05/18/2016

Native Creative: Seed Bombs, Star Wars Patches, and Much More

By James Kwon

Here at Figmints we thrive on the new, the creative, the innovative, and the eyeball-widening joys of the Internet. Every other week, we meet as a team to share the coolest and most interesting things we find online. From the latest in website design, to a piece of content that speaks to us in meaningful ways, to a product we just can’t seem to believe. Native Creative is the net that catches all of it.

Let’s see what cool things on the internet made it into our goodie bag in this week’s Native Creative.

Graphics Generator: Delaunay Triangulation Patterns (Via Mazoffsky)

I admittedly got lost in this wilderness of technicolored triangles for far too long. It was the good kind of lost though, the kind that’s full of delightful surprises. This Delaunay Triangulation Pattern generator can produce beautiful wallpapers and web textures for immediate use in your latest projects.

Perfect Gift Alert: Garden Bon Bons Bons AKA Seed Bombs 

Are you a novice gardner frustrated by the steep learning curve that stands between you and a lush, verdant paradise? Join the club! Gardening is difficult and requires an extreme amount of persistence and patience. Because cultivating your very own green thumb can take time, seed bombs are the perfect gardening supplement to start you off on the right clog.

In their own words, “all Garden Bon Bons (TM) are hand-made using a centuries-old technique of rolling seeds with rich organic compost and clay into a ball. The compost provides nutrients and the clay protects the seeds from insects.”

Ted Talk: The Beauty of Data Visualization

“Good design, is the best way to navigate information glut — and it may just change the way we see the world,” posits David Mccandles in his eye-opening TED Talk from back in 2010. Design should be both utilitarian and beautiful, especially when it comes to mitigating information overload.

Dropbox Update: Project Infinite

Just when you thought their well of innovation had run dry, Dropbox releases a new game-changing revolutionary feature, Project Infinite. Now, you can save files from the Dropbox cloud onto your computer’s drive without worrying about exceeding your spacial limits. That’s right, no more accidental full syncs that leave your computer stuffed to capacity.

“Project Infinite will enable users to seamlessly and securely access all their Dropbox files from the desktop, regardless of how much space they have available on their hard drives.”

UI/UX: Spotify Rebrands App

At long last, spotify has decided to streamline it’s UI/UX by ridding its interface of the classic and heavily controversial (at least in the design world) hamburger menu. Spotify has been known for it’s wonky, unclear, and difficult user experience since its inception and has decided to heed the call of its user base. That’s right, get excited Spotify users, the quality of your experience will finally match the quality of what I’m sure are your impeccable musical tastes.

Video Hacks: How To Improve Your Video CTR

Vidyard, a video marketing agency, explains how small, and almost always obvious, tweaks can lead to higher click-through-rates on your website videos. One method they dive into is selecting the right thumbnail image for your video.

Obvious? Yes. Overlooked? Almost always. Effective? You bet.

Social Media: Does the “Like Button” Mean Anything Anymore?

This is a debate almost anybody can get involved in… does “liking” something on social media mean anything anymore? Or has it fallen from grace to a lowly vanity metric? That’s precisely what this article from Select All tries to discover. Many prominent social media presences, whether people or brands or businesses, are asserting that “a ‘like’ says more ‘information received’ or ‘I saw this’ than ‘I like this.’” What do you think?

Design: Star Wars Patches

Calling all Star Wars fans, this one is for you. Immerse yourself in your favorite places in the Star Wars universe with the help of these Star Wars patches! Travel to Tatooine, Hoth, Endoor, Naboo, and a bunch of places I don’t remember from the movies! Yeah… that’s about it… these are awesome.

Cool Gadget: Smile Alarm Clock

This watchful alarm clock ensures you wake up on the right side of the bed everyday. It has facial recognition sensors that can read your expressions and it will not cease its infuriating wake-up call until you crack a smile. Whether it’s forced or genuine, smiling instantaneously improves your mood, productivity, and health!

That’s all we’ve got for you this week, tune in next Native for more cool things we find on the internet!