Dude…we lost our first king of the beach game. Bummer…
We lost: 0-11, 11-8, 15-13 (Rally); and tonight we try to get it back together in the loser’s bracket.
Game Two Update:
Another loss; this one in two games.
And with that, I’m out of the tourney; bummer…
Monthly Archives: July 2005
Mary Hill Davis
For Immediate Release:
Aim Digital Media and the Woman’s Missionary Union (WMU) of Texas proudly announce the launch of the new Mary Hill Davis Offering website.
Aim Digital Media was contracted to create a well-crafted website to match existing promotional materials.
The website was built using web standards and is compatible in all of the major browsers. It also marks the first major website Aim Digital Media has created without the use of JavaScript (all interactivity is done by the use of CSS).
The WMU of Texas will use this website to raise awareness about the offering and provide resources to local churches.
It’s the Details
The more and more I contemplate design and what makes something “good,” I keep coming back to the same point. Good design is made by the details.
I learned this concept nearly three years ago. Gerald Maffei was the professor; one day he looked at one of my designs (a steel / glass structure a.k.a Reagan National Airport) he chastised me for not considering the details. I responded, “I don’t like details…”
He calmly suggested that I reconsider… “Design is in the details,” he said. “Every bolt, connection, and cable affects the outcome of the building.” (Loosely quoted).
And so I stewed; and then I reconsidered.
He was right. He still is right. The difference between good design and great design is in the details. Look at the iPod and compare it to the Dell DJ; you can see the difference. Look at the interior of a GM car and compare it to a Lexus or an Acura. The details make a difference.
As I create websites, I find that shadows and gradients make a difference. The patterns and alignment matter. The navigation has to be simple and useful. All are details that make or break a website.
But details are important in more things than just design. The party you’re planning: think of the small things–it will make it more fun. That event at church: think about the people who will have to staff it. Your vacation to Las Vegas: don’t forget the Cirque de Soleil tickets a year in advance.
The details make a difference. Take time and embrace them as you start new projects in life. You’ll be glad you did…
Say No to Cliches
Point Three: Avoid Cliches.
No one wants to read about how “the lightbulb was turned on in your head,” how that’s “over the top,” or how you’re “under the weather.” Like I posted before…use vibrant and descriptive language to illustrate what you’re saying.
Don’t resort to using phrases that are overused and odd.
On a similar note (and for the inspirtation of this post…) check out Design Cliches and Avoid cliches like the plague. They’re great and discuss design cliches (obviously). I recommend them too…
Design Matters
I love to watch the corporate world slowly realize how important design is. We have watched Apple, Target, Ikea, and more illustrate how design sells…even if only to a small group (Apple). And we also watched how Target went from another Walmart, to a cool store.
But every now and again I see the old mindset come through again and again. Judy Siverson is running for Houston City Council District C:
I didn’t want to spend money on frivolous expenses like graphic designs.
The old mindset still remains! Some people don’t see the value of design yet, but I think their days are numbered.
The River Again
So we went back to the Guadelupe River today. It was good…if you didn’t go, you missed out!
1) A Deflating Tube. Yea, my tube started losing air about two hours into the ride. A patch started to fall off leaving a small hole. The air whizzed out as I prayed for the end to come quickly. By the last of the rapids, I was barely floating, bumping every rock along the way.
2) I’ve been leading the College Bible study for the past few weeks (and will continue until further notice). It’s been tough and good…but some friends dropped some encouraging (and sincere) comments. You know who you are…word to you.
3) New Couples and van rides. Enough said; you know it’s possible; you’ve seen it happen before. Come evening and a long ride home, who knows what will happen.
4) Good times ahead. I was talking to Ang about cool things to do in the College Group this fall — I think there are some good ideas, and things will continue to be “suh-weet.”
5) The end of summer is fast approaching…and it will be sad to see everyone return to school. To those who have made the summer good….cheers!
Analyzing Our Site
Tony Morgan wrote an article (10 Easy Ways to Keep Me from Visiting Your Church Because I Visited Your Website) a few months ago; since then I’ve been meaning to compare the Champion Forest website to it. And after seeing the link on Church Marketing Sucks, I’ve decided it’s time.
First of all, I was shocked to see how perturbed some of the commenters were…it was like he stepped on their pet (or their feelings). At any rate, these are HIS ideas and thoughts (and in my opinion, good ideas)–not a chance to berate anyone.
On that note, my analysis:
1. Avoid telling be what’s going to happen at your church this weekend.
√ The Champion Forest homepage has the latest and greatest events. The most important have graphics, the lesser important have text links.
2. Put a picture of the building on the main page.
√ We emphasized people for our main graphic (and did away with the building picture). However, our steeple makes occassional appearances in promotional material (it’s a nice steeple).
3. Use lots of purple and pink and add pictures of flowers.
√ No purple. No pink. No flowers. Except maybe in the women’s ministry.
4. Make me click a “skip intro” or “enter site” link.
√ Don’t get me started on this. You’re unlikely to ever see that on a site I’m responsible for.
5. Add as many picutres and graphics as you can to the home page.
√ What you see is what you get. There is no scrolling on our home page (unless you use the archaic 800×600–then I just pity you). But remember, a picture is always more compelling than a paragraph.
6. Use amateur photography.
√ We use only quality images. And we strive to stay away from the “cheesy, I’m smiling for the camera” photo.
7. List every single ministry you have at your church.
∼ I don’t know if I agree with this one. I think a better perspective is to make it easy to learn about the ministries…no one likes to see a list of 2,000 ministries. It’s oppressive. But it is important to provide that information to inquisitive visitors.
8. Make it as difficult as possible for me to get directions, service times or find information about what will happen with my kids.
√ Click on the “New to CFBC?” link. All your most important questions will be answered on one page.
9. Put a picture of your pastor with his wife on the main page.
√ Since we’re between pastors, this is easy. But the idea is great; the church really isn’t about the pastor. He just happens to be the leader. And I doubt you will find the CEO of a Fortune 500 company on their home page.
10. Try to sell your church rather than telling me how I will benefit from the experience.
∼ I partially disagree with this too. Our church website is informational. We’re not interested in hyping the product (church). We want to provide information to visitors and guests and allow them (and the spirit) to take the next step. And explaining how they will benefit could a long process.
All in all, I think Champion Forest passes with flying colors.
Writing, Part 2
When writing, do not use superflous words (mainly adjectives) to describe what you do. For example, do not say “the premier home theater company in Texas.” You should say “We are a home theater company in Texas” and let your actions and work illustrate how you are premier.
I saw a web design website the other day: Infoserve Media. One of their tabs was “Professional Web Design.” Why not “web design?” They should let their work speak for itself.
Superlatives never really make you sound better…it just makes you sound arrogant, pretentious, or desperate. Thus…
Point Two: Let your words and designs speak for themselves and do not use unneccesary adjectives.
Writing, Part 1
I have been researching writing lately. I have considered it both stylistically and content-wise. In spite of the fact that I’m not the greatest writer (we all try), I am going to share some of the really neat and helpful things I have found.
Tonight, I will begin with a quote from C.S. Lewis; I think it is a proper place to start when considering writing:
In writing, don’t use adjectives which merely tell us how you want us to feel about the things you are describing. I mean, instead of telling us the thing is ‘terrible,’ describe it so that we’ll be terrified. Don’t say it was ‘delightful’; make us say ‘delightful’ when we’ve read the description. You see, all those words (horrifying, wonderful, hideous, exquisite) are only like saying to your readers, ‘Please, will you do my job for me?
Point One: Tell a story when you describe things.
Look for part two later this week….
War of the Worlds
I saw War of the Worlds last weekend. It was good movie (for the most part); by good I mean that I was entertained. However, there were a number of elements in the film that really made me wonder. Note: There are some spoilers…read at your own risk!
Side Note: I am a firm believer that nothing “just happens” without a reason. Especially in a film directed by Steven Spielberg–I think every detail was planned and executed according to Speilberg’s wishes.
One. In the initial scene with aliens, the first building to be destroyed was a church. The earth shook, cracked, and splintered a large church–effectively removing the face from the building and crashing to the ground. Tracy Barnes writes about the same thing–wondering why it is that a church is destroyed first.
I speculate that the church is destroyed because “religion can’t save you in this world.” If you think about it in a post-9/11 mindset, it would be very easy to assume the parallel that religion or God is “the last thing you should look to.” Because it’s just a building…
Two. Flag on the street. The street that Tom Cruise lived on had flags at every house. (In a nice neat row too). I would not wonder about this if it were in July. But the setting is obviously fall (the leaves falling from the trees was my biggest gauge) and I can’t think of a major patriotic holiday in the fall. I can’t think of a reason to have the flags as such–perhaps that patriotism doesn’t mean jack when you’re under attack.
Three. Blood and oil. As the machines annihilate humanity, they live off human blood–probing, sticking, and sucking the very life out of mankind, one person at a time. In their tracks they leave a hideous, blood-stained landscape; a testimony to their misuse of the world.
I think there are two allusions here: blood for oil and oil pollution. Media Culture reviews says this:
Consider, why do the aliens come up out of the ground in Spielberg’s version? Why do they burst up from under the city streets, tearing through the ground? The answer, which seems clear to this reviewer, was oil. Even the blood that the machines suck from the human’s bodies takes the place of oil. Blood for oil and oil for blood! Little wonder this film is appealing to many American audiences.
The aliens invaded earth to suck the blood from humans. (We invaded Iraq to suck oil from the ground). The blood the aliens took was overused and left littering the ground. (The oil we use to power society is left polluting the world). I think the comparisons are strong.
What do you think?