Keir Whitaker

Why WordPress is the framework of the future!

Keir Whitaker — Wed, 16 May 2012 10:46:02 +0000

It’s not often slide decks make that much sense in isolation but this particular WordPress related presentation resonated. There’s a bunch of great ideas in here, especially around customising your WordPress install.

The presentation was made by Jack Lenox, founder of Jottify, at this year’s Future of Web Design London.

(Found on SpeakerDeck)

(Originally published at Why WordPress is the framework of the future!)

Hunting out Hipsters in Williamsburg

Keir Whitaker — Tue, 15 May 2012 07:52:12 +0000

Ever wondered where the term Hipster came from?

(Found on Vimeo)

(Originally published at Hunting out Hipsters in Williamsburg)

How to Peel a Head of Garlic in Less Than 10 Seconds

Keir Whitaker — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 08:33:37 +0000

It’s not often a video associated with garlic grabs my attention but this one did. If you enjoy the stuff this will no doubt be of interest.

(Via Vimeo)

(Originally published at How to Peel a Head of Garlic in Less Than 10 Seconds)

New Luxe Business Cards

Keir Whitaker — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 11:35:34 +0000

Sadly I haven’t got my hands on my set yet but the new Viewport Industries Luxe Moo cards have arrived and look gorgeous. Elliot did an unboxing set of photos over on Flickr.

(Originally published at New Luxe Business Cards)

Aaron James Draplin at Creative Mornings

Keir Whitaker — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 09:42:06 +0000

It’s not often that I take 50+ minutes out to watch an online video but Aaron had me from the off. I have been an admirer of his work, he’s one half of the great Fields Notes Brand, for some time and was eager to find the time to check out his Creative Mornings Portland talk. Great slides, great advice, the inclusion of Led Zeppelin and above all some great lessons from his years in the business. I do have to take umbrage about his decision to avoid all mustards bar “yellow American” but that’s forgivable.

(Originally published at Aaron James Draplin at Creative Mornings)

The Story behind “Keep Calm and Carry On”

Keir Whitaker — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 08:50:32 +0000

It’s been doing the rounds but this is a great little video on the history of the now iconic “Keep Calm and Carry On” poster.

Barter Books looks like an amazing emporium, the sort of place you could spend a few hours.

(Originally published at The Story behind “Keep Calm and Carry On”)

Frost on Interviews

Keir Whitaker — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 19:44:53 +0000

I have always seen interviewing as an art. Having recently conducted 15 as part of our “Insites: The Book” project I am always keen to learn from the masters.

You only really notice a great interviewer when you witness a bad one at work. Each interviewer have their own style, some are aggressive and some seem able to let their “prey” tell them their deepest secrets without realising it.

I have always enjoyed watching Sir David Frost at work as his easy going style resonates with me. The recent “Talk Collection” on the BBC includes a one hour retrospective hosted by Sir David looking back at the great television interviews, the interviewers and their guests. It’s packed full of great moments including Frost and Nixon, Parkinson Vs Meg Ryan as well as a look back at his Ali interviews. Gripping stuff.

It’s still available on iPlayer and well worth an hour of your time. In fact the whole collection looks fascinating.

(Originally published at Frost on Interviews)

Viewport Industries Launch

Keir Whitaker — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 09:54:20 +0000

For any small web focused business the act of taking down the holding page and launching the first iteration of your “website proper” is a big day.

Yesterday Elliot and I finally managed to ship the first version of our Viewport Industries web site. We blogged about the “whys and hows” and explained some of the design and build decisions along the way. We’ll be talking a lot more about some of the processes in further blog posts including our experiment with “responsive images” and how we integrated that into WordPress.

It’s far from our full site but provides a solid basis in terms of the way we have constructed the templates and the CSS to allow us to build it out as we develop our new products. As always bugs will prevail and we are squashing them as and when they are reported.

(Originally published at Viewport Industries Launch)

718 Cyclery Brooklyn

Keir Whitaker — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 11:06:28 +0000

Over the last year or two I have found myself becoming more fascinated by the culture of cycling. That’s not to say that I have taken up cycling but you never know! You only have to look at a brand like Rapha to see a company that clearly understands their market and makes you want to don those pink lycra shorts and head out onto the open road.

The above video is by 718 Cyclery in Brooklyn. I love their approach to their work, the inclusion of the client in the whole process of building their bike as well as their community groups and teaching. Simply put a lovely concept beautifully executed.

On a side note it does seem that all creative roads are increasingly leading to Brooklyn. More on that in another post.

(via HicksDesign)

(Originally published at 718 Cyclery Brooklyn)

Millennium Falcon Stop Motion

Keir Whitaker — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 09:47:48 +0000

OK I admit it, I am not a huge fan of Lego Star Wars. “WTF – you work in the web and you don’t like Lego Star Wars. ZOMG”! I know, wrong isn’t it. That said I do appreciate the dedication involved in constructing Lego Star Wars. This stop motion video is a great watch and it’s amazing to see how a years worth of work translates into three and a half minutes.

(Via Cameron Moll)

(Originally published at Millennium Falcon Stop Motion)