Category: workshops

These are workshops, sessions that LeMasney Consulting led or otherwise participated in to train or otherwise help people to come to a new understanding about a topic we specialize in. Mostly these are hands-on learning opportunities with software, hardware, branding, and fitness.

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affiliations brand classes and presentations consulting curriculum vitae design principles Illustration insights open source portfolio professional activities professional experience research interests teaching teaching experience technology workshops

46 of 365: Factor of Safety design principle (Belt and Suspenders)

46 of 365 - factor of safety design principle (belt and suspenders) by John LeMasney via lemasney.com
46 of 365 - factor of safety design principle (belt and suspenders) by John LeMasney via lemasney.com
46 of 365 - factor of safety design principle (belt and suspenders) by John LeMasney via lemasney.com
46 of 365 – factor of safety design principle (belt and suspenders) by John LeMasney via lemasney.com

Factor of safety is about preparing for unknown flaws in a design, even though the issue may never arise. In the interest of preventing system failure, a designer can make more safety elements than are necessary. In general, it is the act of adding more elements than are strictly necessary in a design to prepare for situations that may or may not happen. In graphic design, you might add restatements of an idea to make more sure of the delivery of the message. In structural design, you might add more beams to the underlying structure. In urban design, more roads and parking, and so on.

I decided to illustrate the most common expression of the factor of safety that I can think of: “belt and suspenders”. In other words, you might say “belt and suspenders” in response to someone bringing a USB key with their materials to a presentation even though the materials available online. In the event that Internet access is down (e.g. the belt breaks) you’d still be able to present via USB (e.g. suspenders).

 

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brand consulting curriculum vitae design principles insights instructional technology libraries open source portfolio professional experience references research interests teaching teaching experience workshops

41 of 365: Teach a Man to Fish design principle

41 of 365 - teach a man to fish design principle by John LeMasney via lemasney.com
41 of 365 - teach a man to fish design principle by John LeMasney via lemasney.com
41 of 365 - teach a man to fish design principle by John LeMasney via lemasney.com
41 of 365 – teach a man to fish design principle by John LeMasney via lemasney.com

Teach a Man to Fish

Give a man a fish, he eats today. Teach a man to fish, he eats forever. This rather common phrase is a core part of my philosophy in consulting. This is sort of a stretch as a design principle, and the first time in this series that I am straying away from my sources for design principles, but I use this one in every consulting situation.

Also notable was that this is the earliest known appearance of the analogy, written by Anne Ritchie in Mrs. Dymond in the 1800s. “He certainly doesn’t practise his precepts, but I supposed the Patron meant that if you give a man a fish  he is hungry again in an hour. If you teach him to catch a fish you do him a good turn.” ~ Give a Man a Fish Phrase – Proverb Meaning and Saying Origins – https://knowyourphrase.com/give-a-man-a-fish

As I said, I use it in my work. For example, if you have consulted with me, we might have started with you asking me to have a seat at (drive) your computer. I likely gently declined. The two positions (driving and guiding) define the difference between repair and teaching. I’d far rather teach, even when repair is involved. By having my clients go through the motions of the issue, research along with me, and act on our findings, they can learn the ways to resolve their own issues at that level. The benefit for me, aside from an enlightened client, is that the next problem we work on will probably be far more interesting for both of us. Also, if we consult over video chat with screen sharing, I will likely ask you to share your screen and guide you. From time to time, I might jump on my browser to resolve an issue, but most of the time, it’s all you, with my help. 

It also, strangely, is a big part of why I love open source, the software equivalent of getting a great dish with the recipe, as opposed to just the great dish. So, chances are when we work together, we both work. Unless you just want it taken care of, in which I’m pretty happy to do that too. 🙂

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40 of 365: Ampersand Greater Than modified typography

Ampersand Greater Than Font Study by John LeMasney via lemasney.com
Ampersand Greater Than Font Study by John LeMasney via lemasney.com

Today, I decided to use Inkscape to play with type. When you type less than three (<3), you are expressing an emoticon for love, symbolized by a heart. It’s a straightforward, easy-to-use symbol. Two close friends or sweethearts might use it in SMS to express a little love.

Ampersand Greater Than (&>)

Melissa Brisbin and I have used an alternative to less than three to express not only that we are good friends, but that we exchange and share value in technology, libraries, and related interests.  Ampersand greater than (&>) resembles a heart too, but indicates a togetherness, a bond. When we type it to each other, it’s a little reminder of our history. In honor of her birthday yesterday, I decided to work on the ampersand greater than as a typography muse.

I started by going through my font catalog and pulling out all the fonts that had interesting ampersand and greater than symbols.

40 of 365: Ampersand Greater Than Font Study by John LeMasney via lemasney.com
40 of 365: Ampersand Greater Than Font Study by John LeMasney via lemasney.com

Then I began pulling out the best combinations, angling the symbols, pulling them together into a single flowing shape.

40 of 365: Ampersand Greater Than Font Study by John LeMasney via lemasney.com
40 of 365: Ampersand Greater Than Font Study by John LeMasney via lemasney.com

Finally, I went back in and tweaked the finest points of the combinations. This was my result: nearly the final set.

40 of 365: Ampersand Greater Than Font Study by John LeMasney via lemasney.com
40 of 365: Ampersand Greater Than Font Study by John LeMasney via lemasney.com

And today, I decided to add some color, along with final tweaks to the pieces.

Ampersand Greater Than Font Study by John LeMasney via lemasney.com
Ampersand Greater Than Font Study by John LeMasney via lemasney.com
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affiliations brand classes and presentations consulting curriculum vitae insights instructional technology libraries open source professional activities professional experience publications references research interests teaching teaching experience technology workshops

Resources for Staff Day Training at Woodbridge Public Library

Libraries, the original co-working space cc-by lemasney
Libraries, the original co-working space cc-by lemasney
An important distinction
An important distinction (Photo credit: lemasney)

Today, I’m presenting on behalf of Library Link NJ on the topics of eBook borrowing and the Basics of Graphic Design.

In this session, we are going to look at using Overdrive to borrow eBooks, a very common method in libraries today. We will spend the rest of the time looking at the basics of Graphic Design concepts, like inspiration, font choice, layout and visual branding. The materials that I am distributing are below.

The graphic design presentation is here.

The eBooks handout (Brisbin, Lemasney, 2014) is here.

A complete list of all of my presentation materials is here.  

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affiliations brand classes and presentations consulting curriculum vitae design principles Illustration insights instructional technology libraries portfolio professional activities professional experience references research interests teaching experience technology workshops

34 of 365: Entry Point design principle

34 of 365 - entry point design principle by John LeMasney via lemasney.com
34 of 365 - entry point design principle by John LeMasney via lemasney.com
34 of 365 - entry point design principle by John LeMasney via lemasney.com
34 of 365 – entry point design principle by John LeMasney via lemasney.com

The entry point design principle is about making your entry point a place for your user to get past, then enter the deeper space of your place, product, or site. There are a few things to keep in mind in designing a good entry point: Low barriers to entry, incentives to drive users past the entry point, and strong clues about intended navigation or navigation options. A prime example of a great physical entry point is a store that does not interrupt your entry with any sensory interruption, like high traffic between users and the space, or lemonade-stand style interruptions as you enter. Navigation cues should be especially easy to figure out in a store or web site, and should not compete with advertisements or other distractions. There should be incentives for the user to go deeper, such as reminders of popular products or services, and invitations to use them.

In my illustration, I decided to show how entry point theory is applied at lemasney.com.

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Earlier today: Personal and Organizational branding at Rossmoor Computer Club

Brand is not a logo by John LeMasney via lemasney.com
Brand is not a logo by John LeMasney via lemasney.com
Brand is not a logo by John LeMasney via lemasney.com
Brand is not a logo by John LeMasney via lemasney.com

Today, I had the pleasure of a return visit to Rossmoor, a gated community near Monroe, NJ. In the past I’ve talked about the Chromebook, Social Media, and graphic design at this 55 plus Computer Users Group, but today I talked about something more akin to Psychology or Business meetups than computer groups: Organizational and personal branding. I was a bit worried about how it would be received because I have only given the talk to more brand minded groups, but figured that if I really believe that brand is universal, which I do, that the talk would be appropriate.

It was received very well. The people there talked about their communication methods, their platforms, their keywords, and discovered their brand. We discussed abstraction and concretia in branding, such as the idea of loving as a keyword versus technology as a keyword. We talked about how everyday meetups and conversations are opportunities for branding, and that even though not everyone is familiar with their brand, that everyone has one and that it is beneficial to become familiar with it, shape it, and strengthen it.

Thanks very much to Rossmoor, Paul, and Gano for the kind reception, patient ear, and engaged responses.

The link to my presentation is here:

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1VR3uWDW0zpbJUrT0YfJtleB4-e7qOnj6Qj-39mIKyok/edit?usp=sharing

 

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