Gio Gutierrez

First thoughts on the iPad

// January 27th, 2010 // 4 Comments » // Design, Personal

While we ate lunch and followed the announcement, David asked me: but if you have an iPhone and a MacBook Pro, why would you need an iPad? It’s a good question. Perhaps if you don’t have a laptop it’s a great way to own a second, more mobile computer that’s more powerful than the iPhone. Maybe it’s great for my mom as she just uses it to surf the web, facebook and pay bills. But is there really a need for a third, in-between semi-mobile computer?

I’m trying to imagine the situations: at home, in the office, I have my MBP hooked up to the 24? LED Display and various hard drives so to all intents and purposes it’s a desktop, but I can take it with me when I’m travelling (which I do a lot) and that’s why I love having the flexibility of a laptop. But would I use an iPad when I’m at work? No, I’d use my MBP. What about that other common situation, where I’m sitting in front of the TV at night — casually replying to emails or surfing the web (as I am now)? Would I use an iPad then? No, probably not because truthfully I’m working as well and need access to Photoshop, Coda, etc. I’m pretty sure I’d continue to use the laptop on almost all occasions. Ok, so what about on very small journeys where it’s between home and work without getting out the laptop? In those circumstances I usually use the iPhone to reply to emails and I guess that would be an instance where it’d be preferable to do it on an iPad. But is that it?!? Is there really a need for a third, in-between semi-mobile computer?

I do see scenarios for the iPad: My mom for example. I just bought her first computer and the cheapest Mac I got her was a white MB for $999 (God knows how much time I would have spent doing tech support if I had bought her a cheap PC). All she does is surf the web, pays her bills online, facebook, transfers some photos, emails me spam and that’s about it. This would have been perfect for her and at half the price. She would even save money in the long run with the unlimited $30 a month of AT&T’s 3G as opposed to Comcast’s $50 for hi-speed cable. Another use would be for a student who uses iWork/Office for schoolwork except this doubles as a gaming device and iPod as well. Or an iPad as a replacement to our more pricier “Office Laptop” that we use solely for the purpose of  keynote/powerpoint presentations that we can do now on our iPad. So I do see potential.

Let’s go back in time and look at a few of the reviews about the iPhone when it was launched:

The iPhone: Apple’s First Flop

Initial review of iPhone

iPhone Already Getting Some Negative Reviews - Yep, It’s the Touchscreen

iPhone 1.0: Looks 10, Utility 3? Wait for Version 2 in October

iPhone: Good News and Bad

Apple iPhone Review Roundup

The Big But

I’m disappointed that the iPad isn’t a device that can dock with another Mac. I feel a little let-down that’s not being quite as ground-breaking as I’d hoped. And I’m concerned that there may not be an actual need for it (I guess only time will tell). But has Apple created another gorgeous device? Yes. Have they pushed yet more UI design boundaries? Yes. And have they come through and delivered it all at a reasonable price? Amazingly, yes. So I’m still pretty excited.

I’m prepared to admit that — as a self-confessed Apple fanboy and a designer with a soft spot for all things pretty — the device’s beauty is possibly overpowering my logical reasoning, but the iPad really does look like an amazing piece of kit and it’s one I can’t wait to try out, as that’s the only way these concerns might be confirmed or quashed. Is it actually worth buying? It’s simply too soon to tell but I’ll make sure I have one and be the one to judge.

Google + Sesame Street

// November 10th, 2009 // No Comments » // Design

It’s the 40th year anniversary of Sesame Street, the most successful educational TV series in American history. Google is celebrating Sesame Street’s characters by change it’s logo everyday. What’s interesting with this sort of marketing is that it keeps me going to Google everyday just to see how creative they get with this as opposed to using my built in search tool in Safari. There will be more Google Sesame Street logos and I hope to catch them all.

Check out some of my favorite ones below!

Condé Nast Brings Titles to iPhone

// October 26th, 2009 // No Comments » // Design

Cut & Paste

// October 13th, 2009 // No Comments » // Design, Videos

Cut & Paste, the first design competition to square designers against each other in a live tournament-style battle. From the initial sold-out event in NYC, Cut & Paste has grown into a nationwide tour with stops in sixteen cities featuring local designers and judges in each spot. This video captures the three high-energy rounds, a lively 1200-person audience set at a Brooklyn warehouse-turned-club with some young New York designers duking it out on stage.

Email Marketing

// June 26th, 2009 // No Comments » // Design

When you send an email campaign, it isn’t just a simple note that’s launched into the ether. You want the message to be clear, and you want a guarantee that it’s received. You want to make sure your words are read, and you need to see that your dispatch was effective. Gone are the days of cold calling. No more cold shoulder. With Email Campaigns, your company goes beyond signed, sealed, and delivered.

Email campaigns are cost-effective and powerful, they’re the bulwark of tangible results. People click, people question, your site gets hits, your business gets business. It’s simple, but that doesn’t mean it’s without risk. By following the industry’s trusted practices, including email client testing, SPAM filters, and white-list email servers, you need to make sure your missives aren’t dismissed. Custom designs marry your existing site design with clear, concise, visually compelling communication. Self-publishing is a cinch with web-based, intuitive WYSIWYG software platform, meaning that this first love note won’t be your last. And once your campaign is sent, you can track your results in real time with your password-protected account. Email campaigns certify that your company will be a special delivery.

Services include: Custom design, HTML and Plain Text emails, web statistics, easy web-based publishing, spam filtering and mailing list segmentation.

Feel free to download my Email Marketing Presentation (pdf).

Outlook´s broken, Let´s fix it

// June 24th, 2009 // No Comments » // CSS, Design

Microsoft have confirmed they plan on using the Word rendering engine to display HTML emails in Outlook 2010.

This means for the next 5 years your email designs will need tables for layout, have no support for CSS like float and position, no background images and lots more. Want proof? Here´s the same email in Outlook 2000 & 2010.

Outlook 2010 is still in beta and Microsoft wants your feedback. It´s time to rally together and encourage Microsoft to embrace web standards before it´s too late.

Let´s use Twitter to send a clear message to Microsoft.

Join 12,965 others asking Microsoft to improve standards support and make sure you include fixoutlook.org in your tweet. We´ll pull together every tweet that includes the link here to give Microsoft a unified message from the community.

25 Stylish Examples of Web Forms

// June 9th, 2009 // No Comments » // CSS, Design

In this showcase, you’ll be able to set your eyes on a few remarkable and well-constructed web form designs. Go Visit

Flash and AIR usage in Feature Films

// June 3rd, 2009 // No Comments » // Design

Check out The Flash Blog for an interesting interview with a company called OOOii that basically specializes in using Flash and AIR for feature films such as Minority Report and Star Trek.

Interesting to see what they do for movies, their workflow, etc… Another example of a company succeeding using technology for a nice market.

Free Vectors “Engraved Ornaments”

// May 28th, 2009 // 1 Comment » // Design

I’ve got a set of vectors for everyone today (via Bittbox). These are engravings from currency and old documents. Most of them came from the previous generation of American paper money. I’ve always liked engraving, so I decided to make a set. I hope you can find a good use for them. Download here

Free Texture : Rainy Day

// April 28th, 2009 // No Comments » // Design

You know what they say: “Spring showers bring awesome textures to everyone… and flowers.” I was actually a little apprehensive about posting these images as they fall outside what I would consider “normal” textures. But then I thought of times in the past where I was desperately seeking some rain drop textures for projects and realized that there are probably others out there too.

Download (.zip) via Free Texture Tuesday: Rainy Day | BittBox.