Funky Friday Collection – 15 May 2009

A slightly truncated collection this week. The last entry is the main explanation for that. As always, hope you find something to enjoy. I also realised that this is the 100th post I’ve made to fog of eternity so …um… yay me!

Design Inspiration

The Web Design That Changed The World – Fast Company

OK, so I don’t think it changed the world. As a conservative I hope that by 2012 the GOP will have a more effective online approach. There’s no denying that the Obama campaign utilised the web with great effective in the last presidential campaign. This is a really interesting article on how the design of his website managed to create emotional connections that had a real impact when it came to campaign season.

Social Media

6 Things World Of Warcraft Can Teach You – Mashable

I avoid World of Warcraft. My wife and I even considered (briefly) putting a promise not to play WoW in my wedding vow. The game is fascinating phenomenon, and this article examines how many of the characteristics of WoW success are the same in the social media world. Look at these lessons and you might be thankful that so many people are using their skills to reach level 80 rather than competing with you!

Design Technique

15 Best Photoshop Abstract Tutorials – Tutorial Magazine

Photoshop is one of the best served applications in terms of web tutorials. I’ve picked up so many great techniques just through Google searches. This collect is particularly awesome though. The abstract focus means that you’ve got great resources for designing the kind of elements that can really punch up a website, headers, backgrounds, etc.

Freelancing

Working Away From Home: Why You Should – Outlaw Design Blog

Working from home on a daily basis can get stale. When you’re bored you don’t do your best work. Even regardless of work, it’s important to get out the house once in a while. Danny Outlaw examines the many benefits of working out of the office. Being able to work anywhere is an advantage freelancers have, here’s why we should be taking more advantage.

My Work

The Anime Network

I’ve been working on The Anime Network’s relaunched website for a good while now. The last couple of weeks have been really hectic, as we prepared for launching premium and subscription offerings. It’s the biggest project I’ve done solo as a designer (and with great work from @akpoff on the coding/development side), and the first time I’ve wrestled so in-depth with Joomla. It’s not perfect yet, but the major elements are present and the updates are mostly live. I feel pretty proud of it, though the job isn’t done yet!

In addition to all the web pages linked to here, I’m choosing one of my favourite Flickr images from the past week available under Creative Commons. This week’s original image is by Flickr user T.Oechsner.