We've come a long way in the past 10 years since we launched the LIBD site… It was right around this time in particular, 2010/11, that the digital sphere went through a rapid growth spurt, testing everyone’s ability to adapt!

Partly because we are about to enter another new decade, and partly because we are (still) going through the archive of our work to finally update our site, we’ve been thinking a lot about how web design has evolved over the past decade.

Flash
One cannot think back about the good old days without thinking about Adobe Flash right? In the ‘00s, it was The Technology that allowed developers to incorporate animation and interactive content to sites.

In early 2010, MOTHandRUST launched our last Flash site. Shortly before that, all designers at the branding agency I was working at were enrolled on a rather lengthy Flash course. No one wanted to see that its demise was coming. But in April 2010, Steve Jobs wrote his “Thoughts on Flash,” a moment many have defined as “The Death of Flash.” Suddenly it was on the way out and everyone had to (sooner or later) accept this and adapt.

The LIBD site used interactive HTML5 Canvas animations that were just as sophisticated as Flash, but these could be viewed without having to install it (a major downside of Flash). This meant that it worked across most devices, even mobile. Of course today, everything can work pretty seamlessly across all devices, but this was quite amazing at the time. 

Responsiveness
Just over a decade ago, Nokia’s Symbian and RIM’s Blackberry were ranked as the top 2 mobile operating systems at the time. Things changed quickly, so by about 2010/11Android and iOS were quickly taking the lead. The iPhone was first unveiled in 2007, and its Android competitors showed up in 2010. Apple released the iPad in 2010. 

With the explosive growth of smartphones and tablets, everyone had to adapt yet again, this time to designing for various screen sizes and devices: enter responsive web design. Today, the thought of a site not adapting to work on a tablet or mobile is unthinkable, but this was just not really done much before about 2010/11.

The LIBD site was responsive, which really made it stand out at the time. In fact, it did not only resize to tablets, but if you used it on a tablet and you tilted the tablet up and down, or left and right, you would move around the animation accordingly. Pretty cool!

Design
One of the decade’s biggest graphic design trends, flat design, was born out of a need to make digital apps clean and accessible. It was developed to ensure that responsive designs work well and load fast (especially important since mobile devices have slower internet speeds). Designers had to adapt their work for easy readability and sparse interfaces. Nowadays, it’s hard not to open a web page (or a brochure or a magazine) without being greeted by flat design (flat colors, minimal vectors and geometric sans serif fonts, etc).

As you can see in the image above, the LIBD site also used flat design. For example, all buttons are large, solid bright colours. Again, today this is not unusual, but in 2010/11 3D buttons where still not that unusual.

Onwards
By the middle of the decade, websites were moving away from being The Way to engage audiences, and were becoming more like informational portals. We began to see a rise in single page scrolling websites, and a rise in more and more cookie cutter sites. Even today, it seems sites are still becoming purely informational and less experiential. Cookie cutter sites are more prevalent than ever, due in part to availability of off-the-shelf design templates.

But really, the internet is still young and it definitely still has so much potential. This is still the beginning. We love the internet. We keep seeing amazing developments for those who are able to resist the cookie cutter approach. Just as websites never did completely kill print, such things as Instagram and AR haven’t completely killed websites—they simply exist alongside them. We have so many ways to communicate now, often it is more a matter choosing many ways, not one, depending on the audience. We look forward to doing what we always have done, focusing on the result, not the medium used.

The link to the LIBD site is still live, at least until our upcoming site update.

The design studio of MOTHandRUST turns 10 years old today! Like so much else in 2020, our big celebrations have been postponed, but we do look forward to them—as well as the next ten years!

As someone who runs a design studio, it is not uncommon to hold a design degree. However, I do have a neuroscience degree as well, and when people find this out, they always ask, “why?”

In the past few months, we have had quite a few requests for virtual event ideas, which has been great - there is so much that can be done! Below are just some possibilities... We use the word “event,” but this could be any online gathering from a more intimate one-on-one talk to a very large group conference.

1. Dedicated event website
-  These may be simple or very complex, but they should always be beautifully designed, ultimately stirring interest in the upcoming event. Note that these can also serve many functions after the event as well.
-  Content can include detailed bios about the speakers, information/background about the subject of the event, including links to articles, or e-book downloads. 
-  The schedule/programme for the event can also be included here (which can be constantly updated as speakers confirm, etc).
-  Of course this can be open to all, or password-protected, so that only certain people have site access.

2. RSVP Invitations
-  Taking full advantage of a digital format, animations and/or video may be included. For example, could the e-invite include a short video from a key speaker?
-  Now more than ever, printed invitations can really stand out, and yes, they work great for virtual events!

3. Event agenda/programme
-  A beautifully designed event agenda/programme with times allotted for each segment of the video event can be sent directly to your audience ahead of time.
-  Again, if time allows, a printed version can be very effective.

4. In lieu of the restaurant event
-  If there is a particular restaurant you usually meet at, perhaps the restaurant gift card could be included with the print invitation? Bonus benefit: this gift will allow you to support the restaurant industry, which has had an especially difficult time dealing with the effects of the pandemic.

5. Virtual wine and cheese
-  It’s okay to have fun and try something more unexpected...
-  Though you may not be able to not invite someone to an actual wine and cheese event, why not still supply the wine? Along with a printed invitation, perhaps a bottle of wine could be delivered with a custom additional label or in a custom box?

6. eBooks
-  Perhaps you could give your recipients a beautifully-designed in-depth eBook that will educate them on a specific topic of an event?
-  This e-book could also be downloaded via the dedicated event website, or via the e-invitation.

7. Session visuals
-  Creative PowerPoint visuals, PDF slides or interactive animations could be created to accompany and add life to a talk.
-  Real-time illustrators, provide an on-the-spot graphical representation of the event in a way that is fun to look at and, eg: https://liveillustration.co.uk
-  The session visuals could be sent to the recipients as-is, or they could be deconstructed and pieces could be used with other photographs, etc to create a diverse artwork of the event.
-  The image above is a still from an animation we created, for privacy reasons we cannot post this on our site, please contact us and we would be happy to share via email.

8. Recording as a memento
-  One of the advantages of a virtual event is that it can be quite easily recorded. 
-  After the virtual event has concluded, use the recording as a memento and include it on the event site, or in a follow-up thank you email.

9. Pre-recordings
-  Just because a virtual event is live does not mean there is no place for pre-recorded sessions as well. These can really enhance the live event. What these lack in real-time engagement, they make up for in production value, as they benefit from the ability to be edited. 

10. Event memento
-  Imagery from the event (real time illustrations, session visuals, portraits of those involved, etc) can all be made into an artwork that could be sent digitally, or it could be printed and mailed.


Of course if this is something you would like to speak to us about, please do!