I presented this evening at the Dayton Adobe User Group meeting at SAA in Kettering. The topic was CSS in the Real World. I used Prezi.com to build my slides and have embedded them below for anyone to refer to.

Also, I reference a post on CSS3 Pagination (without images) in the presentation.

I’d love any feedback you have about the presentation. This is the first time I’ve spoken on CSS in this format and am always looking to refine.

Isaac, with the Apple TV remote.

Couch Context

There are many things that my son, Isaac, and I have in common. We both enjoy playing with trains, chasing each other around the house, wrestling on the living room floor, picking on his mother. And, while all of these things are great, one of our most enjoyable pastimes is watching movie trailers.

We have an Apple TV at the house and Isaac and I will regularly spend a half hour on the couch watching all the Pixar (or other similar) movie trailers over and over. Something about this medium entertains us both in a way that others can’t seem to manage. I suppose it’s because the Trailer Editor is tasked with cramming so much into such a small amount of time. Whatever the reason, we truly enjoy it.

Hurry Up and Wait

It’s common for us that, after selecting “Play Trailer” on the Apple TV, we’ll be presented with a progress indicator as the trailer loads and Isaac will immediately begin telling the TV to “Go. Go. Go. Go.” We found this funny to begin with, and so encouraged him to continue in this behavior. However, now it is seeping into other parts of our lives. The other day, Isaac and I were sitting on the couch messing with my iPhone and I launched a racing application that I have. It started with a progress bar and he immediately began shouting “Go. Go. Go.” I was a bit surprised, mostly because this progress bar’s design was significantly different that the ones we see on the Apple TV.

Good Things Come NOW

As the speed of people’s internet access increases and their patience decreases, I have to wonder if we’re disproving the old adage, “Good things come to those who wait”. Isaac wants the good stuff, and he wants it immediately, but the truth is that good things come faster and faster every day. I’ve toyed with the idea of some kind of web-based social experiment which would determine if people would sub-consciously over-value something that required a longer wait time.

Isaac and Dad

I suppose until I have the chance to run that experiment, I’ll keep shooting for faster load-times and lighter markup and CSS…

Ford F-150 Monster Truck

Earlier this week, one of our family friends dropped off a few presents for the kids. Isaac received this monster truck with over-sized tires and an apparent appetite for destruction.

Needless to say, he loves it.

This particular truck is battery operated and has two buttons on the top. One which makes the toy move forward (rear-wheel drive) and one which makes the truck sound like it’s driving over smaller, meeker, more foreign-made vehicles. While he and I have had a blast loading this truck up with different stuff and sending it roaring across the living room floor, I can’t help but notice how cheaply it is made. When we first got it out, there was hot glue dripped randomly across the top of the truck, one drop of which had landed on a button, making it impossible to push. The body of the truck is glued to the frame with the same adhesive goop. From the time we opened the packaging, the body has easily separated from the frame. There is also glue hanging out the front of the truck, covering up it’s “teeth”. See the photos below for details. With all of these lousy manufacturing mistakes, what really stands out to me that this truck is overly-branded as a Ford product.

Touchpoints for Everyone

As a Partner at an idea studio in Dayton, Ohio that places great emphasis on brand, I find myself obsessed with these kinds of touchpoints. Unfortunately for Ford, this is actually a reflection on their brand. As you can see from these photos, the have placed their logo liberally on the truck.

I can imagine the meeting where this kind of decision was made. Perhaps someone suggested they find an inexpensive way to put the Ford name into the minds of little boys all over America. Maybe they didn’t consider the fact that one or two parents would also receive some kind of brand impression from the product. I would venture a guess that the negative impression on the parents outweighs the positive impression on the kids.

A Better Approach

So what should Ford have done? To start with, I’d recommend that they get their hands on any product they plan on allowing to carry their logo. An alternative would be to manufacture a high quality toy truck, somewhere in the USA, that came free to any parent that purchased a new Ford truck. This way you know you have a “Ford-friendly” family and you are reinforcing that positive emotion. Just throwing a load of trucks with your logo on them into every dollar store across the country doesn’t do much for your brand.

How to Learn from Ford’s Mistake

Something as simple as this may seem harmless. And, perhaps Ford hasn’t done any damage to their reputation by doing this. However, if it were my company, I wouldn’t settle for “made in China” brand awareness. This also applies to packaging. Anyone who’s opened an Apple product can tell you that they create an experience from the moment you hold their product in your hands. The key message here is to spend adequate time evaluating areas where you can effectively increase your brand’s value.

A good place to start would be a brand analysis…

Made in China

At least the truck is good for hauling these “Vensafi” batteries (proudly made in China) which came pre-installed in the truck and died within the first ten minutes of play.

It’s long been expected that, while navigating a website, clicking on the organization’s logo will take you to the homepage. Not every site does this, but most sites are adhering to this standard these days. I know in my browsing experience, I regularly click on logos assuming this behavior, so I thought it was pretty cool that Amazon now has this hover state for their logo:

Amazon Logo

Amazon Logo Hover State

How Long Has This Been Going On?

I’m really not sure when Amazon introduced this, but it was new to me. This peaked my curiosity, so I did a little digging around at some of my favorite sites to see if anyone is not honoring this expectation. In fact, I couldn’t find a major website that didn’t do something like this.

Honoring “Click My Logo”:

• Apple (nicely integrated into the site nav)
• Microsoft
• Flickr
• Yahoo
• Manic Mouse (had to throw it in)
• Dictionary.com
• Daring Fireball
• Aol. (very interesting implementation)

So, my challenge to you – can you find a major website that doesn’t do this? If you find one, share it in the comments below.

iPhone Makeup Kit

Your Makeup and Your iPhone

So my wife and I are walking into Kohl’s and happen across this display. I’m generally a nice guy, but this caught me off guard. A makeup kit that looks like an iPhone? Seriously?

Now don’t get me wrong, I appreciate beautiful product design just as much as the next guy. But ripping off a smart phone design to sell makeup seems like a stretch. Either the beauty industry is desperate or Apple’s product designers are unbelievably good.

Close to Home

While this may not be a huge deal, I did listen to two of our designers today struggle through a design review with a client who really just wanted us to “make it look like Apple’s site.” I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard this. As an idea studio, one of the challenges we face is to push our clients past the easy solution of copying some other cool thing and onto creating their own cool thing that other people will want to copy. It (obviously) takes a lot of work, a lot of persistence, but it is worth it.

A Success Story

On the flip side, at a recent FORGE lunch, a different client of ours was mentioning how one of their competitors in another country just completed a re-brand. They mentioned how similar the new identity was to the system we just launched for our client. They were willing to step out, take a little risk and it’s put them in a position where their competition has no choice but to fall in line behind them. Copyright and Trademark issues aside, this is a good thing.

The Moral of the Story

Now, I know that the economy is tough right now. Believe me, I know that marketing budgets are usually the first to go. But I also know that (as one of my partners would say) organizations which continue to focus on their brand through difficult times will come out ahead. If you are a business owner, now is the time to push. Find an organization that will take the time to understand your market and help you establish a premier brand. Then watch your competition fall in line. Behind you.