Tag: design

  • The difference between Apple and Samsung industrial design

    Rene Ritchie reported on iMore about the difference between Apple and Samsung industrial design. Some people might not care. Like painting the back of the fence or finishing the underside of the cabinet, it’s a detail that only people who take tremendous pride in craft really care about. And, of course, people who look for…

  • Motorola boss counters criticism from Apple’s Jony Ive

    BBC reported on Motorola boss countering criticism from Apple’s Jony Ive. Sir Jonathan specifically asked the New Yorker magazine not to name the company he had been “scathing about”, but a campaign launched by Motorola in late 2013 matches the description he gave. “Their value proposition was, ‘Make it whatever you want. You can choose…

  • Apple keyboard

    John Gruber wrote about Apple’s attention to details. Now consider keyboard shortcuts. The basic idea behind keyboard shortcuts on the Mac was and remains that you hold down the Command key, then press a letter key. And the letter keys should, ideally, correspond mnemonically to the menu command they represent — and for common operations,…

  • What product designers can learn from iOS 8’s iMessage changes

    Scott Hurff writes about what designers can learn from the new iMessage. Apple’s iMessage announcements can teach us a lot about the value of knowing our customers. It’s not enough to build products based on rumor, anecdote or speculation. We have to know exactly how and why our customers do what they do, and in…

  • Google I/O thinks focus on design will make Android more attractive

    Marco Arment comments on Google I/O focussing on design. A software platform’s UI and design ethos can’t be changed on a whim by conference sessions and a marketing push. It’s deeply ingrained, built over the platform’s entire lifespan, and very slow to change. Android’s best apps usually aren’t as good as iOS’ best apps because…

  • Similarities between the new Mac pro and the Power Mac G4 Cube

    When the Mac Pro was unveiled, the first thing I thought about was the Power Mac G4 Cube, which in my personal opinion is one of the most beautiful machines ever designed. I think the Museum of Modern Art agrees with me. Stephen Hackett has done a brief but good comparison of the technologies and…

  • Square Reader refined

    The team behind the Square Reader have a keen eye for detail, so it’s no surprise that a lot of thought went into the redesigned Square Reader. How Apple’s Lightning-Plug Guru Reinvented Square’s Card Reader The friction felt when a user swipes their card is a good example of how the team kept an eye…

  • Pushing the boundaraies of digital editorial design

    David Sleight writes on A List Apartabout the exquisitely-designed articles such as the “Snow Fall” article ran by the New York Times last year. The real implication of the time and resources critique is that there isn’t an adequate return on all this investment. Turns out that creates a damn nice opening for dealing with…

  • Good design is timeless

    Dave Brasgalla converts Ron Cobb’s “Semiotic Standard” iconography into iOS 7 icons. The iOS 7 versions of the symbols keep both their strength and their characteristic flavour. It makes me smile to think that 35-year-old designs can suddenly feel current and even trendy again. It’s tempting to say that Cobb was ahead of his time…