Images shouldn’t be:

Cliched
Busy
Old fashioned
Dull
Boring
Forced
Posed or setup
Confusing
Composite collages
Surreal
Complicated

Source: OU brand guidelines 4.1

I really like this design. Very aesthetically pleasing despite breaking all those image rules!

Images shouldn’t be:

Cliched
Busy
Old fashioned
Dull
Boring
Forced
Posed or setup
Confusing
Composite collages
Surreal
Complicated

Source: OU brand guidelines 4.1

Images shouldn’t be:

Cliched
Busy
Old fashioned
Dull
Boring
Forced
Posed or setup
Confusing
Composite collages
Surreal
Complicated

Source: OU brand guidelines 4.1

Another guideline that Business School are exempt from? One day business will not mean people in suits with laptops and chods of cash.
See more OU approved ‘on brand designs’ on the brand website.

5.3 Typography recommendations
Good typography is based on function, format and purpose. Type should always be left-aligned and set in conventional sentence case (i.e. not all caps or all lower case).
Source: OU Brand Guidelines 5.3

…unless you’re the business school who due to the nature of their business must appear authorative and dominating. BUSINESS!!! GLASS CEILING, E-SOLUTIONS, [...]

Here’s a nice design. This has been approved by Design Approval Group (DAG). Which just shows that there is room for some flexibility outside of the ten OU colours that the guidelines suggest.
See OU Brand Guidelines 3.1 (see any brown?)
See more OU approved ‘on brand designs’ on the brand website.

Milton Keynes gets WiMax
MK has a junk phone system but its getting citywide wifi soon!
(tags: wifi broadband)

WebPatterns
like simplequiz but more of them! In early content stages but could be useful. Via Steven Price.
(tags: webdesign webstandards semantics)

GameJump: Mobile Games. Free.
Free mobile games! Wowza. How cool.
(tags: mobile games)

The Agency Model is Dead
“We removed any middle-men, having no project management or sales resources between us and our clients, instead we have our clients work directly with talent.” - takes a while to get to it, but good point.
(tags: webdesign business)

Writing an Effective Creative Brief, Functional Spec, Technical Specification
A very useful brief guide to the differeing specs of web design. Clearly distinguishes between them.
(tags: webdesign business)

A good design brief
More information of what makes a good web design brief.
(tags: webdesign business)

Apple - Pro - Tips - The Secret Screen Capture Shortcut
handy to know - copy screen [...]

2. What were your reasons for studying this particular course?
(Question unchanged in 2005 - students can give as many reasons as they choose)
As in 2004, the main reason in student’s decision to study the specific course was as part of a programme of study to achieve an OU qualification/award. (82%, compared to 85% in 2004) [...]

Wikimapia - Let’s describe the whole Earth!
yeah, get involved. Some hilarious local descriptions on here.
(tags: maps)

Mitchell and Webb
Well me, Deans and Helen are off to show no.2 on their tour but the reason i bookmark the site is cos i like the design.
(tags: webdesign inspiration)

Dell recalls 4.1m ‘Zippo’ laptop batteries
didnt we buy a dell between [...]