Posts Tagged ‘Inspiration’

I have always had a love of design. As a child, I used to dream about the aerodynamic designs of sports cars and was fascinated by the amazing designs that allowed various household gadgets to work. Though lately, my interest in design comes out of frustration. As technology has increased, it has also become more complex to use.

One of my favorite videos on subject of simplistic design is by David Pogue. He is the technology writer for the New York Times. Not only is he an interesting and comical presenter, but is also a musician. Check out his video below.

There are a lot of programs and websites that are designed really poorly. Myspace (or Mixi, for the Japanese market) come right to mind. The problem is that most of them focus on trying to put to much content and don’t think about the design. Or the design becomes so complex that it becomes difficult to view the content.

However, there is some hope. I recently stumbled upon a website called dezinspiration. It a gallery of some really great sites. You’ll notice that most of them have two things in common. They are all very simple (not too much content in one page) and they are creative. I have listed some of my favorites below.

http://www.getabetterworker.com.au/

http://www.westin.com.au/

http://www.matrizcomunicacao.com.br/

http://www.zdotb.com/

Who inspires you? As I look back in my life, most of the things I have been proud of have in some way been inspired by someone else. Whether it’s childhood heroes or peers in the real world, one motivated person can have more impact than most people believe.

For instance, last year I was encouraged by a co-worker to go see a presentation. Garr Reynolds, the author of the book and site Presentation Zen gave a presentation on how to present. However, he did more than just teach how to present, he talked about how he was inspired to keep doing all the things he was doing. I was inspired.

In his latest blog he talks about inspiration and has some great videos on inspiration. Some videos and presentations created by Dr. Randy Pausch, a professor diagnosed with a terminal cancer. Your can find the full articles here.

We go through our whole lives caring about all the little things, and forget to enjoy life. We never take the time to appreciate the fact that we are alive. We take our health for granted and throw it away for money and possessions. Take some time to think about what’s really important and if you are giving it the attention it deserves. Your passion in whatever it is you do has the ability to inspire others.