Over the past year, we’ve had the opportunity to participate in the development and launch of the Speak Easy, a place for entrepreneurs, startups, and the folks who support them to work, play, and collaborate. Crafting a brand, web presence, and influencing the structure itself, we couldn’t have been happier to launch the Speak Easy on January 18th.

Taking a cue from coastal co-work spaces like Grind in New York, a group of 8 investors and entrepreneurs (including our own Kristian Andersen) set out to create a gathering place for those active in the startup community. The resulting space is a combination of a 17th century salon, coffee shop, and science lab.

Collaborating with local designers and architects – Nikki Sutton, Nick Allman and Craig McCormick – they transformed a 5,750-square-foot warehouse into a common area office infrastructure, conference rooms, and, in the words of Verge, “a massive opportunity to connect and collaborate with others in the startup community.” Wi-Fi, refreshments, a library and gaming center are just a few of the accoutrements that will be fueling Indy’s creative class as they work at the Speak Easy. Take a peek behind the scenes in IndyHub’s interview with Kristian about startups and the Speak Easy.

The Speak Easy bar, photo by Clay Reinken

The Speak Easy isn’t an accelerator nor an incubator. Rather, it’s a collaborative workspace, where entrepreneurs in any phase of an early-stage startup can work. A membership is required to utilize the space, but thanks to funds from local veteran entrepreneurs, Develop Indy and the CICF, only a nominal annual fee will be required of members.

To learn more and apply for membership, visit SpeakEasyIndy.com.

We’re total UI geeks, and we had a seriously fun time designing the user experience, interface, and marketing website. One of the highlights was the opportunity to apply responsive design techniques to an app. The application of responsive techniques to marketing sites is becoming more of a common occurrence, but is still a relatively new phenomena when it comes to web-based software.

Whether your viewing a Quipol, building one, or visiting the website, you’ll have an experience catered to the device you’re using. Learn a little more about Quipols responsiveness here.

You can learn about the complete design process we went through with Quipol here.

IFC : Fall Trend Report | Image courtesy of Marc McCoy

KA+A recently partnered up with Indianapolis Fashion Collective, in an effort to transform the way that Indy is building its fashion community. The Collective had been operating for a year, hosting special events and creating a member-based network that would support and mentor designers, photographers, stylists, models, and fashion professionals in the city. The big vision was to create a live/work fashion district in the heart of Indy. It was a great start, and the right minds were coming together, but the burden of the dream was growing heavier and not enough people were joining the group to help carry it.

Understanding that in order for fashion to be a noticeable and viable part of Indy’s fabric, KA+A worked with IFC on shaping a new structure, and a new brand to go with it.

We don’t need to convince the city that fashion and a creative class are good for the economy. We need to convince them that enough people in Indiana care about fashion.

Our immediate thought, was to look at Verge, the wildly successful startup tech meetup, that has become a compelling movement for entrepreneurs, investors, developers, designers and more to join. We had the opportunity to work with Matt Hunckler during a re-branding engagement, in which the meetup dropped its Silicon Valley, Hackers & Founders moniker, and forged an original identity – Verge.

What Verge has established is a regular, replicable event that provides space for its members to share ideas and connect to the right people. By facilitating a similar event in the fashion world, our hope is that people would find a business partner, an investment, a new patron, a mentor, a friend, a partner, a retailer, a photographer, a stylist – that people would connect and build things. IFC’s job isn’t to tell them how, but rather, to put all the people in the right room to make things happen in the city.

Individual growth is magnified when it sees itself mirrored in a vibrant community, allowing ideas to organically take root both generally and individually.

With this model in mind, KA+A stripped back member dues, tearing down any hurdles to joining the movement. Instead of chasing down several big projects, we tightened the purpose of the group to curating monthly events that would unite and grow both the consumers and creators of fashion. A feat that could be organized easily by a few people, and often inexpensively with the help of sponsors. Finally, to reflect the new spirit of the group, a new name was given – Pattern. A name that is intrinsically fashion, and also speaks to the recurring events and creating a new mold for fashion in Indy.

When something happens just once, it may be dismissed as an accident . . . but when the same event repeats itself, it is a sign that a deeper historical process is unfolding.- Zizek

Tonight the new Pattern debuts to a sold-out crowd at the IMOCA. A promising start for an inspiring organization that is truly #makingindybetter.

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Want to meet up with Pattern? Visit meetup.com/pattern.
For fashion editorials, musings and trends, head over to patternindy.com.
Join the fashion conversation at @patternindy.
Like Pattern over on Facebook.

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A special thanks to our honorary team member, Benjamin Blevins, for his help spearheading the new Pattern identity. All quotes are his, unless otherwise noted!

Apps are software programs that have been created for a specific purpose. We use them to play games, to get directions, to communicate, to socialize, and to organize. Apps provide us with wanted distractions and useful information in real time. Apps meet users where they are.

The success of a brand is no longer directly related to its products’ pricing, entertaining advertisements, or celebrity endorsements. With today’s technology, customers can quickly and easily find cheaper and better solutions to what you are offering. Customers no longer want the best product for the best cost, they want more information, more interaction, and a relationship with the brand. They want an experience.

Here at KA+A we believe that the sum of all customer interactions with your brand is the user experience. To be successful, brands have to break the traditional molds of marketing and sales and focus on creating an experience that extends into their consumer’s lifestyle.

Lifestyle apps are created around activities that people use to express who they are, what they do, and what interests them.

A few brands have made this transformation by creating lifestyle apps. Lifestyle apps are created around activities that people use to express who they are, what they do, and what interests them. Through this channel, brands are able to provide their customers with the specialized interaction they desire. These apps go beyond the scope of a company’s products and services and provide relevant and timely information on activities their customers are engaged in.

Ultimately, customers are thankful for a brand’s vested interest in who they are, and in turn become more loyal to the company’s products and services. There are many channels a brand can take to create a great user experience. However, if an app sounds like the right solution for you, be sure to take a note from brands like Clorox, Northface, and AAA who have made my life a little bit easier.

Clorox: My Stain
I am one of those people who can’t go an hour without spilling something on myself. No matter how hard I try I always seem to ruin more clothes than I can save, but not any more! Clorox created the app MyStain which is completely dedicated to prescribing how to remove the toughest stains.

The app is searchable by type of stain, such as, red wine, egg, or mildew, and then it provides users with tips and tricks on how to get the stain out while they are on-the-go or at home. Clorox’s suggestions aren’t just restricted to their products, but rather, they include helpful hints like when to use soap and water over club soda. This app has been extremely helpful in preventing the continued loss of more clothing in my wardrobe.

Northface: Trailhead and The Snow Report
Northface has two great apps for outdoor enthusiasts. The first, Trailhead, is searchable for paths and trails based on your current location. Users can narrow down their options by selecting an activity such as biking or hiking or by selecting the amount of time they have to finish a route. The best part is that the app tracks progress, speed, and elevation allowing users to share their trip with friends via Twitter or Facebook.

The second app, The Snow Report, focuses on a more specific community, such as; skiers, snowboarders, bobsledders, etc. This app provides users with snow conditions, weather updates and advisories, maps of trails, and even comes with push notifications so at any time they can see where their friends are, find their favorite skiing spot, and get notified when there is a fresh blanket of powder in the mountains.

AAA: TripTik Mobile
As a AAA member I am always looking at what discounts I can get when traveling. However, I was very excited to find that they created an app that is useful throughout my entire trip. AAA’s app TripTik provides users with the most up to date gas prices, maps, restaurant and attraction locations, and lodging details based on their current location. Now when I take a road trip not only can I find the best gas prices but I can also pinpoint must see attractions. Who doesn’t want to see the largest ball of twine in the world?

In a piece titled “Sense & Drivability”, in the October issue or Fast Company, Jason Feifer broke down some of the subtle ways that Audi intentionally designs “delight” into every facet of their automobiles. Below, pulled from the article, is a list of some of their tricks.

Sight Team
COLOR TEMPERATURE

Headlamps are set at 5,500 Kelvin–the measurement of color temperature–because that mimics natural daylight, and therefore causes less eye fatigue.

Touch Team
BUTTON ACTIVATION

Audi and psychologists studied the depth that buttons must be pushed in order to feel “premium.” The answer: 4 to 6 millimeters. Any more or less seems cheap.

Smell Team
ODOR SCALE

Assembled cars are sniffed and ranked from 1 (odorless) to 6 (stinky), and pass with 1 to 3–but odorless isn’t optimal. People prefer that cars have a smell.

Hearing Team
DECIBEL ADJUSTMENT

People crank music to overcome road or engine noise, so Audi’s Bang & Olufsen system monitors for new noise, then auto-adjusts by up to 20 decibels to compensate.

A version of this article by Jason Feifer appears in the October 2011 issue of Fast Company.
Illustrations by Peter Sucheski

Audi understands that they are in the business of designing experiences… not just cars. They understand that it’s the details and the often overlooked minutia of the automobile design, that creates a transcendent product experience. It’s the little things that make a difference – but the little things are often the difficult things. These are the aspects of the design process that get de-prioritized, shuffled to the bottom of the deck, out out-right ignored. But these are also the elements of design that create the perception of value, comfort, performance, and delight. They’re the reason that branded experiences are more than just the sum of their parts.

The lessons that Audi teaches us in the design and manufacture of their automobiles are broadly applicable to almost every industry. But the software and technology industry might have the most to learn from them. Often times software companies are so fixated on functionality, pricing, and distribution of their products that the details, the ones that comprise great user experiences, get de-prioritized or ignored entirely. By paying attention to elements of a product that are typically taken for granted, such as error messages, in-line support, and often the entire user interface, software companies have a huge opportunity to differentiate their products, delight their customers, and grow their bottom line.

Each move within the app has been fully branded with justWink’s witty design and tone. Flip through their more popular cards or jump to a specific occasion, and you’ll soon be exclaiming “Yay, new human!” as you search for the right card to welcome a new baby. justWink has even managed to make the loading time enjoyable, by incorporating a few zingers that will have you anticipating the pinwheel’s spin:

• “Calibrating Awesomeness”
• “Ooooh Spinny”
• “Caught Off Guard”
• “Pretending to Think”

With this, they’ve been able to shift the user from being frustrated, to thinking “what clever thing will they say next?”

Using the app, you can personalize your cards with photos and a message before you e-mail it off to the lucky recipient. Or if you had fun searching, but want to send a tangible version, the app will guide you to the closest retail location.

The introduction of justWink’s iPhone app connects their traditional paper card to the digital world, positioning them to be part of life in every interaction (and turn the hunt for the perfect card into a fun experience).

I manage a lot of bank accounts. I have personal accounts, business accounts, checking accounts, savings accounts, money market accounts, etc., and that doesn’t even include things like HSA accounts, brokerage accounts, credit lines, etc. The accounts are spread across several banking institutions in a handful of states. The one thing they all have in common is that they are all a source of ongoing frustration. On a good day, they are impersonal, faceless, corporate behemoths. On a bad day they are uncaring and even downright belligerent.

Since the House of Rothschild established European banking and finance houses in the late eighteenth century, the banking industry has been historically resistant to change. To be fair, there have been some successful attempts to drag the banking industry into the 21st century, by banks such as ING, Commerce Bank, and First Internet Bank, but a new player is really attempting to shake things up.

There has been a lot of buzz lately about a new banking startup called BankSimple. BankSimple is based in Brooklyn, NY and they claim to be creating a better interface for banking through the web and mobile apps. Their plan is to partner with financial institutions, which will hold the actual deposits. BankSimple is focusing on creating a better customer experience and simplifying the banking process by unifying all accounts into a single bank card accessible summary account.

Rather than making money from different fees, BankSimple plans to split the net interest margin (the difference between the rate they lend at and the rate they pay to depositors) with its partner banks, thus eliminating the incentive to push more confusing products at consumers.

BankSimple is attracting a lot of attention from the investment community as well. Current investors include a veritable who’s who of early-stage investors, including: SV Angel (Ron Conway), First Round Capital, IA Ventures, Village Ventures, & Dave McClure’s 500 Startups.

After spending some time on the BankSimple website, I decided to sign up for their beta launch. Signing up for the beta was a delightfully easy experience. I just filled out a simple, well-designed form, and was notified via email that I was on the list.

But what really blew me a way was the follow-up email I received later in the day.

Wow! They talked a lot about service on the website, but the fact that a real person (with a real name) sent me a note asking to hear my story and my opinions, before they had ever made dime off of me, really made an impression. Now let’s be clear, it was a form email… but who cares? It conveyed empathy and sincere interest in my opinions. It was the first touchpoint, after signing up, and it beautifully reinforced the brand’s promise of service and relationships. It’s a brilliant strategy for BankSimple. It costs virtually nothing and keeps prospects engaged during the waiting period before the beta opens up.

It’s the little things, the touches that don’t cost much, that make brands human and lovable. This same principle can be applied to virtually any business, but it’s especially important for web-based businesses. Web-based businesses need to exert more effort to be human, because customers rarely interact with actual humans.

The BankSimple website promises “No Surprise Fees,” and I hope that’s true. But I also hope that they don’t stop surprising customers with thoughtful and human touches like the ones I experienced.

@KristianIndy

Typography Insight (iPad)

This app is focused on introducing “new ways of learning and teaching typefaces.” It’s a nice resource to have at hand for quickly accessing some basic information on type. It also provides some nice type comparison features.

The Typography Manual (iPhone)

A “pocket resource for graphic designers and anyone who works with type.” In similar fashion to Typography Insight, The Typography Manual is a compact book with a glossary, Em calculator, font size ruler, and more.

The Font Game (iPhone & iPad)

This “rapid-fire type-identifying game” for iPhone and iPad (separate download) is a great way to brush up on identifying fonts and terminology.

Typewar (iPhone)

“Typewar is a game of typographical skill.” Much like The Font Game, you’re task is to identify the font displayed. You can also play for free online.

KERN (iPhone)

“KERN is a minimalist typography experience challenging you to precisely place a missing letter into a falling word while avoiding any unnecessary ligatures.” This game is certainly the most abstract of the type-inspired games and may only be for the seriously nerdy typophiles.

“When Everybody Zigs, Zag”.

As the book describes, the concept of zagging is often a bit harder than you may expect. Yet, over the weekend I found a great example of a company that has managed to zag with excellence. While in the checkout line at the grocery store I overheard the cashier and bag boy commenting on one of my purchases:

Cashier: “Check out this drunken bar code!”
Bag Boy: “Cool I’ve never seen anything like it!”
Cashier: “Yeah they have designed something you would have never thought could be designed.”

They were talking about how different the Skinny Cow bar code looked compared to the countless other bar codes they’ve scanned.

I have to admit, I have never given much thought to the design of a bar code until their conversation. I’ve always assumed they had to appear a certain way in order to be accurately read by scanners. We’ve all been there…frustrated at a self-checkout station with a bar code that won’t scan. I would have thought a designed version would cause the same problem, but after a bit of research I found otherwise.

Since 2005 Design Bar Code has been reinventing the traditional bar code design for many Japanese brands. Today they have partnered with PACARC, LLC to make Design Bar code available to many American brands.

Design Barcode’s technology allows them manipulate traditional bar codes into works of art, while still complying with bar code standards so all products are easily read by scanners. Through their innovative thinking, Design Bar Code has started a revolution in what to consider in a package design.

Skinny Cow had taken notice to the details and their barcode is just another way for them to express their cheeky brand. After all, design is in the details.

The Bar Code Revolution
Here are a few examples of quirky barcodes that have been created by Design Barcode.

The New York times recently featured an amazing infographic that offered great clarity into the rent vs. buy decision. On the cusp of turning 26, I’m still in the age of Big Questions (e.g. marriage, children, home), so found this particularly relevant.

But it wasn’t just relevancy that drew me to this infographic; it was the experience. Afterall, mortgage rates, rent, home cost, and property taxes aren’t the most scintillating of subjects. But with the sleek design of this calcualator, you can customize all these inputs, and the graph updates instantaneously, on the same page. No new windows pop up; no circle spinning as it loads. It’s dynamic, and you can see not just a pictorial version, but also the supporting data charts – all custom to your situation. The design is so clean, simple, and functional – that you almost don’t notice it. You expect it to work this way – why should it be any different? But the ability to take a complex equation, and make it immediately understood is no small feat. It’s the result of comprehension, constraint, and user-oriented design. It’s good design.

Experience it for yourself here.