Recently, we’ve been building a full package of reports for a client who needs to be able to print each with a consistent design and layout. In the past, this meant the task of first creating new pages, stripped of unwanted HTML, and then linking to those new printer-friendly versions.

Now we can use print CSS for a simple solution to making each page of a website printer-friendly. Similar to normal cascading style sheets, print CSS works by applying style attributes to a layout that will only affect the layout upon printing. That means you can have an image-rich, colorful layout on the screen, but you can allow content to only be printed in black and white or with different background colors to make printing easier.

Using print CSS allows us to keep your website structure intact, while giving you options for printing those pages in a simple, clean format.

Before Print CSS:

After Print CSS:

“The Mob rules, absolutely.”

That statement was a powerful theme running through the SXSW Interactive festival this year. Using the Internet to learn and profit by shared knowledge isn’t a new phenomenon, but it seems to have taken on new life in the design community in recent years.

My eyes really DO hurt when I try to decipher what the pertinent information is on some peoples’ MySpace pages. The biggest offenders are music groups and bands…they are businesses and brands, and they are using a community-based tool to generate a public face for their business online. And more often than not, they get it wrong. But isn’t that their choice? What if a band or a small business needs a website, a logo, a graphic or art, and doesn’t want to pay a competitive price for the work to be done professionally?

Several sites have popped up over the past couple years that allow people and companies in this position to “crowd-source” projects and pay very minimally for design. And often, I am sure they will be getting exactly what they are (or aren’t) paying for.

I am excited by the possibilities community-based web graphic production offers, and at the same time feel conflicted because I cringe and wonder if we’re about to take some steps back to a 1996-like web world where it appeared hardly anyone had a designer on staff to make their site “pretty.” Getting logos and web layouts from these communities might be an inexpensive and easy way to get a job done, but I close my eyes and imagine an Internet designed by programmers, developers, writers, and NOT by trained designers. I worry that too many pages will hurt my eyes and begin to look like super-duper bedazzled MySpace pages.

I have several friends refusing to use Facebook or other social networking sites because they fear they are giving up their right to privacy. I have another group of friends who use social networking sites, but use made-up names in an effort to “take from the community” but protect their own privacy. Still others login with a spouse or friend’s account in order to engage in the community without fully committing.

These are interesting positions to take, since most, if not all of these people have Social Security numbers, use credit cards regularly and do their banking online. In my opinion, all that information is much more capable of damaging a person than posting a photo of your face online.

At one of the annual SXSWi events this year, we heard from a guy whose answer to the open-ended question “What’s it gonna take?” was “USE YOUR REAL NAME, BE YOU.” His answer was clearly directed at empowering people to be themselves online: to stop hiding behind fake names and fake pictures.

As social networking sites and integrated community features become increasingly popular with our clients, our challenge is to get users past the fear of posting a photo, telling what they are doing or sharing what they are passionate about. After all, these are the details that make a community of people interesting and worth joining.

What I think it’s gonna take, is an understanding that we all get back what we give. We need to be real, we need to share and engage in meaningful ways, and we’ll be rewarded with the best that the online community has to offer.

One of the most interesting panel discussions I went to this year at SXSW was on Gestural UI. In it, the panelist explored what was next in gestural UI now that the iPhone has taught us the flick, pinch and shake. With the popularity and wide-spread use of sophisticated mobile devices, designers and developers can now use our natural gestures and the way we interact with the world to change the way we interact with technology.

So what’s the next big thing? Interfaces like the one seen in the film, Minority Report may be coming soon. Check out this video of the “G-Speak” operating system. This system uses common, gestural movements to perform computer related tasks like zooming in and switching from screen to screen.

Another up and coming innovation is “Paper Windows.” Imagine browsing web pages in the same way you browse a book or a magazine; turning web pages by literally flipping electronic pages. Here is a video of how it might work.

I’m not sure when these items will ever be ready for public consumption, but it’s very cool to think about the possibilities of future UI developments.

Zappos.com is known for going above and beyond when it comes to customer service. Over the years, they’ve built a sustainable brand, with a very loyal following, by creating a company culture focused on offering an unmatched customer experience. Tony Hsieh, Zappos.com CEO,  gave the opening remarks at SXSWi in March, sharing his insight on how companies can successfully build a long term brand from the ground up.

Shopping at Zappos.com, a customer might notice several key elements that differ from other sites, and they’re by no means unintentional:

• Visible 1-800 number is shown on every page of the site.
• Free shipping on all orders.
• Free returns, with a 365 day return policy.
• Surprises for repeat customers.

Much more has gone into building the Zappos brand than the customer-friendly elements above. Hsieh provided these tips on building a sustainable brand: 

• Decide if you’re trying to build a sustainable brand. It’s all about commitment. Realize that you may find the beginning of the journey difficult, but over time, the commitment to your endeavor will pay off.  
• Figure out values and culture. Think about your personal values and align your company values with them. Live the brand.
• Commit to transparency. Transparency was a huge theme throughout SXSW this year. Zappos embraces transparency through the web, by having their employees use Twitter (to talk about life, work, etc.), allowing customer reviews and more.
• Chase the vision, not the money. Do something that you’d be happy doing ten years from now, even if money weren’t involved.
• Build relationships. Don’t “network.” Get to know people on a real level; you’ll be amazed how those real connections will be beneficial somewhere down the line.
• Build your team. Having a team that lives 100% by your company values is key to success. Don’t be afraid to hire slowly and fire quickly if someone doesn’t fit the bill.
• Think long term. There is no overnight success story. Repeat customers are the lifeblood of Zappos.com, and they become repeat through excellent customer service over the years.

You can check out the entire presentation here: http://www.slideshare.net/zappos/zappos-sxsw-31409.

Perhaps the most profound thing I overheard at this year’s SXSW Interactive festival didn’t come from a panelist, or an organized talk, but from Diane Sawyer on Good Morning America one morning while getting ready in my hotel room. I had just zipped up my laptop bag, checked the mirror one last time, and was about to turn off the tube when Diane began reading “tweets” that they were getting from viewers of the show’s current topic of discussion. I lowered the remote, and stared at the TV. Did she really just say “tweets?”

If you aren’t familiar, Twitter is a micro-blogging site that began as a place where users create a personal page, and continually answer the question: “What are you doing right now?”

Beyond its practical purpose as a site that allows your friends and/or Twitter followers to know what you’re up to at any given time, it has really become a place to engage in real-time dialogue with your followers. But it doesn’t stop there.

Groups of people are also connecting on topics, and providing thought and feedback to the entire Twitter community by marking posts with keywords. I would venture to guess that 99% of the SXSW Interactive audience uses Twitter, and during the conference, it was an incredible tool to keep an attentive ear leaned toward the conference as a whole, so that you never felt like you were missing out on something important.

I think its value as a tool to open a real-time running dialogue with a business’s customers is invaluable. Obviously, since Diane Sawyer is getting tweets on GMA and working responses into the programming! It’s probably safe to say that Twitter is going to become just as mainstream as email, and will give consumers and companies new avenues to interface.

If you’re interested in more information on Twitter, check out the ultimate guide for everything Twitter.