Twitter and Facebook can help boost creativity

There have been plenty of reports lately about work time wasted on social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook. Now a recent article in Wired magazine backs up what I've been saying for a while, small breaks while working can help boost creativity.

Obviously not everyone would boost their productivity by spending time on Twitter or Facebook during their workday. But for graphic designers or other creatives these short breaks can help keep our minds running and the ideas flowing. Take a look at the article and see what you think.

Creative Bus Ad Uses Eye Tracking Technology

A poster at a bus stop in Hamburg, Germany actually changes when people look at it. The poster, which is a domestic abuse awareness ad from Amnesty International, uses eye tracking to determine when someone is looking at it. What first appears as a photo of a man striking a woman changes (after a short delay) to a photo of a happy couple when it detects that someone is looking.

People have speculated that this ad was created primarily to win an award, which it did (Silver Award at the Cannes Lions 2009 Outdoor) since it has only been installed at one location. With that said, it's been getting a lot of publicity and it's reach has clearly extended beyond the lone bus stop in Hamburg.

I love seeing technology used so effectively to convey this point. What do you think? Do you know of other examples that effectively use new technology?

What can creative design do for you?

The June issue of Fast Company lists the 100 most creative people in business. I think it's a fascinating read for anyone but considering the creative requirements of a designer I find it particularly inspiring.

#1 on the list is Jonathan Ive, Senior Vice President of Industrial Design for Apple. Ive was responsible for the first iMac, which was the beginning of the creative design in Apple hardware. Take a look at this poster showing the evolution of Apple computers. There is a clear shift that begins in 1998 with the introduction of the iMac.

It's amazing to see the difference from the previous Apple products, as well as the other computers that were on the market at the time. By making design an important part of the Mac experience, Ive (and of course Steve Jobs) helped turn the struggling company around. Obviously there were other decisions that helped save Apple but product design was a very important part. They threw out the notion that a computer was just a boring beige box and turned it into something likable.

Take a look at the inspiring stories in the article and think about what creative thinking could do for your company? How can good design push you ahead of the competition?