One of the world’s leading brands, Apple was founded by Steve jobs and his partners in 1976. Apple’s icon is a bitten apple and is rumored that it signifies the forbidden fruit symbolically an apple. Furthermore the eating of this fruit by Adam and Eve in the Eden was a not good deed. That led Adam and Eve to be banished from heaven.

2. Starbucks

This is an interesting fact that I’m sure most of you might not know. Starbucks have taken its green lady symbol’s inspiration from a siren of Greek mythology. Sirens are dangerous creatures in mythology, which used to trap sailors by attracting them with their beauty and then killed them.

3. Sun Microsystems

The logo is an ambigram, a form of typographic design that allows a word to be read from different orientations. Can you see the word “SUN” spelled in the logo in four different directions?

4. Amazon.com

The arrow in the amazon logo represents the idea that Amazon store sells everything from A to Z, a brilliant concept that is also in the name of the business; as in the biodiversity one would find in the Amazon forest. But if that’s not enough, the arrow also represents a smile suggesting the experience one will have when shopping at their online store.

5. FedEx

The Fedex logo with its hidden arrow is one of the finest examples of negative space. The design looks great, but the best part is that is conceptually linked to the essence of the business it represents. Using the words of Leader itself, the arrow is a symbol for speed and precision; both core values of FedEx.

6. Baskin Robbins

The number 31 was present in the original logo, right in between the names Baskin and Robbins. One curious fact about this business concept is that the idea of having so many flavors came out of what later would become Ogilvy & Mather. Why 31? Just so a customer could have a different flavor every day of the month.

7. Sony Vaio

Designed by Timothy Hanley, the Sony Vaio logo is one of the best examples of hidden meaning that can only be seen if you understand a bit of how computers work; perhaps a logo made for computer geeks? The left side of the logo is made out of a wave symbol, representing the idea of analog technology. The right side of the logo is made out of the numbers “1″ and “0″, the two digits used in binary computing, the digital. VAIO is an acronym for Video Audio Intelligent Organizer.

As the above examples show, hidden meaning is not only about using negative space, but actually about exploring the concepts behind of what make a logo unique. Actually telling a good story is what makes a good logo more than any other visual feature. Even logos with no hidden meaning at all became great logos with a good story. Now take a look at your own logo. What do you think? Is there an interesting story there?

Source: collection

To offer the scholarship, we must contact with the school to refine the list of pupils who are really in need of support. Then, we must go on site the verify every case to finalize the list. After that, we call for the contributions.

Học Bổng Xanh Fund supported 6 cases in 2011 and 10 cases in 2012. And we still continue with our missions.

We not only stop at offering financial support to children but also encourage them to try hard by creating extracurricular activities for them.

We are not rich, we just share what we have with all our hearts to those who are less lucky than us to make a better life. Because we think that a better life can not come by itself, it must be created by us through our daily activities.

Truly thank you our friends who have shared and acted together with us to make a better life. We are really looking forward to continuing  this will with you all.

imFRIDAY.COM

. A logo must be simple.
A simple logo design allows for easy recognition and allows the logo to be versatile and memorable. Effective logos feature something unexpected or unique without being overdrawn.

. A logo must be memorable.
Following closely behind the principle of simplicity is that of memorability. An effective logo design should be memorable and this is achieved by having a simple yet appropriate logo.

. A logo must be enduring.
An effective logo should endure the test of time. The logo should be ‘future proof’, meaning that it should still be effective in 10, 20, 50+ years time.

. A logo must be versatile.
An effective logo should be able to work across a variety of mediums and applications.

. A logo must be appropriate.
How you position the logo should be appropriate for its intended purpose.

Effective logo designs: I Love NY, Apple, London Underground, CBS, WWF, Woolmark

See more >> Logo design process

Source: Netmagazine.com

What makes those symbols so special and iconic?
Is it their beauty or the colors? Maybe it’s because they explain what the company does…or maybe not?
While these things are considered during a logo design project, none of them are particularly important. Some great logos are beautiful and some (according to many) are downright ugly. Few of them suggest what the company does but others don’t really bother. If you look at the colors, there really are no rules.
So, if none of these things are responsible for making a logo great, what is?

Every firm has his own process, and it is rarely linear, but in general this is how the branding process is completed, which can be used as a guide to establish your own.

. Design brief
Conduct a questionnaire or interview with the client to get the design brief.

. Research
Conduct research focused on the industry itself, its history, and its competitors.

. Reference
Conduct research into logo designs that have been successful and current styles and trends that are related to the design brief.

. Sketching and conceptualising
Develop the logo design concepts around the brief and research.

. Reflection
Take breaks throughout the design process. This allows your ideas to mature and lets you get renewed enthusiasm. Receive feedback.

. Presentation
Choose to present only a select few logos to the client or a whole collection. Get feedback and repeat until completed.

This contest was opened to all members of OVUONG. This was a great chance for everybody to show up their cooking talent and to make people get closer.

Rule: team has to prepare a meal for 8 people with a budget of 130.000 dong.

To win this contest, every team must get the highest score of the jury, which is formed by rest of members of OVUONG, and get the most “like” on the post that they described their dish.

Let’s see all 4 cooking teams with their secrete talent:

1. Team Hai trái chuối or Couple boyz

They brought to the jury 2 dishes named ” Lẩu đầu cá hồi” and “Nấm bào ngư xào tỏi”

2. Team Đệ nhất táo

They severed everybody with a special dish from the center called Mì quảng đệ nhất táo

3. Team Bưởi bụ bẫm

They made delicious dish named Bún sườn

4. Team Chim non tóc xù

Wow, an “everything in one”  dish was what they made for the jury and they called it “Bún xào hằm bà lằng”

And the glory belonged to team Đệ nhất táo. Let’s have a look at other place on the listing

Now, we are looking forward to the next version of ÔNG TÁO BÀ TÁO. Would you like to join with us !?

OVUONG Team

First, the infographic details the important differences between mobile websites and mobile applications on issues such as user access and digital accessibility. A side-by-side comparison shows that mobile apps provide faster speed, while mobile websites are more affordable.

Then, usage becomes the focus with graphic evidence showing the amount of time users spend on both mobile means. There’s clearly no contest with mobile apps gaining digital dominance over desktops within the last two years.

In terms of reach and engagement, the lines become more blurred as research reveals mobile websites having much higher numbers of impressions and visits. Yet the data also shows that mobile app users are more engaged and consume an average of 2.4 times more impressions.

Finally, content usage comes into play since this is a determining factor for many businesses. Once again, both mobile application development and mobile website development have their unique strengths for specific tasks. Mobile websites are preferred for the popular pursuits of online shopping, search, and entertainment. Mobile apps are favored for their superior connectivity, navigation, and ability to inform. The better option depends on how the company plans to connect with consumers.

The decision between building a mobile website or a mobile application is ultimately a decision unique to your business. If possible, companies should develop both in order to leverage these two powerful platforms. If only one can be chosen, business must first assess their goals and resources, then closely consider the differences detailed in the infographic and the audience they want to reach. Only then can a business truly tell which mobile method will provide more value, advantages, and opportunities with the massive mobile market.

By mdgadvertising

In your case, annoying a few users wouldn’t be much of a problem, but if millions of people are using your product, you’d better be snappy in delivering it. For years, Hollywood movies showed us how fast the Internet was: time to make that a reality.

Even if you don’t have millions of users (yet), consider one very important thing: people are consuming the Web nowadays less with fat connections and massive computers and more with mobile phones over slow wireless and 3G connections, but they still expect the same performance. Waiting for a slow website to load on a mobile phone is doubly annoying because the user is usually already in a hurry and is paying by the byte or second. It’s 1997 all over again.

Performance is an expert’s game… to an extent. You can do innumerable things to make a website perform well, and much of it requires in-depth knowledge and boring testing and researceh. I am sure a potential market exists for website performance optimization, much like there is one now for search engine optimization. Interestingly, Google recently announced that it will factor performance into its search rankings, so this is already happening. That said, you can do a lot of things without having to pay someone to point out the obvious.

> Know Your Performance Blockers
Performance can be measured in various ways. One way is technical: seeing how fast a page loads and how many bytes are transferred. Another is perceived performance, which ties into usability testing. This can only be measured by testing with users and seeing how satisfied they are with the speed of your interface (e.g. do they start clicking on your JavaScript carousel before it is ready?).

The good news (and hard truth) about performance is that 80 to 90% of poor performance happens in the front end. Once the browser gets the HTML, the server is done and the back-end developer can do nothing more. The browser then starts doing things to our HTML, and we are at its mercy. This means that to achieve peak performance, we have to optimize our JavaScript, images, CSS and HTML, as well as the back end.
So here are the things that slow down your page the most.

> EXTERNAL RESOURCES (IMAGES, SCRIPTS, STYLE SHEETS)
Every time you load something from another server, the following happens:

- The browser opens up the Internet’s address book and looks up the number associated with the name of the server that’s holding the things you want (i.e. its DNS entry).
- It then negotiates a delivery.
- It receives the delivery (waiting for all the bytes to come in).
- It tries to understand what was sent through and displays it.

Every request is costly and slows down the loading of the page. This is also caused by browsers loading things in chunks (usually four at a time) rather than all at the same time. This is akin to ordering a product from a website, choosing the cheapest delivery option and not being at home between 9:00 am and 5:00 pm. If you include several JavaScript libraries because you like a certain widget in each, then you’ll double, triple or even quadruple the time that your page takes to load and display.

> SCRIPTS
JavaScript makes our websites awesome and fun to use, but it can also make for an annoying experience.
The first thing to know about scripts that you include in a document is that they are not HTML or CSS; the browser has to call in an expert to do something with them. Here is what happens:
Whenever the browser encounters a <script> block in the document, it calls up the JavaScript engine, sits back and has a coffee.

The script engine then looks at the content in the script block (which may have been delivered earlier), sighs, complains about the poor code, scratches its head and then does what the script tells it to do.
Once the script engine is done, it reports back to the browser, which puts down its coffee, says good-bye to the script engine and looks at the rest of the document (which might have been changed, because the script may have altered the HTML).

The moral of the story is to use as few script blocks as possible and to put them as far down the document as possible. You could also use clever and lazy JavaScript, but more on that later.

> IMAGES
Here is where things get interesting. Optimizing images has always been the bane of every visual designer. We build our beautiful images in Illustrator, Photoshop or Fireworks and then have to save them as JPG, GIF or PNG, which changes the colors and deteriorates the quality; and if we use PNG, then IE6 arrives as the party-pooper, not letting us take advantage of PNG’s cool features.

Optimizing your images is absolutely necessary because most of the time they are the biggest files on page. I’ve seen people jump through hoops to cut their JavaScript down from 50 KB to 12 KB and then happily use a 300 KB logo or “hero shot” in the same document. Performance needs you!
Finding the right balance between visual loss and file size can be daunting, but be grateful for the Web preview tool, because we didn’t always have it. I recall using Photoshop 4 and then Photoshop with the Ulead SmartSaver, for example.

The interesting thing about images, though, is that after you have optimized them you can still save many more bytes by stripping unnecessary data from the files and running the files through tools that further compress the images but are non-lossy.

Author: Christian Heilmann

A weak brand image can also confuse customers as to which web site they’re on when they go to other pages on the same site. Site designers must quickly convey the brand. If too dominating, the brand can adversely minimize the many other important things on the site.

Build a strong site brand by differentiating your company from other companies through the promise you make and through the actions your company takes to satisfy customers. Here are 4 main graphic design considerations for every web brand treatment:

1. Consistency

Repetition helps customers recall information. So, use the same fonts, graphics, relative positions, and proportions for each web page on your site. A uniform navigation scheme coupled with a good color scheme can also help reinforce your brand image.

eBay uses a global page template to maintain consistency across the entire site, and individual page templates to maintain consistency for categories of pages. The global page template is first designed to have the site branding, search bar, tabs, sidebars appear in the same locations. Individual page templates are then created from the global page template. Both of the screen shots show examples of category pages created from the same individual page template.

2. Size

Make the logo large enough to be the second or third item that will be read on the page. Use a first read to give each page a unifying focus on the most important message to emphasize the most important element of that page. Use color, size, font, weight, and position to differentiate and highlight the first read. Design for lower-resolution displays, and test your first reads with your customers to see if they’re effective.

First reads are often located in the top left corner of a web page, affecting the layout and placement of navigation bars. If you use an image as the first read, make it a fast-loading image.

3. Position

The establish location for the logo is the upper left; people already know to look there to identify the site and they expect that clicking on the logo will take them back to the homepage portal.

4. Reuse of graphics for speed

Reusable images help ensure that each page is displayed quickly. You may also want to use a logo that is integrated into the navigation bar and maintain a low number of files.

This approach makes use of how web browsers temporarily store (cache) files that the browser has already downloaded. Images that are reused do not have to be loaded again.

> Conclusion

Involve your team in the branding design process. Consider hiring a consultant with expertise in strategic marketing. Once the branding process is complete, the editorial and graphic design teams will have a clear understanding of the identity to convey and reinforce. So the next time you start branding a site, take note of the check list below. Did you manage to fulfill most of them?

Checklist:
Brand Value
1. Ease of use
2. Performance
3. Satisfaction
4. Brand value

Establishing Brand Identity
1. Consistency
2. Size
3. Position
4. Reuse of graphics for speed

Hope you enjoyed this post about the significance of establishing a prominence brand identity for your website!

Brought you by Charlotte

Branding is a strategy that we need to help our clients with – much like copy writing and usability. While the logo is an important first impression for your project, it can’t stop there. The brand needs to be reflected in the content, style and feel of the website, and extend to every part of the business.

> Brand Includes:
Brand Name (the name of the product or service)
Brand Positioning (the business’ niche)
Brand Management (the application of marketing techniques)
Brand Equity (the marketing effects or outcomes)
Awareness
Image
Value
Brand Definition (the distinguishing name and/or symbol, including the logo and colours)

> Brand Affects
Customer service
Aesthetics of the website/logo/business card/letterhead/clothing
The sights (building and furnishings), sounds (music that is played), and tastes (what is served, etc.)
Content including titles
Branding is a strategy that we need to help our clients with – much like copy writing and usability. While the logo is an important first impression for your project, it can’t stop there. The brand needs to be reflected in the content, style and feel of the website, and extend to every part of the business.

> What Are Some Factors That Affect Brand?
Businesses can also affect their brand positively and negatively by simply watching their actions and ensuring that they reflect the business they want to receive, and are socially sustainable and responsible for their actions. But we (both as consumers and designers) can affect brand in positive and negative ways. While we can positively affect brand by providing good and bad reviews as consumers, we can create a negative brand image by creating branding elements (such as the logo and colours) that don’t reflect the business well.

> How Designers Can (Positively) Influence Clients’ Brands
So you’ve been signed onto a client to do their branding. You say to yourself – I was signed onto this project to do branding. My only real deliverables are a logo, letterhead and (maybe, if you’re in a good mood) a business card. While this is true – your only tangible deliverables will be those things, you certainly can’t ignore the rest of the process. Make sure you teach your clients what branding is (something more than a first impression), and that your tangible deliverables, reflect the brand name, positioning, and management.
Here are some questions you can ask your clients that are important in creating identity pieces (such as a client’s logo, business card, letterhead, etc):

- What words would you use to describe your company?
- What words would you like your clients to describe your company?
- How is your business different that your competitors?
- What do you strive to provide to your customers better than the next guy?

> Closure
Branding without analyzing all of the impressions a business makes on it’s clients is like usability testing without analyzing the final data and making changes. While we may be asked to create identity pieces, we need to ensure they reflect the company properly so that it creates an effective brand.

What do you think? What is branding to you?
Brought to you by JAMES COSTA

A Typical Process
Here is a standard process that was put together using examples from around the Web as well as my own experience. (Note: Please see the resource links at the end of each phase.)

1. PLANNING
The planning stage is arguably the most important, because what’s decided and mapped here sets the stage for the entire project. This is also the stage that requires client interaction and the accompanying attention to detail.

Requirements analysis
This includes client goals, target audience, detailed feature requests and as much relevant information as you can possibly gather. Even if the client has carefully planned his or her website, don’t be afraid to offer useful suggestions from your experience.

Project charter
The project charter (or equivalent document) sums up the information that has been gathered and agreed upon in the previous point. These documents are typically concise and not overly technical, and they serve as a reference throughout the project.

Site map
A site map guides end users who are lost in the structure or need to find a piece of information quickly. Rather than simply listing pages, including links and a hierarchy of page organization is good practice.
Contracts that define roles, copyright and financial points
This is a crucial element of the documentation and should include payment terms, project closure clauses, termination clauses, copyright ownership and timelines. Be careful to cover yourself with this document, but be concise and efficient.

Gain access to servers and build folder structure
Typical information to obtain and validate includes FTP host, username and password; control panel log-in information; database configuration; and any languages or frameworks currently installed.
Determine required software and resources (stock photography, fonts, etc.)
Beyond determining any third-party media needs, identify where you may need to hire sub-contractors and any additional software you may personally require. Add all of these to the project’s budget, charging the client where necessary.

2. DESIGN
The design stage typically involves moving the information outlined in the planning stage further into reality. The main deliverables are a documented site structure and, more importantly, a visual representation. Upon completion of the design phase, the website should more or less have taken shape, but for the absence of the content and special features.

Wireframe and design elements planning
This is where the visual layout of the website begins to take shape. Using information gathered from the client in the planning phase, begin designing the layout using a wireframe. Pencil and paper are surprisingly helpful during this phase, although many tools are online to aid as well.

Mock-ups based on requirements analysis
Designing mock-ups in Photoshop allows for relatively easy modification, it keeps the design elements organized in layers, and it primes you for slicing and coding when the time later on.
Review and approval cycle
A cycle of reviewing, tweaking and approving the mock-ups often takes place until (ideally) both client and contractor are satisfied with the design. This is the easiest time to make changes, not after the design has been coded.

Slice and code valid XHTML/CSS
It’s coding time. Slice the final Photoshop mock-up, and write the HTML and CSS code for the basic design. Interactive elements and jQuery come later: for now, just get the visuals together on screen, and be sure to validate all of the code before moving on.

3. DEVELOPMENT
Development involves the bulk of the programming work, as well as loading content (whether by your team or the client’s). Keep code organized and commented, and refer constantly to the planning details as the full website takes shape. Take a strategic approach, and avoid future hassles by constantly testing as you go.

Build development framework.
This is when unique requirements might force you to diverge from the process. If you’re using Ruby on Rails, an ASP/PHP framework or a content management system, now is the time to implement it and get the basic engine up and running. Doing this early ensures that the server can handle the installation and set-up smoothly.

Code templates for each page type.
A website usually has several pages (e.g. home, general content, blog post, form) that can be based on templates. Creating your own templates for this purpose is good practice.

Develop and test special features and interactivity.
Here’s where the fancy elements come into play. I like to take care of this before adding the static content because the website now provides a relatively clean and uncluttered workspace. Some developers like to get forms and validation up and running at this stage as well.

Fill with content.
Time for the boring part: loading all of the content provided by the client or writer. Although mundane, don’t misstep here, because even the simplest of pages demand tight typography and careful attention to detail.

Test and verify links and functionality.
This is a good time for a full website review. Using your file manager as a guide, walk through every single page you’ve created—everything from the home page to the submission confirmation page—and make sure everything is in working order and that you haven’t missed anything visually or functionally.

4. LAUNCH
The purpose of the launch phase is to prepare the website for public viewing. This requires final polishing of design elements, deep testing of interactivity and features and, most of all, a consideration of the user experience. An important early step in this phase is to move the website, if need be, to its permanent Web server. Testing in the production environment is important because different servers can have different features and unexpected behavior (e.g. different database host addresses).

Polishing
Particularly if you’re not scrambling to meet the deadline, polishing a basically completed design can make a big difference. Here, you can identify parts of the website that could be improved in small ways. After all, you want to be as proud of this website as the client is.

Transfer to live server
This could mean transferring to a live Web server (although hopefully you’ve been testing in the production environment), “unhiding” the website or removing the “Under construction” page. Your last-minute review of the live website happens now. Be sure the client knows about this stage, and be sensitive to timing if the website is already popular.

Testing
Run the website through the final diagnostics using the available tools: code validators, broken-link checkers, website health checks, spell-checker and the like. You want to find any mistakes yourself rather than hearing complaints from the client or an end-user.
Final cross-browser check (IE, Firefox, Chrome, Safari, Opera, iPhone, BlackBerry)
Don’t forget to check the website in multiple browsers one last time. Just because code is valid, doesn’t mean it will sparkle with a crisp layout in IE 6.

5. POST-LAUNCH
Business re-enters the picture at this point as you take care of all the little tasks related to closing the project. Packaging source files, providing instructions for use and any required training occurs at this time. Always leave the client as succinctly informed as possible, and try to predict any questions they may have. Don’t leave the project with a closed door; communicate that you’re available for future maintenance and are committed to ongoing support. If maintenance charges haven’t already been shared, establish them now.

Hand off to client
Be sure the client is satisfied with the product and that all contractual obligations have been met (refer to the project charter). A closed project should leave both you and the client satisfied, with no burned bridges.

Provide documentation and source files
Provide documentation for the website, such as a soft-copy site map and details on the framework and languages used. This will prevent any surprises for the client later on, and it will also be useful should they ever work with another Web developer.

Project close, final documentation
Get the client to sign off on the last checks, provide your contact information for support, and officially close the project. Maintain a relationship with the client, though; checking in a month down the road to make sure everything is going smoothly is often appreciated.

By Luke Reimer