I'm taking a crack at liveblogging an event tonight at NYU featuring Arun Chaudhary, director of video field production for the Obama campaign, in conversation with Ellen McGirt, senior writer at Fast Company and author of magazine's April 2008 cover story "The Brand Called Obama."Arun left his job as an adjunct film professor at NYU to produce video that pulls from public events, behind the scenes, and one-on-ones -- unique creative content that populates BarackObama.com and a YouTube channel. Let's get started.
Asked about the new media team, Arun describes at least 50 people crammed into one corner of an office building floor with with "pictures of JFK and graph paper tacked up on the wall." Arun says the new media team spends a fair amount of money, but they're buying fishing poles rather than fish; the broadcast quality footage they capture, for example, can be used for advertising in addition to online video. Asked about past campaigns he tried working with, Arun says they saw media as "too precious" to take creative risks with.
Arun explains his hire by the campaign by saying 'you can learn the politics. You can learn how to navigate these worlds. But you can't really learn the trades very quickly.' The campaign has been attracting successful people that way, he says, naming Facebook's Chris Hughes, who came on to handle social-networking. Arun then screens a well-crafted mock movie trailer calling people to a rally in New York's Washington Square Park that features Obama in slightly goofy situations. Ellen: "We've never seen anything like this before":
Ellen asks if the technology was in place three years ago to make video like this. "The technology was there three years ago, but I don't think the right audience was," says Arun. Back then, he jokes, there were just six hundred of the same people commenting on political blogs and that's it; online participation today spans a wider segment of the population.* Ellen ask how he managed to get approval for the trailer video from the campaign and the candidate. Arun laughs a bit nervously, "I don't know if the candidate saw it," but says that it made its way, he believes, to the level of campaign manager.
The next video was crafted to call people to the pre-Jefferson-Jackson dinner in Iowa, as, Arun says, showing organizational strength was the key to getting attention and momentum in that state. Ellen asks if there was a concern that Obama and guest attendee John Legend were the only African-Americans seen in the clip. Arun pointed to the Internet Archive's Prelinger Archivesas the source of the overly white footage. (At the actual event, the video team had five cameras and five videographers in place capturing footage.):
Next video. An Iowa call-to-caucus piece, says Arun, is a campaign classic. It both asks Iowans to caucus for their particular candidate and educates voters on how to actually go through the confusing caucusing process. Both the Obama campaign and the Edwards campaign went the route of a dated instructional-style video, he says. (Arun praises the Hillary Clinton campaign's call-to-caucus video which featured Bill Clinton eating a cheeseburger and saying something along the lines of "exercising is hard, but caucusing is easy."):
It was the campaign's "traditional media" team, says Arun, that whipped together a quick response to the Clinton campaign's 3 a.m. phone call ad. But the new media team tracked down the young girl in the stock footage, Casey Knowles, an Obama precinct captain in Washington State. In the one-minute video, Casey deconstructs the techniques in the Clinton ad -- the blue tint to the footage, the "scratchy voice" -- and slams the "politics of fear." An ad like that, says Arun, would never make on air, but works well online:
The candidate was in Terre Haute, Arun says, when the news broke that Obama had earlier made remarks in California concerning "bitter" Americans. Obama inserted a response to the incident in his Indiana speech. The new media team, says Arun, edited, packaged, and released the candidate's own words within 19 minutes of the speech's delivery. A lesson learned, says Arun, is that people are actually interested in the "sound blast," and will watch long clips in their entirety:
He also cites Obama's speech at their Chicago headquarters.The 14 minute clip shows the candidate addressing his staff, both in person and through a conference call (which creates a few minutes of less-than-thrilling footage when the call goes dead and Obama has to stall while it's reconnected). It wasn't deliberately shot low-fi for an extra dose of authenticity, Arun says, as some people suggested. There was no intention to create some sort of "Tanner 88" moment. It was just, he says, that there was an intern manning the camera:
Asked by Emily about what an Obama administration might bring, Arun says that the role of video in an administration would be even more powerful than in a campaign. He mentions the broadcasting of health care meetings -- creating a broader base of people who are able to keep an eye on the proceedings. The idea, Arun says, is not 'telling people who tell people to tell people,' but to use video to tell people directly. The role of video in governing, he says, is to achieve the goal of "cutting out the middleman."
Q&A
Question: There's a discontinuity in your work with high video quality and no sound mixing. Why?
Arun: We shoot as high quality as we can because it might be used for broadcast, but get used to it -- a lot of the networks are going so broke that they're getting rid of their "sound guys."
Question: What role with user-generated content play in presidential campaigns? Arun: Using voter-generated content while probably remain "an unrealized ideal." Much of the content that gets sent to them is "a little strange."
Question: Why is new media going to make young people come out and vote?
Arun: It isn't. Barack Obama is what is going to make people come out and vote.
Question: If you embrace an interactive politics 2.0, how do you avoid politicizing governing? Arun: I think we're ready for 1.5. We'll [ed. -- a clarification: "we" here is a reference to political campaigns in general, and to the tools that might come into common use -- not a reference to the Obama campaign in particular] have virtual townhalls, for sure.
* Updated to correct: The original line referenced political blogs; in making the joke, Arun was referencing hard-core blog commenters. Barack Obama, design, Fast Company, ITP, video
...having been replaced by "social networking cards," now available at Staples for $4.99 for 50. It cracked me up to see in-store advertising for a tool meant to assist your family and friends in keeping track of the myriad places you're active online -- but it's a sign of the times, I guess.
You have to appreciate the commitment to detail demonstrated by the "misohungry" message found at the bottom of this box of matches from Sen, a Japanese place in Sag Harbor, New York. I picked up the matches last summer, and only when I got down to the bottom of the box did I discover the note. Of course, "misohungry" is a fairly obnoxious display of racial stereotyping. But as a sign of attention paid to the little things, it's pretty admirable.
Sometimes I get jealous about all the fun tech people seem to have, what will their creatin' stuff and problem solvin'. The latest object of my jealousy is a project run by Yahoo called the Design Pattern Library, which houses design patterns intended to "describe[] an optimal solution to a common problem within a specific context." I'm finding myself wondering if it doesn't have some lessons to teach about knowledge sharing in the political world. With the warning that my thoughts on this are still in the formation process, let me suggest why.
The purpose of the Design Pattern Library is simple: to offer up models for good ways of solving user interface challenges on the web. For example, one of the more popular patterns is called Vote to Promote, which is more or less the Digg model. For every pattern in the library, four elements are detailed: title, problem, context, and solutions. When it comes to this voting model, the pattern notes why a developer might want to use the tool and some design considerations, such as the need to build a sizable enough community to make the differences between vote totals meaningful. The pattern also provides notes on how to indicate popularity and to make sure that users have actually read/watched/listened to what they're rating. There's also a discussion of how users might try to game the system, and how to foil those attempts.
Why would Yahoo! give away for free what they've learned about pattern design? To get feedback on their own products from the development community. To improve the web user experience across the board. To establish the company as a great corporate citizen in the online development world. Because working together is more enjoyable than working alone, and the tech world sees value in having fun.
It's not difficult to see that there are "design patterns" when it comes to both campaigns and governing that would be invaluable if shared. But the way things stand now, we're all left to reinvent the wheel time and again. For example, it would help a new candidate a great deal to have access to a pattern on how to approach engaging with the local blogosphere. Every small advocacy group is left to learn on their own how to get access to legislative information. Why don't some of us in the political world take a leadership role in packaging that knowledge for reuse? I think there's arguably no real need for those chunks of know-how to even be restricted along partisan lines. Google developers are free to make use of Yahoo's patterns, and starting to think in terms of shared "design patterns for politics" could raise the level of the game for everyone. (Photo thx xian)
The other night, American Idol -- yes, I watch, and religiously -- featured a short segment on the Beatles that seemed designed to introduce the band to the AI audience who would otherwise have no idea who the Fab Four were. And judging from the fact that one of the twenty-something contestants actually did a cover of White Snake's version of "Day Tripper," the primer was probably pretty prudent. Anyway, the gist of the clip was that boys from Liverpool weren't just a mere band. They were gamechangers who opened up our minds to new ways that music could be made.
Fast Company has a strong piece up on Barack Obama as a corporate brand. Perhaps not too surprising a spin for a business mag, but I think it's somewhat off. Obama '08 may have all the snazzy logos and consistent typography of a corporate outfit. But I think what's different about his campaign has really been a question of style -- a style that you see in the way his team engages in social networking to the way he debates. His approach to doing a presidential race is different than we've ever seen before. And it's probably safe to say that the way he's demonstrating new ways of playing the game is downright Beatlesque. (Photo thx Dunechaser)
When my aunt-outlaw* was cleaning out her basement last summer she offered me the pick of old books she didn't want anymore. She's an artist and had a number of design books, and I picked out a big, slightly water-stained copy of When Advertising Tried Harder. It was the early 60's, when the rough-around-the-edges new breed of copywriters and designers crashed the gates of Madison Avenue advertising firms. The gray flannel suits were aghast to find non-Ivy League 'ethnics' like Italians, Jews, and Irish in their design meetings. But the advertising that these men and women produced were just obviously better than the old grandiose 50s style ads. It was brash, direct, and tried to say something meaningful. Compare this Oldsmobile "futuramic" ad from 1948 to the Volkswagon "Think Small" campaign of 1959:
If you can find a used copy of When Advertising Tried Harder anywhere, buy it. It's simply excellent.
(*"Outlaws" are the equivalent of inlaws for people who the state doesn't let marry.)
On the same day (yesterday) I went to the Jane Jacob's exhibit at MAS, I read The End of Print about graphic designer David Carson. Carson's known for using typography in innovative ways and mixing type with photographs, illustrations to create gritty and messy work that isn't always entirely legible but still generally manages to convey the meaning of the content. I was inspired. I own several design programs. See above.
The Jane Jacobs' exhibit at the Municipal Arts Society is excellent, both educational and remarkably well designed. In one particularly neat feature, there's a Lucite overlay in front of a window looking out onto the corner of 51st Street and Madison Avenue. They've put up markings on the overlay pointing out practical examples of Jacobs' four principles -- mixed uses, varied buildings, concentration, and frequent streets. I'd put up a picture of it, but all of my photos are stuck on my Mac Book whose AirPort has decided to take this Monday off.
Other highlights include snippy anti-Jacobs letters from Robert Moses and historian Louis Mumford, and a model of LOMEX (Lower Manhattan Expressway) that Jacobs fought against in the 60's.
In 1986, King County, Washington changed its namesake from William Rufus deVane King, former American Vice President and slave owner, to Martin Luther King, Jr. To reflect the county's new focus on diversity, inclusiveness, and progress, they recently hired a design team to come up with a new logo. A fascinating project, and a demonstration of how graphic design is used to create identity as much as it is to reflect it. Much more on it here.
Simple and spare text-only book covers are the new black, people. The cover of Matt Bai's The Argument that we talked about the other day was one example, but I just quickly spotted three more while checking out the front tables of the Chelsea Barnes & Noble. It's a good clean look that puts the focus on the words, where it belongs.
Yep, I'm very into book covers. I'm cool clear down to my bones. Could I possibly be more of a dork? What if I were to, say, be so excited about going to see a documentary about a font tonight that I can hardly stand it?
Our latest adventures in book design brings us to Matt Bai's "The Argument: Billionaires, Bloggers, and the Battle to Remake Democratic Politics." I think that the tracking -- the space between the letters -- might be set too high, and that the cerulean blue of the subtitle is somewhat dated. But otherwise it looks just how it should, like the cross between a text book and a manual. "The Argument" is meant to be your essential guide to modern Democratic politics, and that's just what it looks like. Nice job, Matt et al.
With we're on the topic, John Maeda, the associate director of MIT's media lab, explains here his process for designing the most recent cover of Key, the New York Times's guide to real estate you will never, ever be able to afford. (Via J. Kottke.)
Design has been a hobby of mine for a long while. In fact, there was a time in my life, pre-Capitol Hill, where I supported myself by whipping up website mock-ups for a variety of small clients. It was great work (except for the clients). My latest design obsession is book covers. There's a small neighborhood book shop in Park Slope that features an array of books in their front window that I'm pretty sure are picked on the basis of how awesome the covers look. I love to walk over to the shop and study them. I love the colors, the variety of styles, and the way that the designer is forced to work within the four bounded corners of the cover.
Anyway, my very good friend Lindsey (who recently surprised me by saying that she reads the blog so, um, hey Lindsey! You rock.) gave me a book on the cultural history of absinthe for my birthday yesterday. Since I'm not completely sure about the legality of that drink in the U.S., lettttt's just say that we have two very good friends, named Schmancy and Schmindsey, who may or may not be pursuing the importation and subsequent consumption of absinthe. I loved the book, and in particular loved the simple yet striking cover design, which isn't conveyed all that well here, but still looks pretty great.
I admit that the clean and fairly beautiful design of these Trader Joe's herbal shampoo and conditioner is a large part of the reason I bought them, but it turns out that the simple design makes them less useful. The only way to tell them apart is to wipe the suds away from your eyes and attempt to actually read the words on the label. This is minimalism gone too far! The need at least to have some sort of color ring, like the one on the new Target pill bottles. Less attractive, maybe, but also far less annoying.
January 11, 2007 Redesign '07 The new year called for a new look for nancyscola.com, and so here we are. The site's been cleaned up and streamlined quite a bit. If you're so inclined, let me know what you think in the comments. Speaking of comments, they've been rebuilt to work more reliably (cross your fingers) than they have in the past. design
November 21, 2005 Sabbath mode As today seems to be Judaism day here on the blog -- I met an interesting guy at a party this weekend who lives up in Williamsburg. He offhandedly mentioned something about how major appliances -- like stoves and refrigerators -- have built-in 'Sabbath modes,' designed in such a way so as not to violate prohibitions on doing any sort of work on the Sabbath. I was incredulous, but there does seem to be something to this. From an old issue of Wired, first the problem:
Opening a fridge seems like a harmless action without consequence. But every time you open that door, you let warm air in and cold air out, changing the temperature inside. So the compressor switches on to compensate, and you've effectively turned on the appliance and engaged in work. Mechalel shabbos - you've desecrated the Sabbath.
According to the article, manufacturers work around this by interrupting the connection between the action (opening the door) and the result (the compressor switching on.) For refrigerators, the solution is to go back to the old models where the compressor being turned wasn't tied to the door opening and the temperature dropping but instead having it just kick on every hour or five hours or whatever. And in the case a stove, the solution is to make it so that turning on dial turns it on, but not right away. There's a randomized time-shift, maybe a five second delay, or maybe a fifteen second delay. It's unpredictable, you see, and therefore doesn't count as a "direct action." No direct action, no violation of the Sabbath. Fascinating. And it's all going on right there in our kitchens. design
June 13, 2005 Just Don't Know Why Kottke Would Do This Jason
Kottke is sort of the granddaddy of clean, clear, minimalist web design
and my fondness for his design sensibilities is such that it was from him that
I stole much of the initial look of this site. That is why I can't figure out
why he would go and do something like this -- turn a perfectly good text block
into an image. It's the sort of thing we stopped doing when CSS made it
so that one can pretty much control the look of fonts without resorting to this.
Interesting choice, is all I'm saying. design
[Y]ou, Internet person, are left with two options: Just pick a photo and go for it, or go the arty/ironic route. It's not as if you can stay hidden forever. Eventually someone will upload you to Flickr or tag you in a wedding pic wearing an unflattering, unchosen color. My own half-solution: I took a photo and ran it through something called the Face Transformer that created a manga version of myself. It's me, but it's not really me. That's kind of how it feels to be online.
"Get a new head shot" has been on my list of things to do for, oh, about two years now. The idea of having one iconic image of yourself seems so forced to me. I'm tempted to go to Glamor Shots and get a truly ridiculous photo done -- something where I'm all made up, the focus is entirely too soft, and I'm smiling lovingly at the camera.
July 2, 2008 Darcy Burner, the Democratic candidate in Washington's 8th congressional district, lost her home and a pet to a fire this weekend -- which it terrible, and my heart goes out to her. On a somewhat lighter note, check out the t-shirt she was wearing when she ran out of her house. In case you don't want to click through, it simply reads </war>. (If you're not so big on the HTML, </whatever> means to close, or end, the stated tag.) It's quite an appropriate shirt -- Darcy's both strongly anti-war and a former Microsoftie. Darcy Burner, design, Iraq war, t-shirts
June 10, 2008 Designers Include Copyright Notice for Added Touch of Class Why are public interest groups copyrighting their stuff unnecessarily? Yeah, current law attaches copyright to what you create whether you post notice or not, but as for notices on websites go I suspect that there's some amount of bad habit involved. Back when I was building websites for a living and didn't know any better, I'd automatically stick a copyright note in the template footer for my clients because I thought it made the site look more "official."
The original Toronto subway tile colour scheme was generated by combining a number of background colours with four trim colours...The colours were chosen to discourage rowdy behaviour and loitering rather than for aesthetic reasons. Consequently, they have the institutional quality of hospital or penitentiary walls. For many years, Torontonians grumbled that their subway stations looked like public washrooms. But now, decades later, the remaining designs have become Modernist classics.
A community project called Ninth Avenue Renaissance...proposes the use of on-street parking spaces on Ninth Avenue in Manhattan for barbecues and the like, adding a dose of intrigue to the street scene that will lead motorists to become curious, and slow down. "New York has these sorts of mental speed bumps," said Mr. Kent, of the Project for Public Spaces, "but we've slowly degraded them by designing a more and more frictionless city for fast walkers and fast drivers." But street-level friction, he said, is actually good.
Street barbecues would be awesome. Similar is last fall's National PARK(ing) Day, where parking spaces were turned into temporary mini-parks. design
The Nationals and the D.C. Sports & Entertainment Commission wanted a ballpark that was aesthetically "of the city." So for the sides facing the Capitol, the designers chose buff-colored stone typical of Washington's monumental architecture.
...
The site's design includes circles (the shape of the stadium) and triangles (the footprint of the Nationals' adjacent admin building) to echo the D.C. street grid created in 1791 by planner Pierre L'Enfant.
The good food of Ben's Chili Bowl will also be served on site.
...
The cherry trees, a special request by Nationals owner Mark Lerner, are a Washington icon. They'll bloom in early spring, just when baseball season gets under way.
Nationals Park is also built to be particularly "green," with a waste water system said to produce water as clean as the Anacostia River. design, food
WOW sails to the countries where abortion is illegal. Once docked in harbour, the organisation provides information on family planning, safe sex and abortion. Women who want to have a safe abortion can board the ship and be treated in international waters under Dutch law.
January 2, 2008 Rise Up and Design! This caucus eve, take a look at this remarkable selection of political posters produced during Atelier Populaire, the legendary 1968 activist take-over of the Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris that produced a startling number of political prints. design
I'm a Brooklyn-based writer obsessed with technology, networks, social organizing, and the politics of food. This is my online home where I talk about those things and whatever else strikes my fancy. Learn More
