Hot in Cleveland: Whether it's Graphic Design Or tracking down thieves, Hotcards does it their way

This April, Hotcards.com, the Cleveland-based marketing firm and printing company, moved to a 22,000 square-foot facility on Superior Ave. The company has personalized the space, with speakers piping in dance music and a mural of innovation idol Steve Jobs decorating the wall, but move hasn't been without its hiccups.

Hotcards maintains an open-door policy that allows clients to stop in and talk in-person with designers and reps about what they want of their next set of business cards, fliers, promotional t-shirts, whatever. But three weeks ago, this openness was abused by an unidentified man who came in off the street and stole a bicycle from the rack in their lobby, brazenly in sight of the then-unattended receptionists' desk.

However, ever the promoters, the company turned the heist into something of a viral event, producing a "Hotcards Most Wanted" video with Purple Films, the production company they collaborate with and lease space to.

The video offered a bounty of 500 business cards to anyone who could offer information leading to the apprehension of the marauding cyclist. But besides marshaling the foot soldiers of justice and cardio, Hotcards disclosed a lot about its culture. Its staff is willing to roll with punches and laugh at itself. And it's aggressive at what it sets itself to: rather than just wait for law enforcement to do its job, they publicized their perp's face, packaged in a John Walsh parody. They might be described as cheerfully relentless.

CEO John Gadd says that his organization has a "well-defined culture" that seeks out people of its own kind. "We're obsessed with customers, very optimistic, and very hardworking," Gadd says.

Utterances of the word "obsessive" usually conjure up associations of introverts exhausting themselves at some eccentric project whose motivations are best understood by themselves. But Hotcards is appropriating the word for its outgoing, Type-A, 5-Hour Energy-buzzed self. Gadd relates the story of a client, the owner of a chain of restaurants in Michigan, who turned in their files for an order of promotional materials late on a Friday afternoon. The literature needed to be delivered by Monday. Hotcards stayed up all night printing, and then drove the shipment to the client's 33 locations throughout Michigan.

Gadd says that this sort of fanaticism is something that it seeks out in hires, and that he couldn't cultivate it if he tried.

"You can't teach people to be this way, but you can reinforce it, and teach certain actions," Gadd says.

At the same time, Gadd insists Hotcards cannot be, nor does it want to be, "all things to all people." This means that Hotcards stands by the product line its worked hard to develop: business cards, postcards, flyers, and websites. Probably the most successful products are the self-named "hotcards," which can serve as business cards or promotional literature, printable in any size, and with an assortment of stocks and coatings.  

Though Gadd says that his designers will make something new for each client, what is made will be made within the boundaries of their tried-and-true products. However, these outlines are broad enough to meet diverse needs. Gadd suggests they're met so well, that they can inspire loyalties clients don't even realize they have.

He is tickled by one anecdote about overhearing buyers approaching their competitors and asking about their "hot card" offerings.

"It's awesome. The more people we can have calling our competitors and talking about hot cards, that's great branding," Gadd says.

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iOS 7: leading UX designers give their verdict

What does the new iOS actually mean for the millions of iPhone and iPad users worldwide? We discuss the real impact of the new iOS with four leading UX experts from Clearleft, Fjord, Specialmoves and ustwo.

"My immediate feeling was that it has made the device – in this case an iPad 2 – seem physically lighter. The use of narrow fonts, grey on white has made a big difference. There are going to be some interesting discussions over the evolution, or devolution as some may feel around icons.

"I haven't explored all the Apple apps yet, but I am surprised by certain interaction changes such as the switching camera modes using a drag action and not allowing tap on the word." [he's not the only one, Ed]
Andy Parker, user experience designer at Clearleft

"I'm not an enormous fan of the visual styling, but that's only my personal preference. I've been finding it amusing the huge amount of time that people have spent talking about and redesigning the look of the icons, rather than discussing whether the new OS actually functions better for the user."
Jon Biggs, creative director at Specialmoves

"The functionality at the core of iOS7 hasn’t changed much it has just been extended in a number of ways. The main deviations are from a visual perspective.

"The biggest change is the introduction of a brighter colour palette, which allows Apple’s LCD screens to compete with vivid OLED smartphones (suc as the Samsung Galaxy). This allows Apple to increase its appeal to the Asian market who demonstrate a preference for bright colours throughout their consumption of visual culture.

"This suggests a shift in focus from user experience to customer experience."
Kostja Paschalidis, service designer at Fjord, Design & Innovation by Accenture Interactive

"iOS 7 is primarily a visual refresh without too much change to the UX which helps make it feel instantly familiar. One super handy feature introduced in iOS 7 though is Control Center. I already use it throughout the day to do tasks such as controlling the screen brightness, switching on or off WiFi and even using the flashlight."
Shaun Tollerton, Visual Designer at ustwo

Kostja says that the brighter, more saturated colours of iOS 7 – and the new iPhone 5c's shell – are targeted at Asian markets such as China and Japan.

"I like the move away from buttons to text links for actions. It's showing a final acceptance of digital not being a replication of analog controls." AP

"It’s probably just a trick of the lighter style, but it feels faster than iOS6."
Jonic Linley, UX designer at Specialmoves

"I love how content is ruling over chrome. The whole aesthetic is a lot simpler and therefore the UI just gets out of the way. Coloured title bars also look real nice and make third-party apps feel instantly recognisable." ST

"I like how it feels fresh and new and evokes an emotional response that I can’t fully articulate." KP

"iBooks still looks like the shelf in my back room. It certainly shows where the priorities are in application development.

"The single-line iconography and the pop-out menu within Safari is frankly shocking.

"The music app on the iPhone feels like a step back. The 'Artist' view now contains thumbnails of the artists – not even album artwork that you might recognise while scanning down. The entries are much bigger, which means there aren’t as many on screen at any one time. And the text labels are much more difficult to scan because of the whitespace that has been introduced between them."

"I'm still not a fan of Apple's app icons, particularly for Camera, Contacts and Settings. There's also a bunch of visual inconsistencies across them that frustrate me as a designer. I also think some of the transitions could be snappier, such as when launching and closing apps." ST

"There are small things about the iOS7 that make it slightly frustrating to use, such as the empty icons, which are no longer filled will colour but now outlined with a faint grey line, which makes them harder to read. The system also feels very text heavy, which looks better but at the same time is harder to use. KP

Andy feels that the outlined icons in iOS7's Safari (above left and right) are a poor design choice
The music app on iOS 6 (left) and iOS 7 (right). Jonic is not a fan

"Not really no. If anything it's playing catchup. A lot of the button pushing, slide out panels and alert boxes from the previous skin were reminiscent of stale formats we are accustomed to from the 'Web 2.0' era and the lack of innovation within Windows.

"Designers at Apple have been constrained to a visual language created for their operating system for some time and now they are as close to a blank canvas as you can get. I think this will enable application developers and those inside Apple to make interfaces that are not so constrained to format and challenge how we interact with glass a lot more than has been attempted in the past." AP

"I don't really see the way that you actually interact with it being any different to before. There are new features and a different visual style but the basic methods of user interaction are still the same." JB

"Apple is incredibly influential and whatever changes are made to their systems will always have a huge impact on the industry. There has been already been an influx of new app designs, to echo the iOS7 look. I envisage more mobile companies moving towards brighter colours and a decrease in skeuomorphic design, which is sad because everything has a place." KP

"This time next year we'll look back at how apps were before iOS 7 and we'll laugh.

"Remember all of those glossy app icons, 3D styled title bars and the shadows and highlights that appeared across everything from buttons to typography? None of it really matters anymore.

"We know when a button's a button. It doesn't need real-world lighting to trick us into tapping it. We're living in a digitally savvy world now compared to 2007 when the iPhone first launched. Therefore UI in general going forward will feel authentically digital and that's regardless of the mobile platform it's being designed for." ST

Apps such as Twitter have already redesigned for the iOS 7 look-and-feel

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Vodafone and O2 launch their 4G super-fast internet networks today in 3 UK cities

Vodafone launches in London while O2 also includes Leeds and Bradford Prices for O2 start at ?26 a month, Vodafone will cost from ?26 a monthUp to 13 cities including Glasgow, Leeds and Liverpool will get the service by the end of the year4G services are around five times faster than current 3G connectionsEE launched the first 4G network last October

By Victoria Woollaston and Louise Eccles

PUBLISHED: 07:59 GMT, 29 August 2013 | UPDATED: 00:55 GMT, 30 August 2013

Vodafone and O2 customers are now able to access high-speed 4G internet on their mobiles – but only if they own one of a handful of brand-new smartphones.

The networks launched the service yesterday in a bid to rival EE, which introduced its 4G package last October.

O2 has now switched on 4G in London, Leeds and Bradford. However Vodafone has so far only launched it in some parts of London ahead of its UK-wide roll-out.

Vodafone will offer Premier League football and music downloads as part of its 4G packages. Customers will be able to choose from unlimited music downloads from Spotify or free Sky Sports, as part of the bundle. The firm launched its 4G service with a football match in Trafalgar Square (pictured)

Consumers are still confused about the merits of 4G technology, a report suggests.

One in five people think the high-speed broadband won't improve their current service and one in three say they do not need 4G, it found.

A third of consumers also said they believe it would be too expensive to switch to the speedier services.

Dominic Baliszewski, a telecoms expert at comparison site broadbandchoices.co.uk, said; 'More people are aware of 4G now compared to when it first launched last year, but most still do not understand the difference it will make to their experience as a mobile user.'

'Just like the black and white televisions of yesteryear, 3G is doing a perfectly good job for millions of customers - but 4G is the technicolour revolution.'

The service lets users surf the web at speeds that are between five and seven times faster than 3G.

But experts last night warned customers to ‘think very carefully’ about the cost of changing before making the switch. Both O2 and Vodafone currently offer fewer than 15 mobiles that work with their 4G networks.

This means that most customers – including those who own the iPhone 5 – will have to purchase a new phone before they can upgrade.

Even with a compatible handset, existing customers will pay on average ?5 a month extra for a 4G tariff.

Millions will then be unable to access the 4G service in their hometown for months or even years.

Ernest Doku, a technology expert from comparison website USwitch.com, said: ‘This could prove  very expensive for customers, so people need to consider the extra costs.

‘You need to ask if you can get 4G in your area and when will it arrive, as well as how much you will need to spend to upgrade your phone to one which is 4G-compatible.

‘A lot of people will have to pay a few hundred quid to buy a new phone and break their contract, even those with relatively new smartphones. 

‘Lastly, you need to ask yourself if the more expensive tariff will be worth it. Not everyone will need faster internet.’

He added: ‘Naturally over time people will change to 4G but there is a lot to think about at the moment.’

The 4G system allows smartphones, tablets and laptops to surf the web around five times faster than over 3G, although Vodafone claims its network is, on average, six times faster. It launched the service with the help of ex Arsenal legends Ian Wright and Tony Adams as well as ex Spurs heroes Ledley King and Les Ferdinand

Vodafone spent ?802 million when it bid for part of the mobile phone spectrum to provide 4G, while O2 spent ?550m to buy a proportion of the lowest frequency spectrum. Les Ferdinand and Ian Wright are pictured launching Vodafone's 4G service

Subscribers to 4G can download a song in four seconds or post a photograph to a social networking site in six seconds.

They will also be able to watch films, videos and television straight from the internet as easily and quickly as from a home computer.

O2 and Vodafone have pledged to have 4G network coverage in more cities by the end of the year – including Birmingham, Coventry, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leicester, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle, Nottingham and Sheffield.

But they will still lag some way behind EE, which already offers their 4G service in 105 UK towns and cities.

Telecoms expert Dominic Baliszewski said now might not be the right time to switch, but insisted 4G internet will soon start to grow in popularity.

He said: ‘Just like the black-and-white televisions of yesteryear, 3G is doing a perfectly good job for millions of customers – but 4G is the Technicolor revolution.’

O2 is launching in London, Leeds and Bradford with a further 10 cities including Liverpool and Newcastle expected to be connected by the end of the year. O2's tariffs start at ?26 a month and come with 12 months free music when bought direct from O2

EE, which was formed from the merger of Orange and T-Mobile, was the first company to offer a 4G network in the UK.

EE held the monopoly on the network because regulator Ofcom gave it permission to use existing spectrum (1800MHz) that it already owned.

Ofcom then held an auction for companies to bid to use other parts of the spectrum from 800MhZ to 2.6GHz.

O2 purchased 800MHz lots and Vodafone won both 800MHz and 2.6GHz lots.

For the typical user, download speeds of initial 4G networks should be at least five to seven times faster than those of existing 3G networks.

In July, EE announced it was doubling its 4G speeds for people in Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Derby, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds, Liverpool, London, Manchester, Nottingham and Sheffield.

The speed boost makes the network twice as fast as current average 4G speeds and 10 times as fast as 3G.

Mobile network Three has kicked off a price war earlier this week over the new 4G service by announcing it will offer the super high-speed internet at no extra cost.

The firm’s 1.5million customers will get 4G at the same price they pay for the current 3G network, with packages of calls, texts and unlimited internet from ?15 a month. 

The Three deal will start in mid December, cashing in on Christmas handset sales.

Vodafone's 4G tariffs start at ?34 per month. Vodafone will offer Premier League football and music downloads as part of its superfast packages and anyone signing up will be able to choose from unlimited music downloads from Spotify, or free Sky Sports, as part of the bundle

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People in Their Thousands are Due to Flock to the V&A Museum This Weekend for the Record-Breaking David Bowie Exhibition

    LONDON, ENGLAND, March 21, 2013 /24-7PressRelease/ -- With more than 42,000 advance tickets sold for the David Bowie retrospective, opening this Saturday at London's V&A Museum, records have been broken as the event has become the fastest-selling in the museum's history. 'David Bowie Is' will treat visitors to a close look at sixty flamboyant costumes worn by the pop icon, along with more than 300 other objects such as lyrics, instruments photographs and videos. Visitors travelling from outside of London to the exhibition can conveniently book accommodation through LondonTown.com, where a vast range of hotels in London for all budgets can be found.

A further major event open this weekend is The Designs of the Year 2013 exhibition, which sees a number of London entries fighting to take the title from last year's winner - Edward Barber and Jay Osgerby's London 2012 Olympic Torch. The entrants include the Shard, Western Europe's tallest building designed by Renzo Piano; Jacqueline Durran, for her costume designs in Joe Wright's screen adaptation of Anna Karenina; and A Room for London, the boat shaped structure sitting atop the Southbank Centre's Queen Elizabeth Hall.

Celebrations are in order at the LSO St Luke's 10th Birthday Festival, a 12-day event which marks ten years since the London Symphony Orchestra turned the 18th-century Grade 1 listed St Luke's Church into a music education centre and concert venue. While the Orleans House Gallery celebrates the arrival of spring with the Holi Hindu Festival of Colour, a vibrant and playful event with promenade performers, street theatre, music and an Indian market.

Easter is fast approaching and this weekend provides the chance to stock up on chocolate goodies with the return of London's Chocolate Festival. A truly indulgent affair, this festival invites top chocolatiers to showcase their artisan delights with tastings, demonstrations and talks. While the Crafty Fox Easter Market brings tea, cake, stalls and crafting to The Dogstar in Brixton. The Big Egg Hunt is also back for 2013 and this time it's even bigger. Taking place across five UK cities, there are 101 specially decorated eggs to track down in London and the chance to win a year's supply of Lindt chocolate by finding Humpty Dumpty.

Beauty enthusiasts should head to Harrods where French brand Dior has taken over the window displays and the fourth floor. Combing French Savoir Faire with British charm, the event will feature grand window displays that pay homage to British cultural icons; a Dior exhibition, providing facials, make-overs and personalised perfume bottles; the Cafe Dior, which serves sumptuous lobster sandwiches and cupcakes; and the launch of a new Dior make-up collection.

Sport lovers are accounted for with the Head of the River Race, a classic race which sees 420 crews row down a 4.25 mile course. While families can head to London Zoo to see the Sumatran tigers settling into their new five star GBP3.6 million Tiger Territory.

Be sure not to miss any of London's best weekend events with the LondonTown.com Something For The Weekend mailer, a weekly guide to London 2013's top ten events.

About LondonTown.com
LondonTown.com is the number one Internet site for London. With over 18 years of experience assisting visitors to the capital, they pride themselves on their customer service and editorial independence - no advertising or paid for content is allowed. The LondonTown.com team assist in finding cheap London hotels, sightseeing tours, ticket information and events. Trusted and with a loyal following, LondonTown.com is a very reliable source of recommendations and advice on what to do in London. http://www.LondonTown.com

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