Inspiration nation, part 2
06/04/2009
What’s the most inspirational design you’ve seen recently?
Content specialist
Stuart Dean
Cognifide
I have to say that the most inspirational piece of design I’ve seen in the last year is the Goldman Sachs corporate website. I know that might sound like a very strange candidate for inspirational design but I think this site stands apart from the competition and is so groundbreaking in the market it serves that it’s worthy of mention.
There’s a trend at the moment in web design to have what I term a ‘desktop-based site’ (eg a large background image). Goldmansachs.com embraces this design pattern with a real ‘wow!’ homepage that’s very different from those of other players in the investment banking field.
The navigation and search devices work really well: they’re large, easy to use – with a neat mouseover – and always present. The attention to detail and brand awareness of assets and interactions across the site is of really high quality.
I’ve worked in the industry for a long time, and building a site that looks and feels this good – and keeping it that way – is not to be underestimated.
Stuart Dean is the chief executive at European software development consultancy Cognifide
Global brand specialist
Richard Scholey
Elmwood
Inspiring design can take many forms. It can be beautiful, it can make you laugh, it can make you envious, and it can also create great debate, most often along the simple of lines – i.e., “I love it”/“Well I think it’s crap!” However, when there’s a gaggle of creatives crowded around a Mac all cooing, you know there’s something worth investigating. And although you might not be immediately drawn to a geeky phrase such as ‘augmented reality’ when you first experience it, take it from me. It is draw-dropping. It is voodoo.
If, like me, you haven’t heard of it, ‘augmented reality’ is a way of interacting with 3D objects by using a piece of paper and a webcam. You print out a symbol and your webcam recognises and then interacts with you when you move it, sounds weird but just try it.
A recent example of it can be seen in GE’s promotion of their greener energy site. Have a go!
Richard Scholey is creative director at brand design consultancy Elmwood
Media & PR expert
Tim Gibbon
Elemental Communications
I notice design more when I am actively immersed in and around it. If I visit a gallery, museum or similar, then I’m instantly more open to design and my senses are heightened to appreciate the creativity around me. I haven’t travelled extensively this year and haven’t been exposed to design in a personal way, so my benchmark is mostly a European feel from countries like Greece, Italy, Spain and at home. Ashamedly, I haven’t graced the floors of places like the Tate Modern for a year either, so not surprisingly my exposure to design has been technology related. It’s a completely different experience for me when I use the web because I’m normally looking for information quickly, rarely spending time to enjoy it.
The British Monarchy site drew my interest for a number of reasons, mainly because it’s an organisation that has been online for over a decade, and also because of Sir Tim Berners-Lee involvement on the project. Although not the most visually impressive looking site on the surface, it’s certainly one that I can easily recall. Considering that I visit an incredible number of websites each day, this in itself is a feat. It’s quick, simple to navigate and I can digest the information easily.
More than anything else it’s mobile phones that have captured my imagination design-wise, especially as we were looking for some new business phones late last year for Elemental. Phones have always had a cool design feel about them and now we’re in a really progressive phase where the design across numerous handset manufacturers I find personally appealing, rather than the usual suspects, year in year out.
I was disappointed with Apple’s approach in locking users to a network with the iPhone so we opted for a Sony Ericsson Xperia, a very stylish smartphone, possibly the best I have used. The only gripe that I have about it, but probably the most important, is the lack of apps for it, especially for the panels (Xperia apps). It’s like being given the keys to the Playboy Mansion, getting there and no-one is home. That aside, the phone has some nice touches like the arc slider for the keyboard, an intuitive interface and the potential to expand the functionality of the device (hopefully with some decent apps) when Sony Ericsson realise that there has to be more to a great phone than the design itself.
Hosting provider
Neil Hodson
1&1 Internet Ltd
For me, it’s got to be Heathrow’s Terminal 5. An engineering masterpiece, it’s breathtaking as both a design piece and a functional, modern, spacious airport terminal. A huge, light-filled five storey building with marble floors and polished timbers, it’s such a pleasurable environment to pass through.
Neil Hodson is UK general manager at hosting company 1&1 Internet
Software specialist
Siim Vips
Modera
The Skype website has always been state-of design-art and so is the latest version launched last year. It’s among the top 250 sites in terms of traffic, it’s visually appealing, functional, brand consistent, adheres to accessibility standards and follows all the best practices there are.
Skype has recently launched Skype 4.0 for Windows with an improved user-interface and appears to be working with other technologies to bring more services to its users. Consistent and true to the Skype brand, it is user-friendly and extremely easy on the eyes.
Siim Vips is founder and CEO of Modera
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