This is a guest post written by @jimmynotjim

On Monday my feeds, as I’m sure yours as well, blew up with the launch of BostonGlobe.com. It’s been a much anticipated launch both within and out of the design community. I was excited to get home and check it out on a browser other than my iPhone just to see how (and to try and decipher why) they handled the content. It didn’t take long for the Negative Nancy’s to start complaining and cut into that excitement.

A few were unimpressed. With all the hoopla surrounding ‘Responsive Design’ lately the Globe fell short of their expectations. Most though complained about the subscription requirements. The number of people expecting free access was outstanding. One tweet read “The future of web design is behind a paywall, something not quite right about that…” and another “A holy screw you to The Boston Globe for paywalls” and even “I’ve always craved something between a newsletter and an AOL keyword that I can’t show my friends” from one ‘web star’.

Surprisingly, I wasn’t shocked. I myself am a child of Napster and have ‘shared’ more music, movies and software than I care to mention, but at some point I grew up. I realized that if I want to get paid for my hard work, I should be paying for someone else’s. I guess some people never grow up, but I digress. I’m not here to add more noise by complaining about the complainers, but to point out what I believe they are missing in hopes of opening their eyes.

First, this is more than just a responsive layout for a blog. A newspaper as large as the Globe has multiple layers of content, a wide spectrum of readers, and who knows how many stakeholders with their own opinion on what’s important. I think @simplebits tweet said it best, “Congratulating @beep, @scottjehl, & @filamentgroup on their groundbreaking work with 1,659,230 requirements for the new http://bostonglobe.com.”

The fact that they were able to pull this off is frankly a miracle. Did anyone else happen to sign up for a free account and explore the site? If not you really should. You can easily and intuitively access back issues, save articles for later, use swipe gestures on mobile, and connect with the writers and editors directly. I’d like to see these naysayers examples of ‘dime a dozen’ responsive sites that offer as much for as large of an audience, I can think of only a few who come close.

The second issue, about the paywall has really gotten under my skin. When Apple came out with the first iPhone and announced they had changed the game, did everyone complain about the price of admission? No, they stood in lines for hours and shelled out hundreds of dollars for that precious piece of design. Should we expect the people that spent who knows how much time and effort on this project (and all the writers and editors who will publish to it) to go unpaid? We’ve all read the quotes about the average person being more likely to get struck by lightning/eaten by a shark/in a plane crash than clicking an ad, I’m willing to bet everyone at the Globe has too.

How is a paywall any different than a subscription to Netflix, Hulu Plus, Rdio, etc? Why is it were willing to throw our cash at entertainment services (or Apps and even Apple themselves) but aren’t willing to squeeze out a few bucks (basically a large coffee) for well researched, thought out, written and edited news? I’m sure this question was asked and researched at the Globe, I doubt they spent all this effort and said, ‘eh, lets just do a paywall’. I would hope Ethan et al. would have put up a decent fight if it wasn’t.

As I stated before, this isn’t just a responsive layout, it’s a multi-layered service offering a well thought put and executed experience. A premium news service like that deserves a premium price. After all, if all we want is sound bites that barely scratch the surface, we have plenty of crappy sites from AOL, Yahoo and the other failing web giants to look to, or we can always just visit the Globes free version Boston.com (that’s right, they do offer free content).

Just so it’s clear, I’m not saying the Globe site is perfect for me or anyone in particular, but with as broad a viewership and the number of moving elements they had to work with I think they did an exemplary job. So what’s your take? Did the Globe’s design fail to meet your expectations or are you in the “it should be free” camp? Are you as happy with the results as I am? I’m curious to hear everyone’s opinion.

About @jimmynotjim

My name is James, but you can call me Jimmy (and even Jim if you like). I’m a 29 year old carpenter turned web nerd, living and working in Boston MA. In addition to design I enjoy photography, drawing, cooking, camping, hiking, and of course spending time with my loving family.

Twitter: @jimmynotjim | Web: JimmyNotJim.com

But I’m Shy!!!

I moved to Boston just about two years ago. After a few weeks of job searching I was hired at a small design firm and ramped up my freelancing career. This life situation wasn’t exactly conducive to making friends or living a balanced life… I knew I needed to get out of my comfort zone and go out and meet people.

I’ll admit that I’m not the most social person in the world, or even the most outgoing for that matter. In fact I’m really geeky (well what web designer isn’t…) and kind of shy at times. I’m slowly realizing that no matter how great the online design community is – it’s no substitute for face to face contact with REAL HUMAN beings…

Taking Action!

I’ been attempting to attend more local events and meet more people – even if I’m terrified to do so.  Ive recently been attending some local design and development meetups. So far I’ve managed to make it out to a few AIGA Boston events, Refresh Boston, Build Guild Salem as well as BostonEErs. I just want to encourage everyone who reads this to get out and get involved in your local design community – you never know who you will meet and how you can learn from them! I’ve meet some incredibly cool people at these events including @unruthless, @mkivikoski,  @jasonrobb,  @inkpixelspaper as well as others.

I’m looking forward to attending more web/design events and meet ups and continue to make new friends. If you are in the Boston/new england area and we haven’t met in real life connect with me on twitter @nikibrown or shoot me an email hi at nikibrown dot com and say Hi – I’m game for making new friends and more nerdy webby learning!

Resources In Your Area

AIGA http://aiga.org/

American Institute of Graphic Artists – AIGA has lots of local chapters around the country and most likely in your neck of the woods. This group focuses mostly on graphic designers and is (at least in my experience) heavy on print designers.

MeetUp.com http://www.meetup.com/

Meetup.com is a site that lets individuals organize and host group activities – this isnt focused solely on design, but everything from knitting to cooking to web design! Do a quick search for design or development in your town and get involved!

Build Guild http://buildguild.org

Not sure how many build guilds exist outside of the Salem, MA area – but if you are around the New england/north shore area you should check this event out. Its held at a bar in Salem and filled with lots of good geek talk and beer!

Refresh (insert your city name here)

http://refreshingcities.org/
Refresh is a community of designers and developers working to refresh the creative, technical, & professional culture of New Media endeavors in the Boston area while promoting design, technology, usability, and standards.

Also consider starting an event in your area if there aren’t any!

Your Thoughts

Leave a comment and let me know what offline design events you attend or recommend others check out! Huzzah!

INITIAL THOUGHTS

The magic mouse felt nice in my hand and was much lighter than I originally thought it would be (its basically just the weight of the batteries inside + plastic.)  The mouse felt like it fit well in my hand and I should mention that I have small hands. It also has an incredibly low profile, which looks cool and felt alright, but I was standing while using the computer. I’m wondering how this would affect ergonomics over time. The two black bars on the bottom of the mouse do a decent job of stabilizing during the two finger swipe, but it took some getting used to. I was swiping too hard at first and moving the mouse. I’m not sure if I will end up using the swipe.

The feature I was most looking forward to is the 360 scroll. While using safari I noticed when I flicked my finger on the mouse the scrolling accelerated much like the iPhone. It really is a please to scroll without that stupid little ball! Overall I was pretty pleased with my 5 minute session with the Mighty Mouse and I’m glad that I purchased one!

PHOTOS (GLAM OUR SHOTS)

HAVE YOU TRIED THE MAGIC MOUSE?

User experiences are different for everyone – so I’m curious as to what you think.

If you’ve been following me on twitter you are well aware of what I’ve been up to the past few weeks. Today I’m launching another (mini) blog called Daily Design Bits. This blog will feature frequent short posts of all the ‘shiny things I find on and off the interwebs’. Hop on over there and explore (and grab the feed so you don’t miss anything)! You can also submit cool things that you find if you want them to be featured!

Daily Design Bits is powered by Tumblr – which so far has been an AWESOME platform to work with! I’ve got some great content queued up for your viewing pleasure! I’m still tweaking things and setting things up – so if you find something that’s broken shoot me an email and let me know!

Thanks for reading and let me know what you think!

I was feeling a bit stumped when it came to color and design this past week. I was browsing web galleries and looking through flickr – Nothing seemed to get me out of my design slump. So, I decided to just take a closer look at all the everyday objects around me in my house and in my neighborhood for inspiration. This is what I found:

Flowers in the public gardens

I love the color and shape of these flowers – this picture does not do them justice! There are such a vibrant purple.

Waves at the beach

I love the way the tide foams…The texture of the bubbles in amazing.

The little garden in front of my apartment building

I find the symetry of this little garden area of my building inspiring. It feels so balanced and peaceful.

Fireworks

Again this crappy picture does not do these fireworks justice, the colors and sounds were so crisp, bright and vibrant.

Striped pattern on my silverware

So I’m a nerd and bought striped silverware, but I LOVE the way the light reflects off the shiny and dull stripes – especially when its in this red container. This makes for a great color scheme.

Pattern on my hat

I am a stripe person if you couldn’t tell – i love this minimal blue stripe pattern on one of my hats. I would love to use this as a color scheme or background pattern for a website.

Plaid shirt

Again with the patterns, i’m also in love with plaid. This shirt has an interesting 80′s-ish color scheme.

Sometimes you just need to open your eyes and realize that you are surrounded by amazing and beautiful things!Even the most mundane things like silverware can be inspiring!

What everyday things are YOU inspired by?

Leave a comment and post a link to a picture! Let me know what you think!

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Its time for question of the week! I’m going to post a short little audio clip asking you a question. Feel free to chime in and let me know what you think! I’d love to get a discussion going on in the comments!

During Dan Cederholm’s talk at An Event Apart he brought up the topic of progressive enhancement. I’m pretty excited about all the things that CSS3 will allow us to do but I also have some reservations. Do we go crazy and start embracing all these new-fangled CSS things or do we look at our content and design and see if they add meaning and clarity to our message?

<Bling />

The excitement around border radius and text shadow are definitely understandable. It makes me think of the HTML days of yesteryear when I was just learning. I thought that <Blink> and <Marquee> were THE COOLEST THINGS IN THE WORLD!!! But let’s stop a second and think – The way I was using these tags were not thought out and they didn’t add to the message I was trying to convey. They were just BLING.

We need to back up our design decisions instead of always jumping on the “cool things” bandwagon.

I’m Guilty…

I worked on a website a few months ago in which I implemented rounded corners.  I have to admit that I really had no reasoning for using border radius on this navigation. Now that I take a look at it again it does not really fit with the design either. I think of sports or athletic training as something that’s straight forward and rounded corners are more of a softer touch. So

Some Progressive Enhancements To Consider…

…if they suit your design

Border Radius

View the CSS

RBGA Transparency

View the CSS

Text Shadow

Apple Style nav tutorial that uses text shadow

Conclusion

Just because you can does not mean you should…unless you have a reason for it.

What do you think?

Do you live by CSS3 and think its the greatest thing since sliced bread? Leave a comment! Are you an ie6 lover and don’t use anything not supported by the outdated browser? I want to hear from you! Chime in and let your voice be heard.

BTW- you can download the slides from Dan’s AEA09 talk here (PDF)

1 Don’t be afraid of the web

The Internets wont bite! ( I swear) I saw LOTS of great print work, but not very much web work. Don’t worry if your school does not have a web design class! Search the internet, buy a book and take a crack at it! I can’t stress how important it is to at least understand how to design for the web, even if you cant code a web page. I learned more about web design outside of school that I did when I was in school. So jump right in – and don’t forget that you absolutely NEED a portfolio website! And while you are at it start a blog!

2 Don’t be afraid to experiment

Go crazy! Make scribbly type, violate hierarchy rules, break the grid, include hand drawn elements with vector elements. Follow design principals and then break them! Design school is when you have the most freedom. You are your own client (most of the time) so push yourself as far as you can. Experiment with different design styles. This will help you learn and grow as a designer.

3 Always have business cards, and always carry them with you

Some of the students I reviewed didn’t have business cards. MISSED OPPORTUNITY!!! Business cards are so cheap and easy to make (overnightprints.com, 48hourprint.com uprinting.com ) You can get 100-250 cards for 20 bucks! I would also recommend having a few cards in your wallet. You never know when someone will mention that they need a designer.

4 Take your class projects further

So you were assigned a magazine cover and a spread – why not design the rest of the magazine and make it look as complete as possible? Logo Design assignment? Take the identity further and design a website. It’s awesome to see student projects that are taken further than the proposed assignment. It also makes you stand out from your classmates. Don’t be afraid to mention that you went above and beyond and took something further in a job interview either.

*ignore the random sticky note guy pic…. i just liked it so much I had to include it somewhere

5 Make a habit of talking about your work

If you are a graduating senior (or super senior when I graduated hehe) you need to make a habbit of talking about your portfolio. Participating in portfolio reviews is a great way to pratice for job interviews. It might also help to show your portfolio to non-designers and explain your work. When I was looking for jobs right out of school I had interviews with HR departments and other non-designers. Often times these people won’t understand designer lingo – so its best to get practice with non-designers!

Check out the view from the top of Mass Art!

Any More Tips?

Do you guys have any tips out for soon to be job hunting designers? Or tips for design students in general?

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Color is everywhere and inspiration can be found in anything. I was recently shopping for new running shoes and was amazed by the color pallets that I saw! So may bright and shiny colors! Hope you enjoy this inspiring color round up. (and yay! Its marathon Monday!!!)

Newton

I was blinded by the pinkness of these ultralight newton shoes. The pink and bright yellow give me a very feminine, Easter color vibe.

Nike

The color scheme of these Nike shoes are calm, cool and collected. I’d love to use this color scheme in a business setting.

Brooks

Brooks makes rugged running shoes. I love the bold combination of complementary colors red and green paired with a muted gray/green.

Asics

This is the most colorful pair of shoes I saw when I was out shopping! Not really sure where I would use this color scheme, but it definitely gets your attention.

Brooks

This color scheme screams ‘pay attention to me’. The black/yellow combination i used in construction for this reason.

Nike

I love the blue, green. bright  yellow combination on these shoes. This color combo screams spring.

Adidas

These Adidas shoes have a stark – black colorful pallet that shows power and masculinity.

Newton

Another bright pair of newton shoes – this is the mens verzion of the of the pink shoe. The color pallet of this shoe screams ‘fast’ to me.

New Balance

I love the retro purple, black, orange color scheme of these shoes. Reminds me of my favorite backetball team as a kid – The Phoenix Suns.

Asics

Last but not least – these shiny orange running shoes scream ‘speed’ and ‘masculinity’.

What’s your favorite colorful shoe?

Leave a comment and let me know what your favorite shoe color scheme is! Thanks for reading!