some websites of interest. Having a hard time deciding between a tabular format and a more in-depth format..

2 things that i have to keep in mind is that I have to make this 'experiential' and 'user friendly'. 

The one thing I am lacking at the moment are sketches and storyboards which i have to get on right away. 

Another thing to keep in mind for my logo is the 'meaning' behind the icon because i see this as a chance to embody the definition and encompass what it is to give and incorporating that into the lifestyle. 

the leo burnett and design for the elastic mind sights are good examples of depth and dynamic sites while vimeo and kiva are standard tabular formats.

I've also looked at www.designchapel.com and they also have some good ideas to offer.

deciding on a visual direction seems to be a little more difficult then i thought it would be. After contemplating my target demographic which is 20-40 range and those 40-50 on the peripheral of that range i want to make the site with a clean contemporary style that will be accessible to both genders of that range. It is also targeting the middle class that might be into pop culture or trends. This will be aimed at mostly western countries and with european countries also kept in mind as well. 

ideas as far as a identity goes: things that come to mind. 

spider webs.. network.. webs, ropes, grid lines, connection, roads, highways, ripples in the water, water, fluids, spanning out, expanse, air, wind, propellers, sharing, gifts, hands, giving, piggy banks, light, light rays, 

after consulting with my mentor:

other goals: I want to redefine giving in a new perspective, a new way to give.. not your usual donation strategy.. more invested. maybe to emphasize the 'badge of honour' saying to the world 'yes' i am a 'donor' just like how people wear around reusable bags at the markets. (maybe good idea for take away). a mark that will find its way around virally and not just blatantly shouting 'make a donation' as this is not conducive to making people 'give' when asked to give.

maybe something to lead people to the site and a splash page that is going to engage this demographic and introduce them to a new way of thinking of donations. Maybe not around parting with money but emphasize 'change' and making a difference (many ways to do this)

thinking generously.. a new spin on normal words with images. a NEW WAY OF THINKING ABOUT GIVING

'I am You.. I..

cook 'cooking' -soup kitchens (feed)

clean 'cleaning' -back alleys

teach 'teaching' -developing countries

give 'giving' -clothing to homeless

build 'building' -sustainable farms

have friends - picture of people across the world in developing countries

have family - same as above

have a home - pictures of different homes 

spinning slot machine pictures comparison ending up on a whole picture of the world. connecting the world.. world turns into interface and expands on the world causes and signing up for a profile.. share generosity. share generosity icon ..

emphasis on the normal person giving in different ways. 

CAUSE filter comes with a world list. the mouse turns into a magnify glass over the many causes that are being added to everyday.. LOCATION button same thing. 

i don't want a usual interface that is going to be typical and boring.. i want something dynamic and evolving... maybe a set of circles that are floating and connected? set of lines? a web? use words like profile? has been used many times already something novel and more meaningful might want to be considered. 

DETAILS on cause should also be included and some way of saying connection to the other party without saying CONTACT though this might be simple there's got to be a better way of putting this. 

independent crit night

After sitting down to an independent crit night thrown by Ginger i've received some extremely useful feedback and here's the things i think i should start focusing on:

-developing a 'lifestyle' of giving. (hopefully this is not a fad/trend)

-make sure it doesn't sound too preachy but sends a sincere message that will sway the audience to act on their own.

-target a younger demographic as the older demographic may not be technologically adept and are at the end of their life spans as well. This will also create lifelong 'invested' donors rather than short term donors.

-Can this be modeled after "Green Movement"? since it started quite small and now it has become a global issue. charity is a global issue as well but doesn't have the media exposure that the green movement has.. 'news about new fuels' 'news about kyoto' 'hybrid cars'... etc.

-does it make it's way into product? like green movement that has green friendly product... would this be equivalent to air trade coffee?

Sites of interest:

vimeo

youtube

facebook

flikr

amazon --> the 'you might be interested in' bar at bottom instead use this as 

'you might be interested in' for stories. maybe scrolling bar at the bottom with thumbnails of causes.

forests forever. This site is inspiring and well thought out. The depth of the content is pretty amazing and looks like it as been worked on quite a bit. It also has an amazing amount of layering and something i would want for the network i'm putting together. One of the things i think about is whether i want a flat map or a 3d looking map like on google earth. what would suit the site better?

trying to upload photos and having some tech trouble.. will post again in a few.

list of things to do

As of now I have to start considering the visual aspect and interactions that are going to take place between the network of people and a list of things that are going to be needed.

Feel or mood of the site.

Content: (preliminary thoughts)

world map (some type of drag or fly over)

profiles

stories

links to charities

links to other users

inspirations (could be pictures, links or stories, hopefully other people as well. I want this to be flexible so people can dictate what they consider charity and how they think they are making a difference)

some form of contact between user profiles (live chat, IM,  msgs.)

does it need a splash page?

filters: by location, by cause, by deeds... (can filters be added?)

what differentiates this site from other community sites? maybe start by looking at other community sites:

 

earth.google.com -great map and filter interface for causes users can contribute

forests-forever.com -great map and smooth interface

nikeplus.com -good community site that allows users to track progress

facebook.com -well you know...

myspace.com -before.. well you know..

kiva.com -peer lending site to developing businesses

these are some initial sites right now and i'll hopefully be adding more if anyone has any suggestions i'd love to hear about them.

why so many?

ok i'm not quite sure why I realized it now but as i was on charity.com I started to wonder and realize that there are so many charities around the world and definitely in each country that some or a lot of them are working towards the same cause. Now my question is why are they working so separately from each other? is it an ego thing? is it disorganization? corruption? these questions pop into my head and now I am more sure of my grad project than ever. 

There is a need out there for some form of organization between people, charities, receivers, donors and much everyone because most of us are working towards the same thing and maybe all that is lacking is a network that can cross the globe and connect everyone. 

After talking with Don last week I have come to the realization that 2 of my ideas needed to be combined together to come to my solution. A network is needed to put everyone on the same field and a tool to communicate effectively the information, to inspire and to know what you are giving to. So from that my main objective now is to build a website site will be modeled after the google earth platform. 

Things it will have:

A globe that's rotatable

Profiles that can be created

Connection then be made through profiles

Profiles can be viewed and the Stories through the profiles will be the main driving factor

Inspiration from these stories capture people interest

Links will direct people to make similar contribution

Lists of people that were inspired to act from your story appear

These lists of links can also be activated and a web created to those donating

Charities can also create profiles.

This will allow charities to connect with one another on certain initiatives

Filters can be created that will allow one to sort through stories by different causes

News tickers maybe to inform on causes (good and bad) fed from different news sources around the globe.

The receivers of charity can upload what the contribution has done.

It can also include good deeds as well as monetary.

connects to you through email informing of people who have followed your actions

more to come.