Scott McCloud describes six elements of design in his visual textbook Understanding Comics.

• Two weeks ago I looked at idea and form, which sit at the core of the creative process.
• One week ago I examined idiom and structure, and what role they play in web design.
• Today we finish the journey by looking at craft and surface.

Craft
The craft is all the accumulated bits of knowledge and technique …

Nowadays information comes at us in a flood. Multiple TV stations run news 24-7, Twitter provides an unending stream of two line summaries of the universe, and no matter what topic interests you, there will never be a dearth of relevant blogs bringing out yet more stats and figures.

Sometimes it would be nice of somebody would just stop and take the time to take all this data that our ever expanding infosphere has made available, and turn it into something understandable.

Worry not: relief is in sight!

Designers and data analysts from around the web have been finding ways to fit …

Lindsay Gower of Blue Ribbon Writing has been Marissa’s friend and ally since before I joined the company. She is kind, insightful, and passionate about the English language. It has been a pleasure working beside her on websites and blogs.

Thank you, Lindsay, I hope you enjoy these treasures we gathered for you from around the web.
Save the Words!

“Pick …

I heard the clerk say “May I help the next guest?” as I stood in line at Joann’s last Sunday. I was fifth in line, so I had some time to ponder his word choice: Guest. Aren’t I a customer?

Today, in line for coffee, I heard the same question, “May I help the next guest?”

To that, I replied (silently), You can sell me a cup of coffee. But if you plan to have me pay for it, let’s not pretend I’m your guest.

If you are in business—especially if you have a retail establishment at which people purchase your product or …

Have you ever been looking for that perfect fact that helps you translate a statistic from your presentation into a language your audience understands?  Well this week’s vein of online ore will help you do just that.

For example, 1 in every 8.5 American children under the age of 18 is without health insurance.  The same portion of the California population filed for personal bankruptcy in 2008.

Book of Odds has been online for close to a year offering articles and odds statements on topics from sports and relationships to health and death.  And once …

Football. The word is universally understood. Even in the States, to see the word spelled futbol,  is to see a little soccer video in one’s mind’s eye.

The Stanley Cup games finished up last week, so I turned to the FIFA World Cup for new sports action. I love a good game!  I don’t know much about soccer—obviously, the basics are easy to grasp—but two years ago, I didn’t know much about hockey. I relied on sports-savvy fans to tutor me in the finer points of the sport.

Even when we speak different languages, we speak. We humans are extraordinarily equipped to …

Here is a writing tip:  Don’t rely on your cell phone in an emergency. Write down phone numbers and carry them with you.

I was in a car accident two weeks ago. Crunchy, smashy 6-car pile up on 101-south bound near SFO.  It was just like in the movies—tires squealing, horns blaring, horrible metal-on-metal bang and clang—except that, unlike the movies, I was actually in one of the cars.

After the thudding and praying stopped, and my traveling companion and I realized neither of us were badly hurt, we reached for our phones.  When I called another friend to come help us, …

If you’ve read The Gold Mine over the months, you know that we believe that it is possible to use Powerpoint well.  Earlier this month, I used Powerpoint to enhance a talk I gave to a group of colleagues in my professional network.  Valuable lessons were learned—by me.  And now, I share them with you.
Get Ready
I mapped out the overall message, and the component sections, of my talk. Then, I got it ready on Powerpoint. That part was so much fun! Too much fun! What a monstrous time suck!

I’d start searching through istockphotos.com. Let’s find photos of typewriters. Oh, goodie, …

Philanthropy today is not just about the merit of your cause but also your credibility, your visibility, and the ease of giving.

According to the Giving USA Foundation, 2008 charitable giving was estimated at over $300 billion, roughly 2 percent of the US economy. 2008 was also the first time in over 20 years that inflation-adjusted donations dropped relative to the year before.

While the 2009 figures will not be available for another month, earlier this year the Chronicle of Philanthropy reported that the current recession’s impact on charitable giving seems to resemble that of the recession of …

Aaron -

I am the Executive Director for Development for the world’s largest YMCA Conference Center and we operate a $29 million dollar budget. Our rich 104-year history is something we treasure and work to improve the future for everyday. With over 250,000 guests staying at our two properties in Colorado, it is vital for us to turn those great guest experiences into valued members and future donors. Our online giving options have proven very successful and something our prospects have been very happy …