Skyler Corbett » graphic design

Seeing Mobile

Skyler — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 22:26:23 +0000

With the debut of Google’s new Nexus One smartphone (‘Web meets phone,’ says Google’s tagline) the mobile internet is here to stay. How are mobile web sites viewed on mobile phones? Whether the phones are smart or not, the answer is through the web browsers specifically made for mobile devices. On Apple’s iPhone, the current king of mobile browsing, Apple custom developed Safari Mobile. Biting on the heels of the iPhone is Google’s Android operating system that runs on the new Droid and Nexus One phones. Android currently uses Apple’s custom WebKit browser engine (essentially another Safari Mobile). However, Google may change that with a mobile version of their Chrome web browser which is gaining in overall market share.

Down the line there is Opera Mobile (one of the first mobile web browsers) which has been running on the Windows Mobile platform for ages and Opera Mini–a recent browser Opera has been developing for a wider not-so-smart phone market. Also on Windows Mobile is the hush-hush of Microsoft’s Internet Explorer Mobile (where the screenshots are at the bottom). Last, but not least, Mozilla just released Firefox Mobile for the newly launched Nokia 900 smartphone. Between Microsoft, Apple, Google, Opera, and Mozilla the mobile browser market is almost saturated.

Well, it would be if each mobile browser were available for every phone. It is safe to say that Webkit is a browser, but not all Webkit browsers are the same. Similarly, Opera and Firefox mobile are used only on certain phones. It is safe to say that each browser caters to a certain smartphone (or not-so-smart phone) niche. The perennial web development website A List Apart cites a 2008 Nielsen Media Research report, by saying “mobile devices have increased traffic by an average of 13% across several popular websites.”

So is it wise to develop for mobile websites? Of course, especially since the internet traffic driven by phones has increased dramatically since 2008. While the mobile browser market may be divergent, the browsers are all capable of catering to a rapidly growing user base in a world increasingly driven by online content. The internet statistic website TechCrunchies predicts that by 2013 ”84% of this traffic shall be from web browsing.” Who knows, that might not even be with a phone. The future of mobile web browsing may have Google Eyes.

The M Dot Web

Skyler — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 09:28:05 +0000

I have been a fan of the tech website Ars Technica since 2000, and their website has always been the first thing I visited whenever I’ve played with a mobile phone. I remember reading articles on Ars in a text-only WAP browser on an old Sprint candy-bar phone back in 2001. Times have changed, and so has Ars Technica’s mobile site over the past year. Ars just released a new version of their mobile site that is more iPhone centric, includes advertising, and features a striking use of minimalist icons. Look at the difference between their first take in 2008 and the new flavor of the mobile Ars Technica frontpage.

2008 – Headlines, Ars masthead, and no icons

2009 – Headlines, Ars masthead, and new icons

The difference between the two may seem minimal, but from the standpoint of usability and graphic design the gap is wide. Designing useful icons and positioning text for small, content-centric mobile devices is becoming essential in the web content industry. Other tech websites like Reddit and Gizmodo both have custom mobile sites (click to see their mobile versions). There are even ad dollars to support these specialized websites with custom ads, Ars Technica has IBM as a mobile sponsor, and Quattro Wireless is dedicated to providing Gizmodo mobile advertising.

As the use of smartphones with web capability increases, look out for a greater focus on mobile websites in the future.

Da Vinci Days 2009

Skyler — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 22:13:58 +0000

In Corvallis there is an annual art and science festival called Da Vinci Days. Besides the awesome bands that show up to play the main stage, the highlight of the festival is the world-famous kinetic sculpture race. This race shows off the work of teams of bicyclists and engineers that build a moving sculpture capable of racing in the streets, over sand, and down the Willamette River.

Da Vinci Days 2009 - Kinetic Sculpture

The Sixth Of July

Skyler — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 02:52:24 +0000

This year I spent my Independence Day with my family in Brownsville, Oregon. On my way out to watch the fireworks in Pioneer Park, I saw one of the paper flags that the firemen were handing out. It was laying on the ground and ripped from its tiny pole. I picked it up, promptly forgot about it, and when I pulled it out of my pocket this morning I thought that this little paper flag said something meaningful about our country and the world we live in.

skycorbett.com - The Sixth Of July

Getting Things Done

Skyler — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 01:17:10 +0000

A year ago I had the pleasure to work for a company in McMinnville, Oregon. At the time I was reading a lot about organizational techniques on the 43folders blog and in David Allen’s book Getting Things Done. One day on the job when I was organizing a large directory I saw this and thought it was a neat coincidence.

Here’s Your Sign

Skyler — Mon, 13 Aug 2007 01:07:15 +0000

There’s a great article on road sign legibility in the New York Times magazine today. The bulk of the article is about Don Meeker, a fine arts graduate of the University of Oregon, who developed a new typeface that increases sign legibility by 300 feet. Anyone who’s had me give them directions from the passenger seat knows that extra two seconds makes a huge difference.

The Road To Clarity (New York Times Magazine, 08/12/2007)

Along with the main article there is a slide show of the Clearview typeface evolution and its applications. This slide show really illustrates the design process and gives you an idea of where improvements were made in this new typeface over the previous Highway Gothic which has been a standard of the American road since the Eisenhower administration.

Below is the slide showing Highway Gothic (Series-E) at the top, the various drafts of Clearview in the middle, and then a direct comparison between the two.

Semana Santa Cartago 2007

Skyler — Fri, 10 Aug 2007 15:15:44 +0000

I’ve been working on a Cultural Project for my Spanish class (hey guys!) and found this video to share with them:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=T-Htam25W1o

New, New Business Cards

Skyler — Wed, 28 Feb 2007 12:51:55 +0000

A couple days ago I created a new business card design for myself and put it up on the site just to show a friend of mine. I took it down because I wasn’t sure if it was what I really wanted. Well, I believe it’s the right move and have even created a new resume based off of this design. Out with the old…

Here’s the new business card:

Here’s the new resume layout:

New Business Cards

Skyler — Thu, 28 Dec 2006 18:32:55 +0000

Man, it’s hard working on your own stuff. I spent a couple hours working on a new set of business cards for 2007. I think at one point I considered changing my name to make it easier to typeset. I like how simple the design is–next up, brochures, website, and portfolio.

My sister got me a new Motorola Razor for Christmas. Should be coming in the mail soon. Call me sometime.

Be Flexible

Skyler — Tue, 26 Dec 2006 11:51:53 +0000

A Small Orange has been my webhost for the past year and happily so. Their website and forum are the best I’ve seen from any webhost–everything is simplistic, there’s no unwarranted advertising, and the design sense they have is top notch.

I was surprised when I saw this promo on their website. I think it is very clever in the message it sends across:

First off this is the way that you sell technology: put people in the picture. There is a reason why the iPod silouette commercials were so popular. Everyone could see themselves in the people dancing, being active, and using the product. The shot of a man breakdancing is an excellent way to catch peoples attention in a fun, positive, way.

They also have a great two word slogan that not only does good for supporting the service they are promoting (PHP Interoperability) but for A Small Orange itself. Be Flexible really defines the services that A Small Orange has itself from small $5/mo plans to hosted servers, reseller plans, and lots in between. The placement of the copy is just right since it guides your eyes along the contours of the body of the dancer giving a sense of motion.

In my opinion the message that this ad transmits is that A Small Orange is friendly, fun, easygoing, skillful, and knowledgable. Just like the man in motion A Small Orange can accomplish things that others cannot. Which is true, because they just sold me on how they implement PHP 5. Which I needed to run my ActiveCollab groupware right next to the PHP 4 based WordPress cms. So this promo works on two levels customer wise: it informs current users and attracts future ones in a pleasant, non-technical way.

Happy Holidays, everyone!