Check out our Xmas card - 1 seasonal message with 1,024 different image combinations that will not repeat in sequence for another 12,252,240 seconds.

Because it wouldn't be Christmas without some pointless trivia...

There are 16 fixed windows and each window contains two images, which is a total of 32 images. This means that there are 1,024 possible combinations: (16 x 2) x (16 x 2) = 1,024.* However, if the 32 images loaded randomly in the 16 windows, the potential combinations are huge. In order to find out how huge, it is necessary to calculate ‘the factorial n!’ (32! =). This number is arrived at by calculating 32 x 31 x 30 x 29... and so on, all the way down to 1.  If we had arranged for the 32 images to load randomly, the potential combinations would be more like this:

263,130,836,933,693,530,167,218,012,160,000,000

Put another way, that's 263 decillion 130 nonillion 836 octillion 933 septillion 693 sextillion 530 quintillion 167 quadrillion 218 trillion 12 billion 160 million.* That's a brain-achingly big number, especially if you consider the universe has only been around for approximately 432,329,886,000,000,000 (432 quadrillion 329 trillion 886 billion) seconds.*

Each box window rotates at a different frequency - 2 seconds (top left) through to 17 seconds (bottom right) increasing in one second intervals. When the boxes start opening, so begins a sequence that will not catch up with itself for another 12,252,240 seconds.  The reason it takes so long is because of the ‘lowest common multiple’. The  ‘lowest common multiple’ is the first number that two different numbers share when multiplied. For example, the lowest common multiple of 6 and 7 is 42 (which all Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy fans know to be the answer to the ultimate question).  The ‘lowest common multiple’ of 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 ,13, 14, 15, 16 & 17 is: 12,252,240*

So how long exactly is 12,252,240 seconds?
12,252,240 = 204204.0 minutes or 3403.4 hours or 141.8 days (or some time in May 2014 if you’re reading this in December 2013)

However, if you haven’t got one hundred and forty one point eight days to wait to see the sequence  repeat - there is an easier way -  click “home” or refresh the landing page to see the message sequence start again.

*If you feel any of the numbers or calculations above are not correct, please let us know, but do remember, it's just a bit of fun!

Once again - we hope you have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

We suspect that it's not really John Smith...

 The perils of stock photography... 

This diagram says it all really. While stock photography has its place, you should always check how many times an image from a commercial library has been downloaded by others before purchasing it. 

We saw John Smith featured above on a website next to a testimonial. Recognising it as a stock shot we ran it past Google images to and discovered that this image is in use on over a 100 different websites with in the first 10 pages of google alone. 

Which is why we suspect

Battle of the Bands

March 16 sees the annual Battle of the Bands at the East Finchley Constitutional Club. We kindly obliged with the poster:

The Simple Life

We have been meaning to comment on this for a while. Previously we've noted a design trend to strip brands back to basics - Coke and Pepsi - well software giant Microsoft have followed suit with their new look for Windows 8 and accompanying revamp of the windows logo. We approve. Understated, simple and elegant.

Beer - the natural choice

http://www.beer-the-natural-choice.co.uk/

Now live - a new site we've produced for the BBPA containing the most recent research about beer, calories and the beer belly.

Pipe10’s website of the month!

We are very proud to see that the website we produced for our client Essential Reading Plus (ERP) has been selected as website of the month by hosting company Pipe10. ERP specialise in educational books and send out thousands of emails a month and receive thousands of unique visitors annually to their site which they regularly update with new products and offers.

Each month Pipe 10 review and nominate a site and then email all their customers and post it on their site - which is great publicity for nominated site and by association, the designers.

In their review Pipe 10 say ‘Essential Reading Plus are a comprehensive and up-to-date, independent online educational bookseller. They carry books that cover early years, right through to youth work therefore providing you and your children with a vast array of literature. If the title you are looking for is not on their site there is no need to worry, if you let them know what you are after, they will see if they can track it down for you.

Providing an extensive category list on their site means you can cater your search to find the right books for you, or alternately have a look at their carefully produced list of useful links to help you find exactly what you are after. Why not have a look at their Book of the Month and see if it is something that interests you or browse through their sale items to get yourself a great deal.”

Websites

Hughes Design have extensive experience of e e-commerce sites - if you'd like to know more please contact us to discuss your needs.

MMM - TASTY! THE PROCESS OF BREWING BEER

Launching soon a new microsite about beer that we've been working on for the British Beer and Pub Association. The new information site highlights the potential health benefits of moderate beer drinking on a healthy diet, and attempts to undo myths like the "beer belly" and the perception that beer is a high calorie drink.

As part of the design exercise, we've produced an infographic of the step-by-step process of brewing beer.