UMG Goes International

I got an opportunity to jump on a very last-minute design project for HPIVF. As some of you know, I am in the process of re-designing their website. Anyway, I was told one of the doctors was heading overseas and wanted to bring some information about care at HPIVF to doctors and patients over there since they fly in from all over Europe and Asia to seek treatment.

I have come to expect very little out of medical marketing, but the original materials I was given were beyond poor. It was really just a 3-page word document with confusing instructions, typos and nothing to catch their eye. I couldn't help but think how confusing it would be to those who may barely speak English. Regardless, I was told to throw in some UMG flair and I took it upon myself to get the job done within the couple hour time frame I had to work with. Here's a snap of what the original looked like (sorry for the blur...didn't want to let client information out):



I was told the 8.5x11 format had to be retained and was going to be fastened with a plastic covering/left-hand book binding. Okay now onto the design.

First, since they were international patients, I centered the piece around this idea: "How far would you go to fulfill your dreams?". From there (playing again on the whole flying/traveling/international "thing"), I decided that what used to be a vague checklist should now be titled as an "itinerary" and though the original packet directed the patients to the website to look for accommodations, I decided it'd be best to just include them for ease/walk-around-ability instead of having to always have a computer around. Here's the result of these ideas:





I also wanted to throw in something that really highlighted what sets HPIVF apart from other practices in the US. So to end, I threw in a page called "The Difference" that did just that and acted as an appropriate segway into HPIVF's laboratory statistics:



All in all, it was a successful rush project that I think will be much more useful, easy to understand, informative and visually appealing for all their international patients to come.

Interactive Music Video

Props to Yoshi for the find on this one. It's an interactive music video that responds to your mouse as the song plays. At the end, you can view the painting you created in progression. So soothing! Check it out:

Soy Tu Aire by Labuat

Click the image above or here to visit the site

Fresh Updates: UMG x Fatlace

Like I was saying in a previous post, Fatlace has been blowing up even more lately thanks to some new channels they've put in. The one that I'm definitely the most excited about has to be f/stop not only because I am contributing to the blog (thanks again Mark!), but also because it will really be a great source to help people learn the art of photography and develop their own style. It's a great idea.



At the same time, Unscene Media Group (UMG) has been getting some new tweaks to their website as well. After some thought, I decided it would be smart to make the homepage more than just a portal, but a more functional base for all the recent activity going on throughout the group. In addition to the homepage revamp, I've redone the site navigation to make it easier to get around (and leaves the door open for some new expansions - coming soon!). If you haven't stopped by the main site in awhile, here's a screenshot to get you started:



The next stage of expansion will be the photography section - which will now be split up into different sites (much like the design side). Expect to see at least 3 new offshoots from the current photography site.

Also, prior to shooting Vivek and Roma's wedding, I decided to take the next step with my whole "Think Big" idea and get some business cards to match. The whole idea I had was to mimic the look of a single paint swatch and go with a 2x2 format. A paint swatch to me enveloped the whole "think big" idea perfectly - a sample of something that you can imagine for a much bigger purpose...something that you can envision into a bigger idea. And that is exactly what UMG is aiming to do with everything we get our hands on - turn everything into something real, something amazing and something big. Here's the result in three different colorways:






I'm ridiculously excited to show you guys what I've got up my sleeves for these cards and for UMG's future. Stay tuned and think BIG.

Channel Surfing

Fatlace has been blowing up big for awhile now, but ever since Mark decided to come back from the Swoosh to do it full-time, it's been growing exponentially it seems. He's added a bunch of new channels to the site lately, so be sure to check it out. Here are a couple more coming soon:



Ladylike: A channel for the ladies. Headed up by Jessica (Yoshi) and her girls, this is the place to go if you’re into guys, fashion and collecting stuff.


2600: For all the go go gadget people out there. Get to know the latest as Felix and Prashant show you everything that’s dropped or is about to drop in the world of gadgets and technology.


F/Stop: Get to learn about photography in our photoblog brought to you by jmartinez, jay pizarro, me (yay!) and a few others.


I'm excited to bring some UMG flavor to F/Stop and keep posting some more sick battles on Hellaflush. Oh! And if you haven't already, call up Fatlace (415.409.3281) and get your orders in - today is the last day of their 30-50% off sale.



Stay tuned and think BIG.

Shooting Meds

So as I mentioned a few blogs back, I'm building up a completely new website for HPIVF. Aside from the major improvements I'm making on the site content itself, I am exceptionally proud of the new media gallery section I'm launching. UMG will be all over it - covering HD video and photography to help patients get a better understanding of what goes on behind the scenes during their stressful and psychologically trying IVF cycle. Not only will patients be provided with much more information, but hopefully it will calm their nerves a bit about the process itself as well.

Some of the challenges - light sensitive media, ultra low light, narrow spaces and ridiculously expensive lab equipment. This meant I had to make use of the 5D Mark II's amazing ISO instead of shooting crisp at ISO 100 and using off-camera lighting. I also had to make sure I wasn't moving anything that shouldn't be (or breaking anything for that matter) to stage the scene better, haha.

Anyway, here are some of the still snaps that will go in the media gallery. This segment is to better inform patients about the laboratory equipment and technology:

Design Respeck! (Part 6: Monday Morning Edition)

The guys over at Toxel have found yet another funky collection - this time a bunch of things we all hate to hear (especially on Monday mornings)...alarm clocks. Although I already made a post about Monday mornings here, this collection was too cool to pass up. Check it out:

Clocky Alarm Clock
Unusual alarm clock that jumps 3 feet from your night stand and runs away beeping to get you up. You can only snooze once.

[Link]

Shape Up Alarm Clock
This dumbbell-style alarm clock wants to start your day off right! Just set the alarm and in the morning it will buzz until you’ve done 30 reps.

[Link]

Bacon Alarm Clock
Creative alarm clock that wakes you up with the smell of bacon.

[Link]

Can you imagine if you had all three going at once?? What a nightmare, haha. I have to say I'm pretty tempted to buy some of these though (mmm, bacon). There are plenty more to the collection, so be sure to hit up Toxel here to see the rest. Happy Monday!

Hard Work Pays Off

Mark from Fatlace posted this up a few days ago and I thought it was worth sharing:

"A good friend of mine, Ian, designed the latest SB that I believe drops today. Ian works nights as a custodian at nike whq campus but gets in early to mingle and work on side projects like these. I dig it."




Even though we may need to sacrifice more than we'd like to, if it puts us in a position to do what we love the most, "just do it". It's easy to get impatient to be places you want to be right now. But stay on the grind, everyone. Good things will happen to those who are willing to put in the work. And most importantly, THINK BIG.

Small Edits...I Mean Complete Redesign

There are a couple new ideas that are being launched at HPIVF, so I figured a few, small edits to their current website would be enough to allow a proper introduction. The more I played around with some things, though, the more I just wanted to start from scratch and build something that would be a.) more functional, b.) easily expandable, c.) a return to simplicity and d.) be unlike any other website in their field. To meet these goals, I went through the typical checklists from the "Web Design Bible" - A List Apart:

• Set clear goals


• Organize the pages


• Lay out the pages




• Develop a personality


• Define the fit and finish



• Design confidently

Via A List Apart

Once I got that far, I had to heavily consider the following in relation to everything I had created so far:

• The position and color of the primary call to action


• Position on the page of testimonials, if used


• Whether linked elements are in text or as images


• The amount of “white space” on a page, giving the content space to “breathe”


• The position and prominence of the main heading


• The number of columns used on the page


• The number of visual elements competing for attention


• The age, sex and appearance of someone in a photo

Via A List Apart

After coming up with a couple versions of the new site and some testing, I ultimately decided on what I thought would be the best direction for HPIVF. Here are some screenshots of the old vs. new prior to official launch:

Old



New



The multi-column design really helped add valuable content and throughout. It also allowed me to feature rotating content-appropriate links (within the site or otherwise) on every page that may interest the user. In addition to these things, the site will have a full media section with ways to get to see inside the facility and learn about the processes/equipment unlike most "closed door" approaches of their competition.

Patients will also have easy access to everything they ever need to know (and do) with an all-new patient handbook. Aside from that, a new HPIVF blog and easy search are some of the other new additions to the new look.

As far as "small edits" are concerned, navigation will now be simple drop down menus to get visitors where they need to go faster. The contact page will also be broken down so patients will know when and who to call/e-mail depending upon their questions, scenarios and symptoms. As basic as that sounds, most other websites in this field don't take the time to do so.

Stay tuned for the full launch!

Inspiration: BMW Ads - Sketch & Paint

I'm by no means thrilled by the car itself, but I did think this was a clever way to present the concept for the new BMW 5-series Gran Turismo (GT). It really helps understand the design cues and their target market. Check it out:



Another idea I was pretty impressed with was this BMW Z4 game for the I-Phone/I-Touch. It pays tribute to the Z4 ad campaign where the artist used a new Z4 to paint on a giant canvas: