Five Rules to Design Like Apple [Video]

5 Rules for Designing from the men behind Apple’s biggest design decisions

In 2012, the newest ipad sold at a rate of 694 ipads per minute during the 1st 72 hours.

ipad mini image appleCan you imagine creating a product that people would purchase at such an amazing rate?

If you sold 694 of whatever you invented TOTAL, that would be a feat in itself, but per MINUTE? Amazing. But the answer is not as simple as copying Apple’s designs. They are able to do what they do because of deeply embedded philosophies of design pushed down by the design leaders of Apple, Steve Jobs and Jonathan Ive.

Apple is able to do this because of their famous ability to create products that are not only aesthetically pleasing but easy to use. Below is a fun video talking about 5 rules of design derived from the philosophies of the leaders of Apple.

“For you to sleep well at night, the aesthetic the quality has to be carried all the way through” – Steve Jobs

RULE #1 – Don’t Skimp on Anything

Don’t skimp on sections of design just because they aren’t in the customers main line of sight
– High quality design is all encompassing

RULE #2 – Everyone must understand the Product

Every employee in the company must truly understand what the product they are building is, how it works, and how it will benefit customers or society in order to get the design just right.

“It is so important to be light on your feet, inquisitive and interested in being wrong” – Jonathan Ive

RULE #3 – Motivated by Failure & Optimistic about Change

Good design is produced by people who are motivated by failures and optimistic about change.

– Focus and simplicity – Steve Jobs Mantra

RULE #4 – Simple, Beautiful over Bells & Whistles

It’s harder to design something that is simply beautiful than it is to just stuff a product full of bells and whistles. But the marketplace is looking for clean, flawless, and operational design.

Our products are tools and we don’t want design to get in the way – Jonathan Ive

RULE #5 – Quality Product over Flash

Product design isn’t meant to stick out like a sore thumb, but rather a high quality product, people come to recognize as an extension of themselves.

  • What do you like best about apple’s product designs? Looks? Ease of use? Quality?
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20 Amazing Cinemagraph Photography

What is Cinemagraph Photography?

Cinemagraph are photograph stills where a small portion of the photo is animated. The term cinemagraph was first coined by photographers Kevin Burg and Jamie Beck.

Cinemagraphs were created by combining a video recording a series of photographs. Using photo editing software such as adobe photoshop, the section to be animated is “masked” into the still photo. In other words, just to make a complicated thing sound simple, you are seeing a small snippet of looped video laid on top of a photo. This allows you to create some fanscinating and amazing photos. Some are beautiful like a person sitting on a beach with the waters sparkling. Some are straight up scary, where eye balls suddenly move or some something unexpected moves in the photo.

Cinemagraphs are more startling when the photo is clearly a still (depicted by something that is normally moving that is frozen) while another portion that should be still has subtle movements.

See some great examples from around the web below:
Sorry, couldn’t figure out the source as these photos are everywhere.

VOTE BELOW FOR YOUR FAVORITE
Let us know what you think of this new Cinemagraph style!

21 Amazing Cinemagraph Photography to Blow Your Mind

Cinemagraph – Beautiful Beach Ocean

Cinemagraphs - Beach
Cinemagraphs – Beautiful Beach Ocean

Cinemagraph – Sizzling Bacon

Cinemagraphs - Bacon Sizzle
Cinemagraphs – Bacon Sizzle – My Kind of Photography!

Cinemagraph – Birthday Candles

Cinemagraphs - Candles
Cinemagraphs – Candles

Cinemagraph – Newspaper Reading at Park

Cinemagraph - Newspaper Reading at Park
This One Blew Me Away! Stunning Cinemagraph.

Cinemagraph – Cat Ears

Cinemagraph - Cat Ears
Cinemagraph – Cat Ears Wiggle

Cinemagraph – Coffee Latte Stir

Cinemagraph - Coffee Latte Stir
Cinemagraph – Coffee Latte Stir

Cinemagraph – Dr Strangelove Facial Expression

Cinemagraph - Dr Strangelove Facial Expression
Dr Strangelove Facial Expression – Hilarious!

Cinemagraph – Expresso Coffee Machine

Cinemagraph - Expresso Coffee Machine
Never thought, staring at an Expresso Coffee Machine was so Fascinating

Cinemagraph – Scary Moving Eyes

Cinemagraphs - Moving Eyes
Moving Eyes – Like a Bad Horror Film

Cinemagraph – Time Watch

Cinemagraph - Time Watch
Hey I Remember when Those Watches Were Popular!.. did i just date myself?

Cinemagraph – Windy Clothes

Cinemagraph - Windy Clothes
A Slight Breeze. Very Harry Potter Like

Cinemagraph – Fresh Tomatoes on Vine

Cinemagraph - Fresh Tomatoes on Vine
What I Would do to Bite into those Tomatoes (w/ some sugar)

Cinemagraph – Wine Pouring

Cinemagraph - Wine Pouring
Cinemagraph – Never Ending Wine

Cinemagraph – Freaky Shining

Cinemagraphs - Freaky Shining
Speaking of Freaky – Shining?

Cinemagraph – Hot Dog Stand

Cinemagraph - Hot Dog Stand
Cinemagraph – Hot Dog Stand – Mmm Hungry

Cinemagraph – Ketchup Bottle

Cinemagraph - Ketchup Bottle
Cinemagraph – Ketchup Bottle for that Hot Dog Above!

Cinemagraph – Pigeon Hangout

Cinemagraph - Pigeon Hangout
Cinemagraph – Pigeon Hangout

Cinemagraph – Picture Model

Cinemagraphs - Picture Model
Cinemagraphs is the Most Popular in the Fashion Industry

Cinemagraph – Scary Models

Honestly, I find these Model shots Absolutely Frightening

Cinemagraph – Scary Movie

Cinemagraphs - Scary Movie
Another Clip from some Scary Movie I’d Never Watch

POLL: Which Cinemagraphs were your Favorites! [Pick up to 3]

[poll id=”31″]

 

Cinemagraph App on App Store

Cinemagram LogoThere is an App called Cinemagram that makes it easy to do this on your phone!
Button below should take you to the Cinemagram App:
Cinemagram - Factyle

Cinemagraph Tutorial Video

For those who are too curious and want to know. You can watch this video. Warning: Not for the technically impaired. Those of you impaired should just get the Cinemagram App.

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New OK Go Music Video – End Love

OK Go Picture Image

So Who is OK Go?

Ok Go is a band formed back in 1998 that became famous through YouTube due to their incredibly creative music videos. In an era where music videos require lot of pizzazz and special effects, this four man band composed of Damian Kulash, Andy Ross, Time Nordwind and Dan Konopka took the online world by storm with their hilarious, low budget videos.

Why is OK Go’s video highlighted on Clean Cut Media?

Simply, because they are creative! We at Clean Cut Media, love.. wait for it.. Clean Cut Media. Rather than just critiquing all that is wrong in media, we also want to give credit to those who are able to produce clean yet creative spots. Any good examples of good advertising or good video should be recognized as a testament that not everything needs to be conform to inappropriate techniques we find in our culture.

OK Go’s New Video – End Love

Here is the latest OK Go Video. When you have time I recommend checking out all their videos. Each is uniquely creative. They’ve built their own hype and the need to be uniquely creative in each successive video – and they’ve done a good job of it! It’s refreshing to see creativity win rather than simply doing more of what everyone else does. Enjoy.

Download the OK GO MP3

Downlaod the OK GO Music Video Here

OK Go’s – “A Million Ways”

OK Go rose to fame in 2005 with their single “A Million Ways”. This video was shot in a normal backyard as the band performed a simple yet hilarious dance. It was choreographed by Kulash’s sister, Trish Sie.

OK Go’s – “Here It Goes Again”

In 2006, the band released “Here It Goes Again” which featured a unique dance on treadmills. Again their creative video went instantly viral with over one million views within the first six days. It currently has over 51 million views! Ok Go and Trish Sie won a Grammy award for the “Best Short-Form Music Video” for this hit.

OK Go cut ties with EMI & Capitol

OK Go soon cut ties with their recording label. It has been speculated that OK Go was upset that the label would not allow them to use viral means to spread their music video. They formed their own independent label called Paracadute Recordings.

OK Go – This too Shall Pass

Watch this awesome domino like video. Very, very creative. Reminds me of Honda’s old commercial. It is hard to explain, just watch it, you’ll enjoy it.

Share your thoughts in the Comment Section!

  • What are your thoughts about these videos?
  • What did you find the most creative?
  • Which video did you like the best?
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The Short Film List – Distraxion, Signs, Black Holes & Kiwis

Short Film - Distraxion, The Black Hole, Kiwi

Short Videos & Short Films

All the recent posts have been about heavy topics, so here is a breather both for the artists out there as well as the casual video viewer. I’ve put together links to a few well made (and of course Clean Cut) short videos & short films. I’ve only included ones you may have not seen. So no pixar shorts!

Short videos are very difficult to create because the producer needs to sum up a quick story within a very short time frame usually around 1:30-2 minutes. Short films can range anywhere from 5 minutes to 20 minutes. To develop a story, create the right mood and have character development in such a short period takes much planning and creativity. Below are some of the excellent short films & videos I’ve ran across in the past.

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15 Beautiful HDR Photography Art

What is HDR Photography?

By Paul Lee

HDR stands for High Dynamic Range. The purpose is to extend the dynamic range of digital imaging technologies. What does that mean? It means the range of color and what is visible to the normal eye is shown and mixed together using a variety of exposure shots. As a result you get beautiful pictures with very fine detail top to bottom, normally unseen through normal photography techniques.

We will post an explanation and tutorial on HDR photography on a later post! For now enjoy these 15 Beautiful HDR photos. Let us know what you think in the comments section!

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3D Chalk Art in the Streets Part III – Julian Beever

The users here at Clean Cut Media really enjoyed looking at the 3D Chalk Art postings in the past. Here is the 3rd installment of these wonderful 3D Chalk Art. These 3D artworks are amazing. Check them out. If you missed on the first two installements the links are at the bottom!

3D Chalk Art Butterfly by Julian Beever

By Paul Lee

Simply amazing. How is that not real. I imagine myself sliding my hands beneath the butterfly to see if it is really afloat.

3D Chalk Art Butterfly
3D Chalk Art Butterfly

3D Chalk Art – Waterfall by Julian Beever at Madrid

If I was walking by and saw this waterfall I would be instantly drawn in and delighted to discover it is actually a piece of art. Think about the careful angle calculations that were involved in making this happen.

3D Chalk Art - Waterfall by Julian Beever at Madrid
3D Chalk Art - Waterfall by Julian Beever at Madrid

3D Chalk Art – Laptop – Julian Beever

I can imagine someone trying to steal this laptop when no one is looking, only to discover how foolish they look.

3D Chalk Art - Laptop - Julian Beever
3D Chalk Art - Laptop - Julian Beever

3D Chalk Art – Mirror Image

Here Julian Beever actually draws himself. Which one is the real one? Well it’s easy to tell, none the less pretty amazing. Reminds me of that one music video “take on me” where half of the video was in drawn format.

3D Chalk Art - Mirror Image
3D Chalk Art - Mirror Image

3D Chalk Art – Hole of the Dead

Don’t want to be walking next to this hole in the ground. Scary stuff. They should have a real person lie there and grab people as they walk by. Excellent…

This piece is by Kurt Wenner. Some info relayed by one of our readers. (thanks Ann!)

“Kurt is an American-born artist who spent time studying and training in the methods of classical Italian art, which can be seen in the style of his drawings. As a result I think his style is appreciably different from Beever’s.”

3D Chalk Art - Hole of the Dead
3D Chalk Art - Hole of the Dead

Julian Beever at Copenhagen – 3D Chalk Art

Julian Beever is way to lose to the edge! I hope he didn’t fall over and hurt himself! Amazing he can draw from so far up!

Julian Beever at Copenhagen

Enjoy those?

Check out the previous installments here!

Which one is your favorite? Let us know below! Don’t be a lurker now…

Follow Clean Cut Media @CleanCutMedia Twitter!

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Love Story Meets Viva La Vida by Jon Schimdt – Beautiful Music

For those new to Clean Cut Media, here we like to post not only the latest news and commentary on media influence and social issues, but also post wonderful pieces of art and media that are clean and well done. Occasionally we also post videos that went viral so we could be a source in which to keep up with the latest viral video.

See this beautiful piece of music below. If you appreciate music, it will knock your socks off. Such a beautiful things to hear.

Love Story (Taylor Swift) Meets Viva La Vida (Coldplay)

Piano: Jon Schimdt
Cellist: Steven Nelson (cellist)

This arrangement was created by Jon Schimdt’s for his daughter. His daughter loved the song “Love Story” by Taylor Swift especially a particular transition in the song. Jon Schimdt thought it would transition really well with Viva La Vida by Coldplay so he created this arrangement.

Oren Lavie – Her Morning Elegance

From the album “The Opposite Side of the Sea”, released in March 2009. This song is titled “Her Morning Elegance”. This video is a very artistic use of stop motion utilizing a bed as the frame and bed items as the everyday object. Just play the video below and see what I mean.

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Creativity: Amazing 3D Building Art

3D Building Chalk Art

By Paul Lee

Following are some incredible 3D Building Art drawn on the side of buildings and other large structure. The 3D paintings look fantastically real forcing those passing by to stop and gaze in awe, of course if they even notice it!

I’ve also added one more 3D Chalk Art below due to it’s popularity on this site. Enjoy!

3D Building Art – Building Tunnel

3D Building Art - Building Tunnel
3D Building Art - Building Tunnel

This 3D Building Art is by far the most intricate and my favorite. Amazing details and the depth of the 3D work is quite amazing. If I had a car I would probably drive into the wall and get seriously injured. Be grateful you saw it here first!

3D Building Art – Oceanside Pool

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Creativity: 3D Chalk Art in the Streets Part I

3D Chalk Art in the Streets Part I

By Paul Lee

This is the first of four posts highlighting the beautiful 3D chalk art of Julian Beever. Julian is famous for his incredible 3D chalk art he draws in the streets. It is carefully drawn at incredible angles so that when the viewer stands in front of it, the art looks like it jumps off the street completely in 3D. His 3D chalk art is often drawn in long stretches of pavement. It is hard to make out what is is supposed to be from the back or the sides but from the front you can’t help but be awed by the artwork. I do not know if all the artwork posted below is Julian’s work but I know most of it is. Enjoy! Many more below the jump. Vote for your favorite!

3D Chalk Art – Coke Bottle – Unbelievable!

3D Chalk Art - Coke Bottle
3D Chalk Art - Coke Bottle

A very simple 3D Chalk Art piece, but none the less very clear and amazing. Making me thirsty!

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Creativity: Electrabel – Happy New Year – Candle Light

Electrabel Happy New Year TV Spot 

 

Electrabel Happy New Year TV Spot

Can you believe the picture above is made with small tiny tea candles? Amazing.

A company called Electrabel, a Belgium based energy company created this TV spot to wish a Happy New Year to their customers. The light show effects are done using small tea candles transforming an underground car park the attic area of one of the production company’s (CZAR) office locations, into a night sky full of cityscapes, fireworks, stars and other beautiful images.

This video was done in Famous, Brussels by creative director Christophe Ghewy, art director Nicholas France, agency producer Lander Engels, copywriter Oliver Roland and shot by Director Raf Wathion with producer Fred Vranchken and executive producer Ruben Goots.

The video utilizes 288,000 Candles and 1,600 Photos.
See the Videos below!

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Bible Illuminated: The Book New Testament

New Testament Bible Illustrated: The Book
New Testament Bible Illustrated: The Book

The Book New Testament: Bible Illustrated

The Bible is one of the oldest and best selling books in human history. What people may not know is that it is a book full of historically reliable and verified information utilized by archaeologist and historians around the world. But of course the Bible is most well known for being the the Word of Christianity, full of past events that covers everything from man’s purpose, the state of humanity, God’s interaction with men, and the gospels covering the life of Jesus.

However the Bible is quite a big book, and those who are not familiar with it may feel it is too daunting to try to read through it all. “Bible Illuminated: The Book” is the latest attempt to bring the Bible into a more contemporary and modern build.

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