The Symphony Way: Flows and Presentations by Our Designers vol. 2

In the previous newsletter, we started using our designers’ material for educational purposes. Our aim is to show you examples of how presentations and flows can be done in a fairly simple manner without too much trouble. Our designers, Miroslav and Srđan, held an internal flow that we are using in these two newsletters to show you some tips and tricks on how to make the most out of yours.

In Newsletter 018, we discussed the visual part of flows and presentations, but the time has come for us to include other specifics, as well. The devil is in the detail, indeed, so let’s grab it by the tail and tackle this issue both from the theoretical and empirical point of view. Thanks to Srđan Španović — you can check out his work at Dribble and his own web presentation — learning about typography has never been easier. …

The Symphony Way: Flows and Presentations by Our Designers vol. 1

A new series is in town, folks!

With the help of our fellow designers, engineers, and HR specialists, we will demonstrate some of the most interesting, most striking, and most impressive ways to deal with different subjects within and beyond the IT industry.

In this newsletter, the focus is on ideas related to holding visual presentations. We consulted our designers (Miroslav Kostić and Srđan Španović) and they were kind enough to allow us to share their presentations in order to show you how best to utilize.

Let’s begin with some neat tricks that we already mentioned in one of the early newsletters. Check this…

Spelling and Punctuation: Italic, Bold, and Capital Letters

In the previous two newsletters, we talked about punctuation marks and how to use them properly. We discussed those situations when a mark, used well, can make a big difference, but also make our lives easier and help us be more precise, concise, and clear.

In this newsletter, we are wrapping the series up with a talk on how to use italic and bold formatting options to maximize the effect of the message we are trying to put across. Also, WE ARE GOING TO SHOW YOU HOW CAPITAL LETTERS, WHEN LOCKED LIKE THIS, ARE PERCEIVED AS THE WRITER SHOUTING AT THE READERS. …

Spelling and Punctuation: : , ‘ ) (

Continuing on the same note, this week we are broadening the discussion from the previous newsletter and analyzing the situations when we use colons, commas, apostrophes, and brackets.

One of the unsolved debates concerns the usage of the so-called Oxford comma (a.k.a. serial comma). Namely, when there are several things that are listed, we use commas to separate them (e.g. I bought bananas, apples, oranges…); but the problem arises when we reach the end of the list and the question is — do we put a comma before and or not?

Well, you will never make a mistake if you put one. The main reason for the debate is that some people think that the context will make things clear; however, as you can see in the picture, that is not always the case. Final verdict — we would recommend using it. …

Spelling and Punctuation: . , ; ‘ “ -– —

A cryptic title this time around? Not exactly; but who knows — maybe some alien-ish readers will find meaning in these symbols.

This series will deal with a wider scope of things, as we will do our best to point out the importance of proper spelling and punctuation in semi-formal and formal settings. We will discuss different ways to use the listed symbols as well as the ways we can utilize them to improve our writing.

Full Stop vs. Comma vs. Semicolon (. , ;)

Starting from the obvious one — a full stop is used to mark the end of a sentence (duh, right?).

However, what if I told you that you don’t have to finish your sentences with a full stop; and what if there is another way to do so without ending one thought and starting a new one, but simply making a pause in the middle of your thought process? Something like taking a pause while speaking on one topic. …

This or That 4/4: Good/Well, Advice/Advise

Alright, now that we have your meme attention, it is time to make yet another distinction between the pairs that have been bothering us. But not for long!

We will advise you on how to remember the correct spelling and pronunciation with some pieces of advice in this short text. If they turn out to be good, you will be able to remember them well whenever you need to.

Good vs. Well

This is one of those pairs that are difficult to accept mostly because many native speakers make this mistake and use the words in the wrong way.

One example that helped me remember was when I was working as a cashier in the USA and a customer (a native English speaker) helped me remember the difference forever. Here is how the conversation…

This or That 3/4: Lie/Lay & Rise/Raise

We all have those two words for which we never seem to make a clear distinction regarding their meaning and use. One day it feels as if one option is right, the next day we opt for the second one without any strong reason whatsoever.

Well, today is the day when we change all of that!

In order for us to set this right once and for all, we are going to place these pairs head to head so that you can clearly see the difference.

Lie vs. Lay (vs. Lie?)

The first option is the one related to a person/object being in one place on their/its back, e.g. …

This or That 2/4: Who/Whom & What/Which

Well, Mrs. Broflovski, that’s a very good question!

The term “relative pronouns” might not mean a lot to you, but we are going to focus on the practical usage of this term and the words that it includes in some context-specific situations.

First things first — yes, that is whoM written in the title. And, no, it’s not the same as who. And, yes, we should still use it.

WHO is used to ask about the subject of a sentence (and when you ask a question, the answer should be a subject pronoun — I, you, he, she, it, we, you, they). …