Category: DESIGN DISCIPLINES

  • Branding a Russian Hedge Fund

    How brand identity works

    Integrated brand identify both help reputation and consumer awareness. I was tasked with conceptualising a strong brand identity for a new Russian hedge fund. This involves developing routes that generated the tone, style and flavor of the brand across a 2D and 3D environment. This includes, but is not limited to;

    • color
    • type
    • photography/imagery
    • logos
    • design grid
    • Signage

    Here is how I did it;

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  • Mobile best practice for registration – Put the users needs before technology

    User Registration on Mobile

    Watch the videoWatch the animated version here

    I have recently been involved in both high-level concept generation through to territory specific text changes in the exiting world of User Registration. These are my top 5 tips to help you streamline your process or find some inspiration.

    1. Do not turn-off your client

    Very early on you begin to realise that you, as a UX designer answering to Business and shakeholders alike, should avoid providing a dry and labour-intensive solution to what is a tedious process. This will inevitable put off, or turn off, potential new customers from the start. So, as they walk through your virtual door, try to present a broken-down and achievable process where they can see the light at the end of the tunnel. Don’t forget : Break your offer into bite-sized chunks

    Regulations possibly dictate that your customers will need to supply certain information. If so, have them supply that information up-front. That way you, as a caring and customer-centric company can temporally capture that info and call them back should they drop-off. Then you can ask ‘Is everything allright? Can we help you further with your registration?”

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  • What’s your favourite wire-framing style?

    wireframingMontage

    Pick your battles, know your styles

    Whether for desktops, on a tablet or the this mythical idea of a mobile internet (there is only one web to experience – but that a different post!) the modern UX-er should be skilled in the art of wire-framing. The style you use should come from the answers to these three things:

    • Process – From low-fidelity through to fully functioning prototypes is the sure-fire route to excellence. In reality, how often does this really happen. If you have enforce a process, I would insist on the sketching and on the final design stages.
    • Resources – I have sat in top-level boardroom meetings in the most stylish settings in the capital, tea and coffee from all over the world. Clearly, resources were not a factor here – so you would be expected to know Azure inside out and be expected to roll-out full functioning Fireworks prototypes. You may even get some business heads thinking your protoypes were so good , it’s a done job!
    • Quick turnaround – Picture the scenario, your stakeholder is looking for a quick – fix. You have fought your corner but there are no requirements, no analysis, no nothing. Always try to push for more than a few scribbles on the back of napkin but sometimes it is more productive just to get on with it.

    Depending on the answers to these issues will depend on the wireframing style you deploy

    responsiveEx
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  • Russian Graphic Identity

    The branding ‘circle’

    Working alongside a complete design team can be very rewarding. Like-minded people, working together to inject new meaning into a tired or misleading brand. This project did exactly that.

    homeCreditRetailGraphics_Page_01

    The brand needed a new visual identity that would sit with the design developed by the interiors team. This is how I did it.

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  • Unique Lowest Bid Site – UX Redesign

    Watch the videoWatch the video here

    icanhaveit.com – Site redesign

    Taking an existing but tired site, refresh and rebrand it up to modern day standards.

    icanhaveit.com - Redesign Complete Site

    Logo refresh

    With a focus on readability and execution, the logo has be refined and simplified. This is only an online print so RGB was the primary driver.

    icanhaveit.com - Redesign Complete Site
  • iOS Splash Pages – What’s the deal?

    Every app needs an app icon and a launch image. This presentation concentrates on the all important Splash Screen

    Sometimes you have to just stick on the headphones, crank up the tunes and grind through the dullest part of your iOS project. And that’s slavishly grind out the assets for all the iOS family, particularly the Splash Pages.

    Here, for the splash screens I have broken down as follows:

    • Size for iPhone 5 and iPod touch (5th generation)
    • Size for high-resolution iPhone and iPod touch
    • Size for iPhone and iPod touch
    • Size for high-resolution iPad
    • Size for iPad

    For your iPhone

    There is basically three sizes for portrait mode, for the most recent iPhone 5 or iPod Touch 5th Generation (as of present 2013), for the iPhone 4 and 4S users out there and for you laggards, the iPhone 3 users.

    iOS_splashScreens-RWD3

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