The next installment of The New Mediology has been pushed to the podcast. In this episode, Bill Seaver and I discuss advertising using banner ads:

• When are they appropriate to use, if ever?
• How do users feel about banner ads?
• What is the return on investment?
• And what are the best practices when you are required to advertise via banner ads.

Check out this episode at The New Mediology website, or to get this and all future episode goodness, subscribe to the podcast via iTunes.

So, what truly separates great design with the not-so-great, wanna-be designs?

The anatomy of a great design starts with the audience, not the designer. The mistake that most young designers make is they forget the ultimate goal of their design - to communicate. Many times, ignoring the importance of communication hurts the effectiveness of the design, and thus, damages the integrity of the design.

The designer must be able to remove himself from the design and view it through the eyes of his audience. This process requires honesty and an attention to detail - if it brings the realization that the piece is not communicating effectively, then the design is flawed, and it should be changed. This is an extremely difficult step in design since it turns a critical eye on one’s own piece, but it is necessary.

The message does not simply consist of text and copy, it also is the mood and the tone. A dark background communicates differently than a white background. A textured element creates a different tone than a solid color. When the perspective switches from making art to encouraging the communication, the designer can begin to create great designs. There must be a distinct separation between the create process and the logic process, but both must harmonized together in a balanced act.

The key characteristic of a great design is that the audience does not notice the design; the design simply communicates the message without any barriers. If the information or message is hindered by the design, then the designer has not designed effectively. Any element that does not encourage the communication of the message, mood, or tone should be removed.  It becomes a consist editing process - validating the design at every stage in the process. Ultimately, if done well, this refining process will produce a great design.

Check back for more on The Anatomy of Great Design, and make sure you subscribe to the RSS feed.

I was browsing through my Netflix account today and stumbled upon this recommendation that seemed to be a little too accurate:

Yesterday, Compass Cinema launched the Modern Parables Digital Store.

Acclaimed as “Bible Studies For People Who Like Movies,” Modern Parables is a set of six short films based on modernize versions of Jesus’ parables from the Bible.  These six films are now available for individual digital download in Quicktime or Windows Media format. Video quality options range from free iPod versions of the films to full HD ready-for-your-massive-home-theater versions ($26.99).

In full disclosure, Anthology Creative designed and implemented the online digital store.

So, now that I have started a blog (for real this time, I promise), why is it worth it? Why should I blog?

My reasons come down to these three things:

1. Content Is a Promotion Strategy

Time to promote - There is no denying that in this new blog/podcast/online video age, content can serve as promotion for just about anything - and for much less than one would spend on newspaper ads, billboards, chess tournament sponsorships, etc.  There is absolutely no reason for a company to not be constantly producing content, even if it is micro-content such as tweets.

2. I Need to Give Back

Time to get all sentimental - I would honestly not be where I am today if it were not for the tools, articles, tutorials, etc. that I have found on the internet (thank you, Google). And frankly, until now, I have pretty much been a take-take-take type of information consumer. It is time for me to start producing content for other people that are just as curious as I have been and are looking for new information, interesting approaches to problems, and the like.

3. Blogging Pushes Me Further

Time to be effective -  In order to blog effectively, I will need to research. I will need to keep up with what is going on in new media and the internet world. Blogging about these topics will more-or-less force me to become an expert in these topics and to stay relevant. But, don’t get me wrong - you do not need to do these things in order to start a blog - I just feel that I need to stay on top of these things in order to blog effectively.

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