Skip to Navigation or Skip to Main Content

Published in Super8 -

Super8: Eight intriguing articles from August.

Here at August, we have a team that varies in experience and expertise. And, although no-one is actually in physical proximity right now, nowhere displays this more than our article inspiration channel.

This month it’s as lively as ever. In fact, right now it’s apparent that people have been researching thoroughly. Disappearing down rabbit holes of content. Delving deeper and deeper into a specific subject, with one article leading to the next.

But, no matter how interesting Viget is to Kurt, we will spare you the seven articles he shared. You can use his initial article and burrow deeper yourself.

For now, this month’s curator Claire Grainger will allow you to wonder in the diversity of humankind – or at least our small digital corner of it– with everything from how to perfect your public speaking, to questioning of legal design. Enjoy Super8 in August.

1. Better off dead: 10 outdated web design trends we’re happy to forget.

 

First, we have an absolute blast of nostalgia for anyone who has grown up as the internet has come of age.

From RuneScape to raising Neopets, in the days when Google was just a competitor of Ask Jeeves and AltaVista.

Here we look at the trends we’re happy to forget. The good, the bad, and the ugly— and most of it was ugly.

2. Figma workflow on the Viget product design team. 

 

I’m always interested how other companies deal with the same issues every design/dev team have to deal with. A recent discussion about how each of us has different ways of organising our files, led me to this article.

These guys always have great articles, so when I just happened to Google this dev topic tonight I got sucked into the vortex of their blog.

See you at the other side.

3. Last impressions first – a flipped approach to web design.

Taking lessons from Thinking Fast and Slow and applying them to website design? That’s my kinda jam.

The summary of this article is that homepages are often thought of as the most important part of a site because first impressions are important.

But what we’ve learned from Daniel Kahneman is that when people reflect on how they felt about a particular experience, first impressions don’t count for much. The last impression is much more important.

4. Is legal design bullsh*t? 

Over the last decade, design has become increasingly popular across the global economy as organisations seek to find new ways to grow and strengthen their ability to innovate.

Everyone from established companies (IBM, Ford, Infosys) to high growth start-ups (AirBNB, Pintrest, Buzzfeed), have put an emphasis on it, with several of the large consulting and strategy firms (EY, PWC and Deloitte) acquiring design agencies at a quickening pace.

So with all this attention focused on one specific aspect, this article asks, ‘Is legal design bullsh*t?’ and whether now is the time to answer this question.

5. Re-thinking transparency: if notice and consent is broken, what now?

In this article we look at how the concept of consent may not yet be broken, but it is certainly under strain. Looking at the speakers – and subjects – at the the IAPP ANZ Summit in late 2019, this was evident.

Speaker after speaker hammered another nail in the coffin of the ‘notice and consent’ model of privacy regulation, investigating everything from what the Notice and Consent model means to making transparency meaningful.

So, has this US-influenced model failed? Is it just smoke and mirrors – offering the illusion of control and choice, but within confines that are invisible? It’s a bigger conversation – but it starts here.

6. Three hours of creative ‘flow’ every day is all you need to change your life.

Flow is an important part of how we work at August. We are all constantly chasing flow time. If you have not discovered it yet, I will take the complex notion of flow states and attempt to describe it simply.

Basically, it’s a state of deep concentration – so deep, that you can do 3 hours of work that gives you the rewards of 8 hours of work. In the office we have ‘flow’ times in the day – and we work on this collectively. When we are at home – well, shall we just say this is a little more challenging.

That’s why this article is great. Because it gives tips on how to get into flow quickly, and how to avoid the distractions of home life to get your work done.

7. D&AD&ME.

D&AD means something to every creative. A jumble of letters, started in 1961, it represents excellence in creative work. It was the first award ceremony that recognised the creatives that produced the work (and not just the company that commissioned it).

My first brush with D&AD came when I was studying on the Newcastle College advertising course. Four of us were plucked from the North East of England, with the help of this illustrious organisation, and deposited in Moscow and Ukraine for a month. It was 1991, Gorbachev was still in power, the coup had taken place, and they were slowly emerging from behind the iron curtain.

Creative advertising was not yet a concept they had encountered. It was an amazing experience. One that I will never forget.

Suffice to say, my interest in D&AD has continued to this day.  This is a great description of the organisation and its meaning in our industry. And, although the coveted pencil has eluded me thus far, I’m not finished yet.

8. How to rehearse for an important presentation. 

A great presentation can do so many things. It can launch careers, inspire employees, attract customers and investors. But presenting or speaking, even on a Zoom call, can fill so many of us with dread.

So, what’s the secret of a good presentation? How can you turn a few thoughts into a great speech? There’s no magic involved in delivering a great presentation, but if you rehearse effectively, your audience will be mesmerised.

This article pulls back the curtain and helps us to understand why presentations can be magical – or not.

About the author

Claire Grainger

Claire is a conceptual copywriter with over 20 years' experience in big campaign thinking and working through concept ideas. Based in Manchester, Claire has worked alongside clients like Morrisons, Meadowhall, McCain, Redrow Homes, Britvic, Pyrex, British Glass, SSG Insight, Sefton Council, Incasso LLP and Heckmondwike FB.

Connect

More Articles