Curiousity Shows Blog

I'm Julia. Marketer. Dreamer. Secret introvert. This tumblr is a scrapbook of things I'm looking at, reading, listening to, thinking about.

[juliasp17]

How cute is this ad?

[archatlas]

Guido Gutiérrez Ruiz

[juliasp17]

Inspiring!

[juliasp17]

Susan B Anthony

Cheers to Susan B. Anthony! - On this day in 1872, suffragist Susan B. Anthony protested the illegality of females to vote and cast her ballot along with several other women at the West End News Depot in Rochester, New York.

[juliasp17]

Pinkeye's playful presence at the wonderful world of Toop

For the children's optician Nathalie Bladt, Pinkeye design studio has created a magical world for Toop Optiek where adults are welcome but only in an advisory capacity.This is one eyewear store in Leuven, Belgium where the kids come first. A playful fantasy world has been conjured by the Pinkeye team, in collaboration with BM Projects, which is the home of Mama Toop – making her towering presence felt in the bulging yellow ceiling – and her offspring, which are of an equally sunny disposition. These little ones are, in actual fact, a multitude of designer toys (in the form of cute moles, who we all know have poor eyesight so they are in the right place) positioned around the store showcasing the children's designer glasses.The playful approach of the interior design continues in the branding with adventures of the family Toop captured in eye-catching illustrations. 'Behind every brand must be a good story,' comments Ruud Belmans, creative director and speaker at the RetailDetail Day in Belgium this week. He continues, 'We can only work if a story around a brand is clear and the client is fully supported. It then comes down to the values drawn into this story in all its activities, with the ultimate goal that consumers snaps up the story and make it their own.' The Toop store and its story certainly captures the imagination of kids and adults alike, transporting them on a magical journey. Photos courtesy of the designer. ------------------ For more expert advice on designing retail spaces, pick up a copy of our new book Holistc Retail Design (available in our online shop here), and any design firms out there wishing to share recent retail projects with us, please get in touch! We will be seeking projects to showcase in our own hugely successful retail book series Powershop in the upcoming weeks.

Check it! This is so cool.

[juliasp17]

WebVisions - Hacking Happiness

I have heard about the conference via the Chicago Content Strategist Meetup group. (Thank you Hilary Marsh) I got a nice discount too, and the timing was just right. The company I work for, Nimlok is going through some new website growing pains and was looking to hire new design + development team to tackle the new re-design. I came to the conference looking for solid advice and get more familiar with how we can improve on the new site's user experience.

I enjoyed Meaghan Fisher's presentation the most. It was the most applicable for what my team is going through at the moment. I think most of the time when you attend these conferences you are looking for tools and something that you can back to your team and say here is what I learned and we can implement it this way. She was also kind enough to upload and share the slideshere. The takeaway for me that your website and user experience must delight and kick-ass. It is helpful when you figure out a personality and establish emotional connection with your user. “Everything has a personality: everything sends an emotional signal. Even where this was not the intention of the designer, the people who view the website infer personalities and experience emotions… Horrible personalities instill horrid emotional states in their users, usually unwittingly.” This is from Donald A. Norman's book Emotional Design: Why We Love or Hate Everyday Things.

The few examples that do it well:

Plated. Meal subscription service. Big statement to say what is their promise.

Duolingo. It has a friendly owl that walks you through the steps of how to use the service.

Shopify. Ecommerce platform that uses human language in the space. Compare to Magento that sounds like any B2B service site out there. Other stand outs that able to keep a human touch are, Airbnb, Big Cartel, Squarespace, Zenpayroll.

Dropbox sign up. Won a Webby's award for best design. User guide that's fun to use.

If you are in the midst of a website re-design, this was pure gold! Thank you Meaghan for a great insightful and inspiring presentation. Looking forward to the next year's WebVisions Chicago. The experience and the people I met was awesome and overall I would say way more down to earth and different in a good way from other conferences I have attended in the past.

[juliasp17]

Oh cool! He'll interview Elon Musk and Uber's CEO. Curious to see how he does his new show. #Colbert #lateshow #tv

[juliasp17]

Don't grow up it's a trap. #quote #tgif (at Headquarters Beercade)

[juliasp17]

Ha! #busy #quote regram @99u

[juliasp17]

You know it! Via @blue_q #beweird #bedifferent #neverregular #coinpurse #swag

[juliasp17]

You dig. This song has cool vibe. Side note: I've been listening to a lot of Beats 1. Can't put my finger on what I think about Apple Music exactly. I do agree with one article I saw on it by Ben Evans that Apple is trying to turn music into a strategic lever again, after that was ended with streaming. #applemusic #globalstation #beats1

[juliasp17]

Projection mapping onto Paris Opera for Giambattista Valli 10th anniversary. #fashion #paris #projections #designinspiration

[juliasp17]

Pitchfork in two weeks! Can't wait to see @chancetherapper!!! #pitchfork #chicago

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Conflict in Ukraine is no joke. It spawned the most serious crisis between Russia and the West since Cold War. #historicalperspective #internationalrelations #ukrainianprovinces #geography

[juliasp17]

Vita Kin - a Ukrainian fashion designer. Check her out! Так приятно когда наши люди выходят в свет!!! #fashion #folklore #ukraine

[juliasp17]

Come check out Shaw next week at the Mart! Space 10-167. Shaw's new collection of carpet tile, Altered, was developed in collaboration with photographers to create patterns that produce a shifting point of view. #necon #shawcontractgroup #clientlove

[juliasp17]

Can't wait for Neocon and this keynote next week! #neocon #contract #productpreview

[catsbeaversandducks]

Post-it Notes Left on the Train

Writer and illustrator October Jones, the creative genius behind Text From Dog and these funny train commute doodles, is at it again with these hilarious motivational post-it notes that he leaves on the train and in other random places.The upbeat doodles, which star Jones’ adorable character Peppy the Inspirational Cat, convey positive and funny messages meant to motivate daily commuters. Whether you’re feeling the Monday blues or in need of some encouragement, Jones’ delightful post-it notes are sure to brighten your day and remind you just how awesome you are.

Via My Modern Metropolis 

[kiefeon]

I’m glad I refound this I needed it

[juliasp17]

YEAH!