The Tail and Its Dog

My talk on art direction for SmashingConf Barcelona, 2016. One slide has been purposely removed for privacy reasons.

Transcript

1. The tail and its dog Stephen Hay Smashing Conference Barcelona 2016
4. Art direction 
 is storytelling. Well, that’s part of it, anyway.
5. We’re wired for stories.
6. https://youtu.be/TTx_fwP1-pw
7. https://filmsketchr.blogspot.com.es/2014/03/towering-batman-1989-gotham-city.html
10. Designers often 
 do their own 
 art direction.
11. What story 
 are we telling?
12. How are we telling it?
16. The history of web design
17. http://www.novolume.co.uk/blog/all-websites-look-the-same/
21. Why is there so much design sameness 
 on the web?
22. Lack of design foundation.
 Lack of critical thinking. Reliance on tools.
23. Taking design apart: systems
24. We’re not designing pages, we’re designing systems of components.
26. Define values & goals Discover moods & metaphors Generate ideas, define a concept Create a visual language Design
27. Components
 in the funnel
28. Define values & goals Discover moods & metaphors Generate ideas, define a concept Create a visual language Design
29. Cart before the horse, the tail wagging the dog
30. https://youtu.be/eN6Z_gZTI2A
31. Component-based thinking, backwards: it's easier
32. Define values & goals Discover moods & metaphors Generate ideas, define a concept Create a visual language Design
33. https://youtu.be/1oPRDIuT-ac
34. Start with the story
35. How do we do this?
36. Sounds simple, but the majority don't do it
37. Some easy-to-try “tricks”…
38. Ask yourself, “What if…?” 1
39. Make your own 
 Oblique Strategies. 2
40. https://www.flickr.com/photos/doctorow/9041086636
41. Are there sections? Consider transitions Is it finished? Emphasize the flaws etc.
42. Ask yourself, “What problem 
 does this solve?” 3
43. Ask yourself, “Is this congruent with the story?” 4
44. Ask yourself, “How can we tell this story differently?” 5
45. Ask yourself, “Where does this fail?” 6 —ClearLeft. I think.
46. Sketch. 7 On paper.
47. Don’t pick the 
 low-hanging fruit. Sketch past the first ideas that pop into your head.
48. Zoom in, zoom out. 8
50. Don’t forget the “page”.
51. Immerse, then incubate. 9
53. Focus on the problem. Don’t let the tail wag the dog. 10
54. Your work does not define you. 
 Make mistakes.
55. Recognise your uniqueness.
56. Thank you. @stephenhay We’re hiring in Assen & Amsterdam! catawiki.com/jobs