As any industry pro worth their salt already knows, design is pointless without context. This is especially true in the design of a company’s website.

Even if you have no interest in design theory and fundamentals, for the sake of your business there is one point that should never be forgotten: the purpose of design is communication.
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I’ve long been a proponent of the view that if a technology is to be used, it should be done deliberately, with intelligent restraint, and with purpose. What’s more, it should not be used for reasons such as abstract trendiness or at the expense of general usability. You can have impact without beating your audience over the head… can you tell I’m talking about Flash?

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I missed the seventies. Well, nearly – I arrived in the decade’s final year. And while I’m not terribly upset about having missed the heyday of sideburns, bell-bottoms and psychedelia, I do hold a special appreciation for the spirit of the decade’s designers.

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I’ll admit it. I’ve always loved glass packaging. Whether it be the nostalgic glass Coke bottles I remember buying at the corner store as a kid, or some of the supremely creative bottles at the local liquor store, I figure I’ll always be subject to the glass bias.

Solid yet fragile, simple yet versatile, and clean yet primitively natural – the feel of glass gives an instant impression of quality.

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When a prospect approaches me outright with the statement, “We’re looking for the lowest bidder”, I’m tempted to just let them carry along on their merry way. They’ll find their bargain, because with every other twelve year old hanging out their digital shingle, added to the increasing encroachment of slave-labour rates from developing nations, unqualified people calling themselves designers are a dime a dozen these days.

However, before bidding a polite but firm “goodbye and good luck”, I do try to impart a little knowledge and foresight. Because in the end, these people actually end up paying more for a vastly inferior product – and that’s not good for anyone.

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Companies hire corporate designers to craft solutions that clearly and memorably communicate their brand’s message, directly to their market. They understand that without a full comprehension of consumer psychology and the user experience (UX), they may as well be chucking paint into a corner.

Effective strategic design is somewhat like a composition written for a symphony orchestra, in that it requires several instruments working symbiotically in order to achieve the desired result.

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Once in a while, I get the feeling that everything’s been done. I become bored with what’s being toted as the latest and greatest – and these days, the buzzword is green.

My mother was a carpenter and a forest ranger… also an intellectual, a bit of a flower child, and an intensely caring individual. So as you might imagine, I was raised with a certain amount of appreciation and respect for the natural world. When it became apparent that more people in my own demographic seemed to be acknowledging and embracing concepts like social responsibility and environmental awareness, I was thrilled. I thought, finally – the middle class is starting to open their eyes.

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These days, everyone is trying to figure out how to connect with other people. It used to be simply, you just placed some ads in whatever newspaper that was most suited to your product, but now that world is becoming ever more irrelevant. So how do you connect with other people today? And more importantly, how do you do it tomorrow?

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I’ve always been somewhat of a realist. So naturally, I had to take a bit of a step back when I happened upon my Chinese birth-year “animal” traits.

The most creative sign in the Chinese zodiac, those born in the Year of the Sheep are artistic, sensitive, sweet and charming. Shy by nature, these people are well-mannered, but will occasionally say the wrong thing at the wrong time. Still, with their charm and innocence they never lack for protective friends and admirers. Once they find work that makes use of their considerable talents, they are passionate about what they do. Typically surrounded by beautiful things, they have an ardent love of creature comforts and are almost always elegantly dressed. Conversely, they have an innate love of nature and the outdoors. In business, Sheep enjoy great success in creative professions, as artists, actors, or designers. » More

From disparate beginnings, Christmas has become largely a cultural celebration for my generation – one meant to bring people together and place our focus on the people we love.

It has also become an uber-brand that represents intangible, un-buy-able values (peace, love, joy, family, selflessness) simultaneously with supreme commercialism. » More