Bridging evolution and intelligent design
By Daniele Gonzales
It is an achievement to be here with Thöndo celebrating ten years in business. With a rollercoaster economy and bubbles bursting almost every other year, it is quite an accomplishment to continue to be in business. We have been fortunate to have such an impressive line up of successful projects –many of them seen around the world, such as 2008 Election Center for CNN.com. However, after celebrating the past, it suddenly hit me; now what?
Where would I like to see Thöndo and myself ten years from now? I love what I do, so I know retirement is not an option. Besides, I am too fascinated by the incredible development of the Internet. The possibilities it offers to someone like me, who has a knack of organizing information, is too exciting to let go of. In the beginning, the web generated its language by borrowing a few rules from the printed page, but that didn’t last long. It became evident that this realm was too limiting; therefore, attention shifted to the world of motion, TV, and movies. Again, this structure didn’t fit the new medium. It resulted in a complicated mix of both the static images and motion at the same time.
Therefore, by necessity the web initiated its own vocabulary, evolving from a strange dialect to a completely new language. The caveat: as of today, not many people speak it; and yet it continues to develop, moment to moment. For a graphic designer like myself working with something as fluid and continuously evolving as the web is a constant challenge. Needless to say, I love challenges. I check the New York Times site every day. I notice their ceaseless effort to mutate and become a new organism separate from the printed version whose destiny seems written.
In this field, like in life, it’s all about survival of the fittest. There is the necessity to mutate and adapt to a new environment if you want to have the chance to survive. I believe the New York Times has embraced the idea, and their efforts to introduce change to this known and well traveled path is quite clear. Other media outlets have taken different directions. They seem to be mutating more dramatically and at a faster pace, but in my opinion, going in the wrong direction, which could very well result in extinction.
More can be done, more than just replacing pictures with slideshows or movies, more than just listing the most popular articles. The new solutions need to transform the genetic structure of the page layout; the grid itself must evolve to allow interaction with the user. Intelligent design (the Bauhaus concept not the teleological argument) needs to take over and face the challenges posed by evolution. The prize for succeeding: survival. What could be more exciting than that? What could be more rewarding?
With this in mind, Thöndo’s next ten years will be focusing in-house marketing efforts towards generating projects whose priority is organizing information on the web. We believe information is conveyed through various platforms, both entertaining and educational. It is the future for visionary companies to communicate with their audiences on these multiple platforms. We will offer strengths to aid in that communication through cutting-edge visual, social, and interactive mediums.
My past involvement in the design of the Avvisatore gave me an excellent background for succeeding in our goals for the next ten years. It was an incredible training ground for understanding where many companies find themselves today. In addition, my recent experience with CNN.com allowed me a privileged inside the world of digital information today.
I know where to begin, more importantly, I envision where it will take us. Of course, I am sure wherever the editor of Avvisatore Vittorio Pierallini is, his signature smug smile is growing on his face, and he is thinking, “prove it.” He was an incredibly gifted editor, who challenged me continuously. Knowing him as I did, he no doubt appreciates my intention to compete with the best digital newspaper in the world, and if he were alive today, I could still pick his brain for some useful hints. Nonetheless, I have the memories of hundreds of episodes from our beautiful experience working together that will push me through and ensure another successful decade.
