webponce rants

via [Design you Trust]

Through my work at Yarned, I’m involved in a new charity – Child’s i Foundation, which is building a babies’ home in Uganda on the outskirts of Kampala for 50 infants, from newborn babies to five years-olds. The home will have medical facilities to help with premature and sick babies and children with special needs.

This is happening in two ways:

1. To build a “transitional orphanage” with full medical and educational facilities that provides a safe haven for babies and young children.
2. To place these children into secure and happy families, giving them something we believe every child has a right to – a loving home.

Child’s i Foundation will connect supporters to our work in Uganda in real time. Through emails, blogs and videos, people will be able to see exactly where their money is going, and we will have the opportunity to appeal directly for additional help should we need it.

Members of the community can be involved on many levels, from community fundraising, making donations and suggestions to actively volunteering at the Home in Uganda.

Interaction and mass collaboration are the keys to building the charity and achieving our goals.

We are creating a Web 2.0 version of a letter from a sponsored child and creating a new way of giving.

I’ll write more about the approach we’re taking from a technical perspective over the next weeks, but in the meantime, please go and visit the website:

http://childsifoundation.org
Also, follow us on twitter and flickr.

One of the really nice touches in the latest Bond flick was the use of ‘in scene’ typography on some of the scene start title sequences, I particularly liked the London opener which was printed on the road in that classic ‘City of London’ typeface which was then immediately run over by a car. You can see them all at Tomato’s site, or pulled out for easier viewing at Goldenfiddle. I read QoS and Fleming’s other short stories in the recent Penguin collection – well worth a read if you’ve not read much James Bond before.

I’ve just started posting at excellent creative spotting blog No Legacy, setup by a bunch of the guys at de-construct, and contains the thoughts and braindumps of many very talented designers, including Jakob Nylund from Frost and Joel Corneer from The Apartment.

I absolute love this, don’t know why, it’s properly freaky. Reminds me of the scene in Never Ending Story with the Oracle thingy shooting lasers from her eyes at Atreyu

Via Geekologie

I was out with CG last night, and we were talking podcasts. I’ve recently become the vaguely proud owner of a new iPhone (in fact, we’re now a two iPhone house, as my wife has also just acquired one), and never really having an mp3 player in my pocket before (I’ve owned them, but always forget to take them out; being my phone however, i have to take it out), i’ve not listened to podcasts that much. Now, however, is a different case. I have lots and lots of time on my hands, and lots and lots of storage on my phone. So, we were discussing good sources. As if by internet magic, Laughing Squid also posted a video of one of the shows we talked about, featuring Ze Frank, The Sound of Young America. I’m hoping they’re not all visually hilarious, as radio isn’t a media for the mime, but its been duly added to my feedlist.

I’m also starting to plan a trip to San Francisco. I’ve always wanted to visit, mostly to see if it really is that hilly; possibly to stalk this guy; but mostly to go visit some interesting people.

Lovely lovely wordie.
Create visually stunning tag clouds from any source of text.

Hardly anyone knows that a secret tunnel runs deep beneath the Atlantic Ocean. In May 2008, more than a century after it was begun, the tunnel has finally been completed.

This is such a beautifully simple yet well executed idea. I’ve seen the concept a dozen times before, yet this is on a global scale, and with Artichoke’s delightful exuberance and finesse, it makes something just that extra bit special. I’m planning on going to see it this week in London, and in a few weeks from the New York side when I’m visiting the US. I wonder how many people have looked in from both ends?

A new product from the innovation masters, Schulze and Webb, supported ably by my good friend Amy T. and her team at BBC Audio & Music Interactive R&D.

Olinda is a prototype digital radio that has your social network built in, showing you the stations your friends are listening to. It’s customisable with modular hardware, and aims to provoke discussion on the future and design of radios for the home.

http://schulzeandwebb.com/2008/olinda/

Awesome! (I know how it feels)

http://leavemealonebox.com

Honestly, you wait for a site launch for a couple of months, and three come along at once. Big shout out to the team for the launch of three sites last night (in order of project length and blood/sweat/tears).

Vitra

This project has been a couple of years in the making, and the passion and effort put into the site shows. Chris, the lead developer, has pretty much worked on it single-handed since he started, and its a testiment to his dedication.

adidas Dream Big

A new campaign from the football team with some really nice video content.

adidas Cricket

The new adidas england cricket team shirts.

These illustrations are both beautiful, and genius. taking the oh so common subjects of emails we all receive daily, and turning them into something really special. makes spam huggable and lovable once again.

The new identity for the London 2012 olympics has been announced, much to the debate of our studio. The general consensus here: BZZZZT! Bad Design! In fact, that seems to be mirrored by many Londoners, to the point of revolt:

http://www.gopetition.co.uk/petitions/change-the-london-2012-logo.html

It’ll be interesting to see if those who live in the city it is meant to represent are listened to, and its changed for something which isn’t, frankly, rubbish and likely to enduce epilepsy.

Update: The BBC’s readers have a few alternative options available too.