...to tumblr. please visit rimareda.tumblr.com for the latest and greatest (no guarantees on the latter)
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Friday, July 1, 2011
the delicate beauty of one-page websites
one-page websites are a trend i'm not ashamed to follow (clearly, as my own website has just one page).
they just make sense. in this age of overabundant information, there are far too many saturated websites: too much text, too much imagery, too much fluff.
concision is a beautiful thing, and can definitely be a case of less is more. not only that, but limiting oneself to one page forces a designer to be creative, and has yielded incredible results.
here are a few good examples (i'll post more from time to time):
1. Ben the Bodyguard
this site showcases an iphone/ipod security app. the brilliance here is that they took something that would usually be boring (security? boo), and gave it an air of darkness and mystery, with a slight sense of adventure.
2. Head2Heart
it's rare to see beautiful, creative, or even decent websites from non-profits and charities, as they typically lack the budget (or the insight) to commission a good site. more and more of these organizations are understanding the value of a beautifully designed site - this is just one great example.
3. Skittles
yes, skittles. the skittles crew went the "never-ending" route with their site, and added a whole lot of psychedelica. keep scrolling at your own risk/peril.
4. Komrade
i love this site's unique style and light-hearted tone. i must say, their own site is infinitely slicker than the sites they design for others :/
5. Oliver James Gosling
this site is basically a resume for this individual. the design is really crisp and simple - a very nice execution all in all.
they just make sense. in this age of overabundant information, there are far too many saturated websites: too much text, too much imagery, too much fluff.
concision is a beautiful thing, and can definitely be a case of less is more. not only that, but limiting oneself to one page forces a designer to be creative, and has yielded incredible results.
here are a few good examples (i'll post more from time to time):
1. Ben the Bodyguard
this site showcases an iphone/ipod security app. the brilliance here is that they took something that would usually be boring (security? boo), and gave it an air of darkness and mystery, with a slight sense of adventure.
 |
| seriously, how cool is this guy? keep scrolling down to get the whole story |
2. Head2Heart
it's rare to see beautiful, creative, or even decent websites from non-profits and charities, as they typically lack the budget (or the insight) to commission a good site. more and more of these organizations are understanding the value of a beautifully designed site - this is just one great example.
 |
| this site flows horizontally rather than vertically - a newer style with great potential |
3. Skittles
yes, skittles. the skittles crew went the "never-ending" route with their site, and added a whole lot of psychedelica. keep scrolling at your own risk/peril.
 |
| this website never ends... |
4. Komrade
i love this site's unique style and light-hearted tone. i must say, their own site is infinitely slicker than the sites they design for others :/
 |
| fun, diagram-y style |
5. Oliver James Gosling
this site is basically a resume for this individual. the design is really crisp and simple - a very nice execution all in all.
 |
| very clean, very slick. i'd hire this guy! |
Thursday, June 23, 2011
rimareda.com is live!
finally, at long last, my website is ready and live! i'm so excited for everyone to see it - it really was a labor of love, and i'm very pleased with the result.
here's a preview of my "about" page:
here's a preview of my "about" page:
 |
| "about" page - http://rimareda.com |
Friday, May 27, 2011
design with integrity?
design with integrity. it is my mantra, my mission and my passion.
on my facebook page, i identify environmental sensitivity as an element of "design with integrity," but there's much more to it than that. a key component definitely is that striving to be "green," but this is about a greater goal of living and working integriously (read: with integrity - check out the integrious project for more on that).
in my work, this translates to honesty, openness, efficiency and being generally decent. this means that i will always give my best. it means everything i design is original, never "borrowed" or stolen. it means that every part of the process is approached with integrity, from the very first client meeting to handing over the final product, from using sustainable paper and other products, to web hosting with elephant-free wind power, and urging my clients to do the same.
it's the way business should be.
on my facebook page, i identify environmental sensitivity as an element of "design with integrity," but there's much more to it than that. a key component definitely is that striving to be "green," but this is about a greater goal of living and working integriously (read: with integrity - check out the integrious project for more on that).
in my work, this translates to honesty, openness, efficiency and being generally decent. this means that i will always give my best. it means everything i design is original, never "borrowed" or stolen. it means that every part of the process is approached with integrity, from the very first client meeting to handing over the final product, from using sustainable paper and other products, to web hosting with elephant-free wind power, and urging my clients to do the same.
it's the way business should be.
Friday, May 20, 2011
new things ahead
i just wanted to write a quick note about what's going on in my life right now, in the coming weeks, and beyond.
first of all, the big one: i am leaving a job that i absolutely love to stay home with my infant son and work full time as a freelancer. just over two weeks to go...
second, as i mentioned, after years of kicking the idea around i am finally launching my own design business. this is both scary and exciting... it's a huge risk, but the potential for return is great. my mind is in constant brainstorm mode, trying to come up with marketing ideas, design ideas, etc. i can't wait to get this show on the road.
so much to do! i have new business cards coming in the next week or so, and am working to get my new website ready in time for launch (details on launch to come). i'm trying out a new and different idea for my website that, if i can pull it off, might just be awesome.
i'll keep you all posted (if anyone is reading, that is) over the next couple of weeks - big changes are coming!
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Monday, April 4, 2011
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
review: new gmail toolbar
last month, google very quietly introduced a new toolbar for gmail.
the update presented two drop-down menus in place of the standard "sign out" and "settings" links. the settings/utilities menu, pictured below, offers a nicely compact grouping of all the settings you might desire to view and change.
it includes the standard mail settings (and help), as well as access to gmail labs and your google account settings. all in all, most everything one would hope for in a utilities menu. use of the "gear" image in place of a text label keeps the design clean while leaving it open for them to continue adding other useful items there.
the second menu they've added is somewhat of a mystery to me.
in place of the simple link to sign out, we now have a drop-down of questionable utility. it provides links to your google profile and a link to sign out at the bottom. this seems to be a pretty poor move to me, from a usability perspective - asking users to take an additional step to complete a simple task like signing out is ill-advised, and i wonder why they would have done so without so much as a warning. we may have moved away from doing everything "within three clicks," but signing out should always be fast and easy. asking users to click twice to sign out will likely discourage them from doing so at all, and the pessimist in me fears that gmail accounts everywhere will be left open on public computers. i hope i'm wrong.
it looks as though perhaps they have some other purpose in mind for the menu. if, for example, they intend to allow users to manage multiple accounts in that way, then the addition of this menu makes sense.
i'm an avid google user and fan, to say the least, and i've loved many of the things they've introduced. the new gmail toolbar is sleek, with a pleasing design that makes good use of the little space it occupies, but i worry that google may have sacrificed usability for the sake of beauty.
in short: new gmail toolbar = pretty with questionable usability
 |
| new gmail toolbar |
the update presented two drop-down menus in place of the standard "sign out" and "settings" links. the settings/utilities menu, pictured below, offers a nicely compact grouping of all the settings you might desire to view and change.
 |
| new settings/utilities menu |
it includes the standard mail settings (and help), as well as access to gmail labs and your google account settings. all in all, most everything one would hope for in a utilities menu. use of the "gear" image in place of a text label keeps the design clean while leaving it open for them to continue adding other useful items there.
the second menu they've added is somewhat of a mystery to me.
 |
| questionable new menu |
in place of the simple link to sign out, we now have a drop-down of questionable utility. it provides links to your google profile and a link to sign out at the bottom. this seems to be a pretty poor move to me, from a usability perspective - asking users to take an additional step to complete a simple task like signing out is ill-advised, and i wonder why they would have done so without so much as a warning. we may have moved away from doing everything "within three clicks," but signing out should always be fast and easy. asking users to click twice to sign out will likely discourage them from doing so at all, and the pessimist in me fears that gmail accounts everywhere will be left open on public computers. i hope i'm wrong.
it looks as though perhaps they have some other purpose in mind for the menu. if, for example, they intend to allow users to manage multiple accounts in that way, then the addition of this menu makes sense.
i'm an avid google user and fan, to say the least, and i've loved many of the things they've introduced. the new gmail toolbar is sleek, with a pleasing design that makes good use of the little space it occupies, but i worry that google may have sacrificed usability for the sake of beauty.
in short: new gmail toolbar = pretty with questionable usability
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