Art & Life for October 2006

Photo of the Month

October is... falling leaves, lengthening shadows, crisp walks in the park, time change and trick-or-treaters...

Oh the humanity of it all...

Anyone who knows me knows that photography is very important to me...I love the idea of capturing a moment, frozen in time. As a society, more and more we are bombarded with images and photos  - television, billboards, magazines, video games...the list goes on. We use images as a simulated reality, we use images as "the truth" and we use images in advertising as our unique selling proposition.

Our brain is constantly processing visual stimuli - and we've gotten pretty good at filtering out the crap and retaining what's good and meanful. And, more than ever before we are an increasingly visually literate bunch of folks. When it comes to Web sites new data shows that we can form an opinion about any given site in the blink of an eye.

So what should we do in that blink of an eye? Here's a partial list of some of my top tips:

• make sure your image is consistent, both on- and off-line
• understand the way the human eye moves across a Web site and make sure key information is in the right places
• don't waste people's time - it should have a clear visual hierarchy (a fancypants expression for "make the navigation intuitive")
• on the same note as above - visually show people where to go, what to do next..every page needs to have an objective
• your images should be sharp, clean and quick to load
• be careful of colour print on dark backgrounds and other things that make a site hard to read
• a site needs to have a very strong visual appeal, but never let design trump usage, this means content and end-user needs must guide the design

Do you have visual turn-offs that you want to share? Contact me!

Wine of the Month

2004 Guy Allion Clos de Saint George Touraine

Because life is way too short for bad wine...so, if you are in Quebec, zip over to the SAQ and pick up this charming little number for only $13.90. It's zippy, it's fun, it's delightfully smooth and drinkable. And it's crisp...like an autumn day! Fire up the barbecue for one last hurrah and enjoy, enjoy, enjoy. Thanks to The Fabulous Miss Kate for the suggestion!!
3.5 stars out of 5

2003 Lungarotti Guibilante

We had never seen a label quite so hideous...and never read such bad descriptive prose as "Joyous even its name, it has the strength and charm of the hillsides of our land." so the wine's gotta be good, right? Luckily for us, it is.  It's a soft wine, with an awesome garnet red colour. Perfect for those colder autumn nights, when you mind turns to comfort food and perhaps you start to root around the back of the cupboards for the slow-cooker. Think rustic foods and hearty bread...
3.5 stars out of 5

Cool Sites for Wasting Time

JacksonPollock.org - Release your inner artist! Just start clicking...to change colour, click again.

Okay, Go! - Need a fun, pop diversion? Never thought you could get creative on a treadmill? Think again. (Thanks Sean!)

Stuff that Disturbs Me

Sorry...nothing is disturbing me this month! (Who knew that could happen??!)

Stuff I Love

This month?

Services

• My new logo! The infinitely creative team at Möbius² created my new look, and were able to listen to a sheet-long list of my ramblings about the "feel" I wanted it to have. They were extremely patient, and were able to take all my initial thoughts and turn it into something truly sparkling and amazing! And thanks to everyone who provided invaluable feedback on my initial choice. (The initial designs I was shown were so good that it was hard to decide!)
• Well, if you are in NDG (and even if you aren't) and happen to be looking for a great copy shop that offers printing, has mailbox rentals, shipping services and a lot more, check out Core Business Services. There are several locations around town, and I'm sure they are all fabulous, but Henry and the staff at the Monkland Ave. location are the nicest, friendliest and most professional folks around.

Music

Ahhhh, music...one of my other loves... this month I have been grooving on:

• The Go Team's Panther Dash
• Wyclef Jean's 24 é Tan Pou Viv 
• Bright Eyes' We Are Everywhere and It's Now

Mucho gracias to Chico & Pierre for keeping me hip!

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