Brilliance. This, by far, was my favorite Super Bowl commercial this time around. Apparently there are more of these as well.

What do you think? Did you have a favorite Super Bowl commercial?

Tumblr just released a new Ask feature which makes it easy for Tumblr users to put up a simple form for people to ask questions. So I decided to set one up because I think it would be cool to answer questions of those curious about me. I’m a very open person so there aren’t many things that I wouldn’t let a curious person know about me.

So, dear reader, I dare you to ask me anything! It doesn’t have to be design related, but does have to be a SFW question. Or, if it’s easier, feel free to ask in the comments. I will answer to the best of my ability, either here or on my Tumblr page.

Say, for example, I wanted to consult with an architect on remodeling myself a new kitchen. You don’t just sign the paper work and have them start building a kitchen. They would ask questions like how you use the kitchen, what you’re looking to do in the kitchen, if you entertain in the kitchen, etc. They need to know how you’re going to use this space before they can start crafting it.

Websites work the same way. For you to effectively design the best experience for a website, you need to understand how your clients’ business works and what they’re looking to do. Understand all of the hows and whys of the business that you’re working with. Understand the challenges the business has and will face, their business objectives/goals, and so on. Here are a few, of many, questions that we, at Tridea, normally ask during the client discovery meetings:

• Who is your target audience?
• What do you feel is your number one business problem?
• How does the company differentiate itself from competitors?
• What are your short-term marketing goals (in the next 1-2 years)? And how will the website help reach those goals?

Remember, as designers, you’re a problem solver. More likely than not, if you’re being approached by another business for work, they need your help (and creative knowledge) in solving business problems. And asking the right business questions will help get you to better creative problem solving. I would recommend asking these types of questions in a questionnaire, so that you can come back to the answers during your creative jam sessions. They can turn into a good checklist when going over a design to make sure that you’ve addressed the business problems.

Outside of working in Photoshop, what other skills do you find necessary for designers to have?

In comes Unique Business Cards. I spent a good deal of time going through the collection, and there is no shortage of creative inspiration to draw from. So, I wanted to share the resource I found, and hope that it will be useful and/or inspiring to others.

Here are a few of my favorites:

Graphic Design Ninja

Intoto

Queen of Diamonds Makeup Artist

Box Office

VDJ Gaurav

There’s much more to see, but don’t take my word for it. Go look for yourself. What other places do you find business card design inspiration?

Not only is the packaging very clean and straight to the point, but it immediately tells the consumer to choose a path. There is little room for confusion. This concept should be used on the web, and is very important in 1.) keeping users on your site, and 2.) guiding/helping them find relevant information before leaving.

See more of this packaging at The Dieline.

The web needs more of this. Can you think of good examples of this concept on the web? Please share.