Iceland, Eyjafjallajökull – May 1st and 2nd, 2010 from Sean Stiegemeier on Vimeo.

How on Earth did I manage to miss this place? What astonishing architecture.

Discovered here – The Melbourne Recital Centre and MTC Theatre, http://www.melbournerecital.com.au and http://www.mtc.com.au respectively:

Man, I miss Australia…

The premise is rather simple. The Celebrity Plates microsite features a memory game that requires visitors to match snaps of celebrties with their relative registration plates. Those who complete the game in time win £250 off a new car from RRG; by referring a friend to the site you recieve an additional £250 off.

Praise has to go to Ian James Cox for creative concept, design and build, with a little help from his friends!

Check out the RRG Celebrity Plates campaign now.

A dash of the past and the road ahead

My tardyness is beginning to precede me and I’m tired of apologising for it. Aside from complaining about how busy I am and continuing to craft weak excuses as to why the site’s upkeep has taken a nosedive over the past 6-8 months, backed up by tedious promises of upcoming content; I’ll instead bestow you with a little update of where Redswish will be heading in the future and hopefully inspire you to stick with me and stay, if only mildly, interested.

The site started off as an experiement nearly 2 years ago, a blind date with blogging. I discovered that I enjoyed it and apparantly so did those taking the time to read my babble; so I stuck at it and tried to figure a solid direction for the website. However, as Redswish is almost exclusively the ramblings of a sole young fluttering designery type, me, a solid direction has been difficult to establish as my own direction in life tends to waver all over the place (future employers beware!).

I’ve realised it’s best to concentrate on topics surrounding what I do on a day-to-day basis, which ranges from creative and marketing strategy through web design to front-end development, and even a dabble in backend on occaision. But I’m not keen on writing about code; there are more than enough resources on the web to cover all those bases, and I learned early on that tutorials are better handled by those with more time on their hands than me. Lists… lists are the bane of my fucking life. On only the rarest occaision do I find lists of any relevance or use.

So seeing as though I tend to like the sound of my own voice so much; I’ve decided that, as it has very much over the past 10 months or so, the subject matter of the site will be mostly opinionated articles discussing online marketing, design, advertising, web culture, life experience, business and hopefully almost everything else that slips in the gaps between those delicate topics.

Design direction

At the time of writing there are still a few areas of the site requiring a tidy up, these will be addressed this weekend. Most designers will agree with me; no matter how hard you try you’re never happy with your own work. Especially at my age and level of industry experience I’m progressing at a pace that causes me to, on a rather regular basis, look back at my work of the past 3 months / 6 months / year and yell ‘what the fuck was I thinking?’. That thought had been creeping into my head for a while regarding this site. It was getting messy, it needed a new coat of paint. I could do better.

Hence why I refer to the new site as ‘a new site’. The content’s still the same but the direction has been redefined, the visuals have been refreshed and, after 3 months traveling and falling out of the circuit, it felt time to respark Redswish. Although we’re now drawing to the close of this year I intend to be putting a lot more effort into decent quality writing next year.

I’ve maintained some of the aesthetic values of the previous iteration of the site, notably the red/beige/white colour scheme. However, in an attempt to draw more attention to the content itself, I’ve included a ‘featured article’ banner at the top of the homepage and scaled back the clutter of the sidebar. I’ve also attempted to harness the power of whitespace to draw the eye to the post content itself, and made the personal decision to opt for serif typography as opposed to more monitor-friendly sans-serif fonts. The reason for this, I feel, was to establish a connection with written word on print, plus I feel it looks more ‘mature’ – more professional.

I added the red swirls in the header to break away from the site seeming too minimal or bland. Plus I like swirls. In 6 months I’ll probably hate them. The new logo on the other hand was for entirely personal reasons. I hated the old one. I felt a tug of regret in my stomach every time I glanced at it. “Christ I’ve got to get rid of that”. Hopefully I won’t be saying the same for the new logo in the future but that remains to be seen.

The Law

Redswish hasn’t, and never will, display ads. I’ve never blogged for money, and every time I visit industry blogs crowded with the same awful banners and mulicoloured sidebar ad blocks clamouring for space I’m filled with a sudden urge to hit my monitor. Don’t expect competitions or giveaways and I wouldn’t hold out for polls, surveys or comment comps. Not to sound old fashioned but I simply want to express my opinions on the industry, spare advice, experiences and stories that others will hopefully find interesting and relevant, and in turn provoke readers to share their own feedback and thoughts on such matters.

I’m more than happy enough to collaborate on articles and introduce guest authors, in fact it’s quite an honour. So if you fancy a natter give me a shout and we can sort something out.

Thanks, once again, for reading,

Nathan

As much as I’ll try, it’s going to be difficult to ensure regular, decent computer access whilst backpacking through Indonesia, Australia and Japan so you may not hear much on Redswish regularly, or even at all, until I get back in October.

I will however be putting some focus into a travel blog, which really stretches me thin enough as it is. If you fancy checking it out, it’s not quite finished but I’ll be building it up as and when I can at thereandbackagain.nathanbeck.co.uk.

But I promise when I get back it’s a big step forwards for Redswish. There will be a redesign, possibly a slight rebrand a definite and solid change in direction. We’ll still chat about web and graphic design but also lots more. As I’m learning – there’s a hell of a lot more to being a great designer online than just a knowledge of HTML, CSS and a copy of Photoshop.

I want everyone to be a part of exploring and sharing that.

So, one last musing for you before I log off and get the backpack on. I was sat in McDonalds before (I know – visit a far off foreign country and eat at McDonalds… leave me alone!) and I wondered why they charge less for people eating out than inside. I used to think it was to save seats, which may apply at peak times. But no, it’s defnitely more than that, and so simple.

Persuading people to eat outside rather than in by charging a slightly lower price ensures more people with McDonalds on the street. Which means tens or hundreds of walking advertisements sporting the big yellow M on paper bags all over the place.

It’s quite possibly one of the most affordable and influential forms of advertising I’ve discovered. I can’t believe it took me so long to realise!

Imaginative title.

Yep, I was there last week. Had a great time but decided to write about it on the Flame blog instead of here, sorry loyal readers!

It was great to meet some new people and some familiar faces (although some of them from only a small Twitter avatar), the event itself was good, inspirational fun and the after party topped everything off nicely!

Some other reviews can be found here:

• Phil Thompson
• How to always enjoy a conference

My words have found their way to print, along with 99 other people. “Connect! Marketing in the Social Media Era” is now available to purchase through Blurb. I talk about how we can use Twitter to build more personal connections. But that’s all I’m telling you – you’ve got to buy it to find out more!

The book is a fantastic collaboration of 100 authors from the marketing/new media/design industry that discuss current trends in social media and how we can harness the power of the social web from a marketing perspective to create my dynamic, personal consumer relationships.

Even better, the book is purely none-for-profit. Besides educating and inspiring, the aim is to raise money, and awareness for Susan G. Komen’s campaign towards the cure for breast cancer.

It’s a great book, it’s for a great cause. Please help out by grabbing  a copy, it’s totally worth it.

• More information on the book and the Project 100.
• Get yourself a copy at Blurb.com!

Thanks to all the other authors, and thanks to the editor Jeff Caswell for making it possible.

Nathan x

But is studying necessary? Don’t get me wrong – life is all about learning, but is it essential to take a 4 year chunk out of your life for the benefit of a qualification? The other option is to go straight into work; you will start lower in the food chain but will be earning money instead of spending it, whilst still gaining experience.

Me first

At the time of writing this article I’m 19. I pretty much wasted 2 years at college studying subjects that haven’t seriously contributed to my current career path. Whilst at college I started studying web design in my spare time and balanced a part-time job at a local media company. Shortly after leaving college I left the media company and went traveling for a while, returning home at the end of 2007 to try my hand at freelancing and build up a portfolio.

University was seeming a less enticing proposition now I was earning off my own back. When, after a few months freelancing Manchester based digital agency Flame Digital got in touch looking for a new designer. To cut a long story short – I got the job, am loving it and no longer have any intentions of going to University. I’m think I’m learning far more by working in an environment among other professionals, working on big projects, expanding my skill set every day. I’ve chosen my path, but this isn’t the path for everyone.

Benefits of Studying

Despite my bias, I know that University is great. Most of my friends there are loving it, making plenty of new friends, learning and having fun. From what I can gather, some of the benefits of getting an education:

• Come out with a degree, diploma or some form of universally recognised qualification. Proof of your education, knowledge and probably guaranteed to land you a better role than those without one.
• Meet like-minded people, make new friends and obtain contacts for the future.
• Get away from home – learn some independence and life experience. University is a great excuse to get away from the parents and to start living your own life.
• Provides you with the opportunity to build a portfolio easily.
• More direct support and education. Some people need or desire direction, a helping hand provided by tutors. Reading books and blogs isn’t everyone’s cup of tea!

There’s undoubted benefits to a good education. But how does the other side of the coin fare?

Benefits of going straight to work

Looking at the new media & design industry, straight-to-work generally means getting your foot in the door at an agency at a very low level position, as either an intern, runner or junior and working your way up. It can seem like a more scary and demanding choice originally, but you may reap the rewards in the long term.

• Earning money from day 1.
• Working and interacting with experienced people in your industry.
• Learning by ‘osmosis’. When working in a creative environment you tend to naturally absorb knowledge from the people you work with.
• Get to work on real-life projects, real clients and build up a portfolio of real work.
• 3/4 years ahead of the game. If you work hard, the time you may have spent in University will instead be used to climb your way up the promotional ladder. Chances are you’ll be earning more, have a bigger portfolio and far more ‘real-world’ experience than those fresh out of education.
• Easier to keep up with current trends.
• You get a shiny business card!

All fun stuff.

The downsides?

I wouldn’t claim that either studying or working really demonstrate any major negatives. University costs money – but it’s money you’ll earn back with that handsome degree! It’s an investment. An investment that pays off with good education and a great experience. A downside of going straight to work is that most of your mates disappear to Uni, but everyone has to move on at some point.

What’s right for you

There isn’t really a debate. The choice is down to each individual. Both require a level of independence and a strong head. Both display great rewards and ensure a productive start in life, depending on how much your willing to put in – that is the essential point.

Regardless of which path you choose – you will only benefit from how much you put in. And it’s never too late to try something else, neither option is definite.

A few opinions

It’s the first time I’ve done this, but I decided to turn to Twitter to gather some other opinions from those far more experienced than myself, here’s a taste:

matthewknight:
“Go to Uni, but I’d say it’s as much for the life/social experience as it is for the knowledge. I did theoretical physics.”

supersy:
“self-taught FTW. I did a placement last yr at an agency & found that to be more valuable than my course.”

will_j:
“I guess Uni is useful for learning how to think and work, any practical skills you learn (in tech) will be old when you leave.”

LucPestille:
“Personally uni was a waste – I think for media jobs, it’s about what you can do, not a piece of paper. 16 or 37, don’t care.”

MarkJWeston:
“Be very careful! I’m about to grad – my course has done NOTHING for my web/new media skills. Too techy. Easy to teach yourself but a good degree with good content is well worth it – especially with a high grade! My uni has redesigned their content to be more applicable to current times – uni’s can be a bit slow on changing curriculums etc.”

paulmsmith:
“Uni 4 me was about life lessons than technical ones. Pretty much self-taught, font tags, tables, etc still being taught at unis ”

wiggy5:
“I’m earning more now than anyone I know who went to Uni, also mostly debt free as a result. Experience beats qualifications.”

darrenturpin:
“What you demonstrably do is far more important than what you theoretically know. But I don’t regret my 3 years at Uni at all…”

Thanks to everyone for their comments.

The general opinion seems to be that, particularly for new media/design and development jobs, University can’t keep up and a self-taught approach is better. However, no-one seems to regret their time at University and a high value is placed on qualifications.

I will most likely be looking more into this topic in the future as it’s so widely debated and is growing ever more important in an age where there are so many resources online to teach yourself. Will the education system evolve quickly enough to adopt this? How different will media courses be in 5/10 years time? How will online and self-taught education evolve?

Questions for another day. Thanks for reading x

I recently ordered a book from Amazon. Actually, it wasn’t recently, it was before Christmas but due to popular demand it sold out and I had to wait till late February. No problem. The book came, and with it a voucher for £40 off Virgin Wines online. I’m sure many other people have received this flyer as well. At first, it sounds nothing out of the ordinary.

Instead of simply throwing it in the bin I decided to visit the website.

Step 1 – I’ve visited the website. Fair enough. That doesn’t have to mean anything.

I decided to go through the instructions on the voucher, register, enter the code and voila! My account has been credited with £40.

Step 2 – I’ve signed up, I’m establishing a level of trust and beginning to lower my guard. I’ve been rewarded for this.

I don’t know the first thing about wine. I enjoy it but wouldn’t know a Shiraz from a Chardonnay. So after a swift perusal of the site, I leave and forget about it.

About a week later I received a polite email from ‘Jay’ at Virgin Wines’. It wasn’t pesonal, although it tried to be, but I didn’t mind, there was still some thought there. Jay kindly explained that because I hadn’t yet bought anything, they weren’t doing a good enough job. So he offered me a deal I couldn’t refuse. Plenty of wine, free glases and a fancy bottle opener for only £48. Considering I already have £40 credit to play with – that would mean spending £8 for a lot of wine. Bargain.

Step 3 – Sweetening the deal, offering me more for little in return. I decide this is something worth telling people.

I’ve yet to buy any wine, I may wait till someone’s birthday crops up. But at work today I told 7 people about this episode, and tonight, at the pub, I may decide to tell my mates.

The moral of the story:

The £40 credit is not £40 to Virgin, it’s perhaps £5-£10 at most, before their markup. That may seem like an awful amount of money to waste on one person. But if the people I told at work, and the people I’ve yet to tell, and you reading now decide to investigate a bit and end up buying some wine for yourselves or continue to tell other people… well – that £5 Virgin spent on me may become £50, £100 + profit through other people buying wine through their site thanks to the power of word of mouth marketing.

Now would that money have been better spent on a few clicks of a tacky banner ad, or a stack of throwaway flyers that will be read by practically no-one?

Through the flyer I recieved, Virgin can monitor (to some extent) the impact by how many people have registered on the site and entered the offer code, and how many people have spent that free credit. What about the option to recommend the offer to others? Or for every bottle of wine you buy you receive a free £5 off voucher to send to a friend of choice?

I’m not one for customer service emails or calls, I have no faith in that system. If something breaks, I throw it away and buy it again. But I decided to give iTunes the benefit of the doubt. I sent a rather rude, demanding email that was very unlike me and can only be put down to how tired and annoyed I was at the time.

Less than 4 hours later, which didn’t bother me as I was in bed, I received this response:

Dear Nathan,

This is Sasha with iTunes Customer Support. I would first like to thank you for inquiring about the App Store. I understand you are concerned that you lost your App Store purchases. I will be happy to help.

App Store purchases may be downloaded again at no charge, either from your device or using iTunes on your computer. Be sure that you are signed in to the same iTunes Store account that you used to shop from the App Store, and follow the steps to purchase any missing content again. You will be notified that you have already purchased the App and can download each missing item again for free.

For more information, please visit:

App Store FAQ
http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/ApplicationsFAQPage

If you have difficulty downloading any applications, please reply to let me know or consult this article:

Troubleshooting applications purchased from the App Store
http://support.apple.com/kb/TS1702

Sincerely,

Sasha
iTunes Store Customer Support

Which is fair enough. A straightforward reply in a professional yet friendly and personal tone. I liked that. So I deided to email back and apologise for my initial arsey email, only to receive another response from Sasha only minutes later:

Dear Nathan,

You’re very welcome. No need to apologize. I know how frustrating these kinds of issues can be. I’m just so glad to hear that you were able to get your purchases back.

Nothing makes Apple happier than to hear that we have pleased our customers. I hope that you continue to enjoy the iTunes Store.

Remember, if you have any further questions or concerns please let me know and I will be more than happy to further assist you.

Have a wonderful day!

That really pleased me.

Why is this such a big deal? Because in this fast-paced world where huge companies spare no time for individual customers willing to dish out £1000’s on their products and services, the fact that someone in a service center on the other side of the world took the time out to craft a dedicated, friendly response goes a long way.

And personally, I feel it’s these touches that put Apple ahead of the rest of the game.