While flicking through Desktop: Issue 253, September 09, I found an interesting article called ‘Global Fun Crisis’ by Michael Broderick of Artisan, which discussed the other ‘GFC’ and how we can all take a few simple steps to ensure that smiles stay out in force in the workplace.
“If you are having fun, you’re more likely to hit targets and generate more in your day. It’s also proven that you will take pride in performing to the best of your ability, as well as feeling that awesome sense of achievement… We’re most ourselves when we are relaxed, smiling and happy, and that’s when we’re most likely to achieve our goals and push further.”
Yes, there is still a job to be done in the workplace and deadlines to meet but keeping ‘fun’ in the work place is important for everyone and it’s amazing how it can lighten the mood. Having ‘permission’ to have fun at work makes it all that much more enjoyable, spontaneity can really mix things up a bit and allows you to view things from a different angle. A good laugh can help get you re-focused, is good for staff morale and career satisfaction.
“A happy workplace is more productive, communicates better and is more in tune with customers and others in the office. You will find yourself being more generous and supportive of those around you.”
Don’t get stuck in a rut – do things differently, get to know your work mates’ interests outside of work, share what you are passionate about and always be striving to learn new things.
“At the end of the day, fun people are valued by their colleagues. They are seen to be more sparky, intelligent and energetic, and they inspire each other.”
Most of us spend a huge proportion of our lives at work, with studies showing that Australians on average work 1855 hours a year - that’s more than anywhere else in the Western world!
That’s why it is so important that the space we work in works for us. Office design is becoming increasingly complicated, with the integration of new technologies bringing challenges in maintaining a harmonious and successful environment. Here are a few quick tips to bear in mind:
Own your space Psychologists have shown that personalisation of a workspace has a strong bearing on job satisfaction, and promotes a positive social climate with greater staff morale and lower staff turnover.
Rest your eyes Windows, artwork or plants provide a pleasant and vital deviation from staring at a screen all day.
Get organised Set up your office and workspace so that there is a logical workflow, and a place for everything, this saves on double-handing and messiness!
It’s possibly even more important in an industry like ours that we maintain a space that encourages and motivates creative thought processes, although I’m sure any workplace can benefit from a boost in creativity …
Check out this link for examples of companies that have gone all-out in their workplaces - wouldn’t it be nice to have no budget constraints!
We’ve all had times where we’ve thought we got the perfect photo, only to find when we download it and inspect it a little more closely, that it wasn’t perfectly in focus.
About six months ago I happened across an article which made me go “ooh!”. I recently did a little more research, and shared it with the team. They went “ooh!” too …
Photographic technology being developed at the moment combines exciting advances in lens hardware and processing software. In a nutshell this means that the days of out of focus images may be numbered.
There is a lot of research going into a process called “light-field photography”. Multiple lenses or sensors create dozens of images with slightly different perspectives and focus, which camera software collates into one dynamic image. This allows the photographer to have virtually limitless control over focus.
At this stage only prototypes have been developed, but there are confident predictions that commercially available versions should be available in the next couple of years.
Working in a digitally dominant age for the past 2 decades, it’s become easy to be complacent with some of our design tools that have been in use for hundreds of years, namely typefaces and their origins. One element of typography (and perhaps the most important) that gets overlooked these days is the anatomy of letterforms. It’s easy to forget that each character in the English alphabet is broken down into finer elements we call terminals e.g. The upper and lower counters of a capital ‘B’ (the 2 curves on the right hand side that distinguish it as a ‘B’ not a capital ‘E’), sounds trivial right? But with the ever increasing manipulation of type that occurs in design these days it shouldn’t be taken lightly.
“I was killing time and pain at a nearby bar called The Ear, so named because the two ribs of the ‘B’ in the neon sign that read ‘Bar’ had burned out years ago. So had most of the patrons.” - Kinky Friedman, Blast From the Past, 1998.
An observation by Kinky Friedman, an American musician not a typographer, while being technically incorrect was pretty close to the mark. Type designers since the 15th century had come up with some very human terms to describe the details of the letterforms we have come to know and love, and in the industry have all been guilty of ‘bastardising’! They speak the arm of an ‘E’, the crotch of an ‘M’, the ear of a ‘g’, the leg of a ‘k’, the shoulder of an ‘n’, the tail of a ‘j’ or ‘Q’ and the spine of an ‘S’. I invite you to visit one of the very few resources online which outlines these elements of type: http://typomil.com/anatomy/index.html
As I mentioned before, perhaps not subject material that will keep you awake at night, nor make you rush down to your nearest hardware store to grab a hammer and chisel to start creating your own versions of these age old classics, but it might help you think more carefully next time you attempt to lop off an ear, chop off an arm, hack off a leg, clip of a tail or remove a crutch from your next big corporate logo design or catchy headline for your mates new band poster.
Well it was only 2 weeks ago I went to PACPRINT (Australia’s largest printing industry tradeshow) to see the latest developments in the printing industry. It was no surprise to see that the amount of digital printing solutions continue to grow. Each show there seems to be a deminishing number of conventional printing presses on display. In its place a myriad of new modern digital solutions available to keep up with peoples ever increasing demands for short run fast turn around solutions - you have to wonder where the journey will take us!
After attending PACPRINT one of the staff pointed me to a Youtube link that points out the rate of change in a very interesting way - I’m sure if you haven’t already seen it it will make your MIND BOGGLE!
The question is … A favourite time of the year or an absolute stress?
There are always two options … stress about the deadlines and the massive to do list or run with it in the comfort of knowing deadlines will always be met and the to do list ticked off at the end of the day.
From the Walker Designs crew, make the decision to enjoy and appreciate the season for what it is, don’t feel guilty about over indulging and socialise like there is no tomorrow.
Thank you for your ongoing support – stay safe and celebrate well.
Catch you all in the 2009!
P.S. Based on word of mouth it would seem our “Creative Thong” competition is going to be crazy! We’ve heard some brilliant ideas and can’t wait to see the entries. We may need to consider some additional awards! Go get creative now :-)
Cheers Graeme
Aug 26
4 GOLD and 9 SILVER!
Yep, we’re pretty excited. The PiCAs are the industry awards that set the benchmark for design and print standards in Tasmania. To be so highly recognised and the second most awarded studio on the night is a fantastic result and we are thrilled! And of course we would like to thank our clients for their ongoing support and the opportunity to produce award-winning work.
Cheers
Graeme.
Aug 04
Off to Hobart we go
It’s PICA time! The annual awards night for the Printing Industries Craftsmanship Awards is this Saturday (09.08). The whole team and a few hang-er-on-er-as are making the annual pilgrimage to Hobart for a night of industry excellence and shoulder rubbing. Yeah ok, and a drink or two as well.
It will be a fantastic night. It’s great to see what everyone has been up to and the brilliant work the industry has produced. We’ve got a few entries this year that we are quite excited about, fingers crossed. We’ll keep you posted.
Cheers
Graeme
Jun 27
A new addition
Earlier this year we expanded our team and offer. Our new Marketing Communications expert has now settled in nicely and made a home for herself in the front office. Nic gets very passionate about all things marketing and strategy related; it’s a bit contagious really! Check back in soon for an update on exciting projects we have been working on lately.
Cheers
Graeme
Jun 11
WWW Standards
In 2007 ILC Tasmania approached us to assist them in a re-branding exercise to closer align the company with a more up-to-date and meaningful identity. ILC provide advice on assistive technology that allows an individual to perform a task that they would otherwise be unable to do. When designing the website it was crucial that, like all our websites, it was built to international accessibility standards so that everyone, regardless of disability, could access the website.
The site recently underwent an independent audit and gained 19 out of 20 points for accessibility. The 20th point was in fact an area we advised ILC Tasmania against. The result is a fully content managed website that is accessible and functional for all users, and a very happy client!
