Four kinds of digital page

I'm revising a conference paper for publication, and was recently speaking about it with a student. So I thought I'd put this thought from it on the blog, in the hope of one or two comments.
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Hypertext prophets used to speak as if the advent of digital text were a paradigm shift, incommensurate with past ways of thinking and acting through text. It is perhaps more common now to speak about the convergence of technologies and channels. In that spirit I identify four page archetypes which reflect generic resonances from the past, the continuing need for traditional functions of the document, and the technical capabilities and connectness of the current world.

Fixed pages are the most diagrammatic, and are found in illustrated books and PDFs. Because they are locked in place, the reader can assume that relationships between elements (text blocks, pictures, headlines, etc) are intentional and potentially meaningful. A page break signifies the end of a unit of text, in the same way as a sentence or a paragraph. The designer and writer, for their part, can craft graphic relationships knowing that they will survive the various technical transmission processes and reach the reader.

Flowed pages are represented by traditional novels, or by e-reader books. The author’s words are flowed in and fill the pages one by one, with page endings that are as arbitrary as the line endings are. But those page endings are fixed for the life of the document (or, in the case of e-documents, until the text is re-flowed after a change of font). Readers can therefore move back and forth between pages and use the constant geography of the book to navigate.

Fugitive pages are formatted temporarily and perhaps also populated with content temporarily. Pages are created afresh for each reading, and may change when revisited. A common example is an online newspaper, which offers a reasonably coherent appearance and user experience, but which is constantly updated. If you return to a story later in the day, you may find that it has been relegated to a lower position in the hierarchy or even disappeared from view.

Fragmented pages are compilations of page elements from a variety of sources which may not have any relationship predictable by their authors. Examples are the results of a search, or an aggregation application such as Flipboard (which assembles content from a range of the user’s favourite sources, such as blogs or social networking sites, into a magazine-like format).

These page types may exist in pure form or co-exist in combination. For example, an online newspaper may have fixed layouts into which fugitive content is flowed, and a column of fragmented advertisements drawn in through personalisation rules.

Why might this be interesting? Because there's a lot of talk about how the reading process is changing in the digital era, which has introduced us to fugitive and fragmented texts. Flowed texts are the stuff of e-readers, which are taking over from flowed paper books. But fixed pages, carefully crafted and diagrammed multimodal pages, are a challenge for digital channels. This could mean they die out, or it could mean someone will invent a digital channel that can handle them. Products like Inkling and the Apple iBooks textbook go some way, and are a response the finding that textbooks have not yet found a happy home in e-readers.

Best Typography Oscars

Thanks to Kate Cooper for pointing me to this nice blog that nominates films  for a Best Typography Oscar.

Coincidently, I was today reviewing an article for a journal which asserts that typographers choose typefaces with personalities that match content. My first reaction was that, as a typographer, I cannot remember the last time I did that. But, of course, I don't get to work on film posters.

Mind you, these are both historical references rather than personality-laden. For example, the War Horse title is not horse-like, but of its time - and beautifully observed.

Cancel that

This is only clear if I ignore what it actually says, and just know what it means.

Book crime

A book has appeared on my shelf that I cannot remember buying, borrowing or reading. Somehow it's found its way there. I wonder... did I steal it? is it hiding out on my shelf while the dogs are after it?

Its title: Criminal behaviour: a psychological approach to explanation and prevention.

Ronald Searle RIP

Goodbye to the incomparable Ronald Searle. As a reluctant boarding school pupil, his Molesworth books helped me see the joke and his cartoons were everywhere as I was growing up.

He was a prisoner of war with my father, but I don't know if they knew each other – Dad never talked about that time, but Searle drew it all.

Something I said? Is my Mac breaking up with me?

I know it's just a machine, but I was quite upset when my email system refused to deliver an email recently. I never found general feedback very helpful at school either – was it my grammar, my spelling, or just my general attitude?

Doctor, doctrix

It is 2012 isn't it? They do allow ladies to be doctors, don't they. Not according to the poor man who set up the registration page for this Aussie telco. Thanks to Kimberley Crofts for retweeting this one.

Proper handwriting

People were taught proper handwriting in the old days. This how some good friends, a little older than us, wrote the name on our Christmas card. I must practice my Ms.

Odd Peugeot graphic

Does anyone have any idea about what this could mean? Andrew Belsey found it in Peugeot's customer magazine, in an article about green issues. But with no caption, it's hard to know what's going on.

Material text

Loving this notice in our local fabric shop, rich in narrative force.

Really?

Come to think of it, what is the right word? 'Turn' doesn't quite do it for me...

Green and black

Hey, Shell, what are you thinking of? Green is the colour code for petrol, black for diesel. So it's not surprising that I nearly put diesel into my car instead of petrol.

It doesn't help that the green brand name is positive (dark on light) and the qualifying word 'diesel' is negative. It's hard to see both at once, as this older blog post demonstrates.

Compare and contrast

No prizes for guessing which of these notices is from Pizza Hut, which from an engineering company, and which from a university. Branded language is real!

'These toilets should be spotless (we check them all the time). If they're not, just let us know and we'll sort it.'

'All bathroom incidents should be reported to Facilities Management.'

'Would you kindly refrain from putting chewing gum in the urinals.'

Novelties, eh?

Forgeries are now sold as 'novelties' it seems. You can get a utility bill, driving licence, student card, or degree certificate tricked up with your name and address, and off you go. Of course they could be so bad, or obvious, that no one'll be fooled... but who'd pay £40 for that?

But would the designers of the newest BT bill please let them have up to date artwork with the right font: using the old one with a new date might just raise suspicions.

Are Western Union really sponsoring this?

I should add that this company do have commendably clear terms and conditions, that disclaim anything but 'novelty' uses. I do like their final statement and wish every firm did the same: "Custom-cards.me.uk have kept the T&C's simple and straight forward. This way we hope that everybody will understand them and abide by them."

Vs and Us

I don't know about you, but I read this bus shelter poster as 'Help glue a child'. Note to font designers: please make your Vs v-shaped.

That apart, it's an interesting use of type size and underlining to score our reading aloud.

What we're all thinking?

A couple of refreshingly frank titles from blogs that just came up in a Google search. Haven't looked at them yet, but I don't really need to.

Stop Already With the F*cking "Infographics"

Enough with these so called ‘infographics,’ they’re nothing but chartcrap

Early morning grid

The sky outside our window, a couple of mornings ago. You can tell these aren't Swissair planes, or they'd have drawn their grid straight.

Helpful sign

Accurate labelling can be so important – presumably when there's just one left, someone changes the sign to Apple. (The Russell Hotel, London). 

My Mac Plus

Steve J's death has brought the old Mac Pluses out in a burst of affectionate nostalgia. Here's my contribution: when I finished my doctoral thesis, Jenny commissioned a portrait of my Mac from artist friend Diane McKeating. It is sitting on top of my enormous state-of-the-art 20 megabyte hard drive. Well, this was '87.

Steve Jobs RIP

I ran experiments and analysed results on my Apple II (1980)
I wrote my thesis on my Mac Plus (1985)
I started my business with my Apple II (1988)
I run my life on my MacBook, iPhone, iPad (2011)

Extraordinary guy, who put it all together, made it happen, and made it fun.

Cooincidence?

Last week I had a pop at the Co-operative Bank on this blog, because a form I downloaded to print off at home had a solid blue cover (using up a lot of blue toner). Going back there today, it's changed. Much better, thanks.



Coincidence? Or do they have some system that looks for online mentions so they can respond. If so, that's really responsive... co-operative, in fact.

Brown signing

Not a book signing by Gordon, but a nice website celebrating those brown signs that point to tourist attractions (allegedly).

Fans of strangely specific icons (not just 'farm' but 'cider farm', not just 'horse' but 'heavy horse') will enjoy Angela Hone's blog.

 

For musicians

My sister encountered this and Facebooked it. I'm thinking we could usefully take this approach to all kinds of instructions. For example, installing any kind of Windows software or device: "Click on 'install'. Stay calm."

Or phoning your broadband helpline: "Phone 0845 123456. Watch your language."

And so on.

If you're designing a form to print out at home

If you're designing a form for people to print out and send in, please make a note: don't use up all my blue ink.

I'm talking to you, Cooperative Bank.

DIY doom

This morning's brief distraction: make your own warning signs at www.warningsigngenerator.com

Now we just need a European version.

Infographics as knowledge curation

It's noticeable that more and more people are describing themselves as 'curators' - a term one used to encounter only rarely as the job title of someone arranging neolithic arrow heads in a museum. Words only appear or change their meaning when enough people have a new meaning they want to express. Perhaps the new curation is a reaction to the fragmentation of the digital world - we feel the need to make sense of the chaos, the speed of change, and the sheer vastness of what's on offer. So each of us curates our Facebook page or blog, in an updated version of the mixer tape, or the coffee table display of novels, CDs and obscure fruit we artfully disarrange to impress and educate our guests.

I wonder if this doesn't also explain why infographics are so in vogue. We can abandon the dismal process of endless clicks through news stories that retrace their path, that are all based on the same primary source, or that leave us stranded as if we're at the top of the stairs trying to remember what we came up for. Someone has looked at the data, sorted out the arguments and presented them to us in a single compelling display: they've curated the issues.

Overheard

Overheard on the Docklands Light Railway the other day.

'Excuse me mate, is this the right train for Kennington' (New Zealand accent)
'No it's completely the wrong direction'
'Oh, we need to change at Kennington for City Airport'
'Ah, you mean Canning Town'
'That's right, Kennington.'

Still invisible after all these years

When the Information Design Association was started in the early 1990s, one of the things I remember discussing was the invisibility of our specialism. In the Yellow Pages, we had to go under Designers, Advertising & Graphic. 

One early success was to get a category created in the Design Effectiveness Awards, run by the Design Business Association. It survived a few years, but has disappeared now.

I was reminded of this when applying for a savings account with Santander (or Abbey, Bradford, Bingley, Alliance & Leicester, as I think they were once called). 

They wanted to know my occupation, but it was back to the bad old days.

Dissertations online: what's that all about

Searching for the British Library's online database of theses, most of the Google links were to services that offer to actually write your dissertation for you. Perhaps everyone else except me knew this is how you do it, but apparently you get the grade you want or your money back, and all the work is done by PhDs or Masters graduates, and tested with plagiarism software...

But you gotta love their student-friendly office opening hours.

What year was that?

Leeds, August 2011. People still queue for buses in t' North.

One's in the Eye

I mentioned architects and signs a few years ago on this blog, and it grew into a piece that's just appeared in Eye magazine. They've put some supporting pictures I provided on the Eye blog. The article is here, and the blog is here.





There's a nice profile of Robin Kinross in this issue. It's good to see his single-minded pursuit of quality in design writing and publishing properly celebrated.

Small print the movie?

Thanks to Beth Shepherd who sent this and told me about the wonderful Every Day Posters Every Day site, where it comes from.

Angry people blog

Nice blog covering a genre I hadn't thought of: Angry People In Local Newspapers.

I wonder if Stockphotos have these on tap. I'd like them to spice up document critiques.

This blog also has some nice links. If you enjoyed the recent mother/daughter in law correspondence in the UK press, you will also like Passive-aggressive notes

I have read and understood...

At the Simplification Centre we're looking at fresh ways to approach the small print - the contracts we sign when we install software, get a mobile phone, borrow money. I was speculating that if we sincerely want people to understand these things, wouldn't we apply best practice from textbooks - a genre where people genuinely have to and want to understand the content. In a textbook we expect summaries, explanations, definitions, diagrams... and even aims and objectives, and self-test questions. We expect legible type, plenty of white space, and pictures to relieve the tedium. A photo and short biog of the author on the back, too, of course.

Jenny then suggested going one further: if we are really sincere about communicating contract conditions, people should sit an exam before they can sign.

Of course the opposite could equally be true. Instead of sitting an exam at the end of their university course, students could simply sign a declaration: 'I have read and understood this course'. Thank you ma'am: here's your car keys/loan/degree certificate.

Explosive material: even more icons of doom

So I'm just posting these icons of doom, as usual, when Phil Gilbert sends me this one:

I wonder if the context helps? Barely...

Info design cartoons

It occurs to me that an incredible number of cartoons are information design jokes. Most of Roz Chast's output is like that (huge fan). And I had this nice Scott Garrett one from the Indie on Sunday on my notice board for years.

Unclear - just a typo away from oblivion

Discussing ways to simplify consumer contracts recently, the marketing director of a large firm remarked that his firm's contract contained various clauses that they never actually enforce because it would bad for their reputation. He thought they might as well just leave them out. When translated into plain English some contract terms might just seem too toxic to leave in.

It occurs to me that the process of simplification is also a kind of defusing or disarming. The Campaign for Unclear Disarmament, anyone? No, I thought not. That pun will go no further than this blog.

More icons of doom

Thanks to Collin McDougall for this last one.

Icons of doom