The Objective Blog

Keep up with what we're thinking, reading, and doing.

The Radar: August 19, 2015

August 19th, 2015 - by Julie Hale - Salt Lake City, Utah

Keeping up with design and technology is a lot of work. Luckily, we enjoy wading through the noise just to find the gems of awesomeness sprinkled throughout. The Radar is our gift to you, Current or Potential Client, so that you can enjoy all of the awesome without any of the drudgery. Unwrap it each week, and know that you’re loved by the geeks and pixel-pushers at Objective.

Become a Git Guru

Learning the basics of a version control system is a must if you are involved in any type of technical project. Atlassian’s updated Git tutorial site is my go-to recommendation for anyone who is new to version control systems and Git.

Tutorial

Punctuation Changes Everything

Volkswagen’s clever new ad campaign uses a typographical metaphor to market the Passat.

Full Article

New Flag for New Zealand

New Zealand is considering a complete redesign of its flag, in large part to distance itself from the Union Jack symbol.

Full Article

Nuggets

Check out this interesting Chrome App (iPhone and Android coming soon) that helps you remember what you learn in 200 words or less.

Nuggets

Drawing Curved Paths

Badly drawn outlines can cause headaches. Your letters may look mangled or not appear at all. You can avoid these difficulties if you keep a few basic rules in mind.

Tutorial

Google Becomes Alphabet

Larry Page, co-founder of Google, explains why they have created a parent company called Alphabet.

Full Article

The Age of Infographics

In a world of information overload, infographics have become an effective way to quickly communicate information. This creative website gives 13 reasons why infographics are on the rise and are so successful.

Infographics

Material Design Lite

This material design library lets you add a material design look and feel to your websites. It doesn’t rely on any JavaScript frameworks and aims to optimize for cross-device use, gracefully degrade in older browsers, and offer an experience that is immediately accessible.

Material Design Lite

Sleeping Solution for the Homeless

Architectural designer James Furzer has a developed modular, parasitic sleeping pods to address London’s homeless issues. This crowdfunded project hopes to not only help the homeless have a place to sleep, but also hopes to increase public compassion towards them.

Full Article

Relational Databases

This original paper from June, 1970, describes a relational database and how it should work. There are different types of databases, but relational ones (like MySQL) are still the most popular.

Full Article

Disparaging Tech Luminaries

Magazine cover designers continually treat tech leaders as follies rather than respectable figures.

Full Article