So few places live up to the archetypes we have in our minds. Fridays in Iowa City is a barber shop that does.
Fun with Labels
If I was going to abbreviate it, I would have chosen H&H. Fractions aren't very attractive if you don't have access to the proper characters to create them.
Another iPad POS
This cheese vendor at NewBo Market was using a POS app I'd never seen. It has integration with a cash drawer.
Worst. Brand. Name. Ever.
... especially for showers.
Handwritten Notes
I have been using InVision to do some prototyping at work. I signed in the other day and received an email soon after.
Our home mailing addresses have been published in phone books for decades. But today we've got a heightened sense of privacy concerns and are somewhat more squeamish sharing personally identifiable information. I asked my office mates if they would reply: "No", "Nope", "No way". I did it anyway.
What can I say? I was curious. And I don't think a lot of spammers/scammers are using Intercom to manage their "customer" interactions. After weighing the issues, I wasn't concerned.
This is what I got:
And this was inside:
I think the handwritten note, even something so small, has only increased in value as the frequency of our putting pen to paper has diminished. It really makes InVision feel like a boutique service.
Speaking of handwritten notes, my wife and I have a friend who has been sending us postcards from places she's lived over the last few years – D.C., Lebanon, South Korea. They are some of my favorite things.
Heads in Bags
The moral of this story is to keep heads out of bags. But why treat babies and adults separately? I wonder if there has ever been an adult who has succumb to this fate. When I was a child, images like this instilled in me an inordinate fear of plastics bags. I'm over it now... mostly.
Brand Identity
What brands are people more likely to publicly associate themselves with? What are people trying to say about themselves through these displays?
Image: Monster brand energy drink car window decal
Touchpoints Exposed
... or else!
Global Compliance
The hieroglyphics on most electronics is a very visible result of the complexities of a global economy with strong consumer protections. Some explanations here: http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/deciphering-the-power-label-on-your-ac-adapters-168405
I would venture to guess that most people would be just as happy without them plastered on all their stuff, but they do probably provide a vague sense of legitimacy. Perhaps they are even interpreted as stamps of quality, much like the East India Trading Company's symbol: "It served as both a guarantee of quality and to ward off thieves and pirates." - http://pirates.wikia.com/wiki/East_India_Trading_Company
Complexity Sells
Obviously, the seemingly helpful instructions printed on many microwaves is never actually consulted when using the appliance. The way it's written, it seems to be intentionally adding complexity to rather unambitious goals, like heating up some leftover pizza. This, of course, is to sell microwaves. In practice, people ballpark it, check to see if their food is sufficiently warm, and repeat if necessary. Some microwaves, marketed toward cafeteria managers, are the very model of simplicity. One dial for setting the time. That's it. It turns on when you turn the dial. The world would be a better place with more interactions like that.
Transitional POS
Behind the cash register at my neighborhood coffeeshop is an iPad using Square to process credit/debit transactions. The register is just a glorified cash box at this point. Though it also (perhaps unintentionally) serves as a visual cue for where to place and pay for orders. It's a big, symbolic piece of hardware that says "transaction" like no iPad ever will. What universal symbols can we use in place of a hulking cash register for brick and mortar businesses that are slowly abandoning them?
Banking Alternative
Lightweight and less intimidating than banks. Some of the same reasons for the success of payday loan establishments.
WiFi Network Names
How do people choose to name things when the names will be seen by others? In the case of WiFi network names, only people in the immediate vicinity will be able to see it. Often, this means your neighbors. This example demonstrates a number of different motivating factors that go into the name: convenience (using the default name), humor, ease of identification, and self-identity among others.
Heads Covering Content
What was the first example of heads covering content on magazine covers? You can see here that People uses the technique judiciously, only covering the iconic People logo, whereas Women's Edition is creating ambiguity by cutting off non-iconic text.
Push Button for Emergency
In the park behind where I live, there is a rather dank and, depending on one's perspective, creepy tunnel that allows pedestrian traffic to travel under a highway. Big red buttons were installed at about a third and two-thirds of the way through. I suppose one is supposed to press one of these in case of emergency. However, there are no instructions nor explanation of what to expect. It looks like these were installed simply to assuage the fears of us who have seen Harry Brown and Irreversible.
No Falling Allowed
Falling down the stairs is not allowed when exiting the building. All acts of falling will be prosecuted. Thank you for coming.
Hand Made
I don't even know what this is. The only text in English is "Hand Made". Most likely this is intentional omission. The value comes from perceived "authenticity".
Surreal Mapping
Possible explanations for the creation of this sign:
- A severe lack of perspective variations in this clip art library
- A designer with a severe traumatic brain injury resulting in poor spatial orientation
- Something I don't know about the laws of physics in Canada
Packaging Roundup
Small Delights
This word suggestion is a great example of a delightful detail. I don't know whether I've typed out "whaddayasay" before or Apple has picked up on a few terms used in informal texts.