Everything takes three times as long as you think [to get done], plus meetings.

Merlin Mann, speaking the truth about client work at Phoenix Wordcamp.

Explaining the drawbacks to clients of such bargain-basement identity design can often be difficult for designers. The issues raised in Bram’s piece are an excellent starting point.

Cheap Logos: Not Worth the Cost (via Freelance Switch)

10 Useful Code Snippets for Web Developers (via Woork)

Outdated Security Threatens Web Commerce
Researchers have successfully faked the digital certificates that Web browsers use to verify a site’s authenticity, spotlighting the failure of some security firms to upgrade their technology (Bits Blog – NYTimes.com).

Adobe’s Flash and Apple’s Safari Fail a Privacy Test
In a test of the privacy protections in major Web browsers, Adobe’s Flash and Apple’s Safari performed poorly (Bits Blog – NYTimes.com).

Use Flickr to Find Images Free and Easy
A nice basic walk-through on different license restrictions for use of Flickr imagery in personal and/or commercial projects.

Google 2009: The Painful Details
Ian Lurie’s follow-up on the reasoning and methodology behind his “SEO 2009″ post.

SEO 2009: Adapt or Die
Portent Interactive’s Ian Lurie makes a great argument for the changing face of search engine optimization (SEO).

9 Year End Tax Tips | Dumb Little Man
Some good end-of-year advice for ways to save during the upcoming tax season.

Flexible Fuel: Educating the Client on IA
(A List Apart): A great introduction to working with clients on understanding information architecture issues related to web design and development projects.

You can see all of our recommended links on del.icio.us »

I just wanted to take a quick moment to wish all of our clients and happy and healthy holiday season. Thank you immensely for your business here in 2008 and we look forward to hopefully providing you with even more great design services in the coming year.

A quick note on holiday scheduling: The Bainbridge Studios office will be officially closed beginning Wednesday, December 24th for the Christmas and New Year’s holiday. I’ll be checking email regularly and will be doing some minor work for a couple of ongoing projects (you know who you are), but won’t be maintaining regular office hours during that time. I will be back in the office as usual on Monday, January 5, 2009.

Happy Holidays!

WordPress “Art Direction” Plugin
This new WP plugin, currently in beta, allows you to individualized styles for each post (ala Jason Santa Maria’s redesign of his personal website).

Viewzi: Rich Interactive Search Results for WordPress
Derek Punsalan’s review of a new search plugin for WordPress.

Ajaxload – Loading GIF Generator
This is a handy little free web app to quickly crank out animated GIF loaders for websites.

45 Beautiful Free Fonts for Modern Design Trends
Six Revisions offers a nice round-up of free fonts available online.

Flexible Fuel: Educating the Client on IA
A List Apart provides a great introduction to working with clients on understanding information architecture issues related to web design and development projects.

You can see all of our recommended links on del.icio.us »

Amazing Myspace Pages
This is a good roundup of some really solid design work on custom MySpace pages.

20+ Great WordPress 2.7 Compatible Plugins
This is a handy reference from Mashable.com on some of the top plugins that are fully supported with the latest WordPress release (ver. 2.7).

Force Targeted Links into New Tabs in Safari
Make Safari open targeted links in new tabs instead of new windows.

For Web Designers – Website Design Resources
Hundreds of useful links for website designers and developers.

Local Development on Mac OS X
Setting Up a Killer, Local Web Development Environment on a Mac with MAMP and VirtualHostX.

You can see all of our recommended links on del.icio.us »

There are different ways an application can stand out from the crowd. Word-of-mouth certainly plays a huge part. So to, for the lucky few recipients, does ending up as a featured app within iTunes or on the Apple website.

One other distinguishing characteristic is design. Specifically, user interface design. Currently, the App Store doesn’t allow for any means of demo or trial downloads of applications, so in many cases, one of the only pieces of information the user has is screenshots of the app in action (along with the much maligned user reviews).

The most recent iPhone app that’s really grabbed my attention, based solely on its UI, is David Watanabe’s new Ski Lodge. Ski Lodge is an app that gives you access to information and current conditions at hundreds of ski resorts throughout North America. And it does so with an absolutely beautiful user interface.

I haven’t skied in more than a decade (though we’ve got some great runs within an hour’s drive of Seattle), but I’ve downloaded the app anyway. Why? Because gorgeous, functional apps like Ski Lodge are exactly what the iPhone platform is all about. Sure, there are a probably other ski information applications available for mobile phones, but Ski Lodge gets it right. It’s not just about the information; it’s about presenting the information in a novel, fun, engaging way that feels like a natural part of the whole iPhone experience.

Ski Lodge Website | iTunes Link

In the meantime, the return of A+E is one of the first steps in a larger marketing plan for 2009. As new posts go up here over the next few weeks, you may well see noticeable differences in the site’s design. Considering it the Internet equivalent of living in your house during a renovation.

That said, I’m really excited about where this blog (and the site as a whole) is headed in the coming year. I want A+E to provide a unique perspective on the small business experience, alongside design happenings, updates on our latest work, and more. I hope you’ll find what we’ll be offering of value.

Cheers,

Tom Carmony
Principal/Lead Designer

Image courtesy Commercial Archive

(via Coudal)