Cameron Moll / Designer, Speaker, Author

Gridiron League

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 09:26:04 -0500

Wes Kull:

This is not an exercise in nostalgia but an interpretation of the league’s founding principles through the symbols that we, as football fans, identify with most.

Many NFL franchises — Patriots, Broncos, Rams, Lions — have updated their uniforms and logos to a swooshed-out, dropped-shadowed, and more commercial-ready image, ignoring a good deal of their team’s heritage and the original rough-and-tumble character that the league stood for.

Of Mice and Markets

Tue, 03 Jan 2012 09:53:39 -0500

Of Mice and Markets:

Zeldman:

In the short run it’s going to be hell, just as the browser wars and their lack of support for common standards were hell. But it is the short run….

When I see fragmentation, I remind myself that it is unsustainable by its very nature, and that standards always emerge, whether through community action, market struggle, or some combination of the two. This is a frustrating time to be a web designer, but it’s also the most exciting time in ten years. We are on the edge of something very new. Some of us will get there via all new thinking, and others through a combination of new and classic approaches.

Well written, well said.

Lighting Techniques for Video Interviews

Thu, 15 Dec 2011 11:34:51 -0500

Lighting Techniques for Video Interviews:

This is an excellent tutorial that answered a lot of questions for me regarding how to light an interview properly, as that’s something I’m still experimenting with.

Hero

Tue, 06 Dec 2011 09:21:00 -0500

Hero:

This is a really fantastic, well-shot piece. And the resulting portrait definitely wasn’t what I was anticipating.

Update: The process of creating art with small dots is called stippling. Had no idea. (Thanks @signalnoise.)

/via @jontangerine

Letterpress Tuesday

Tue, 29 Nov 2011 13:49:02 -0500

Letterpress Tuesday:

A brief hiatus from hiatus-ing to announce Letterpress Tuesday, a one-day holiday sale exclusively for letterpress goods made by yours truly and a few other vendors.

As for my stuff, this is final promotional sale of 2011, so if you’d hoping to receive or gift one of my posters at a discount this Christmas, today is the day to pick one up.

Happy holidays, all.

Hiatus

Thu, 27 Oct 2011 09:10:27 -0400

It’s clear by now dust is gathering at this domain. I’ve been okay with that, and will continue to be okay with it, but only a little longer. I’ve been swamped with obligations on my current projects and have traveled much more than usual. I’ll visit NYC for the third time in a month starting next week, for example.

More importantly, I’ve realized I need to realign the focus of this site. The tumblog, light-narrative format is definitely enjoyable, and it’s helped me blog more frequently, as well. But I’ve realized it’s not entirely what I wanted to be when I grew up.

Without doubt, linking to and editorializing others’ articles takes just as much skill as writing one’s own. However, I find it doesn’t challenge me creatively as much as authoring my own stuff. I progress most efficiently as a designer and thought leader when composing and criticizing my thoughts rather than others’.

To this end, I plan to author more original content soon, but it’ll take a while to figure out the right approach for that. Hang tight, and follow me on Twitter, Google+, Dribbble, and Instagram in the meantime.

Build Icon Set, vol. I

Fri, 30 Sep 2011 13:02:00 -0400

Build Icon Set, vol. I:

This is just neat. Adrian Pelletier, recently married and not in a position to donate as much as he’d like to our charity: water campaign, contacted me to offer his Build icon set as a free download for those who donate. It’s what we call an in-kind donation, and it’s very kind of him.

So, first donate to charity: water if you haven’t already, and then download the icons.

Twelve Days

Thu, 29 Sep 2011 11:39:00 -0400

I’m blessed to have remarkable parents who created opportunities for unforgettable experiences during my childhood. This is one of those experiences.

Leading up to Christmas one year, my parents gathered the family together and announced that we would be helping another family in need. This wasn’t foreign to us, as we had not only done the same before, but we had also been the recipients of similar giving during lean Christmases as a family.

The plan was simple: For 12 days leading up to Christmas, we would deliver a package with food, toys, and essential supplies. On the 12th day before Christmas, the package contained 12 items. On the 11th day, 11 items. And so on.

However, the package was to be delivered at night anonymously without the recipient family knowing who made the delivery. And there the fun began. Each night one of us was assigned to sneak up to the front door, place the package on the doorstep, pose in a runner’s stance with one finger on the bell, and then run like crazy after ringing it. The getaway car, cleverly disguised as a minivan, was just around the corner.

On Christmas Eve, I was entrusted with delivering the final package. We safely assumed the family was on to us by now, expecting a delivery sometime that evening. No tomfoolery this time, no sir. Thus, I was extra cautious as I approached the doorstep. Quiet as a mouse.

But to no avail. They knew we were coming. For there on the doorstep stood, not a person, but a card. It was placed atop a plate of homemade cookies. Essentially the card said this:

To our Secret Santa: Thank you. We can’t express enough gratitude for making Christmas wonderful for our family this year.

Years later, when the impact of that one night finally registered in my mind — and more importantly, my heart — I realized that we weren’t delivering packages that Christmas. We were changing lives. Real people with real needs and genuine gratitude for our family. (I have a hard time even typing these words, much less sharing the experience vocally, without getting a little emotional.)

I share this story as I request your help one final time to contribute to the Authentic Jobs charity: water campaign. Almost a billion people on the planet don’t have access to clean, safe drinking water. Real people with real needs, and I’m confident they possess genuine gratitude for those of us who can help.

Many of you have already made very generous donations: Myles Grant, Stefan Hartwig, Ryan Essmaker, Stefan Velthuys, Nate Tharp, Elliot Jay Stocks, Jeffrey Snider, Christine Rondeau, Mark Wyner, Sarah Fraser (on behalf of Jenna Dixon), Grant Hutchinson, Jason Ferrell, Veerle Pieters, Jesse Bennett-Chamberlain, Neutron Creations, and many more of you too numerous to mention here.

Our campaign concludes Monday, October 3. We’ve got a long ways to go to reach our goal. Give $3, the cost of a plate of cookies, if that’s all you have to spare. Or the $20 you would have spent on a shirt. Or $100 or more if your finances are healthy. Please, donate now.

HTML5 Whiteboard Magnets

Mon, 26 Sep 2011 11:38:17 -0400

Last Friday I posted a photo of these magnetic HTML5 elements from part of our homeschool curriculum, and several of you expressed interest in knowing how I made them.

It’s pretty simple: magnetic sheets that are compatible with any inkjet printer. I’ve used Avery magnet sheets satisfactorily for similar projects. For this project, however, I used Office Depot magnet sheets. They have a glossy finish, whereas the Avery ones have a matte finish. Comparing the two, the ink seems to be more durable with the glossy finish.

We’re lucky enough to have a really big whiteboard (like 8’ x 4’ big) in our school room, which provides plenty of space for hands-on HTML5 instruction, in addition to writing actual markup. I’m sure the magnets would work just fine on a smaller whiteboard or printed at smaller sizes.

If you’d like to download my .ai files, have at it. Add your own elements as needed. After all, wouldn’t the web would be a much better place if we all taught our children the fundamentals of good markup?

Download html5-magnets.ai

Food Allergy Walk for Jonas Gruber

Fri, 23 Sep 2011 08:34:02 -0400

Food Allergy Walk for Jonas Gruber:

John Gruber and I have known each other for years, first teaming up on a project for Joyent way back when, and communicating regularly since then.

We share something in common: a son who has a serious medical condition. Jonas has a life-threatening dairy allergy, as described by his mother:

Jonas had a food challenge, where an allergic child is given measured doses of his allergen in a hospital setting. Jonas started the challenge with an eighth of a teaspoon of milk, administered by a nurse. Within five minutes of the dose, he said, ‘I feel weird, Mama’. And then things got crazy…. I only remember screaming and hearing things like ‘seizure! and ‘I.V. push!’ and then Jonas slowly regained consciousness.

John has been a big supporter of my efforts over the years, both personally and in business. In a small but hopefully significant way, I’ve returned the favor by contributing to his son’s campaign. I hope you can pitch in, too.

You’ve Already Seen This

Fri, 23 Sep 2011 08:16:00 -0400

You’ve Already Seen This:

Unless your entire social circle was under a rock yesterday, you’ve already seen Facebook Timeline. But what’s most interesting to me is seeing the influence of two notable designers, Tom Watson and Nicholas Felton, craft and shape this refined concept.

Many designers likely had a hand in this, I recognize that. But consider Tom Watson’s Level & Tap, a site with a focus on impressive — and impressively large — images. Then consider Nicholas Felton’s Feltron Annual Reports. Put the two together and it’s clear where the influence originated from.

And if there were any doubts about that influence, Tom’s tweet yesterday should clear things up:

It should be clear now why we hired @feltron. It’s been a blast designing it.

Side note: Dustin Curtis’ Lifepath.me app is for sale on eBay as a result of yesterday’s announcement.

Hiring: Head of Web Development at CIMMYT

Tue, 20 Sep 2011 13:23:07 -0400

Hiring: Head of Web Development at CIMMYT:

I find this position intriguing for two reasons: 1) it’s the first position in Mexico ever posted to Authentic Jobs if I’m not mistaken, and 2) it’s for a non-profit group that helps improve the varieties of wheat and maize, thereby improving the livelihood of farmers (more about that on Wikipedia). It’s sort of like charity: water, but for crops.

Also intriguing: full fluency in English is required; Spanish is optional (but desired).

My Late Grandfather Was a Pinch-Hitter, Too

Tue, 20 Sep 2011 11:11:36 -0400

Recently I pulled this form letter out of storage. It’s one of my favorite mementos of Grandpa Moll. An independent contractor later in life, he probably sent this to companies in the surrounding area, most likely larger cities such as Reno, Nevada, as his quaint home town of Markleeville, California had only about 150 residents at the time.

Back when I did client work as a freelancer, I would often describe myself as a pinch-hitter. In baseball, a pinch-hitter substitutes for another player when the coach feels the substitute player may perform a specific duty, such as bunting or base running, better than the player he replaces. Not that the pinch-hitter is better overall than the other player, just that he might have a better shot at succeeding in a specific scenario or critical play in a close game.

Using the term “pinch hitter” was a quick way to describe how I could add value to a project, and most managers here in the U.S. quickly understood the analogy. Often I was called in to produce mock-ups at the start of a design, or to provide ideas for an alternate direction. I found the term was also a convenient way to address a delicate situation, as I was occasionally called in to complement an in-house team with designers already on staff.

From the looks of my grandfather’s letter, I think he might have described himself the same way. His son (my father) also has entrepreneurial skills and has served as an independent contractor over the years, as well. I suppose it’s in the Moll DNA. If so, I’ve got four pinch-hitters in training should you be scouting for one in the near future.

Music From a Dry Cleaner

Tue, 20 Sep 2011 09:31:00 -0400

Music From a Dry Cleaner:

Diego Stocco:

Almost everyday, on my way to a local bakery, I walk in front of a dry cleaners. When they have the front door open, I hear a lot of interesting sounds coming from their work equipment. Eventually, the different mechanical and steam sounds sparked something in my mind, so one day I asked the owners if I could record a piece of music by using their machines as musical instruments.

The closing line in the video is just perfect.

Letterpress Poster Sale Later This Week

Mon, 19 Sep 2011 13:17:00 -0400

Letterpress Poster Sale Later This Week:

Keep an eye on the aforetolinked page or @cameronmoll for discounted pricing to be announced later this week. And for an extra 5% off on top of that, sign up to be notified:

I promise to sell your email address only to the finest of spammers.

Totally kidding.

Target.com Redesign

Fri, 16 Sep 2011 15:06:00 -0400

Target.com Redesign:

Wow, how’d I miss this news about this? I’m pretty sure someone made an argument like this at some point in the design process — and won:

Look, everybody uses the search bar or those big fat categories strung across the top anyway. So, why not have a little fun with the rest of the page?

Update: For those asking, since it may not have been clear in the sarcasm: I’m quite impressed by the new design.

How To Back Up Your Life Automatically with ifttt

Thu, 15 Sep 2011 10:25:41 -0400

How To Back Up Your Life Automatically with ifttt:

Nice overview of ifttt, including some useful “recipes”.

A Farewell to CSS3 Gradients

Thu, 15 Sep 2011 10:21:58 -0400

A Farewell to CSS3 Gradients:

Alex Walker:

While the idea of programmable gradients is great, using them is seriously messy. Even in perfect-browser-utopia, gradients are consciously limited to rudimentary linear or radial application. You certainly can’t combine them, or make them contour a shape or anything useful like that….

In short, [CSS gradients are] a blunt instrument with cranky syntax and patchy support.

Alternate title to Alex’s article: “SVG Might Be a More Extensible Alternative.” Read on for solid tutorial on using SVG for gradients (though, admittedly, it’s tough to envision SVG as an alternative for something as simple as button gradients).

600,000 for charity: water

Wed, 14 Sep 2011 11:33:56 -0400

We’ve just unveiled this parallaxified mini-site as part of Authentic Jobs’ 6th birthday celebration.

I had the pleasure of collaborating with Michael Botsko on the site. I had my hands on the design, while he wrangled the markup. There are a few imperfect details remaining to be polished, but overall I’m really pleased with the end result.

Lest I focus unduly on the design, allow me to encourage you to take note of the site’s message: I need your help. We need your help to raise ብር600,000 Ethiopian birr, roughly $35,000 USD, for charity: water. If we help charity: water reach this year’s goal, they’ll purchase a drilling rig that will eventually serve 100% of Northern Ethiopia with access to clean, safe drinking water.

You all did wonders last year, raising an astounding $21,386 for last year’s birthday. Let’s celebrate Authentic Jobs’ 6th birthday by raising 66% more this year.

Ethan Marcotte: The Boston Globe

Tue, 13 Sep 2011 10:56:33 -0400

Ethan Marcotte: The Boston Globe:

Ethan Marcotte, who was an important member of a team full of important members, describing the anticipation leading up to the responsive overhauling of BostonGlobe.com:

It’s been kind of a weird experience, talking publicly for the better part of this year about a site that hadn’t yet launched. I mean, I was—and still am—incredibly proud of the small contributions I made, of the talented team I collaborated with, but still: talking about a site that hasn’t launched yet? There’s some part of me that’s felt, well, odd about that. What if people’s expectations aren’t met? What if we can’t deliver? What if the Internet gets hit by an exploding unicorn and we somehow don’t finish the project because NO MORE INTERNET YOU GUYS….

While I’m impossibly proud of the new Globe site of today, I’m most excited about where it’ll be tomorrow.

It’s important to note that BostonGlobe.com is a spinoff of Boston.com, and the spinoff is a subscription-only site ($3.99/week). As Frank Chimero points out, which would you choose?