This week marks the beginning of a new phase of the Moonlight Group. We would like to welcome Mason Adams to the team as our newest intern. He hails from Charlotte and attends Western Carolina University as a Graphic Design student. Mason plans to finish school early and graduate in December 2013.

When he can escape from his class workload, Mason can be found playing his ukulele or guitar, riding his unicycle around campus or hanging out with his friends.

Check out more photos from throughout the week here.

“There are no bad ideas.”

This is how all brainstorming sessions should begin. Let everyone in the group know that whatever the problem is, no idea is too far-fetched for the session. That is what brainstorming is- to creatively solve problems, and when used properly, it is a very important step to beginning any new project.

Not all brainstorming sessions are the same, but here are some things we at Moonlight have done during sessions that were successful:

1. Appoint one person to record the ideas

2. Keep the session relaxed and informal

3. Define the problem clearly and focus on solving only it

4. Encourage participation by all members

5. Remember: No Bad Ideas

6. Keep the progress on track

7. Aim for Quantity

8. Make sure ideas are visible to everyone

9. Set a meeting time limit

10. Review ideas only after the session

At Moonlight, we think ideas can come from anywhere, so we like to have enough supplies out for everyone to be inspired: paper, markers, pens, Play-Doh, Post-It notes. We want to make sure everyone can see the ideas come to life.

We use the Post-It notes to write down every idea that is offered and post it on the wall to inspire someone else who reads it. Most of all, we try to have fun with it, or else we could stifle creativity.

We believe even the smallest ideas can avalanche into big ideas from someone else in the group. Some ideas may not make it far, but that’s why you want so many. Just like a storm can be sudden and powerful, so can the ideas produced during a session.

If all else fails, alcohol has been shown to increase creative problem-solving abilities. If the group hits a wall and needs a break, then having some cocktails “may enhance creative problem solving by reducing the mind’s working memory capacity, which is the ability to concentrate on something in particular.” Source: MedicalDaily.com

Moonlight Creative Group asks that you please drink and brainstorm responsibly.

How many of us have had similar thoughts before? We think people have to compensate for something that lacks (whatever it is) by making themselves appear to be bigger than they are. Yeah, maybe that’s judgmental and inaccurate. That’s not the point. The point is, it doesn’t matter whether or not it’s true – what matters is how you appear to other people. The same goes for your company logo.

I work with the web, mainly focusing on sites and applications, so what follows relates to my experiences with all things online.

Make it smaller

I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve been asked to “make the logo bigger.” Each time, I sigh. And I don’t sigh because I dislike the logo, or the brand, or anything about the company I’m doing work for. I sigh because bigger logos often go against basic user-centered principles. People don’t come to your site to look in awe at your spiffy logo. Chances are they know who you are, or they’ve heard of you before, and they’re visiting your website to find out more about who you are and what you do. Their goal is to find information. And like you and I, these visitors have other things to do in their day, and would rather get in, get what they want, and get out, rather than sift through a horde of information to maybe find something useful.

A large logo isn’t always useful. A large logo doesn’t give your visitors any new information and doesn’t help them accomplish their tasks. What a larger logo does, however, at best is effectively shove all the useful stuff further down the page, making it more difficult for visitors, or at worst, distract them from their goals.

Confidence

Just like with our quote from Anonymous above, the way we handle our logos goes a long way in how people view us. I recently came across the website for Boston University. The first thing I noticed was that the logo was at the bottom of the site. Bottom? That’s just mad! Why would anyone put their logo at the bottom of the site? Pfft, right?

But after thinking about it for a bit, I realized that this site exudes confidence. Boston University, a well-known and well-established educational institution, doesn’t need to remind people who they are. People know. People come to this site for information. Boston University doesn’t need to drive around in a big Hummer because they are a big Hummer. Taking the ego out of the equation leaves us with a beautiful site that’s perfectly user-centered. That is confidence, and your users will see it.

Crazy, right?

A good user experience

If your company is all about providing the best service to your users, patients, visitors, or employees, shouldn’t that message follow through to your website? Rather than focusing on the ego of the shareholders, stakeholders, or personal preferences, why not focus on those who will actually use your services – your users.

And if we wanted to get all capitalistic up in here, your users are your bottom dollar, so how much more should your site focus on them?

Your site should show off your confidence. The awesome, helpful, task-oriented content and useful, usable, quality services should carry your brand, but your brand should not carry your quality. Have confidence in your business. Focus on your users.

Make that logo smaller. Heck, why not go further and stick it at the bottom?

Here’s a quick checklist to ensure strong usability of your website:

• Determine the goals of your website
• Know your audience
• Keep navigation clear and simple
• Make it compatible with mobile devices

Why, you may wonder, do I have a flock of paper cranes on my desk?

We regularly have incredibly fun, interesting design projects. Some are just a bit more unusual than others. This is one of them. How often do you have an excuse to learn origami and call it work? This will be a fun campaign – stay tuned for the final product!

Here’s a sneak peek at one of the ads we designed for Charlotte-based VisionCor. This is part of a creative campaign we are developing to help further brand VisionCor, which specializes in the learning and information management industry. More to come as we roll out this campaign.

Immersing myself in a foreign culture is a good lesson in empathy, which is the main tool used in the “user-centered design approach.” Many of you often hear us at Moonlight talk about “usability” and “experience” when referring to your projects. Many of you might also wonder how one can design an “experience.” The real answer to that question is quite complex, however the simple version is easy: empathetic design.

The foundation of empathetic design is observation. This is not my first trip to Aber, but before my first visit I did volumes of  research on the people, their culture, the land, etc. I observed through movies on YouTube, books, photographs and maps. But none of that could compare to the observation that took place once I finally reached that pearl of Africa.

I found insight through observing in a true environment. I think that the people at IDEO describe it best by calling this “human inspiration” and stating that “innovation starts with an eye.” Without that environmental observation, I wouldn’t know what this feels like:

This is my “human inspiration.”

Since MCG works mainly in the public and not-for-profit sectors of Charlotte, understanding empathy and it’s role in creating social impact through design is important – whether I learn it in my backyard or across the pond. Plus, I will be back before you know it — see ya’ll on the 12th.

And oh yeah Mom, I promise to be safe!

PS. If you are curious to see “empathetic design” and its relationship to what we do here at MCG in action, check out this TED talk from user-centered filmmaker and documentarian Morgan Spurlock, called “The Greatest TED Talk Ever Sold.”