Park Plaza

Chase Park Plaza hotel home page

Nowadays, it seems like many interactive firms are hell-bent on cramming as many unnecessary flash elements, patterns, gradients, menus, and graphics as they can possibly manage on one page. So, that is why it is refreshing to see what has been done with the website of Saint Louis’s Chase Park Plaza. Below you will find my simple and straight-forward critique of the site.

To begin, I really dig the center-aligned header, footer, and body elements. This type of layout seems to make more sense since this hotel has a more traditional branding. The header is aesthetically pleasing, but it could be slightly larger for purposes of legibility. I am happy to see that the developers have dedicated the top half of the pages to images and videos, while the bottom half of each page is left for copy and form content. This was a great decision considering that it provides the viewer with consistency.

On this website, the background is a very intricate pattern made with the Chase Park’s logo icon. Although, this pattern is detailed it is not very distracting, and does not seem to prevent the viewer from focusing on the site content. The thin borders around the content holders are perfect since, again, the hotel’s branding is more traditional.

A web site’s color palette is very important considering that it ties in with the company’s brand. I’m not really sure if “blue” is the official hue of the Chase Park Plaza, but it seems to do well on the site. The royal blue is very masculine, which seems to contrast with the feminine elegance of other page elements. Although, it’s nice to see the high contrast between the background and the content holders. This makes the content highly visible to the viewer.

Now, as far as usability goes, I feel that the site’s developers did a good job. The main navigation below the border acts like a set of three quick-links for the hotel’s most important services. Below that is another set of links which are centered around the hotel and its facilities. Unfortunately, this secondary navigation doesn’t really stand out, and the size of the text is difficult to read. The links in the footer of the pages are pretty typical of a hotel website. Personally, I’d like to see the “site map” link be done away with all-together.

So, that’s my quick critique of the Chase Park Plaza’s current website. Overall, I think the designers and developers did a great job. Hotel websites typically have a lot of content, and it’s nice to see that it really is possible to organize all of it intuitively. This website will definately be my first point of contact if I ever choose to stay there.

AIGA Saint Louis’s 20th Anniversary Show

Last night, in the heart of the Locust Business District, the AIGA Saint Louis had it’s 2oth anniversary celebration and annual meeting. This historic event took place at the beautiful and inspiring offices of Ferguson & Katzman Photography.  Each year, the AIGA Saint Louis recognizes and honors local legends and Fellows who are “mature designers who have made a significant contribution to raising the standards of excellence in practice and conduct within their local or regional design community as well as in their local AIGA chapter.”

This years Fellow Awardee was Cherie Fister, and the Local Legend Awardees were Buck Smith, Sarah Birdsall, and John Heaney. Each awardee gave compelling speeches regarding their careers and honors at the beginning of the nights festivities. The other portion of this event was the 20/20 Project. This portion consisted of a gallery showing of 20 local graphic artists, including the awardees, in the venue’s upstairs photography studio. The creative brief required each artist to design and produce a custom piece that depicted the ideas of “20,” “STL,” and/or “AIGA.”

After the awardee presentations concluded in the ground-level “Dark Room,” everyone ran upstairs for the art giveaway. I must admit that, for myself,  this was the most exciting part of the evening! Each attendee had the opportunity to take home one copy of their most favorite 20/20 Project piece. Everyone seemed to be so happy that they were going to get a free piece of custom artwork, and I really can’t blame them. I ended up choosing one of Douglas Dowd’s “STL Local Figures” prints, which you can see below.

Economic Lay-Offs and The Toxic Work Environment

This post is a very personal one due to the fact that I was recently a victim of the shrinking national economy. I had been employed for the last two years with a firm to whom I had been very loyal . Now, my mission is not to hang out this particular firms dirty laundry for all to see. I am more interested in using this firm as one example to describe what seems to be an accelerating corporate culture where unskilled executives are laying-off employees with very little regard for the repercussions.

My story is probably not all that different from the millions of others that have been told since the recent economic crash. I was working as a designer at a commercial architecture and interior design firm in Saint Louis. My work environment, fellow employees, and overall job satisfaction were all great. I worked diligently to make myself stand out, and I really focused on trying to make myself an indispensable asset. Well, neither of those efforts really paid off in the end.

I was laid-off on what had been a normal Friday morning. I was setting up for a meeting when two of the firms principals walked into the room. They sat down across from me while I fidgeted with some presentations materials, and I really didn’t pay much attention to either of them. I looked up and asked, “so, looks like you two are joining the meeting?” Their response was, “there has been a little change in plans.” Somehow I knew exactly what was going to happen next.

I was told that I was being let go due to economic reasons, and that it had nothing whatsoever to do with my job performance. I was asked to hand over my keys, pack up the items that I had walked in with that morning, and I was then escorted directly out of the office. The entire process took no more than five minutes. After two years of dedication it only took five minutes for it all to be lost. I was lay-off number one of six that morning.

I became aware of the repercussions of that day the following week. There was mass confusion in the office. Those employees who had made the cut had been told by the executives that the decisions were difficult to make, but they were going to do what they could to help out those who they had dismissed. That was pretty much the extent of what they were officially told. The “help” that we were given came in the form of a generic recommendation letter which really didn’t do much recommending. I was very disappointed, and I felt quite cheated, to say the least.

Since then, the work environment of that firm has changed permanently. Employees became paranoid. They were deeply saddened that their coworkers and friends had been laid-off in such a disrespectful and inconsiderate manner. The executives seemed to have done very little to communicate with the regular workers, and that caused a very unhealthy and toxic workplace.

The lack of communication and respect given to all employees are at the core of this issue. Executives who lack these integral and necessary skills are doomed to poison their employees. This poison will slowly but surely make its way through an entire office, and it will make an employee paranoid, less confident, and possibly less loyal. The moral of this story/rant is simple: corporate executives must give their employees full disclosure regarding lay-offs. Otherwise, they stand to destroy the healthy working environment that they require to keep their employees happy and hardworking.

Clever Packaging, A Companion For Life

Saint Louis is many things. First of all, it’s my home, and I’m proud of that fact. It’s also the home of Cardinal’s baseball, the 1904  World’s Fair, and the Gateway Arch. Now, these are the things that outsiders probably know of this great city, but what about those things that only we locals know about? Well, one of those great things is Companion.

Companion is a bakery and cafe with three locations in Clayton, Ladue, and the Central West End. Their breads are hearty. Their pastries are delectable, and the sandwiches are simply satisfying. Back in 1993, local Saint Louis native Josh Allen started Companion with little more than a stone French baker’s oven. Today, his vision has become an award winning Saint Louis favorite.

A short while ago, my friend purchased a red velvet cake with cream-cheese icing from one of their bakeries. The taste of this particular cake was intense, and I can’t get the thought of it out of my mind. Although, the cake itself really isn’t at the core of this post. It’s about the package that the bakery used.

Package design is not easy to master. Anyone who does it for a living, or at least those who have tried, know this very fact. The biggest issue I see now-a-days is over-packaging. The thing about the pastry boxes that Companion uses for its cakes, though, is that they are minimal in materials, and they are perfectly utilitarian. Now, I have no idea who produces these, and at the moment I don’t really care. This post is more about the fact that someone out there is talented and intelligent enough to create the perfect cake box.

One of the great things about this packaging is that it’s basically one monolithic piece of cardboard stock which is completely recyclable! The greatest design element, though, is a bit less obvious. Not only does the lid open and stand up on its own, but the front sidewall of the box also folds down allowing greater access to the contents. It doesn’t stop their, though. This folding sidewall also acts as a platform to place your cutting knife, as seen below. How much more utilitarian can you get without adding unnecessary bells and whistles?!

The most important thing to me is that someone actually understands how people need to use such packaging. Ultimately, this is about nothing more than a cardboard cake box. This package design isn’t going to cure cancer or global poverty, but it sure as hell made my Companion cake eating experience unforgettable.

Zooppa Is Poop-a

On occasion, I check out Craigslist for potential freelance design work. I have never found any serious new business from the site, but I continue to peruse the posts just in case. I never respond to a post with any seriousness because it’s usually some idiot who has no understanding of what good design is really worth.

In recent months, I have replied to a few ads only to get a response from someone associated with a website called Zooppa.com. They identify themselves in their Craigslist posts as a company looking for creative talent. Beware, this is not the case! The idea behind Zooppa is for users to create ads, videos, and/or banners for selected clients, and then upload them to the site in hopes of winning the project. Then, the Zooppa community votes on all of the submissions to declare a winner.

My first issue is that this website seems to be seeking “spec-work” from it’s members. I am a huge believer in the perils of speculative work, and why it is a real no-no. Especially with regards to the creative communications of brands. Why should I be expected to spend time and creative energy in developing a marketing piece, or concept, without the likelihood of being compensated. Plus, how can I be expected to develop a truly engaging and appropriate solution from nothing more than a creative brief. There’s no communication with the client, whatsoever.

Now, I’m sure that there are some highly talented designers and industry innovators that use the website for side projects, but I have noticed that a lot of the upload content is amateurish and off-brand. Why should the clients pay for something that makes no true connection to their brand?! I picture the average Zooppa user as being some 14 year-old highschooler who just learned how to use his Dad’s license of Photoshop 7. Notice I specified “average user” just in case any of you highly talented designers, who use Zooppa, happen to read this post and get upset.

My second issue is with the manner in which Zooppa advertises itself to the creative industry. As I stated previously, I had responded to multiple Craigslist posts which seemed to be companies seeking to “hire” designers. Well, these posts were in fact placed by Zooppa. Below is a screenshot of the Craigslist post just in case they end up taking it down.

Now, doesn’t the line “Growing advertising company looking for advertising creatives” make you believe that this is a company that is really hiring?! I am astonished that Zooppa’s “Managers” are stooping so low as to trick you into thinking that this is for a real job. Shame on you Zooppa.

My final opinion of the Zooppa business model is that it seeks to sucker creatives into developing spec-work, and that they would love nothing more than to trick you into taking part in their scam. I will never refer anyone to this website, and I hope that anyone who reads this post will be very wary of such deceitful offers.

Augmented Reality and The Future of Our Visual Environment

First, man developed the video game. Then came virtual reality. Now the world is in store for a new hyper-technology known as Augmented Reality. Augmented reality is a system which overlays/displays graphics, video, text, and provides audio information about our surrounding environments. Currently, two types of systems are being developed. One system uses visual displays, worn on your head/face, that provide real-time information about the real-world environments that we pass through everyday. The other type uses a computer monitor, a digital camera, and a printed marker.

Imagine wearing a pair of what seem to be regular old glasses. Except, this special pair of glasses has lenses that are displaying information about what you are looking at at that given moment. The information could be about the tree species that you see while walking down a trail, or the information could be an advertisement about a sale in the store that you are about to walk into. The potential applications for such a systems seem boundless at this point, but the technology is currently in it’s infancy.

Now, I’m not claiming to be an industry expert on this subject, but I do understand how this technology could potentially be applied to my fields of work and interest. We live in an age where gaining quicker access to global information is a multi-billion dollar industry, and it doesn’t really seem to be slowing down. Below, I have chosen three industries to support how augmented reality systems can potentially be applied for our benefit.

The marketing and advertising industries are cut-throat. Anyone that has worked in an ad firm or a pr firm can attest to that. The days of the billboard and the printed newspaper advertisement are seemingly on the verge of extinction, if augmented reality has its way. Let’s say you are a mother walking through the local mall with your kids. You are wearing your Head-Mounted Display, or HMD, and you happen to walk by the new Banana Republic store. When you turn your head to look into the store-front the HMD you are wearing begins to display text advertising the price drop on their summer dresses. Possibly, the display informs you of a downloadable coupon good for 25% off dress shirts for your husband. Now, this type of marketing seems to be a bit intrusive, but these are simply potential applications of such a device. Security will be a major issue, I’m sure, but companies will fight for the ability to market directly to consumers based on their personal/purchasing histories.

The architecture, interior design, and engineering industries rely heavily on technology to perform the complicated tasks required for designing, building, testing, and maintaining structures. Augmented reality can be used to show a client, who happens to live overseas, a design concept for the new office tower he wants to build. All the designer has to do is model the building concept using 3D modeling software (there is a plugin for Google Sketchup to aid in this), and then print out a “marker.” The marker is then placed in front of a webcam, and that video feed is displayed on the client’s computer screen 5,000 miles away. The client will see the entire digital model which can be rotated and even animated to display exploded axons and sections. Now, this is currently being done, but what about using the HMD technology? Let’s say a structural engineer goes to a construction site to see the progress of his work. He might need to figure out certain data regarding the current strength of the structure. He puts on his HMD, looks at the structure, and instantly he can see data regarding shear loads, welding strengths, material compositions, etc. That is a BIG step for augmented reality to take, but the potential for such a technology would very useful in such a setting.

Another place where technology affects the everyday person is in our automobiles. Currently, there is technology that uses video cameras in the front and rear of cars and trucks that feeds visual information to an LCD display for the driver to view. However, this technology can be developed even further by displaying that video information onto a heads-up display, like the car windshield. How exciting and helpful would it be to receive real-time data about what lies ahead on the highway, or that dark country road? Maybe there’s a tree down across the roadway, or maybe your car’s on-board computer system knows that it needs gas and shows you that a gas station is only a few miles ahead. Again, the potential for this type of technology, especially in the automobile industry, is great.

Like I stated previously, these are just a few industries that could really benefit from an augmented reality system. Augmented reality has a ways to go before it is a truly practical and viable consumer technology. I hope that I’m able to experience it’s hayday before I’m dead and gone, but at least the technology is well on its way.

Padma Lakshmi Goes To The Carl’s Jr. Darkside

Carl’s Jr., aka Hardee’s for those who live in the midwest, has been using “sex appeal” to push their grossly unhealthy food products for awhile now. Harnessing the power of sex to sell products and services is nothing new, of course, but Carl’s Jr. has managed to make some of the more memorable spots. One of the last significant tv ads that they had developed featured the  infamous Paris Hilton licking her Thickburger like it was an indie-rock frontman. Now, Carl’s Jr. has done it again with their new tv spot featuring author/culinary expert Padma Lakshmi molesting their Western Bacon Thickburger. Lakshmi’s background is quite colorful, and it seems important to address some of the areas found in her bio.

Apparently, she was raised as a vegetarian. The power of the Thickburger knows no bounds, right?! She has a college degree in the theatrical arts which I’m sure was the reason why she has dabbled as an actor in such films as “Glitter” and “The Mistress of Spices.” I have not seen either of these, but I’m sure that “Glitter” ended up being a smash hit. The thing that really gets me is her fine cuisine experience. She has authored cookbooks on the subject, as well as hosting numerous culinary tv shows. The most recent of which being “Top Chef” on the Bravo channel. The question that tears at my soul is this: how can a so called “expert” in the fine culinary arts bow down to being a spokesperson for a company that produces highly processed and unhealthy food products?! It’s as absurd as if famed Chef Gordon Ramsey were to allow his image to be attached to the McDonald’s Big Mac sandwich! It seems to me that Padma is somewhat of a sellout. Especially in regards to the fine culinary arts community. I understand that she had a childhood affinity for Carl’s Jr. by way of an excerpt from her most recent cookbook “Tangy, Tart, Hot, and Sweet,” but she has totally lost my respect for being a critic of fine food. It goes like this, “I started wolfing down bacon Western cheeseburgers after school at Carl’s Jr. The sublimely pleasurable taste of bacon was further enhanced by its mingling with the barbecue sauce, greedily licked off as it dripped down my teenage fingers (via adage.com).” All I can say is ‘wow.’ This sounds more like the opening lines of a food porno.

So, to sum up my little rant, I fear that Padma has done some real damage to her professional food critiquing career. Now, when I happen to see her hosting some food reality show, I will laugh and say ‘hey, that’s the woman who has sex with hamburgers.’ You have disappointed me Padma.

Lecture Event: Swiss Architect Marianne Burkhalter

The last event of the Spring Lecture Series at the Sam Fox School of Design took place last night. The speaker for the evening was Marianne Burkhalter of Burkhalter Sumi Architects, based in Zurich, Switzerland. Her firm is renowned for the creative uses of wood, color, and form in their design projects. Their focus is on the redevelopment of industrial sites, and the development of Alpine areas.

The event’s lecturer was small in stature with very unkempt hair, but her mind was the real jewel. Her English was distracting and sometimes incoherent, but the images that she presented spoke mouthfuls. She began by explaining the differences between her conception of permanent and casual living spaces. Basically, permanent spaces are the houses, apartments, and lofts that we dwell within. The “casual living space,” on the other hand, was described as much more of a temporary housing, like hotels and resorts. The next section focused on a sampling of two dozen projects that her firm had designed in past years. She presented both “completed” and “conceptual” work. Although, the conceptual designs were not as communicative as those that had been constructed.

Finally, she ended the lecture with some nonsense about robots and the future. Honestly, I really couldn’t understand her at that point, as I’m sure she was tired of trying to speak English. All in all, this was another great event to have attended, and I certainly walked away with some added knowledge. Ya’know, it’s pretty inspiring whenever I get the chance to see an industry expert lecture on the topics that drive my creative interests. That’s all for now.

Lecture Event: Patrick Coyne of CA Magazine

This evening,  inside the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts at Washington University in St. Louis, an insightful lecture was given by the editor and designer for Communication Arts magazine, Patrick Coyne. Personally, I wasn’t really familiar with Mr. Coyne prior to this lecture, but I can really only blame that on myself. The evening began with an introduction given by the President of our local AIGA chapter, Traci Moore Clay, transitioned into a sales-pitch by Mac Headquarters of St. Louis, and finally found its way to the main speaker, Patrick Coyne.

The primary focus of the lecture was on the humble beginnings and historical impact of CA magazine on the creative communications industry. There was a lot of talk about typesetting and off-set lithography before Mr. Coyne was able to progress into some of the magazine’s past features and designers. It was quite intriguing to find out that most of the publication’s content was generated by contest submissions. Subsequently, Patrick explained to the audience that if the work isn’t sent to him, then he can’t very well publish it for viewing. So, please send him your work if you want a chance to be in the magazine!

The lecture came to a conclusion with his views on the future of print media, specifically CA. His stance was pretty simple. He really didn’t know what the future would hold. After leaving the auditorium, I began to wonder how large of an impact the trend of recycling, reduced energy consumption, and the cradle-to-cradle process will have on the future of print media? I think that there will always be a need for visual information to be printed in one form, or another, but what will that form end up being? Possibly some futuristic alien material that can be re-designed, re-sized, re-printed, and re-distributed without any real mechanical or physical means? From here on out, I should probably make the discovery of this cutting-edge material  my life’s work. I mean, I could certainly live with being a millionaire!

My Trip Inside The All Along Press

So, I was down on Cherokee street here in St. Louis this past Saturday. I was looking around one of the retail shops with a buddy when I came across this seemingly unpretentious print shop. The reason the old storefront caught my eye was due to a sign advertising a “5 Dollar Print Sale.” Holy crap, right?! I walked across the street, and popped inside to find this great little community screen printing studio. I can safely say that the prints that were on sale, which seemed to all be limited prints, were amazing and inspiring. I didn’t happen to leave the store with anything, but that doesn’t mean you can’t!  They even have a variety of printmaking classes ranging from t-shirt printing to letterpress. My suggestion for all of you creative folks out there is to check out their retail store and studio >>> www.allalongpress.com