Color watchers may be intrigued to see Pantone’s color of the year for 2014. The influencial team at the Pantone Color Institute have analyzed media, socio-political events, technological advances and other factors worldwide to pinpoint the provocative “Radiant Orchid”.

A purply-pinkish color that treads dangerously close to mauve, it will be interesting to see where designers take the color.

2013’s Emerald, a bold, hopeful color “symbolizing growth, renewal and prosperity,” was leapt upon (and in some places pointedly ignored) by the fashion world before making its way online to web design and digital illustration.

“Radiant Orchid reaches across the color wheel to intrigue the eye and spark the imagination,” says Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Institute. “An invitation to innovation, Radiant Orchid encourages expanded creativity and originality, which is increasingly valued in today’s society.”

Let’s hope so.

Color forecasting has become big business. Companies fear spending millions for products and marketing materials in colors that turn out to be duds. A few respected companies publish annual and seasonal color reports. Some are free. Detailed or customized reports are priced in hundreds, sometimes thousands, of dollars.

For more info and palette ideas visit the Pantone gallery and moodboards. While color trend discussions tend to hit fashion and interiors circles first, you’ll find cross-referencing resources (including a downloadable Adobe .ase file) on Pantone’s Color Formulas and Guides page.

And in case you were wondering, Pantone tells us the Hex code for Radiant Orchid is #B163A3.

What do you think of 2014’s new color? How useful are color predictions? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.

$880 worth of Christmas Vectors – only $19!

Youth First

UMBC researchers collaborate to treat and prevent psychosis in young people.

A teenager thinks someone is following him when no one is there. Another believes the television is sending her special hidden messages and feels disoriented by time speeding past. These represent symptoms of psychosis, a mental illness comprised of hallucinations and delusions.

What can be done to treat and prevent psychosis in young adults to help them get back on track to leading the lives they want to live? Psychology associate professor Jason Schiffman and his Youth First research team are trying to answer this question in partnership with leading psychosis intervention experts.

The Maryland General Assembly approved funding this year to establish the Center for Excellence on Early Intervention for Serious Mental Illness. This collaborative program aims to treat young people between the ages of 12 and 22 who are showing early warning signs of developing psychosis.

Jointly with the University of Maryland Medical Center, University of Maryland School of Medicine, and Maryland Psychiatric Research Center, Schiffman and his team of graduate and undergraduate students are studying factors that put young people at risk for developing psychosis. They are in the early stages of also providing clients with youth-focused and family-centered assessment and treatment.

�An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of medicine,� Schiffman says. �If we find young folks who might be on a trajectory towards risk for more severe mental health concerns and we intervene with them early, then we might be able to provide them the best opportunities to lead the lives that they want to lead.�

Schiffman is heading the clinical high-risk program at the new center. A major emphasis at this stage of the clinic�s development is outreach, working with community partners and stakeholders to educate the public about warning signs and the value of early intervention and prevention.

As the center grows, Schiffman will increasingly focus on assessment and clinical treatment of individuals exhibiting hallucinations and delusions that may turn into psychotic behavior. He and his collaborators will combine resources from partner institutions to design unique treatment programs suited to patients� individual needs, which take into account their experiences as young adults.

�Psychosis sometimes isn�t the main thing that folks want help with,� Schiffman observes. �We may be working, for instance, with a young person who hears voices, but his priority may not be the voices per se. It may be making friends, doing well in school, graduating, getting a job…we want to be equipped to be able to manage those priorities.�

When intervention responds to the individual�s needs and happens very early on, it can be instrumental in preventing violence, Schiffman argues.

Several recent tragedies have been linked to mental illness. But part of what Schiffman and his team are trying to emphasize is that people with psychosis are far more likely to be victims of violent acts than to carry them out.

�Additionally, the risk of suicide and self-inflicted violence is incredibly high. One in five individuals who is in their early episode or first episode of psychosis is likely to attempt suicide,� Schiffman says. �One in twenty will complete that suicide.�

Patient assessments have already begun through the facilities of clinic partners, and Schiffman is hopeful his team can begin clinical treatment in the spring. The new center is something larger than anyone of the participants could have created on their own. For UMBC, this collaboration means greater training opportunities for students interested in psychiatric medicine and social work, including the ten remarkable UMBC graduate students on the Youth First team: Eryn Bentley, Elizabeth Connors, Caroline Demro, Danielle Denenny, Greg Epstein, Sabrina Ereshefsky, Emily Kline, Elizabeth Thompson, Thomas Tsuji, and Camille Wilson. For the community, the impact is palpable in a different way.

�If we can reduce their suffering as a function of some of the symptoms that come along with this disorder, if we could even prevent illness in and of itself, we�d be making a huge difference for [youth with psychosis], for their family and loved ones, for their friends, and for a wider community that may or may not even know they were at risk.�

Schiffman has been featured in USA Today and The Baltimore Sun, and was also a guest on WYPR�s Maryland Morning discussing his role in the new center.

(12/09/2013)

Once upon a time, in decades and centuries past, Lorem Ipsum served typesetters and printers well. That was back in the day when communication vehicles provided a passive, one-way experience. Today’s communication landscape is vastly different. The Web allows us to create rich, multi-dimensional, interactive experiences.

With this in mind, using Lorem Ipsum no longer makes sense. It breeds dummy designsand short sells everyone. It diminishes problem-solving designers into pixel pushers, handcuffs content writers, frustrates users, and shortchanges clients.

So the time has come to have a good, hard look at ditching the dummy text from the design process wherever possible, and placing real content in the forefront, where it belongs.

Where did lorem ipsum come from?

Lorem ipsum’s roots are derived from classical Latin literature “de Finibus Bonorum et Malorum” (The Extremes of Good and Evil), written by Cicero in 45 BC. It became the printing industry’s standard dummy text in the 1500s when an unknown printer took a galley of type and scrambled it during production. The tradition continued for centuries, adapted by modern typesetters.

The Latin text gained popularity in the 1960s with the release of Letraset sheets containing Lorem Ipsum passages, and more recently through popular desktop publishing software, which actually include Lorem Ipsum.

Today’s fans of Lorem Ipsum argue that clients are distracted by the readable content when reviewing layout, and so the use of model or dummy text. 

Moving forward

As the Internet ushered in a revolution and changed our lives, it radically altered the way we must communicate, market and brand. 

In the Web world, people come for the content, not the design. Content is the reason a site exists; it’s the core of communication, and drives meaningful experiences. Content informs and — coupled with good design — helps people complete tasks.

Lorem Ipsum creates the illusion that content is secondary, prompting designers to create aesthetically pleasing designs with boxes to be ‘filled in’ at a later time. In essence, design starts forming how things are communicated before determining what needs to be communicated. 

Imagining what text might say compromises the integrity and effectiveness of both the content and design. It doesn’t allow designers to think through real content implications and leverage unique opportunities. Web designer and author Jeffrey Zeldman nailed it when he stated: “Design in the absence of content is not design, it’s decoration.” 

The benefits of putting content first

Business objectives and audience needs drive content, and content should drive or at thevery least influence design decisions. The thing many designers don’t realize is that good copywriting is interface design. 

A skilled and knowledgeable content strategist or writer dissects key elements during the content research and development process, like corporate objectives and goals, desired audiences and calls to action. This leads to information being fleshed out, segmented and prioritized, which naturally shapes information flow and structure.

The ‘content first’ scenario also promotes a more efficient design process. When the content is firmed up and approved, the designer knows exactly what he or she needs to work with. No assumptions, no guessing and no going back and forth with the client. In fact, a couple of our design partners insist their clients complete the content creation process before they embark on design.

More original, effective design

When design follows content creation, it reinforces the message, making it stronger and more direct. Specific pages can then be strategically structured to highlight and communicate key messages and focus on explicit tasks and goals. Additionally, the more content drives design, the less competitors’ sites are used as starting points, further cultivating originality and differentiation.

The ‘content first’ approach also aids scenarios involving templates. Knowing the messages up front makes the content requirements clear, allowing designers to choose the most suitable template for the business’ objectives and audience(s). 

When design comes first, which is all too common (often due to clients dropping the ball), content writers get handcuffed and compromise ensues. We frequently work in this scenario, and have approached designers with concerns numerous times. For instance, more call-outs were required, or more or less space was necessary for particular copy. The designers understandably cringe as the design is approved and they don’t want to open a can of worms. So we sometimes proceed with deficient design, at the client’s expense.

When I wrote for international airline publications, I faced similar dilemmas. My managing editor would bark, “Give me 1,500 words!” when 600 would suffice, or I’d be limited to 300 words when 800 was needed to tell the whole story. But, due to chaotic deadlines, format often drove content, and communication quality was sacrificed. Content was merely poured into the mould.

Differing opinions 

As a writer there’s a chance I’m biased on the design/content debate. After all, I brand with words, not design. So I was compelled to reach out to several design agencies and gather different points of view. 

We asked, “Which do you believe should come first, content or design?” Here’s what they had to say:

Design First

This [design first] approach enabled us to ensure the site design was attractive and easy to navigate. It does not matter how good the content is if the look and feel turns off the visitor and they bounce away. — Sammy James, speak2leads

Content First

Whether it’s simply defining the project (i.e., audience, emotional objective, or desired outcome) or crafting the actual design, you have to start with an understanding of the content. Neglecting this order is why so many websites and infographics, born out of Lorem Ipsum, seem incongruous. — Bill Rice, Kaleidico

We now spend more time in review and planning with a qualified copywriter in order to have our sitemap in place, calls to action and the lion’s share of the content in hand before we even start our design process. Consequently, we find that when we present designs to our clients they are far better received and the project continues in a more efficient manner. — Brad Haima, Circle Graphics

Content, always. Both follow a communication, marketing, or business strategy, therefore design looks to optimize and differentiate the content through its strategic objectives. — Gonzalo Alatorre, Creative Engine

Most people are either audio, visual, or kinaesthetic — that is to say that they are either predominantly moved by sounds (or words), sights, or movement. So you could begin to make the argument that maybe design could come first in certain instances. However, in order for a thing to exist it must first have certain intrinsic qualities. it must first ‘be’ something in order to be visually incarnated, however you end up making it look. So even if you are intending to create a visual site to appeal to a visually minded audience, what it is must ultimately forerun how it looks, even if that just refers to the product or service you’re offering, so therefore content by default has to come first. — Jamie Gavin, InPress Online

Content frames what needs to be communicated to the user and, after all, as designers we’re visual communicators. But let’s face it, we’ve all been extremely excited about a project to the point that we just jump into our pixel pushing program of choice, and begin cranking out beautiful creative that is driven by very little understanding of what the big picture needs to say in the end. Then we get in front the client and they struggle to understand how to place content into the perfectly designed confines of what we’ve created. That’s what happens when you arbitrarily assume word counts for pages, etcetera. 

In a perfect world, the client would deliver artful copy days in advance of our creative process that would help to fuel our approach. Now, we all know that’s never the case. So how do you solve this conundrum? The best case would be to share early stage wireframes with your copywriter or client. That way they can craft copy to your wireframes and you both can be under the same assumptions going into the process. It also helps to mitigate surprises in the end. — Mike Miller, Motive Media

Content informs everything. It tells us to whom we are speaking, what motivates them, and how we want to be perceived. Content draws customers, not the pretty aesthetics. That is not to say aesthetics are unimportant; the look and feel of a site are critical, but the content defines the direction of both. — Peter Bernardo, 352

In a perfect world, content should come first. In working experience, that is not the case. It is usually the last piece to arrive when a client wants to be the one to provide it. This can lead to a big design problem because what may have been designed for three content boxes, now has to fit seven. — Darren Fox, Idea Marketing Group

We design the content for human understanding. It is obvious content comes first. — Adam Qureshi, Qureshi Media

I believe content is king and design the cupbearer. Trying to fit copy into a design that is already made is a logistical disaster. The copy should have major influence over the design creative and set the theme/style and tone for how a page should be branded. While there are ‘foundational’ rules for great design, they should not come into play until after the copy has been completed — you can’t fit a square peg into a round hole. As a designer, I personally admit that you need a fine balance of both but ultimately the copy is the major influential factor for any advertising and therefore should hold prominence, yet still complement with appropriate design. — Ryan Jackson, DGR

Content should always come first. Content is the stuff that informs what the design should be. Without it, the design is just a shallow veneer. In so many ways, content is like a skeleton of a body, and design is the muscle, skin, and clothes. — Bobby Black, Bobby Black

I would have to say content should come first because the organization of the content and menu/content structure can play a large role in how that should be made available through the design. To make that content accessible in the most intuitive way possible it really helps to know what that content is, or at least have a high-level view of the content before starting a design. — Adam Chernenkoff, Claro Solutions

Many people want a website but they don’t always know what they want on it. Figuring out the content first and foremost, along with an idea of the size of project, is the most productive way to go. Otherwise you’re in a position I was in years ago of having the design ready but no content, or worse going back and needing to make modifications at the database level.

The people working with content provide the site developer with an outline of what the content will be helps the developers create a UML map. It takes a team effort to get large projects working with an open line of communication between people involved in the web copy and the site developers. — Eric Stasiak, XLS Designs

Designing without copy is like painting a wall without the wall — it can’t be done. Equally, content without the design is not engaging or exciting.

Trying to design a web page with no content is incredibly difficult — design and content are so intertwined that, without such consideration to that fact, neither the content nor the design will make sense, and you run the risk of confusing visitors, or boring them. Either way, your page will not convert. It is important to design the content, not around the content. — Lee Baillie, MintTwist

Content + Design Simultaneously

I think that this is one of those ‘chicken and egg’ kind of questions. In the digital realm, design is content and content is inherently designed. This is a space of visual communication where design and content must co-exist and mutually support each other.  While in some projects content is fundamentally king, without design the message is easily lost. That said, I’ve seen engaging, successful projects that have sprung out of great design where the content was specifically written to support the design.

If I had to pick which comes first I would have to say design, albeit I would extend the definition of design beyond merely visual design. I speak here of ‘design’ in a broader sense more in keeping with overall plan or strategy. This overall strategy/approach/theme/ is what comes first — from this all content and visual design are created. — Karen Wood, Thrillworks

Aesthetic design and content have to coexist and are symbiotic to an effective communications solution. If you want to ask which is more important, the answer is of course content. But how it is presented is especially important with regard to legibility and comprehension online and across devices.

Design is a word that gets used without context by the vast majority of web design firms. Are we talking about information design, interaction design, interface design, the design of a content strategy? 

Aesthetic visual design should always be the last part of the creative process once all the content or at least the scope of the content has been identified and the data architecture for the templates has been created. — Kyle Bailey, E-Cubed Media

Copy and design simply can’t live in silos — they need to work hand in hand to be effective. I learned this lesson the hard way when working as a designer for Natural Golf. They hired me to design an ad, and I made what I thought was the best design of all time, only get the worst results of any ad they’d ever run. And to add some salt to the wound, a really ugly ad they ran right after mine produced a strong return. 

What I gleaned from this is that design alone cannot do the selling; content, including a strong call to action and a sense of urgency, is just as important. People need to know how you can solve their needs — and a pretty picture can’t accomplish that all by its lonesome. You really need to tell a story through copy and images together if you want to resonate with your audience. — Steve Gaither, JB Chicago 

Asking whether design or content comes first is like asking whether you should start cooking with ingredients or a recipe. They’re not separate steps in a sequence, but interconnected elements of the same thing.

Depending on the situation, you might change your recipe (or invent a new one) to accommodate the ingredients you have on hand. Or, you might go shopping for new ingredients to fit the recipe you want to make. 

Neither of those is a ‘right’ answer. You just have to evaluate your situation and ask yourself what you’re really trying to accomplish. — James Archer, Forty

Neither. Strategy comes first. To communicate a message, tell a story, sell a product, or service, design and content need to be developed together strategically, purposefully.

Life is too fast on the Net, especially on mobile environments. We surf, browse, scan, tap, swipe, share, like, tweet — instantly. Content needs to be structured, written, and designed to attract and keep the attention of the user. Just like content is not only about information, design is not only the end result, or final presentation. It begins much earlier in the process and helps define the context, and enables organizing purposeful, concise, scannable content. — Mustafa Demir, freshmark

Let the message lead the way 

With strong community support for content-driven and influenced design, there’s hope lorem ipsum will gradually be eradicated from the design process.

Designers and content writers need to collaborate more closely to ensure messages shape design, so we can collectively yield more meaningful and powerful results.

Which comes first, content or design? How do you design a site for a client who doesn’t deliver content? Let us know your experiences in the comments.

Featured image/thumbnail, uses pop-art image via Shutterstock.

$880 worth of Christmas Vectors – only $19!

Whether you celebrate Christmas or not, there’s no denying you like cats.

Unless you dislike them, in which case…there’s cats here. Be careful.

This year, the North Shore Animal League,one of the largest no-kill rescue shelters, has found a new way to advertise to potential cat lovers: 

A cheerful Grandma sits around knitting and sending shout outs to viewers as a roomful of cats frolics around her. Livestreamed for 8 straight hours everyday. With Christmas music. If you ask us, we can’t think of any better way to take a break from studying. If you get tired of just watching…let’s remember that these cats -and many others- are up for adoption… 

There’s cats like James who, after knocking down a mirror and gnawing on the Christmas Tree, just wants to watch the world burn. (Did we mention that he’s extremely playful and cute?)

Buster, who has found his true home on grandma’s lap.

And Jade…currently undergoing a (loving!) turf war with another cat.

Although euthanization rates for undomesticated cats and dogs have gone down dramatically over the past 40 years, there’s still a lot of ground to cover. Here at USDemocrazy, we encourage everyone to adopt from local shelters rather than buying from specific breeders. As we finish up with our studies, and join our families for the Holidays, let’s just keep in mind what’s important this season: Generosity and Cats. 

But mostly the cats, so go watch some of those!

Learn about the campaign to get students involved in a one-hour introduction to computer science, designed to demystify code and show that anyone can learn the basics of programming. Visit code.org or attend a special Hour of Code workshop at any U.S. Apple Retail Store on December 11, 5 p.m.

The world is mourning the death of a legendary statesman and hero of the struggle for human rights.

Nelson Mandela died in his Johannesburg home on Thursday. He was 95 years old.

Mandela was greatly admired across the globe for his role in the collapse of the Apartheid regime in South Africa, where racial segregation and political and economic repression of blacks was enforced by law for decades.

After Mandela became a leader of first peaceful and then militant resistance to the government with the African National Congress, he was sentenced to life in prison and spent the next twenty-seven years locked away, doing hard labor and sleeping in a six-foot-wide cell.

With mounting international and internal pressure, Mandela was released in 1990. He then led negotiations with the government that ended Apartheid policies and scheduled the first free elections.

In 1994, Mandela was elected president of South Africa. During his one term of office, he oversaw the reconciliation of a deeply divided nation and sought to eradicate economic inequalities that persist in South Africa today.

After retiring, Mandela began his own foundation and worked for many years to combat the spread of HIV and to alleviate poverty in South Africa. Illness struck him in the final months of his life, which he spent in peace with his family.

Check out the reactions of President Obama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu.

In his autobiography, Long Walk to Freedom, Mandela had inspiring words to say about human nature that we at USDemocrazy would like to share with you:

No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite.

He will be truly missed.