10 posts and columns on designers

News Byte

Twitter Introduces Employee-Friendly Patent Policy

in Social on April 17 at 11:51 am PT

Twitter said today it plans to implement an Innovator’s Patent Agreement that, in contrast to industry norms, will let its engineers and designers retain some say-so over their creations. Under the agreement, to be implemented later this year, Twitter pledges that the patents will be used strictly for defensive purposes and not wielded offensively without the employee’s permission, an arrangement that would stand even if the patent were sold. In a blog post, VP of Engineering Adam Messinger said Twitter is putting out feelers to see if other companies are interested in following suit.

Voices

Early Adopter: Slightly Stealthy Product Design Guild Surfaces in San Francisco

in News on May 17, 2011 at 7:00 am PT

Andreessen Horowitz knows about it. 500 Startups knows about it. And we’ve got the first peek behind the curtain of San Francisco’s slightly secretive Product Design Guild.

Gawker's Nick Denton: See, You Ingrates? This Is What We're Trying to Do (Video)

in Media on February 10, 2011 at 8:44 pm PT

The Blog King doesn’t want to be the Blog King: He wants his sites to be as compelling as TV. Here’s his promo reel.

Web Commerce Isn't Really Social…Yet

in Social on December 29, 2010 at 9:24 pm PT

Social and e-commerce seem like they could be an explosive combination, but current darlings Groupon and Gilt Groupe are only scratching the surface.

Fashion Community Strutting User-Generated Trends Down the Catwalk

in Commerce on December 21, 2010 at 6:58 pm PT

The fashion industry may be able to better understand upcoming trends, thanks to a start-up called Polyvore, which is launching a tool that will hopefully turn its user-generated content into an actionable database of likes and preferences.

Voices

Facebook's "Social" Chief Pushes Human Interaction

in News on October 11, 2010 at 12:00 am PT

Sitting in the cubicle next to founder Mark Zuckerberg at Facebook Inc.’s headquarters is a young executive who is taking on a critical challenge for the world’s largest social network: making it more social.

Windows Phone 7 Series Even More Impressive Than Previously Thought

in News on March 15, 2010 at 10:55 am PT

Microsoft added a bit more to its Windows Phone 7 Series story at its MIX10 event this morning, revealing some of the mobile operating system’s features and detailing how developers can write software for it. While it’s obviously far too early to make any big declarations about it, the OS certainly seems competitive–and compelling.