mirage design

I was reading through the website of an inspirational photographer the other day (http://www.herbrich.com) and was a pleasantly surprised to find that he has little creative quirks to his work. He likes his images to have a little secret to them. For instance, on one occasion he added a statue of Donald Duck's brother to an image of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange...and no one noticed!

Programmers have been doing it for years (ask an old Mac owner what Iguana, Iguana, Iguana means!) and they're called Easter Eggs. In the case of software programs, they're usually hidden images or messages, sometimes even games, that can only be accessed when you know the right keys to type in.

I think Easter Eggs are a great idea. They add to the enjoyment of the job for the producer and the client and they can be used as an incentive for the customer as well.

Sometimes they are publicly visible and sometimes they are not...for instance one of the websites I've worked on has an error page called doh.html (there were a few others considered but dismissed as potentially offensive!!). Rarely, if ever, will anyone notice it, but it put a smile on my face and that of my client and gave the job a good feeling. I'm still waiting for someone to comment on that one...

Obviously discretion is advised and there are times and clients with whom it would be inappropriate, but on the whole there's room for a little humour in most places, even if it is just a funny file name.

So don't be shy, tell us about the ways that you can bring a smile to your work...

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© mirage design. By Jane Long of mirage design. Please visit www.miragedesign.com.au for additional articles and resources on marketing and design for small business.

Labels: fun, graphic design, web design