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Haha... I learned yet another lesson in customer service recently. This time, instead of pointing to ways of providing it, I was on the outside looking in.

I am in search of some rich-looking cover stock (paper) for a pocket folder I am designing for a client. I haven't needed something out of the ordinary for some time so I called B.W. Wilson, a local distributor for some of the top paper manufacturers--Neenah, Finch, Mohawk, Domtar, and so on--and asked if I could drop by and look at some samples.

In hindsight, the woman I spoke with sounded a little reluctant (she thought I'd need someone to sit with me but I told her that wouldn't be necessary), she agreed and told me to explain my need to the receptionist when I arrived.

Well, there was no receptionist at the reception desk when I arrived and I guess the woman I had spoken to was out because the folks who were there looked at me like I was an alien from another planet. (It wasn't the woman's fault, I hadn't given an exact time.)

First they tried to track down the person I talked to, then, failing that, as a couple of others looked on, they found someone who came out and asked what I was looking for.

I said "cover stock" for a folder. She looked a little strained and quipped that that was a pretty broad category. Then she said something along the line of, "We don't have a half-hour to spend..." After which I said, "Thanks a lot," turned on my heel, and headed out the door. I was more embarrassed than angry--but angry was running a close second.

The lesson it taught me was this: You've got to give your customer some room to avoid being embarrassed. To me, embarrassment is one of the most painful emotions, and from a customer service standpoint, one that is not easily forgotten.

It quickly became clear that what I was asking was out of the ordinary--that's cool--my mistake. But there are lots of ways to allow for the everyday mistakes people make. Instead, they implied my presence was inappropriate and my request an imposition.

BTW--I guess I'm old school. There was a time when salespeople for paper distributors would visit studios, agencies, and individual designers and provide them with samples of the latest papers. They wanted you to buy some stuff and we did.

Sometimes I miss paper.

Regards,
Chuck

Have you seen my InDesign Ideabook?

315 template files in 19 different categories -- Everything from brochures, newsletters, and direct mail to packaging, calendars, and books (one CD works with both Mac and PC). Use two or three files and you'll pay for the entire book and disc...

For Adobe InDesign
Here > http://www.ideabook.com/the_indesign_ideabook_59.html

For QuarkXPress
Here > http://www.ideabook.com/quarkxpress_templates.html

How do user interfaces become simpler to use?

Because talented designers and developers put a huge amount of work into the minutia of the interface. Here, Gabriel Tomesc shares some excellent insights into the complexity of thinking that goes into a form seemingly as simple as that used to choose and use a credit card.

Thanks to Jessica Jones for pointing us to it.

The anatomy of a credit card form by Gabriel Tomesc...
Here > https://medium.com/user-experience-design-1/the-anatomy-of-a-credit-card-payment-form-32ec0e5708bb

Gabriel Tomesc works for Wave...
Here > https://www.waveapps.com/

Tomesc's portfolio...
Here > http://gabrieltomescu.com/work/

The Carrington Albums are stunning examples of grand illumination

These albums were created in tribute to Lord Carrington, a Governor of the state of New South Wales in Australia in the late 1800s. There are 14 albums in all-each one a real treat to see.

Wouldn't you love to see a modern version of this type of work come back into style?

Example set 1...
Here > http://tinyurl.com/qe3cent

Example 2...
Here > http://tinyurl.com/p7m9p7q

Example 3...
Here > http://tinyurl.com/pc699fd

From BibliOdyssey.com: All Hail Lord Carrington!...
Here > http://tinyurl.com/p6j8ota

The full library of Lord Carrington albums...
Here > http://tinyurl.com/ov36zof
 
An article from the organization that houses the albums...
Here > http://tinyurl.com/nes3ew7

About one of the firms said to have produced the albums: John Sands Ltd...
Here > http://i.imgur.com/cSyJbKB.jpg

Some photographs from and exhibition of the albums...
Here > http://tinyurl.com/ptds78b

I love style guides. I hate style guides.

I love brand style guides (graphics standards) because they are meant to maintain the integrity of the designer's vision. I hate them because they limit that vision to what can be foreseen. They also are notoriously selfish. They insist on maintaining a brand's prominence even when such prominence is inappropriate.

Here is a recent batch of style guides...

The Skype Brand Book...
Here > http://issuu.com/bondo/docs/skype_brand_book_-_look

Boy Scouts of America Style Guide (6.9MB PDF)...
Here > http://www.scouting.org/filestore/pdf/310-0231.pdf

The VERY complete Graphic Standards Manual for the U.S. Agency for International
Development (USAID) (9.7MB PDF)...
Here > https://www.usaid.gov/sites/default/files/documents/1869/USAID_Graphic_Standards_Manual.pdf

Walmart Brand Guide (4.3MB PDF)...
Here > https://www.walmartbrandcenter.com/WorkArea/DownloadAsset.aspx?id=6442451804

And a very interesting historical example...

Organizationsbuch der NSDAP (the graphics standards manual for the Nazi Party)...
Here > https://archive.org/stream/Ley-Robert-Organisationsbuch-der-NSDAP/LeyRobert-OrganisationsbuchDerNsdap3.Auflage1937678S.ScanFraktur#page/n521/mode/2up

Cool. Just heard from Apple

My PagePlane graphic design blog is now officially part of Apple News--a new feature of iOS 9.

Mapmaking and visual perception research

With all of the improvements in mapmaking in recent years you'd think there was little room for innovation. Then someone like Penn State geographer Cindy Brewer steps forward with tool that incorporate visual perception research.

Wired says, "Brewer's best-known invention is a website called Color Brewer, which helps mapmakers pick a color scheme that's well-suited for communicating the particular type of data they're mapping. More recently she's moved on to other cartographic design dilemmas, from picking fonts to deciding what features should change or disappear as the scale of a map changes (or zooms in and out, as non-cartographers would say). She's currently helping the U.S. Geological Survey apply the lessons she's learned from her research to redesign its huge collection of national topographic maps."

Thanks to Wendy Kalman for pointing us to it.

From Wired: Thank This Geographer for Making Sure New Maps Aren't a Total Mess...
Here > http://www.wired.com/2015/02/cindy-brewer-maps/

Wired's first story: The Cartographer Who's Transforming Map Design...
Here > http://www.wired.com/2014/10/cindy-brewer-map-design/

ColorBrewer...
Here > http://colorbrewer2.org/

ScaleMaster...
Here > http://www.personal.psu.edu/cab38/ScaleMaster/

Ben Sheesley's TypeBrewer...
Here > http://www.typebrewer.org/

Brewer's Resources page at Penn State...
Here > http://www.personal.psu.edu/cab38/archive_resources.html

An interesting post from the Type Directors Club: Do we need more fonts?

Here > https://www.tdc.org/articles/do-we-need-more-fonts/

Is there such a thing as an effective design formula?

I've said it before: There are so many variables in any particular design that I am skeptical that following any set of rules will guarantee success. But I'm always open to the idea. And I think that Nick Kolenda offers some interesting ideas in his article: The ideal characteristics of a visual advertisement.

Do you have a design formula that you've found useful?

The ideal characteristics of a visual advertisement...
Here > http://www.nickkolenda.com/ad-characteristics/

Google has a new logo

It is simple and to the point.

Horse's mouth...
Here > http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2015/09/google-update.html

From Brand New: New logo for Google done in-house...
Here > http://www.underconsideration.com/brandnew/archives/new_logo_for_google_done_in_house.php

From Fast Company: The branding gods (mostly) love Google's new logo...
Here > http://www.fastcodesign.com/3050638/the-branding-gods-mostly-love-googles-new-logo

Check out the Briefing Archive...

About this newsletter

I try to remain as objective as possible about the information I share here. Unless I tell you otherwise, I receive no compensation from the organizations and people mentioned except for occasional product samples. I am an affiliate of Lynda.com and MyFonts.com -- that means, if you purchase something from them, I get a small commission. Comments? Suggestions? Write me at chuckgreen@ideabook.com -- Chuck Green