Your website is the face of your company. It is your first impression, and, in many cases, a primary avenue via which current and prospective customers interface with your brand. It is critical, therefore, that your website is a living, breathing entity, impressing and engaging your audience at every turn. Today, the tools and methods you use for managing your corporate website have a profound impact on the success of your site and, subsequently, your business, so you need to make sure you are taking the right steps.

Keeping your website content, layout, and calls to action fresh is key to maximizing the return on your website investment. Combining the insight gained from a reporting tool like Google Analytics with the flexibility and power of an enterprise-class Content Management System, like Common Goal Webmanager 7, can help you meet the demands of a changing market on the fly and stay ahead of your competition. A suite of tools like these can help you achieve the following 5 things that every successful website should help you do:

Stay high in search rankings with fresh content. Google and other search engines love freshness, and they'll reward it with higher rankings in their search results. They like to see that content is changing and that visitors returning to your site are going to find something new.

Understand your users by analyzing site usage metrics and using a flexible tool to run your own split A/B tests. Take the guessing out of making changes to your site by planning your updates – whether you're updating messaging, imagery, calls to action, or implementing entirely new functionality – around how visitors are using the site currently. Gaining insight into their actions on the site will help you make informed decisions when it comes to further catering to your user's needs and interests.

Keep users engaged by tailoring content to keep up to date with changing demands and trends that your audience is interested in and by implementing interactive elements and social media tie-ins. User expectations are changing more frequently now than ever and it's crucial to be fluid and on top of what's new and important to your audience. Focus on implementing functionality and interface elements that make your site not just intuitive, but fun to use. And if your users are already engaging in and utilizing social media platforms, create connections to your site to make your users feel right at home and connect with your brand on a more personal level.

Maintain consistent messaging/branding/identity to match your immediate business plans. Have an upcoming sales pitch to a big potential client? Use a flexible CMS to reorder images in your homepage animation or adjust the prominence of certain service offerings to highlight your expertise in a particular field or market relevant to your pitch strategy.

Extend the life of your site by reducing the frequency with which you need to redesign. Making minor strategic updates routinely will keep your site fresh in the eyes of both Google and your visitors, helping eliminate the need costly overhauls on a biennial basis.

Keeping these goals in mind and working to achieve them with each edit to your site is the best way to making your site a success. Have questions or ideas about your current or future site that you'd like to discuss? Get in touch with us to get the ball rolling.

We're in the final phase of developing a community website for Health Management Resources (a leader in medically-based weight management programs). Our goal was to create an online space that fostered brand loyalty through education and interaction. Here are some of the some mantras that guided us through the process:

Turn your community into experts.
Providing well-organized resources for your community to explore and share and will eventually turn them — and those they share these resources with — into experts. Content authorship is the key, here; while corporate thought leaders can provide initial seed content select super-users from within the online community can supplement that content. Putting a spotlight on super-users both benefits the existing community and helps boost overall sales. The 90 lurkers of the 90-9-1 rule are encouraged to delurk and enjoy similar leadership opportunities, creating a more vibrant and bustling community. Spotlit super-users are likely to want to share their contributions with their own online networks, thus introducing your products/services to a new group of people you may have never been able to reach through traditional marketing campaigns. This is true viral marketing by empowering your users.

Provide tools for your audience to grow the site.
The success of a community website is reliant upon the tools that you give your users. With fun and user-friendly interfaces for both gathering and sharing information, the content and activity on a community site will grow exponentially. We had the good fortune to work with HMRdiet's vast library of recipes, weight-loss success stories, lifestyle tips and blog entries. Accompanying this kind of content with a ‘share' button allows users share content via existing social media platforms where they're likely to be connected to other users with similar interests, thus helping grow the community.

Give users the options to create robust profiles that encourage meaningful connections with each other.
Robust user profiles are a core component of a thriving community website. The benefits of rich profiles are vast: photos and personal information give faces and personalities to the community and allow users to better network amongst themselves, encourage lurkers to de-lurk and also supply valuable target market information. In addition to the typical facebook-style profile components, it's important to include a snapshot of the user's site life (such as linking to a user's submitted text/multimedia content, forum comments, etc.) Blending a user's offline-identity and brand-identity promotes brand ownership and facilitates brand evangelism.

Want to learn more about how a community website can benefit your company? Give us a call at 617.338.8922 or contact us here, we'd love to hear from you.

A few new trophies happened into the office this week, TWO for The Boston Pops 4th of July Extravaganza and one for our work on a Holiday card for Haley and Aldrich.

VIDEO and Community sites are our big themes for the summer. Here's a peek at a Project for PTC / Microsoft.

In September we'll be unveiling a new look and feel to all of the Silverscape marketing materials from website to logo to service offerings! In short, we're VERY busy, very happy and things are VERY good at Silvercape.

Caitlin

PS: Fear not, we found an excellent new home for our French Toast Fridays.

YouTube services are also accessible, giving content managers a single place to upload their video making it available to the YouTube community and allowing the website to make use of those same videos. The July 4th.org site features video content sourced from YouTube and displayed in a variety of customized formats on the homepage and media gallery that are tailored specifically for the website.

We recently integrated Tedeschi Food Shops with Google Maps to give visitors the ability to search for stores in an area. Users are also given an interactive experience to filter stores for their search by selecting a variety of options. The results are then displayed on a Google map, but still encompassed in the Tedeschi website. The results have pins for each location that are Tedeschi branded like the "T" logo. Users are given easy access to reliable directions for a store provided by a trusted source. This allows a user to search specifically for where and what they want instead of browsing through a long list of 189 store addresses.

These services continue to provide content producers and managers with easy ways of bringing relevant and valuable content to visitors quickly and easily. All the while, the services strengthen the value and impact of the website.

Imagine a potential customer viewing your website from an iPhone or iPad - is your logo displayed clearly? Is it readable or too small to understand at a quick glance? A refined logo on the mobile web will help your brand resonate with people browsing on the go.

Here are three big concepts to consider when assessing if your logo is in need of a face lift to succeed in the mobile space.

Typography
Sophisticated, modern type will make all the difference. There is no reason that a classic or historic logo with a serif font, for example, can't be updated for the web while maintaining its integrity. Type has the power to make your brand name feel more approachable, friendly and real.

The Arthur J. Hurley company logo underwent a modern transformation to accompany the company's website redesign - look for the new Hurley site next month!

Design Details
This doesn't mean simply adding drop shadows and gradients to your mark - its about paying attention to the small design details that will enhance your logo's level of digital sophistication. Oftentimes the spacing of letters and words will appear unbalanced when translated onto the web. If your logo looks too tight or too wide, some kerning adjustments will go a long way. Ligatures in certain typefaces may get lost, and type that's too thin can start to disappear, especially against a dark background. Making sure you get the right balance and proportion is extremely important to make sure your mark is readable. You'll also need to make sure your corporate colors are appearing accurate and vibrant enough on screen by choosing the appropriate RGB equivalents. The world is viewing your mark through a small amount of pixels, and you don't want to take the risk of your identity becoming blurred or distorted.

Simplicity
Less is more. Now is the time to lose the intricate illustration, expansive color palette, or elaborate lettering. These elements simply do not translate on the sleek, minimal web interface of the iPad. It is so important for your logo to be designed with some breathing room, especially when reduced to a small size, to reduce the risk of being overlooked for appearing dated.

The Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular Logo (july4th.org) has existed for years. With a new website experience for the televised event came the need for a "webified" version of the classic logo. Silverscape refined this classic logo by streamlining the french horn and placing the entire logo on a backdrop that resembles an event banner. The clear and crisp white type looks great on the iPhone.

At 326 pixels per inch, the iPhone 4 retina display was designed to showcase graphics sharper than ever with colors that really pop. With such drastic advances in display technology,it's important to make sure your logo is keeping up in a sea of saturated and vibrant eye candy. A small design tweak to your logo can make a big difference.

Learn more about the power of a great logo in Kate's past blog:
LOGO AUGMENTATION: MAKING YOUR MARK WORK HARDER FOR YOU.

Why go Mobile? Gain some perspective:
EXTENDING YOUR BRAND TO THE MOBILE WEB.

A Healthy Dose of Spring Cleaning! - Monday, April 18
Are you excited by innovations like LEED Certification and interested in living a healthier and safer lifestyle at home and work? If so, we warmly welcome you to join Silverscape for a very special presentation!

Monday, April 18

Silverscape, 75 Broad Street, Boston
12:00 Arrive and get your Boloco lunch
12:15 Welcome from Silverscape
12:20 Boloco Presentation
12:30 American Cleaning Presentation and Q&A

Lunch will be served, so please RSVP

We've been really busy at Silverscape with a number of web and ecommerce clients at Silverscape teaching them to better set-up, manage and measure their Social Media and Pay-Per-Click programs. We believe the best manager for these programs is often an in-house Marketing Director or Marketing Coordinator. Within the context of teaching our clients to be autonomous and informed on the latest trends here is an idea of what a typical Social Media Program Implementation consists of:

• Review of your current Social Media Program, if any
• Independent SWOT Analysis for your SoMe efforts vs. competitors, followed by an Executive Briefing
• Determination of program goals and outcomes
• Creation of program measurement guide
• Training and on-going support for internal program resource
• Path to program autonomy
• 6-month and 12-month check ins and audits to review successes

And here is an example of an 8-week Tune-up for Your Website Pay-Per-Click Program:

• Review of your current Pay-Per-Click Program
• Independent SWOT Analysis and identification of program problems and opportunities within your website and Google Adwords setup
• Determination of program goals and outcomes
• Creation of high-impact conversion tools within website
• Training and on-going support for internal program resource
• Path to program autonomy
• Executive briefings to review program problems, tasks, improvements and forward outlook.

We're pleased to report these services have helped consumer and B2B companies' overall tool box of tips and tricks to propel their marketing while producing very enthusiastic management teams.

For more information, pricing and ROI for the aforementioned programs as well as our work in Online Branded Communities and Social Media, Please contact us. We will be happy to arrange for a call or in-person meeting.

Kate Tetreault, who joined Silverscape in 2006, is responsible for the creation of innovative online digital experiences. She will be leading a number of key client engagements in 2011 on Silverscape's Common Goal® Community Management Platform™. Dorion, also with Silverscape since 2006, will lead day-to-day project Art Direction and Creative execution across online digital media as well as print and branding assignments.

Tetreault is passionate about providing design strategy insight and meaningful content for Silverscape clients. A highlight of her recent project work at Silverscape is the HMR Diet Community Platform, which unites innovative design, multiple social media platforms and a library of web applications for rich interactive experience all connected via Common Goal. "It is an important and highly collaborative site for the community that will use it. Great care and two years of planning have led to one of the most sophisticated online community websites to date." Currently, she is leading a global marketing program by Silverscape for PTC/Microsoft that will produce globalized assets for the company.

As Associate Creative Director, Dorion is in charge of the creative concepting, art directing, and story-telling behind a number of key Silverscape projects. Her passion for design is rooted in function, and she is drawn to, "the challenge of translating a client's vision for their brand into a visual representation of their company and people." Dorion is currently taking the notion of functionally-designed media and applying it to projects for Westfield Capital Management, American Cleaning Corporation and Q1 Labs.

The work of both Tetreault and Dorion has contributed to multiple awards for Silverscape from the New England Direct Marketing Association (NEDMA). Tetreault attended Wellesley College, where she double-majored in Media Arts & Sciences and English. Dorion received her BFA in graphic design from Massachusetts College of Art and Design.

In her new role, Boulanger is responsible for identifying and cultivating the processes, philosophies and infrastructure that support Silverscape's continued strategic growth and operational success. She will work directly with clients and Silverscape's account, creative and technology teams to establish and implement digital marketing programs that support and bolster clients' sales and branding efforts.

"Diane brings 20 years' industry experience, including seven years at the helm of her own agency. She understands the business holistically—from the operational, creative and technology perspectives. The addition of Diane to our management team is a key strategic move for Silverscape's continued growth," according to Silvercape's founding Principal and Creative Director, Caitlin Jewell.

Before joining Silverscape, Boulanger led Boulanger & Associates, an integrated marketing communications agency that she founded in 2001. During this time, she collaborated extensively with Silverscape to bring new interactive ideas to her clients. The two firms enjoyed a synergistic relationship that yielded not only some notably cutting-edge work, but also a close friendship.

"Silverscape has always been best-of-breed when it comes to interactive design and technology, and I'm thrilled to be part of this exceptionally brilliant team. It's increasingly important for companies to have a digital marketing strategy that extends beyond just the typical corporate website. We look for fresh opportunities to optimize a company's ‘digital visibility' by taking advantage of new media, applications and techniques that will strengthen a company's interaction with its customers," says Boulanger.

Boulanger's 20-year career includes roles as Creative Director at One to One Interactive and at Leo Burnett/Boston, and as a Senior Copywriter at Ciavarra Design/Boston. She has written over 16 technology white papers and co-authored the book, "Inside the Minds: The Creative Side of Advertising." Boulanger has been honored with numerous writing, advertising and marketing awards, and has appeared in publications such as AdWeek, BrandWeek, The Business of Branded Entertainment, and The Boston Business Journal.

Boulanger holds a Bachelor of Science degree in television broadcasting, with a minor in journalism, from Boston University's College of Communication, and did graduate work in international communications at BU's Graduate School of International Relations.

About Silverscape
Silverscape is a premier independent digital agency that creates engaging online experiences, custom web applications and interactive marketing solutions across browser, desktop and mobile environments. The award-winning firm helps companies become market leaders by combining innovative technology with strategic creative to strengthen a brand's presence and enhance its customer interactions. Silverscape is ranked in the Top 25 Web and Graphic Design Firms in the northeast, according to the Boston Business Journal. www.silverscape.com

Before the phone even launches there is already a community of experienced developers with skills that can easily be utilized in the mobile space. Microsoft has been giving away development tools (http://create.msdn.com/en-us/home/getting_started) to ambitious developers and the resources to learn how to use them. Developer empowerment has always been one of Microsoft's key strengths in their success. Windows Phone 7 will be no different.

The iPhone's success can largely be attributed to there being an app for "everything." To make things easier Microsoft, they have launched the App Hub as a place where Windows Phone game developers can find development tools, support, resources and educational material.

Phones in a variety of form factors will begin shipping in late October and throughout the holiday season. Samsung, LG, and HTC have all shown devices with slide-out QWERTY keyboards or touch. Potential buysers can expect a wealth of options at initial rollout along with a lot of great apps and games from some of the best services and software companies around.

We're so excited to share the news: Mass. College of Art & Design to build design center

10/19/2010 Globe Staff: The Massachusetts College of Art and Design said it is moving forward with plans to build a $30-million Center for Design and New Media on its Boston campus after the center was selected by Governor Deval Patrick as one of several capital projects to be funded at public colleges and universities across Massachusetts. The new center will create a "collaborative environment through studios, flexible space, and shared technical resources where interdisciplinary curricula can evolve," the college said in a statement. The college said it hopes to break ground on the center in the summer of 2012. The college is currently embarked on a $140 million expansion project that includes the Center for Design and New Media. The college noted that it recently opened campus center at the corner of Longwood and Huntington avenues and that a 21-story residence hall is scheduled to open in the fall of 2012.

Here are a few of our favorite solutions:

The designers and customers/brand experts who undertook this redesign had several big design challenges to address: on a basic level, the icon is incongruent with the look-and-feel of the iTunes app icon. On a broader level, it lacks the personality of other icons in the Apple family, not to mention the trademark aesthetic of their user interface family. The icon is also smaller than the standard dock icon size, breaking up the rhythm of the dock and sticking out like a sore thumb. On a conceptual level, the icon took one step forward and two steps back. According to Apple, the impetus behind the icon redesign was to lose the CD graphic that had been the foundation of the previous icon. This makes sense as, according to Wired, iTunes digital music was set to outplace sales of physical CD albums by next year. Surprisingly, however, Apple decided to stick with the music note icon despite the fact that iTunes is now a more diverse entertainment hub and features movies, tv shows, audio books, etc.

While Apple appears to be ignoring any constructive criticism around the icon – "we disagree" was Steve Jobs' only response -- companies like the GAP and Chiquita Banana have been quick to utilize crowdsourcing for design assets. While the practice is a surefire way of growing or strengthening a creative brand community and has its place in smaller marketing campaigns (as in Chiquita's case), crowdsourcing a company's actual identity can be the death knell of a lost brand (as in Gap's case.)

The online design community's visceral reaction to the new icon isn't coming from left field. The popularity of "show and tell" online design community sites like dribbble, forrst, and drawar have helped create an online atmosphere where feedback isn't only welcome, it's the status quo. However, this design call-and-response phenomenon exists in a unique environment -- these sites are meant to support a thriving design community, not to exploit it. Designer Mike Monteiro was on point in his response to the GAP's logo crowdsourcing call:

"You sell good stuff. But never in my experience has any of your employees offered me a free pair of pants because the ones I was wearing looked bad. I wouldn't expect them to. Their job is to sell me clothes."

To learn more about growing your brand's online community –or- for expert advice on logo redesign, get in touch.

1. Net Neutrality protections have existed for the entire history of the Internet.
   Opponents of "Net Neutrality" often try to cast the legislative to push makes it a law as new, onerous government regulations. The provisions most "Net Neutrality" advocates are pushing aim to preserve tried and tested consumer protections and network operating principles that were part of the Internet since its inception, such as no ISP traffic restrictions, content filtering, and no restrictions on kinds of equipment and modes of communications allowed.
2. No Free Rides.
   IPS often alleged that large content providers such as Google and Yahoo are getting a free ride on the network. In their view if Network Neutrality is preserved, they won't be able to build new, high-speed networks. However, they always fail to mention that they generate billions of dollars in revenue from monthly subscriptions fees and access rates from content producers. Getting rid of Network Neutrality is just an attempt to extract more money from a new revenue stream.
3. Little competition in the broadband market prevents self-regulation.
   ISPs argue that Network Neutrality is unnecessary because there is plenty of competition for broadband access that it deters them behaving like a monopoly. However, significant portions of the U.S. only have access to one broadband provider or none at all. For many people ‘voting with their wallets' is not a choice, there is no where else to go. Phone and cable companies could tier, discriminate data and content, sniff data, etc. In these circumstances the consumer is trapped.
4. Consumers will bear the cost for network infrastructure.
   ISP's claim consumers will save money without Net Neutrality, because content providers will bear more of the delivery and infrastructure cost. But those costs will simply be passed on to consumers in the form of higher prices for consumer goods and online services. With less competition on a "tiered Internet", the ISP's are able to raise their own prices with impunity.
5. Network discrimination through a "tiered Internet" will severely curtail consumer choice.
   Internet Providers argue that a tiered Internet is a must in order to provide consumers with higher-quality services. However, a content providers' success should be based on the merit of said content and not on the whims of network owners. Many ISP's are part of, or own media conglomerates. The impeding merger of Comcast & NBS/Universal highlights the severe conflict of interest at hand. A tiered Internet ‘Lane' would allow any provider, such as Comcast to discriminate against competing content providers by not allowing them access to said lane or charging a ‘toll'.

Net Neutrality is a complicated and important issue. It is important that we need to get it right, not only because of the business ramifications but also how integral it has become to our personal lives. If the core principals of Net Neutrality are removed we, the consumers could be at the whims of local or national monopolies. To learn more about what you can do to ensure the future of the Internet you can visit non-profit Public Advocate groups such as PublicKnowledge.org and CommonCause.org.

Salon owner Mitch Derosa and his stylists at high-end Mitchell John Salon now have a sleek, sophisticated and mobile-friendly web presence that meets the needs of their busy corporate clientele. The site features an intuitive appointment-scheduling module and tons of fresh content, including videos, styling tips and updates on in-store promotions.

The web experience was designed in line with the salon's unique space and community: a creative environment with a focus on client feedback and industry buzz. The unconventional vertical layout features custom content modules and a editorial-inspired photo treatment.

Potential customers are given a warm introduction to the MJS team: on the homepage and within the Team pages, users can learn about stylists individually to find their best fit before booking an appointment online. Current clientele are encouraged to submit testimonials of their favorite stylists. Visitors can also visit the new Mitchell John Blog to read up on the latest MJS happenings including exclusive events and classes taught by master stylist Mitch Derosa.

Love the site and want to check out MJS? Call them for an appointment and mention you are a friend of Silverscape for a 20% welcome discount.

The mobile web is one of the fastest growing mediums for consuming online content today. To reach this quickly growing demographic and create successful brand impressions, it's critical that marketers develop mobile brand experiences as an integral part of a company's marketing. Read on to learn how your brand's mobile presence can be most successful.

Why go mobile?
You might be wondering, ‘Why is having a separate mobile experience so important? Can't I just optimize my current website to be compatible with mobile devices?' It's true that a website can be optimized to work properly on mobile devices and tablets, but designing a customized interface will result in a much more successful brand experience that will resonate with your audiences.

The difference in screen size and the way users interact with mobile devices are the two main reasons why this is a better approach. Navigating a website that was designed for desktop viewing requires the user to constantly be zooming and scrolling, and the touch interface featured on many mobile devices and tablets today is not always conducive to an intuitive experience. For example, hover states are often used to indicate an action to a visitor that might not be immediately apparent, so that when the visitor rolls over an area on a page it will change slightly to indicate the area is clickable. Touch devices do not support hover states, so your mobile and tablet users are left without these visual cues.

Having a separate mobile experience allows you to create an alternate interface for your brand that has larger functional elements and a streamlined layout for optimal usability. Once you've decided that your brand is ready to create a unique mobile experience for your consumers, you're then faced with another question: ‘Should I develop a mobile version of my website or a mobile application?' The right answer depends on your audiences, the complexity of your website, and the amount of content you want to deliver. Here are a few pointers to help you figure out when each of these approaches is the better solution.

One way to extend your brand to the mobile web is to create an alternate mobile site version that's served when a user accesses your URL from a mobile device or tablet. This approach is better suited for websites with robust functionality and larger amounts of content that span multiple topics and consumer segments. If your goal is to deliver more of a comprehensive mobile version of your web experience to users, this is probably the best choice for you. A great example of an alternate mobile website is Facebook's mobile website. Facebook Mobile Web includes all of the main features from the basic Facebook site with a customized interface more suited for small screen sizes.

Here are a few ways a content management tool like WebManager 7 supports a corporate site design refresh:

Utilize existing grids and content with redesigned website templates. This means no re-writing or re-entering copy and no re-formatting or first time QC. Let your CMS do all the work in that regard by applying newly designed templates to frame the current content. Check out HMR's recently refreshed website which uses content from their previous site housed in newly designed templates.

Update collections of modules within specific templates. Along with template changes, revamping sidebar module design is an efficient way to implement a new design aesthetic. From there you can create collections of these modules and assign them to certain pages to make sure your user is guided through the site seamlessly. Take a look at Tedeschi Food Shop's community section to see sidebar module collections in action.

Implement social media elements to renew interest and create traffic. Adding social media outlets, such as: YouTube videos, Facebook "Like" integration, and twitter feeds to templates and sidebar modules are effective ways to update your web and overall brand presence. An example of this is a project currently in development for Taza Chocolate. New functionality for their e-commerce website will allow visitors to post their online order or their favorite chocolates to Facebook.

Get in touch with us to find out how Common Goal WebManager 7 can play a part in your corporate site's next design refresh, or check out Max's blog entry on it to learn more.

If you take a look at your Google Analytics, you'll notice that the majority of your site traffic comes from Google and other search engines. What this means is that many of your visitors ran a search and found themselves somewhere deep in your web site, and not on the home page. Have you considered the user experience for these visitors? Your home page might be exceptionally well thought out, with entrance pathways and calls to action for all audience types, but these users will never see elements that are not present on every page. Breadcrumb trails, which WebManager can also dynamically generate, give context to the user, but this is rarely enough to prevent users from bouncing back to the search engine. The option that I prefer is the use of modules and callouts in the sidebar or below the body content.

A callout (as I use the term) is a graphical call to action linking to another page. A module is a more interactive, complex, and feature-driven callout. Some module examples are store locators, product finders, project search tools, or lists of recent blog entries. Two or three of these will help guide users through the site and keep them around for longer. The best calls to action are those that tie directly to the content on the page they are viewing in some way, and WebManager's content tagging eliminates the need to do this manually. WebManager 7 gives administrators a graphical view of which callouts and modules are present on which pages and an administrator can easily add, remove, or change the order of them on a per page basis. The data used in these callouts is maintained in the CMS as well, such as the list of stores, products, or projects. When an administrator places a module on a set of pages, no additional maintenance to the page itself is necessary. The administrator can simply post a new piece of content, tag it correctly and watch as the new content flows out to the relevant pages.

Stay tuned for more blog entries by myself and others about the cool new features of WebManager 7 and how they can help you easily maintain your site.

RSS feeds are a great way for keeping users engaged with your site. Users feel like they are being well served with proactive content being delivered to them as they prefer, and sites keep their content in front of users and provide a recurring call to return to the site. Everyone wins! However, like many practices when it comes to the web and user interaction, if not handled properly, users can become easily frustrated and turned off to your site or service. When it comes to RSS feeds, by allowing users to select specific types of content and customize their feeds, we can ensure that users are always only getting content that they are interested in, reducing the likelihood that the users feels frustrated or that the feed is irrelevant. In addition, by providing options for combining subscriptions – even those of multiple types (i.e. text content, multimedia, activity notifications, etc.) – into a single feed, we give users power and control to experience the content they want in a way that they prefer.

An upcoming community site allows users to combine podcast audio and select forum updates and blog posts into a single, unique RSS feed.

Users can also subscribe to specific topics within the forum via email notifications, by adding them to their existing RSS feed, or both.

In addition to subscription services, utilities for sharing content offer a wide range of distribution options, allowing users to share with specific networks of contacts on their social network or platform of their choice, or via email. This is another win-win, as users are able to easily share content they find valuable with their respective communities, while content producers are able to expand their readership or audience exponentially beyond those immediately accessible to them. Tools like AddThis [link to AddThis] can be relatively easily integrated with a website and allow users to share content via literally hundreds of social media sites. AddThis also actively remembers which platforms users share on most frequently and reorganizes its interface to present those options more prominently in the future; and detailed monitoring tools allow site administrators to gain further insight into their site's users' habits and preferences.

For more tips on creating a great user experience and keeping your site visitors engaged and coming back, check out my post on meeting marketing goals via lateral site architecture.

Like any good first draft, Catalyst has some successful components and the core concept is undoubtedly an exciting one. However, for a program targeting designers, its user experience leaves a lot to be desired.

Clunky UI: Catalyst's interface lacks the finesse of Photoshop or Illustrator on both a large and small scale. The workspace is crowded and offers paltry customization options. Photoshop and Illustrator take into account that designers need to tailor workspaces to specific projects and moods and provide the tools to do that. Catalyst's workspace lacks hierarchy and sticks to a claustrophobic grid. On a smaller scale, Catalyst's versions of key tools like the gradient slider are crude and disappointing knock-offs of those offered in their sister programs.

No Collaboration: For a program meant to foster increased communication between design and development, one would think there would be a Dreamweaver-esque split panel view for code view vs. design view. Instead, users are forced to toggle between a code-only or design-only view. Allowing designers to understand which pieces of code correspond to design elements is crucial; empowering designers means not only allowing them to maximize the power of their native skill set, but also giving them the perspective to see how their designs translate into development.

Limited Scalability: Between Catalyst's "only one file open at a time" rule and its inability to support larger files with many components, I'm left feeling more limited than freed.

Gaunt Resources: Catalyst could really benefit from better resources, both internally and externally. The program's wireframe library is helpful but needs to be bigger and smarter. I'd love to see some Flex Explorer-esque functionality to enable quick creation of more complex custom components. Externally, Catalyst's featured Lynda.com tutorials are great but relatively basic. Existing how-to's can teach me how to create a file or make a button, but offer no advice on how to create a more complex tiered drop down menu.

All things considered, the Catalyst team has quite a bit of work ahead of them to make this program successful. While the program hasn't been refined enough yet to make good on its promises to designers, it does seem to be a helpful tool for developers to quickly develop component skins for user in Flex Projects.

Every day more and more web traffic originates from mobile devices. The majority of that growth comes from touch-enabled devices like the iPhone and Android. A great deal of the excitement over these two platforms is largely due to the advanced capabilities they deliver through applications and services. Features like touch, tilt, and locations services have made them the hottest platforms around. Most of these technologies, however, are also available through web browsers on theses devices. Incorporating some of these functionalities into your websites will enhance user experience when viewing it on a mobile browser and portray your company as forward-thinking.

From Point A…to…You

Directions are an essential piece of information for any business and are typically handled in three ways: A focused guide or list of ways to a business, linking to Google Maps with the location already defined or through a plug-in in a page that connects to a map/directions service to provide directions tailored to the user's location. Each one of these solutions involves one or more steps for a user to take. The first two options would send them to another website increasing the risk that they would not come back. The latter option requires the user to input their location (street, state and or zip code) to get the results. This brings up an interesting problem when you are using a mobile device. Where are you? In most situations this would be easy to figure out, even on the go. Number, street name and state are easy enough. A zip code might require a little more work, maybe even a web search. If a user is visiting the website of their favorite convenience store chain on their phone and would like to know where the nearest location is, it would be convenient if the website could request their location through the phone's GPS eliminating the guess work. On the iPhone and Android (and soon Blackberry's) platforms browsers can do just that. This feature helps us better service the user by eliminating several tasks they would normally do to access this information on the go. It also removes the extra step of querying a database for the coordinates to send to the map/directions service like Google Maps or Map Quest.

Demo: Press the button below to see geo-location in action

	Directions
Notice: Directions are seeded by the GPS location of your mobile device, running this demo on a desktop will use the coordinates of your Internet Provider's closest node.

This geo-location feature can also be used to display location-based content and sale/banners or promotions. Enabling real-time tracking for a user's location allows content and data to be updated accordingly. This functionality opens up an incredible range of opportunities to reach your audience in personalized and engaging ways.

In order to increase cash flow in their time of need, Taza is now offering "Taza Dollars" which are shopping certificates worth 10 dollars that customers can redeem at their retail store when it opens. Taza Dollars will help generate much-needed cash to pay for time-sensitive factory renovations and are readily available on the Taza Common Goal-powered webstore. In addition to increasing cash flow, the vouchers will drive business to the brand new factory store and generate buzz for the brand. The Taza money is printed on recycled Taza 80% Stone Ground Bar wrappers. Taza's current situation is an inspiring example of a brand's ability to utilize its online resources. Silverscape is looking forward to the grand opening of the Taza retail space, located at 561 Windsor St. in Somerville, MA and expected to open between August and September 2010.

The e-comm site is not the only digital medium helping to generate business for the artisan chocolate company. Taza's new direct-mail newsletter campaign from Taza, designed by Silverscape heads to inboxes this month. Be sure to read last month's blog entry which discusses how Taza is making social media work harder for their business.

The trends leading up to the day itself were indicators that we could expect a significant increase the day of the event. For those who do not often get the chance to view analytics for an event driven site, here is how it went:

General site visits/day leading up to approximately June 26th: ~2200

• June 27th: 4,318
• June 28th: 7,870
• June 29th: 8,471
• June 30th: 10,109
• July 1st: 13,625
• July 2nd: 17,701
• July 3rd: 28,676

On July 4th, the site increased its traffic over the previous day by more than three times, ending up with 103,786 visits (roughly the population of Burbank, CA), serving 299,834 pages. As one would expect, the most traffic came as event goers were hitting the site to get information prior to heading out. Between 4pm and 5pm EST, the site served up 27,667 pages. Between 6pm and 7pm, it had increased to 35,566 pages served before starting to drop back down later in the night.

The top content, other than the home page, was the Event Schedule page and the History and Heritage page. The home page accounted for 44% of the traffic on July 4th, with the Event Schedule page accounting for approximately 20% and History and Heritage being at approximately 15%.

Get in touch with us to learn more about generating heavy traffic to your site and supporting it or to talk to our web analytics experts.

An eye-catching masthead. The event's logo, dates, and schedule should be eye-catching, dynamic and hold a prominent place in the masthead. The masthead is your first chance to market this event, and unlike corporate sites where the main image area can take center stage, an event website needs to give instant satisfaction for visitors who are looking for top-level information. For example, Chirp, a Twitter developer conference, ensures fans immediate access to key information on page-load by giving heavy real estate to the event's logo and by using a distinct cut-paper illustration style to distinguish their masthead and capture the user's attention.

Photography, videos, and audio from past years. Media from past years both educates and excites potential event attendees but also prompts recurring event-goers to revisit the site and relive the event. Bonnaroo, a music festival in Tennessee, pulls in videos on Bonnaroo culture from YouTube onto their homepage. This is a great draw for site visitors and also encourages event-goers to create their own content and potentially be featured on the site.

Integrate social media outlets. Use social media components on the site to create buzz for your event. Having a live Twitter feed, Facebook integration, Flickr gallery, and YouTube videos will all help create a community around your event and serve as free advertising by showcasing enticing accolades from existing fans. Bumbershoot, a music & arts festival in Seattle, successfully uses all these outlets to support the event's online presence.

Resources, resources, resources. Give your visitors helpful resources to plan for the event. A map of the event grounds, forecasts for the event and the days leading up, email newsletters, and a blog full of updates and teasers are all great ways to prepare event-goers. The website for Washington, DC's Walk for Depression Awareness includes resources like these along with a real-time countdown to the event and links for ways to get involved.

Keep your mobile audience in mind. Attendees want quick and easy access to event info, especially when at the event, so keep your website mobile-device friendly. Create an iPhone website bookmark icon so event-goers can have instant access to your event site (check out my blog entry on custom-design iPhone icons for more info). Likewise, free downloads such as branded mobile and desktop wallpapers are fun for attendees and provide additional advertising for your event. The website for the state of Utah offers free travel guides in 5 languages available online or in print by mail.

Customize your event website each year. Any large-scale event should refresh their site design in parallel with their event frequency. A refresh allows for integration of updated branding and also builds excitement around the event. A great example of event website customization is the suite of websites for the state of Tennessee, which also has summer, fall, winter, and spring sites. Tennessee not only tailors their seasonal state experience for the user; they update those seasonal sites each year.

Check out the website we did for the Boston Pop's Fireworks Spectacular to see ALL of these techniques in action. Get in touch with us or give us a call at 617.338.8922 to get your event's website started today!

One way to do this is to integrate social media tools within your corporate website in a way that provides visitors with quick and easy ways to share their brand experiences. An example of this is a project currently in development for our client, Taza Chocolate. The Taza e-commerce website has an online store featuring all of the company's products. New functionality will allow visitors to post their online order or their favorite chocolates to Facebook. As simple as it is, this feature will increase the likelihood of consumers sharing their experiences with Taza and will result in targeted, free advertising for the brand.

Building your brand's social media presence is more important than ever to your company's corporate marketing. It's not just about how many fans, followers and friends you have, it's also about finding ways to effectively utilize your customers as catalysts for brand awareness. Get in touch with us to learn more about social media programs in development and to discuss new social media initiatives that will work harder for your firm and your bottom line.

We're entering a new age once again: now that our digital devices prominently feature touch interfaces, the ways of interacting with the devices and the content they present have begun to displace the methods of interaction made popular via traditional methods of human-computer interaction, most notably the monitor-mouse-keyboard setup. The interactions that went from physical to digital in the late 70s and early 80s are now merging – tapping, flicking and turning our digital devices allows us to physically interact with our digital content in ways not possible before now. Furthermore, these new levels and forms of interaction allow (and perhaps require) us to re-imagine the way we produce and deliver digital content.

Some producers are already well on their way, the most prevalent example perhaps being the Wired Magazine iPhone/iPad application. This app combines the best features of both the print and digital worlds – users can swipe through pages or use a high-level table of contents/navigation to jump to specific articles, and the physical construction of the iPad gives users the tactile experience they are used to with magazines. In addition, in-page interactive elements like playable video and rotating 3D models provide a much richer experience than possible with traditional print media.

So what does this mean for the producers and developers of digital content, practically speaking? We need to be thinking beyond the traditional desktop browsing and interactive experiences when creating digital media in order to enable our sites and applications to take advantage of touch interfaces where possible. For example: sites like CNN have reworked their content delivery mechanisms to allow users on mobile touch devices to play video right in the page thanks to HTML5; and ESPN delivers content via an alternate interface for mobile touch devices, which allow users to expand and collapse menus and navigation items rather than relying on hovering, which these devices do not allow.

But this isn't all about simply accommodating the restrictions or basic features of touch devices; it is also about opening up new possibilities. Google has reworked its image search results page to allow iPhone and other mobile touch users to swipe left and right to switch between images; websites and applications developed for the iPad and other tablet devices take advantage of the multiple orientations to provide various content areas and navigational elements based on the way that the user prefers to hold their physical device. Now we're beginning to explore and see what's possible with digital collateral kits, sales tools and other traditionally print-only pieces that are being transformed into intuitive and interactive digital experiences.

To learn about the role touch interfaces can play in your marketing initiatives, give us a call at 617.338.8922 or get in touch.

Silverscape, a leading independent digital agency, took home top honors at the 2010 SMPS National Marketing and Communications Awards. This annual competition is the longest-standing, most prestigious awards program recognizing excellence in marketing and communications by professional services firms in the design and building industry. Silverscape took home first place in the website category for the design and development of the Walbridge Construction website. This year's awards were handed out at the 33rd annual National SMPS conference where winners from across the country gathered to honor the top marketing and communications efforts in Architecture, Engineering and Construction.

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The Society for Marketing Professionals Services (www.smps.org) represents a dynamic network of more than 7,000 marketing and business development professionals from architectural, engineering, planning, interior design, construction and specialty construction firms located throughout the United States and Canada. The Society and its 50+ chapters benefits from the support of 3,250 design and building firms, encompassing 80% of the Engineering News-Record Top 500 Design Firms and Top 400 Contractors. SMPS' mission is to advocate for, educate and connect leaders in the building industry.

Silverscape is a leading independent digital agency that creates engaging online experiences, custom web applications and interactive marketing solutions across browser, desktop and mobile environments. We help companies become market leaders through innovative brand development and strategic marketing programs.

• CMS: Content Management Solutions are software solutions that enable users to manage content in a collaborative way. They are most commonly used to manage a websites content, page hierarchy, etc. [wiki] [web]
• API: Application Programming Interfaces provide a way to securely access tools and data from external systems and services. TazaChocolate.com ecommerce system uses UPS's API to provide their customers with tracking numbers once their yummy chocolates are on their way. [wiki] [web]
• SEO: Search Engine Optimization is the process of improving traffic to a website or webpage from search engines via un-paid, ‘natural, search results. This approach requires editing content, site architecture, keywords and removing anything that may prevent it from being indexed by a search engine or diminish their ranking. [wiki]
• SEM: In addition to the procedures used with SEO, Search Engine Marketing employs paid placements, contextual advertising, and paid inclusions to improve websites traffic from search engines results. We most commonly know these practices as "Sponsored Links" where the search engine results are preceded by a company or services add; "Pay-Per-Click" where the search engine gets paid when ever these ads are clicked; and when websites ads are served based on the content of the page. [wiki]
• HTML5: HTML5 is a major upgrade to main language that drives websites. It will allow audio and video to be played without plug-ins, securely store user data, create vector graphics, etc… Although the final specification won't be done prior to 2012 many of its features are already supported in the latest versions of most browsers. [wiki] [blog] [demos, gallery]
• H.264: H.264 is a popular video compression technology that is being used in many applications from Blu-ray disc and web videos. It is independent of file types; therefore it can be used with several video formats including Flash video and QuickTime. [wiki] [blog]
• AJAX: Ajax is a name commonly used to refer to a group of web technologies used on browsers to communicate with a web server without reloading the page or negatively affecting the user's experience. They are most commonly used to update a webpage's content based on user input such as displaying a product preview without going to another page and animating elements. [wiki] [web]
  

The web is growing and changing at a rapid pace, with it so will our vocabulary, and this page. Stop by from time to time to check out new entries, updates, or drop us a line to tell us about what you would like us to cover.

"Forums", or threaded and categorized discussion systems, existed in one form or another even before the web itself did. Dating back to the 1980's, there was a discussion system on the internet that was popular and widely used: Usenet Newsgroups. The Usenet featured the ability to post and read posts by other users within categories tied to mutual interests. All posts were displayed sequentially until software was created which would display the posts in the threaded manner we have become more accustomed to.

With the popularity of the web, this functionality was recreated there and has been a mainstay on community driven, common interest sites ever since. Even as popular social networking sites like Facebook and LinkedIn have offered up threaded discussion systems for their users, they have not caught on the way that forums on websites devoted to a given product or topic have.

There are a few reasons for this, but the official manufacturer website for a product can offer more than just the ability to interact with other users of the product. For example, the Janome Forum is located on the same site as tons of sewing project ideas, downloads, stitches, software updates, and manuals for Janome's sewing machines. The Dell Community Forums are located in a similar place on their site to where you can find driver downloads or links to manual PDFs. If you have an issue or question about a product, the official site is more likely to be a one stop shop for fixing it, not only through the forum, but through other available resources.

Another benefit to web-based forums over forums on social networking sites is that the companies who run the forums have a presence on them. On the Adobe forums, you can post a question about a product or discuss a bug and receive assistance not only from the user community, but from employed support specialists on staff at Adobe who are there to help serve the user community in this capacity. This can be a great way to get help quickly and directly from the people who know the product the most. It's less likely to find these people monitoring the discussion groups on social networking sites.

Web forums also offer the ability to archive posts indefinitely and allow searching of these archives. On social networking sites, the discussion functionality removes old threads from the archives (and sometimes does not even allow for searching of current threads) over time making it more difficult to find a response to your question.

Lastly, you cannot underestimate the importance of the users themselves. On an official forum, there is a higher level of accountability. Forum software provides information on which users have the highest number of posts and even allow you to see a full list of posts by a given user. If you have had a question answered by a friendly fellow user and want to see what else they have written, this is a very simple process. Web forums are often moderated by users who the community has deemed to be knowledgeable on the subject, and so the discussions are more relevant and on topic. The cleanliness of a forum makes it easier to navigate to what you are looking for quickly.

We asked 50 students attending the Massachusetts College of Art & Design, The New England Institue of Art, and The Art Institute of Boston to explore the Tedeschi brand by creating an original YouTube short. The criteria for the video was purposely left open, encouraging students to speak genuinely and with their own unique voices. Most of the contestants stepped outside of their traditional graphic design comfort zone, working with video for the first time. We were excited to challenge these young creatives, with primarily print backgrounds, to work within new mediums in our technology-driven industry. Caitlin Jewell, Principal and Creative Director at Silverscape had this to say about the experience: "The contest benefits were twofold. Not only did we spend wonderful time with the Tedeschi target audience, while creating a valuable paid internship at a top Boston Digital Agency to the winning entrant. Hardly our usual hiring process, but we're really excited about our winner!"

Some video entries answered the question - "What kind of meal can I make at Tedeschi for $5?" while others told playful stories about just how convenient Tedeschi 24 hour locations can be for late-night shopping problem solving. Some of the best videos highlighted the money-saving Tedeschi Select Product line (the trailmix is addictive) and the time-saving made to order TD's Deli meals. We even saw a Cloverfield parody! Students were judged on categories including "Viral Factor" and "Storytelling" and received extra points for providing their brainstorming sketches.

When we reviewed the final submissions, we were pleased to see that this contest had generated some genuine, engaging content not only for the Silverscape team to judge, but for future website viewers to watch and enjoy. It is exciting to see what can happen when brand and consumer collaborate on such a creative and engaging project.

Without further ado, here is the winning video submission by Jerry Gao of MassArt! Jerry's video will be showcased on the new Tedeschi website and he is also the recipient of a design internship here at Silverscape. Check out the rest of the amazing entries to pick which one is your favorite. I bet you can't watch just one.

Tuesday June 15th, Silverscape received distinguished honors from the New England Direct Marketing Association (NEDMA) and took home 12 awards –including 4 gold - for excellence in print, web and interactive design. The awards showcase the best of the best in direct marketing from across New England and were presented to winners at the Association's annual ceremony at The Royal in downtown Boston. NEDMA is celebration it's 60th year with some updates to the award categories, including new E-commerce and Social Media categories.

Silverscape awards, including category and client, were as follows:

Gold –Interactive Blog – Silverscape Ideascape Website Blog
Gold –Interactive Website Shopping/E-commerce– DRIFIRE FR Wear E-commerce Website
Gold – B-to-C Integrated Campaign – Jane Iredale Mineral Makeover Room
Gold - Best Website Design - HMR E-commerce Website
Silver - Best Website Design - DRIFIRE FR Wear E-commerce Website
Silver – Interactive Website Shopping/E-commerce – Taza Chocolate Website
Bronze – Print Advertisement- Silverscape "What's Your Website Saying"
Bronze – Direct Mail B-to-C Campaign – Silverscape Monthly Newsletter
Bronze – Interactive Website – Walbridge Construction Website
Bronze –Interactive Best Twitter Design –HMR Twitter Page
Bronze – Interactive Website Shopping/E-commerce – HMR E-commerce Website
Bronze – Interactive Website- Silverscape Website

Start with the big picture – An important first step to writing copy for a website is developing the site architecture. This document is a mapped layout of the pages within your website. For each page, make notes on the content topics to be covered so you can determine the navigation paths you would like visitors to take. This will prepare you to write content in a way that guides your visitors to the most important areas of the site.

Organize your content writing efforts – Once you have an inventory of content that needs to be written, divvy this up among a small team of writers and set deadlines for deliverables along the way. Establishing a timeline with indicated deliverables for the initial draft and for each round of revisions thereafter will ensure a smooth writing process. At Silverscape, we use a formatted content deck to compile all of the content for a site in a single document. Each page in the document correlates to a page on the website to make content entry simple.

Keep sentences short and keyword-rich – Writing for the web is a delicate balance between writing in a way that is compelling for site visitors and writing in a way that search engines understand. Keep your sentences short and keyword-rich so that search engines can pick up on these. Google weights keywords in the order in which they appear on the page, so start with your most important keywords first and work your way down.

With meta data, honesty is the best policy – Search engines reference something called meta data to learn what is being said in the content on a website. Meta data is comprised of a list of keywords and a one to two sentence description of the content topic for each page on a website. Make sure you don't insert keywords in the meta data unless those keywords are actually in the page content – search engines will penalize you for this as well! To learn more about search engine optimization, get in touch with us or read Matt Cutts' blog on Google's SEO Report.

Content Development is an ongoing project – Search engines reward you for adding fresh, relevant content on an ongoing basis. Once you've completed the content that will be on your website at the initial launch, it's important to have someone in charge of ongoing copywriting. This will improve search engine optimization and will also encourage repeat visits from site visitors. At Silverscape, we build our websites on Common Goal WebManager content management system, which that allows our clients to easily edit/add new content and create new web pages. Give us a call to learn more about WebManager's capabilities.

Boston 4 Productions has teamed up with Silverscape, a Boston-based Digital Marketing firm, to design an interactive entertainment website that compliments and enhances the experience of the "Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular" on July 4th. The website seeks to create and sustain an engaged community of new fans for one of Boston's most beloved events throughout the entire year.

The new online experience offers a fun and interactive level of two-way communication between event guests and organizers, allowing for a greater opportunity to share in and learn from guests' favorite experiences.

As part of a larger Social Media outreach, the new site features opportunities for fans to participate and engage. Visitors to the new site will also be able to interact with the event via Facebook, and Twitter. This year, we have added an event blog, talking about all things July 4th, as well as a Media Gallery, which will continue to grow with both professional and fan-generated photos and videos. And for those that want to enjoy the 4th of July all year round, downloadable materials will also be available on the new site including desktop and iPhone wallpapers.

The new site will feature an interactive page where visitors can upload their own photos and/or videos and share their own personal experiences from the "Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular" as well as an important new ‘Talk-back' feature to help organizers plan for future events.

The updated site will feature comprehensive information regarding this year's host, performance line-up, schedule, event logistics, and frequently asked questions. The site will also feature information on the rich history and heritage of the "Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular" event on July 4th and how it has become a national tradition. Check us out at: www.july4th.org

In which our heroes have a fireside chat about adventures in website flattening:

Marketing and Business Implications by Max: I recently spoke to our Senior Developer, Jake Story, about the page flattening functionality we have developed for Common Goal WebManager. This functionality is useful on any web site since it virtually eliminates the chance of server side errors, but is especially important for sites expecting a high amount of traffic. Jake explains what it is and how it works below. Our own Common Goal WebManager gives you a simple user interface to manage everything we are describing below! If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact us.

Max: The first time that I'd ever heard of flattening a web site was Slashdot, which I was a fan of a while back and I remember them talking about how their site used to crash a lot prior to doing this, so maybe you can explain exactly what this is and how it differs from the more conventional delivery of dynamic content on a CMS.

Jake: Well, the dynamic delivery of content, especially through a CMS, comes from a myriad of places: a database which might connect to other databases which might create objects in the backend and do a whole bunch of server side processing before eventually giving you some HTML that's delivered to the browser and interpreted on the screen. All that stuff takes time and takes processing power and takes utilities, if that happens enough, the server can run out of processor cycles, can run out of memory, can run out of a bunch of things that can bring the page down or the site down.

The idea of flattening is trying to get your dynamic content on the page or pages you want them on but without having to do all of that server side processing and without having to hit a database. Sites that would benefit from this are database driven sites that receive a high amount of traffic.

Max: So if you eliminate the database hits and server side processing, you gain a performance increase but lose the real time dynamic content that those two functions provide. Is there a way to get any of the dynamic pieces back on a flattened page?

Jake: Normally, and is the case with the dynamic pages we are talking about, the code that runs to generate the HTML that's eventually delivered to the browser is all done on the server before the page is ever received by the user. By the time the page shows up, the server side code has already been run. This flattening system circumvents that whole process. When you click on a certain page it loads up one file, the code that gets loaded by the browser is always the same.

Javascript and Ajax can provide a middle ground in delivering a flattened page, but with dynamic content. Once the page is loaded, ajax or javascript can get some data from the server and manipulate the front end to display content like newer news items. All of that stuff has to be done after the page has loaded, so it's definitely not completely flat, it's more like "flat-ish".

Max: If we're hitting a server through ajax to get certain pieces of a page, where does this tie into something like Common Goal WebManager and how can a database driven CMS connect up with the concept of flattening?

Jake: It depends on the site, the content, the design, and the frequency with which a page is refreshed. If you have a page where new content is pulled in, depending on how often that new content is pulled in, you may want to have the new content pulled in through ajax, which has pros and cons. One of the pros is that you can have a flattened page that still has some dynamic content as I mentioned. A con is that one of the benefits you're trying to gain by having a flattened page, i.e. avoiding hitting the server, is gone because there is a server hit when you do an ajax call.

A third option is to have the page can be completely flat but automatically refreshed on a scheduled basis, much like the Slashdot example. Whether it's every day, every three hours, or every fifteen minutes, it is still better than having potentially thousands of people making causing these database hits on every visit.

The other option available with Common Goal specifically is allowing certain functionality to occur when certain actions are taken in WebManager. For example, with news items, we can have the home page flatten only when a new news item is created. That way, it may refresh once a day, it might refresh twice a day, it might even just be once a week. Either way it doesn't need to refresh more often than it does because it will always remain as current as the most recent news item.

Questions? Comments? Find us on Twitter at twitter.com/silverscape.

Here's a rundown of best practices for creating a successful corporate Twitter page:

Tile, fade, or none of the above. Multiple monitor resolutions need to be considered when creating your company's Twitter page; you need a background that tiles to accommodate any monitor size, fades to a single color, or is an image that is big enough to work in a large monitor. For instance, HMR's Twitter page is big enough to account for large monitors, and also has a tiling background that fills the page with engaging content. This design allows users with smaller monitors to feel like they're seeing a complete image background when in fact the tiled image extends further.

Get creative with your sidebar. Key information about your company such as: logo, phone number, company statement, and URL are staples of a Twitter page's left-hand sidebar. Finding a creative way in which to present that information will not only help grab your reader's attention, but speak volumes about your brand. Silverscape's current Twitter page uses an image of an iPhone sitting on the grass to communicate pertinent company information in an engaging way, while also speaking to the services we provide for mobile devices.

Optimization is key. Slow load times will deter users. Remember to keep your final image size small, under 700-800 KB.

Update your page often. Now that you've got a branded Twitter page, keep it fresh and current! Updates can be seasonally-based or designed to announce exciting new projects or clients. Let your readers know your company is an active tweeter though fresh visuals and, of course, fresh content. At Silverscape, we update our page based on events happening around the studio, and as a fresh start to each season! Put a reminder in your office calendar for Twitter page design updates at the beginning of a season and at project launches.

Don't forget about your Twitter avatar! When visiting Twitter through mobile devices, the only visual paired with your company name is your avatar. It needs to be easily visually tied to your brand, recognizable at its size, and unchanging. It could be as simple as your company's logo, such as Mint.com or VH1 have used. This way, the reader never has to question the validity of the page, since your company's name will be always be accompanied by your company's official mark, and return users will recognize that fixed visual when coming back.

Have questions? Give us a call at 617.338.8922 or contact us here.

Audio and video must be compressed and encoded to be delivered on the web. There are several different technologies available to content producers to do this. One of the two biggest forms is free and open source and the other contains protected patents. Various companies have patents in that technology and require a license for them to be utilized but it has become the accepted industry standard. The open source technology was once patented but has been released as open source to the public domain. Browser support for these technologies is inconsistent because browser developers need to pay a licensing fee to enable playback of the patented encoded files. Because of the varying technologies available, content producers will need to be aware of their support on the web and will need to manage multiple versions of the same content to ensure playback for their entire audience. This means more time for production, storage space, and bandwidth.

The major video technologies in the debate are H.264 and OGG. H.264 has become the standard for video encoding and is used everywhere from Blu-Ray disks to YouTube and is licensed on behalf of a multitude of companies by the Motion Pictures Export Group-LA. You have heard of MPEG by their "Layer-3" audio format known as "mp3" and now MPEG-4 for H.264. Mp3's have become virtually synonymous with digital audio and mp4's encoded with H.264 are well on their way as the standard video format. OGG is a competing format derived from a proprietary technology by On2 that has been released as open source.

Yet while H.264 is the accepted standard in practice and OGG is free, browser support for these formats vary greatly because web browser manufacturers need to be paid for the right to playback H.264.

Note that IE7 and IE8 aren't in this table because they do not support either format. IE9 which is still in development will support H.264 when it is eventually released in late 2010 or early 2011.

The varied support needs be put in context to browser market share.

The biggest shares have no support and the second largest share doesn't support the accepted standard. Why the disparity?

Firefox and Opera are strictly open source browsers and the organizations that maintain them want to keep it open source. This means not including patented technologies like H.264. They have committed to OGG to remain completely open and not pay licensing fees.

When you think of video on the web, YouTube immediately comes to mind. While they use Flash to deliver content for most browsers, they are beginning to use HTML5 for playback of their content which is entirely encoded as H.264. Google's own open source engineering manager has expressed that OGG's performance is inferior compared to H.264 specifically noting that bandwidth costs would be considerably higher because of the great difference in file sizes.

Microsoft and Apple are parties of interest to H.264 as they are one of the many companies MPEG works on behalf of. Microsoft contributes to the group so that H.264 can natively play on Windows OS. Both companies argue that the OGG's licensing isn't entirely clear because it is based on formerly patented software will not support it in Internet Explorer and Safari browsers.

Native audio playback in browsers exhibit the same issues as video for the same reasons. The strictly open source browsers will only support open source encoders.

Just as with video, to effectively reach all audiences two versions of the content need to be produced, stored, and distributed. MP3s are the ubiquitous format for digital audio and are 10x smaller than wav files. Extrapolate this size difference for hundreds of audio files on a website and the need for more storage space on your web server, file backups, and bandwidth grows exponentially.

The Flash player plugin has been the solution for media playback for many years. As of September 2009, Flash has been adopted by 99% of desktop web users making it a very reliable choice. However it's support on mobile devices is not as great. Developers need to explore options to ensure delivery. Read about one solution we recently explored called "Video for Everyone."

It is clear that the group which drafts the specifications for HTML5, the W3C, will not make either competing technology the standard as it is not their position to dictate video standards. This means the disparity in playback support will most likely never be fully resolved and will remain a complicated environment.

Despite what appears to be a complicated road ahead, successful A/V management and integration on the web isn't a pipe dream. With Silverscape's development experts on your team, custom solutions can be created to ensure harmonious A/V delivery. Give us a call to learn more at 617.338.8922 or contact us here.

Being a designer, I find the most poignant casualty in the decline of the print media to be the visibility of the book cover. Cover art is a powerful vehicle for sales and for interpersonal connection. I bought Jonathan Safran Foer's Eating Animals after the cover, perched on my mother's nightstand, stole my heart. I bought Christopher Hitchens' The Portable Atheist after ogling the cover's typography as a fellow passenger read it on an E line train. The Kindle and the iPad are both (understandably) geared towards the user and not the passenger sitting across from the user on the train or next to her at the beach.

The NYT points out that "in an e-book era, you can't even judge a book by a cover" and thus unique reader-to-reader connections are lost. Similarly, so is a great source of free advertising/endorsements for books; the industrial design of the iPad and Kindle eliminates that channel completely. Websites like goodreads.com have attempted to create an online space for the book community through social media, offering users updates on book reccomendations from friends, tools to rank books you've read and books you'd like to read, and even book club and trivia features.

Where e-books remove the more traditional components of peer-to-peer interactivity from book culture, however, they also add a considerable amount of value by introducing the kind of interactivity that Facebook has made second-nature. Penguin Books recently demoed a rich multimedia e-book experience which included touch response, embedded audio, video and even live chat between readers. The concept of books as apps is a revolutionary one.

While the more recent innovations are mostly within the educational and children's realm, there are direct implications for the trade magazines and the many companies use them as key advertising channels. Instead of being confined to the 2D footprint of a quarter page ad in a national architecture magazine, a firm might find themselves able to offer an interactive portfolio ad that allows users to browse through a targeted selection of projects. The tradeshow, and conference presentation space is also likely to benefit from these innovations. An informational presentation app on an iPad can offer a more rich, targeted, and user-guided experience and the success rates of this experience can be closely monitored and measured. The possibilities of e-books and book apps are both infinite and infinitely exciting.

To learn more or to recommend your new favorite reads, get in touch with us.

1. LCD or Plasma displays easily integrate with an online experience and make it easy to track users' responses. Including a special promotion or customized URL within a presentation allows you to drive traffic to your website and track the ROI from the show or conference.
2. Multimedia presentations for LCD/Plasma screens are easy to update which allows you to customize the presentation for more targeted uses.
3. Competition on the tradeshow and conference floor is fierce. A booth with a strong multimedia experience allow for integration of video and animation to create an eye-catching and engaging experience that will be sure to draw users in and increase their time spent at your booth. Application Security Inc.'s animated short, for example, proved to be a real tradeshow show-stopper. (embed or link to project)
4. Touch screen elements, 3D product renderings or social media aspects can also be pulled into the multimedia for a more relevant tradeshow experience. Displaying your company's tweets in real time from the tradeshow floor, for example, gives your tradeshow patrons yet another way to connect and interact with your brand.
5. Don't forget, the multimedia experience created for a tradeshow can easily be modified to use online or put on a flash drive for individual sales presentations. Having this kind of multipurposable asset in your marketing repertoire can fill numerous functions and increase ROI on the piece.

Check back in May to see the results of our Colliers engagement and, until then, browse through some engaging digital tradeshow elements from our portfolio.

As creators of websites, our goal is to give the user options, but only such that they are immediately relevant and a) lead the user to the end goal, and/or b) pushes the user to make a decision that will further qualify them and move them down a path catered to their unique interests or demographic. If we make a user make a decision (often thought of as simply a ‘click' in the web world), we want to make the most of the information they're providing with that decision. With each step a user takes down the path, they are letting us know what they want. Thus, we create click paths that, with each decision or ‘click' the user is further narrowing their interests, allowing us to provide more and more information specifically relevant to their aim.

This model of User Experience, or UX design transcends the traditional waterfall structure of a website in terms of how users navigate the site, but not necessarily in terms of how the site is actually structured. A site designed with these concepts in mind may be laid out with a traditional waterfall hierarchy based on the main navigation structure, but the UX is designed more laterally. This approach to organizing information and content eliminates the burden of linear, top-down browsing experiences and allows users to access relevant information directly and easily from any area of the site.

Let's look at some examples. Sites like DRIFIRE.com use specifically-placed subpage callouts and industry-specific landing pages to help guide users down paths based on their interests and needs. The Silverscape site utilizes blog excerpts and sidebar content on subpages as part of an inter-site linking strategy to keep users engaged and naturally exploring the site and related content to what they were first seeking. Corporate sites like Veracode.com, which don't sell online but look to drive visitors to take the next step in the sales process, utilize relevant content and calls to action throughout the site to help increase the ‘stickiness' (length of time visitors stick around) of the site and encourage visitors to take the next step towards becoming a customer.

For all you CEOs and CMOs out there concerned about the overall business implications of improving the user experience of your site – don't worry! Crafting an effective UX doesn't necessarily mean redesigning your entire site. By repurposing existing content areas and implementing a powerful Content Management System like Common Goal WebManager, you can gain the control you need to create a site that helps guide users through a positive experience, ultimately leading to increased conversions and improved site performance overall. Google knows a good UX when it crawls a site with one. Implementing this type of UX plan requires a lot of inter-site linking and grouping, or at least linking, of relative content, which can have a dramatic affect on the PageRank of each page on the site. The higher the PageRank of a page, the more valuable the page appears to Google; and the more valuable the page in Google's eyes, the higher the page will rank in Google's search listings for relevant searches.

Stay tuned for my upcoming posts on how to view your site from your audiences point of view, PageRank and the significance of following best practices for content production and organization!

What do we mean by "assets"?

Websites are full of assets of differing types. Content assets (such as pages, press releases, or portfolio projects) are one type. File based assets such as images, flash presentations, documents, and videos are another type. A CMS needs to be able to maintain both types in a useful way both for the administrator and for site visitors.

The Back End

The Common Goal WebManager Asset Management system allows administrators to upload file based assets and manipulate them in various ways. All assets have configurable and customizable meta information which can be associated with them and used both in searches from within the CMS and the front end of the site.

Along with setting configurable meta information for file based assets, site administrators can also see information about those assets from within Common Goal WebManager. If an administrator wants to know all of the places an image is used, they can pull that information up with a few clicks. This information can be used when faced with a situation where an image has to be pulled from the site and all affected pages have to be dealt with.

There is similar functionality to help with updating an existing asset. From within the asset manager, an administrator can update the image referred to by a given asset and it will automatically update on all pages it appears on throughout the site.

Tracking and reporting is important as well and Common Goal WebManager provides the ability to pull up a list of all assets and see which ones are viewed most frequently within a given time range. This can help me make decisions on whether to call more or less attention to a given asset.

The Front End

Configurable meta information opens up many options on the visitor facing side of the site. If an administrator wants to tag uploaded photographs as being taken during a certain period of time, they can specify ranges in the CMS and associate uploaded assets with these ranges. This can be built into a front end interface allowing site visitors to filter photos by time period, a great feature for a multimedia library section of a site.

Additionally, meta information can be something like the creator of a given asset. The multimedia library could then allow searches by creator, giving a site visitor more flexibility in how they find what they are looking for.

How does this make your life easier?

As a content administrator, this system eases some of the everyday tasks of site maintenance. Rather than having to remember file names, the asset manager shows previews of all assets from right within the editing window and you can always change meta information or delete images without the worry of breaking pages.

Interested in a real live demo of the asset manager and the rest of Common Goal WebManager 6's new features? Give us a call at 1-617-338-8922 and we'll set it up!

1. Make a storyboard or a shot list.
Creating a visual outline for your video is essential for both the filming and editing process. A storyboard will allow you to flesh out all ideas and plan your piece accordingly. Loose sketching and/or photography along with precise written descriptions are what make up a functional storyboard. Try to be as detailed as possible in determining your direction and conceptual ideas so you will get all of the footage you need. When filming something such as a party or conference, making a shot list will be more appropriate than a storyboard because of the unpredictable nature of the event. Study the environment and subject that you will be shooting, and make a list of all the footage you require to use as reference while filming.

2. Be Spontaneous.
This may seem like the opposite of Tip #1, but trust me on this one. After you've completed some solid strategic planning, it is still important to create dynamic scenes and situations while filming. This is something to remember especially when filming an event or documentary. On-the-spot interviews will turn out to be some of your best footage. When conducting these interviews, ask smart questions to get the answers that you want. Don't be afraid to put people on the spot in a playful way – this helps to create real and honest moments. At a recent Silverscape event, we asked some of our favorite clients "Why did you hire us?" It was a very simple and genuine question that prompted some very candid and valuable responses.

3. B-roll. C, D and E Roll!
Shoot lots and lots of b-roll. Remember, not all of it has to be used. Building yourself a diverse library of "extra" footage, you help to support your main story. The plus side of shooting what may seem boring at the time is that you will end up getting some great footage you might have overlooked in the planning stage – which in turn helps you tell the whole story better. You will most definitely use B-roll for intros and outros, as well.

4. Sound can make all the difference
The right music will set the tone for the video and will help viewers make an emotional connection right away. It can be crucial in complementing your visuals and keeping the rhythm of the video moving at the right pace.

5. Keep it short and sweet.
When editing, keep in mind that video on the short side, will ensure that viewers stay engaged, especially web viewers. Have you ever watched anything on YouTube for longer than 5 minutes? Many people will be viewing your video on a mobile device, so upload through the proper channels. Take advantage of sites like YouTube that will help your video reach the masses.

If you'd like to learn more about some other creative ways to incorporate video into your website, check out my last blog entry. The Art of Video on the Web.

If you are interested in building your corporate YouTube page, or have a more complex video project in mind, don't hesitate to give us a call.

For Immediate Release: April 22, 2010
For Further Information Contact:
Kathi Anderson at 781-259-4701 or at
Kathi.Anderson@walden.org

The Walden Woods Project announces the launch of its newly-designed web site --- www.walden.org -- on Thursday, April 22nd, in celebration of Earth Day and the Walden Woods Project's 20th anniversary (April 25th). Founded in 1990 by recording artist Don Henley (the Eagles), the Walden Woods Project is leading the effort to preserve historic Walden Woods in Concord and Lincoln, Massachusetts - the landscape that inspired the modern conservation movement and holds worldwide environmental, literary, and historical significance. Over the past 20 years, the Walden Woods Project has preserved nearly 160 acres of land in Thoreau's Walden Woods, much of which had been threatened with commercial development.

The Walden Woods Project has developed a series of innovative educational programs, including its flagship global initiative – World Wide Waldens -- a web-based environmental education program that empowers youth around the globe to find their Walden, a place in need of care and protection in their community. World Wide Waldens offers a variety of activities that put Thoreau's words into action, including a Walden Youth Leadership Summit, an online environmental project showcase, and a Live Deliberately Essay Contest.

One of the most content-rich web sites devoted to Henry David Thoreau and Walden Woods, www.walden.org incorporates new features that will strengthen the organization's brand and make the site more inviting and user-friendly -- including streamlined navigability, broader and varied search options, an interactive map of Walden Woods, stunning photos and video. The new platform includes functionality for on-line memberships, donations and merchandise sales.

Kathi Anderson, Executive Director of the Walden Woods Project, said, "www.walden.org is a highly functional, compelling and aesthetically superb website that will effectively communicate our mission, strengthen our brand, serve our supporters and enhance our fundraising. It will offer robust content about the life and legacy of Henry David Thoreau, the environmental and historic features of Walden Woods, and the Walden Woods Project's conservation and education initiatives."

The site design is the result of a pro bono collaboration between the Walden Woods Project and the Boston office of Arnold Worldwide who provided creative and design services.

The Vice Chairman of Arnold Worldwide, Fran Kelly stated, "We wanted to make sure the Walden Woods Project had a site as rich and elegant as the organization itself, something that reflects the spirit of Walden Woods and the legacy of Henry David Thoreau."

The website was developed by Silverscape, a Boston-based digital agency, and built on their Common Goal WebManager content management system. Jeff Leiter, principal of Silverscape, emphasized that "this website was an exciting collaboration among the various stakeholders on a project of important historical and social significance. Our goal of building a site that realized design and content requirements while also providing an intuitive interactive experience were important to the final result." The WebManager CMS provides the Walden Woods Project staff with rich features for managing and adding content to the website, web store and multimedia library for many years to come. Silverscape is proud to have contributed to this important project and regularly creates engaging online experiences, custom web applications and interactive marketing solutions across browser, desktop and mobile environments.

- END -

Resolution: 216x120 Duration: 22sec Size: 2.11MB

• Frame rate: You must reduce the video's frame rate to 12fps prior to converting it into an animated GIF. The human eye perceives motion at 24 frames per second but, even at 12fps, the animation will be fast enough to give the illusion of motion. Additionally, be mindful of the scenes you select. Fast sequences or intense action scenes don't lend themselves well to the GIF process and can end up looking jerky and jarring.
• Resolution: Converting your video into an animated GIF and reducing its resolution lowers the file size by reducing the data it contains. It's recommended that adjustments to the video resolution are made first because the amount of data lost is greater when converting to the GIF format. How good the final product looks is directly influenced by how much of the original data remains.
• File Size: An animated GIF will be treated like any other image in your email; careful attention needs to be paid to the final file size. A large file will hinder the viewers' experience, get flagged by spam filters or not be delivered at all because of email size restrictions. Limit your video to no more than 20 seconds and avoid using resolutions greater than 320x260. Note: Before deciding to use an animated GIF you should take careful consideration of your target audience. Unlike embedded video on a website, animated GIF are downloaded, not streamed like the former.
• Audio: Animated GIFs do not have audio. Due to this limitation they should only be used as previews to prompt the email recipient to go to a webpage to receive the full experience.
• Alternate Image: Unfortunately, not all email clients support animated GIF. Those that don't, like Outlook 2007, will only display the first frame of the image. The beginning of your video should be something you are comfortable with as a still shot.

Alternative Content Image (ACI)
An alternate content image is a placeholder image skinned to look like an embedded video. It simulates the look and feel of a video player, QuickTime, Flash, etc. with the first frame of your video already queued. The image is linked to a web or YouTube page that will be opened when the user clicks on it. This approach is a workaround for a myriad of issues involved with getting video to play on HTML emails. It is also very effective at prompting your email recipients to take action.

HTML5 Video
Although the HTML5 specification has not been finalized, many browsers and some email clients have started supporting it. "Firefox, Safari, Chrome and Opera have offered support for much of the new technology for some time." As far as HTML emails are concerned, the only feature we care about is the video tag. The video tag in HTML5 brings native video playback to browsers. Using the video tag, you can link to the source video file and specify an alternate image to display if the video cannot be played. Browsers and email clients that do not support it will display the placeholder image you specify. This image can be linked to a web or YouTube page and the user can be redirected to view your video.

Example:
<video width="" height="" poster="screenshot.jpg" controls="controls">
<source src="http://mysite.com/videoname.mp4" type="video/mp4" />
<a href="http://mysite.com/"><img src=" screenshot.jpg" width="" height="" /></a>
</video>

Although the latest versions of the Firefox, Safari, and Chrome and Opera browsers support HTML5 video, playback is spotty since web-based email clients have varied levels of HTML specification support. The majority of these email clients still display an alternate image.

We are very excited by the new developments in this field and we'd love to hear your thoughts on this subject. Is video in HTML something you would find useful as part of your company's marketing strategy? Drop us a line (link to contact page) or give us call at 617.338.8922.

Simplified mobile versions of websites are no longer necessary , nor are the antiquated technologies (like WAP) used to build them. The sites we build are accessible on mobile devices and full size PCs alike.

- Optimize, optimize, optimize
Data transfer speeds over cellular signals have increased dramatically but they are still not as fast as the broadband connections you have at home or at work. Compress images, make use of sprites, and break off your CSS and Javascript into separate files, only pulling them into pages where they will be used. Javascript will run considerably slower compared to desktop browsers because mobile devices have slower CPUs and less RAM to utilize. If you are using a Javascript framework like JQuery, know which operations are more intensive than others and try to simplify it. It certainly won't hurt performance on the desktop.

- Use Web Standards and stick to them
The more closely you conform to web standards and properly marked up XHTML and CSS, the better your chances are that your site will look the same across ALL browsers, including mobile ones. Use the W3's validator to ensure your code meets standards.

- Know natural limitations
Touchscreen based phones make up a large majority of the mobile browser market. Without a cursor, or a cursor used in conjunction with a keyboard, we are limited in some interactivity. You cannot control/command click multiple items in dropdowns for selections, you cannot hover over elements, and you can not drag elements around in applications. Research alternative methods of interaction development that accommodate touchscreen devices.

- Brainstorm alternate techniques for where you might use Flash.
The current mobile browser market has very little Flash support. Despite Flash being the most reliable method of delivering video online for desktop browsers, embedding video as mpegs or QuickTime will give mobile users a supported alternative. Use Javascript for interactive navigation and menus. Many of the conventional uses of Flash for animation and interactivity can be accomplished with Javascript and CSS.

- Know specific device features and make use of them.
Make use of features specific to the browser for enhancement, but be sure they don't conflict with each other. iPhones by default will zoom or scale a site to fit within its viewport. You can better fill the screen at load-time by using a meta viewport tag and define the width of the site to automatically scale it to the screen.

<meta name="viewport" content="width=760" />

http://furbo.org/ makes use of this feature.

Have any other tips or thoughts? Leave us a note on Twitter

Here are our tips for what to include in an RFP and why including these things will improve the outcome of your website.

Create a level playing field – Your objective with an RFP should be to produce a number of proposals that consistently address all of your goals for the site while offering unique tactics for accomplishing those goals. State your technical requirements, wants, etc. in the most straightforward way possible. Eliminate the moving pieces and you will reap the benefits in the proposal responses.

Put it into context – What are your corporate goals with the site? Is this part of a larger rebranding effort? Who is the target audience for the website? Although often overlooked at this stage, this information provides contextual insight to the bidding firms and gives a good top-level introduction to your company's motivating factors behind the new site.

Get technical – Outline any components other than regular pages that should be included in your upcoming site such as a blog, third-party integration or e-commerce functionality. For each of these components, give any and all technical requirements so that firms understand all aspects of your functionality. The clearer you are about your expectations with the project, the more appropriate the recommended solutions will be in the proposals.

State your budget – There is a common misconception about giving a budget in an RFP; many people think that withholding this information will force the bidding firms to be very competitive in price, resulting in a number of solutions from which you can pick the most affordable option. Unfortunately, what's more likely to happen is that you will get back bids that are all over the place in terms of cost and scope. Such a broad range of terms will ultimately require your team to revisit the process and require all prospective firms to revise their proposals based on an established budget. Save yourself the time: give a budget range from the start so that companies will be able to prioritize deliverables to work around a realistic budget. The result will be comparable proposals based on the same qualifications which will help streamline the process from RFP release to vendor selection and project kick-off.

Give a time frame – Establish a due date for all responses and identify a launch date or timeline if your team has developed one for the project. This will streamline the RFP process and ensure that the firm you chose is able to deliver the website to meet any deadlines you have set.

Define your selection criteria – What is most important for your team in selecting a firm? Rather than leaving it to the firms themselves to guess, list your selection criteria in order of priority. This will result in responses that are more tailored to your firm's needs.

There is a surplus of RFP templates out there, but don't feel like you have to work off of something boilerplate. If anything feels extraneous or unimportant for your particular project, scratch it and stick to the essentials. This will improve the quality of the proposals you receive and will make the selection process easier. Still have questions? Give us a call, we're happy to talk with you more about the project you have in mind.

‘Video For Everyone' or VFE (developed by Kroc Camen) is a simple piece of HTML code that combines the video element from HTML5 with the code we normally use to embed a piece of media within it. The benefit of VFE is that it allows us to easily deliver video in multiple formats without the use of client or server side code. The video plays as Flash, QuickTime, Mp4 or OGG depending on what the device supports. It's an elegant solution that takes less than 20 lines of code whereas before it would require logic to recognize the platform, browser and version to achieve the same result.

<video width="640" height="360" poster="__POSTER__.JPG" controls> <source src="__VIDEO__.OGV" type="video/ogg"></source> <source src="__VIDEO__.MP4" type="video/mp4"></source><!--[if gt IE 6]> <object width="640" height="375" classid="clsid:02BF25D5-8C17-4B23-BC80-D3488ABDDC6B"><! [endif]--><!--[if !IE]><!--> <object width="640" height="375" type="video/quicktime" data="__VIDEO__.MP4"> <!--<![endif]--> <param name="src" value="__VIDEO__.MP4" /> <param name="showlogo" value="false" /> <param name="autoplay" value="false" /> <object width="640" height="384" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" data="__FLASH__.SWF?image=__POSTER__.JPG&amp;file=__VIDEO__.MP4"> <param name="movie" value="__FLASH__.SWF?image=__POSTER__.JPG&amp;file=__VIDEO__.MP4" /> <img src="__POSTER__.JPG" width="640" height="360" alt="__Title of video__" title="No video playback capabilities, please download the video below" /> </object><!--[if gt IE 6]><!--></object><!--<![endif]--> </video> <p>Download Video: <a href="__VIDEO__.MP4">Apple iTunes "MP4"</a> | <a href="__VIDEO__.OGV">Open Format "OGG"</a></p>

Visit 'Video For Everyone' page for full documentation.

At its core, VFE combines the HTML5 video tag, which is yet to be finalized but it's already supported in some browsers, with the object tag and Internet Explorer's version logic. As the page loads, the browser reads through the code until it finds the implementation it supports. If the browser fails to support the code set, it can display a predetermined image instead. This image can be a screen-shot of your video linked to a page on your site where you can then provide your content by other means. For users with browsers that don't support any of these formats, it's recommended that a link to the video file is provided below so they can download it.

Download Video: Apple iTunes "MP4" | Open Format "OGG"

‘Video For Everyone' is a great technique that can be used to address video format issues and ensure a pleasant experience for everyone. Feel free to check this page out on other devices to see VFE in action. Being able to see your video play on iPhone's is great and we can't wait to see it in action on an iPad.

I wrote the Flash app above to pull in Silverscape blog entry data via our public RSS feed. Soon (and with minimal changes) this web-based Flash piece could become an easily accessible app for all our mobile devices!

These development technologies will allow us to create engaging applications that reach wider audiences in faster, more efficient ways while still keeping costs low for our clients. Everybody wins!

Design for easy accessibility to main navigation items. Because of the obvious size difference in viewing a website on a monitor versus a mobile device, planning for an accessible and slightly larger navigation is key. For instance, on the Culinary Culture website, the navigation can be accessed without having to zoom or pan, making for a more intuitive smaller screen experience.

Create an environment for the logo that is clear and uncomplicated. The footprint for a company's logo viewed on a mobile device is small. Create space in the site where the logo is showcased in a clear way – for example, our client Walbridge has their logo placed on a clean gradient at a size that is still recognizable at 10x20 pixels.

Keep contact information large and accessible. One of the most frequent reasons a visitor will look at a website through mobile devices is to quickly find contact information. Don't lose a sale because a phone number looked better as image text; keep phone numbers in html text, like DRIFIRE has done, so the user is able to click and call, and have all contact info in plain site.

Remember, there are no hover states. On a mobile device you can't hover, there is only click, pan, zoom, so don't make a drop down menu, or button rollovers imperative to the website's user experience.

Construct clear and easy to find actionable items. Driving traffic to specific areas of a site is more difficult because of size limitations on mobile devices. Buttons and links drawing the user further into the site need to be at a size and position obvious for someone using a mobile device. Taza Chocolate is a great example of how to guide the user into their ecommerce store when viewed on a small screen through large, boldly colored buttons. NOTCOT.org also uses large actionable areas to allow the user easy accessibility to their links on a mobile device.

Have questions? Give us a call at 617.338.8922 or contact us here.

• How often will I need to redesign?
• Where should my budget come from?
• How do I efficiently solicit comparable quotes and qualify vendors?
• How do I justify or articulate the ROI to my management team?
  

The answers to these questions can have a huge impact on not only the process and final outcome of the project, but also on the long-term success of the site and the company behind it. We help our clients and prospects work through these issues at the very start of their website engagement to avoid complications and confusion down the road.

How often will I need to redesign?
Every 2 years, right? Wrong! For professional services companies, a well-built site designed for scalability and with the right tools in place can last for several years. The keys to long-term success are to a) build a site that is flexible and engaging that doesn't lock you in as far as content expansion and distribution, and b) keep your site up to date. Redesigning a corporate website isn't a ‘one-and-done' deal – it requires ongoing effort to keep the site relevant, performing well in search engines and serving your audience.

Where should my budget come from?
It's frequent for marketers to expect a full site redesign to come out of their yearly marketing budget, which can be quite a burden and lead to long delays in getting sign off on the project. However, corporate websites have come along way from the ‘online brochure' sites that were being developed a few years ago. Today, the website is expected to be a core component of a company's operation, helping to streamline and automate customer service requests, sales processes, data collection and other mission-critical operations. So why should all of the financial responsibility fall on the Marketing department? We advise our clients to seek a budget that draws at least in part from, or is included as a line item in the global operating budget. This will help ensure that the website continues to deliver ROI over the long-term by remaining an integral part of your company's operation strategy.

How do I efficiently solicit comparable quotes and qualify vendors?
It is critical when facing a redesign to standardize the request for proposals (RFP). A little time spent up front clearly outlining expectations and deliverables will save you from much confusion down the road and will help streamline the short-listing and vendor selection process. Don't forget to always include your budget, timeline and technical requirements – these vital pieces of information will help ensure that you are evaluating potential vendors on an even playing field. Leaving these details out will ultimately lead to wasted time for both parties in producing and reviewing proposals when there isn't a fit. If you're bidding out a sizeable project to a large list of vendors, it helps to have a dedicated question & answer session, after which you can publish many of the questions and responses to make sure all the bidders have the same info when drafting their proposals.

How do I justify or articulate the ROI to my management team?
Having trouble swaying the decision makers? Don't be afraid to start small to prove your point. As we know, the web is all about measurability. Use this to your advantage! Use the "Benchmarking" tool in Google Analytics (located in the ‘Visitors' section of the left-hand menu) to show how your site is performing in comparison with industry standards. Take the numbers to the decision makers and show them the facts about how your project will directly impact the success of the business.

Still need help getting the ball rolling or getting buy-in from your internal team? As a leading digital agency, we have over a decade of experience helping our clients and prospects get their online and interactive projects off the ground. We'd love to hear from you!

Focus on benefits.
Many things have to happen for a business to deliver its goods to its customers. Sometimes that process endears itself to real estate on your website—such as chocolate making. However, in most cases, your audience is much more interested in the outcome of your process and what it can do for them. Focus on the outcomes, benefits and successes offered by your firm.

Try the highlighter trick.
To determine your keywords and keyword density ratio, print a copy of your page and highlight only the primary keywords you wish to convey. Next create a list that could or should have been worked into the list for your next draft. Although synonyms are a good idea, keyword stuffing will penalize your copy.

Writing can be a team sport. Work together and we all win.
Just as your website should have a unifying visual cohesion, it should also have a unifying verbal cohesion. For sites with multiple writers and content contributors we suggest:

• Assign an Editor with final approval authority. Make sure this person has the time to approve new copy and news items before they need to be posted.
• Develop a Writing Style Guide to share with all new writers, and include past writing samples as a guide.
• Host frequent in-person meetings to review copy together. Read proposed copy out loud at these meetings and discuss whether it "sounds like us."
• When using multiple experts, such as with a Blog, have contributors identify their unique specializations within your firm.

Highlight the expertise and value of key people.
To your clients, your people ARE your firm's experts. Whenever the skill and aptitude of these people provides an element of benefit or differentiation from your competitors, there is an opportunity to promote these experts. Consider a team approach to your blog with guest writers from multiple departments. Valuable content may include an "Ask the Expert" section of your website featuring a summary, interview, quote, or even a downloadable whitepaper from the people behind it.

MTV (self-declared originator of the 'flexible' logo) has been skinning their logo since its inception - a statement on the network's broad range of featured music. The network recently underwent a logo refresh to further streamline the scalability of their mark, switching up the footprint of the logo to better accommodate static and moving imagery. The new logo is stockier and wider, enabling MTV to let their programming content (for better or Jersey Shore) define their brand.

Worried that logo augmentation means sacrificing brand recognition? Don't. Google has quietly been rocking the flexible logo for years, reinventing their unique logotype in line with holidays, current events and historic milestones. A strategic balance between the individuality of your mark with the pop of a targeted theme, skin or content fill will get you more bang for your buck with an intended target audience.

Target is another great example of the flexible logo. They've turned their logo into a small-screen star, incorporating the now-iconic mark as an actor within their commercials. Consequently, the mark has developed a likeable personality that moves beyond what one would imagine three red shapes were capable of. While I'm sure that Target is still working within outlined brand standards, their willingness to treat their mark as something more than a rubber stamp is refreshing and clearly successful.

The flexible logo isn't just something for "edgy" brands. London's Natural History Museum skins their logo across their entire web presence. Each navigation category uses their "N" mark differently to show off beautiful photography from their various exhibits. The effect is sophisticated and compelling allows them to connect with animal aficionados and fossil fans alike.

Augmenting your logo doesn't necessarily require a redesign, as Google has proved. That said, a few thoughtful and strategic tweaks by branding experts can open a whole new world of opportunities to better and more efficiently connect with your multiple target audiences of clients, potential clients, users and fans.

Social media is an important networking tool for many industry professionals. In an age where it's easy to feel connected by merely increasing Twitter followers or Facebook friends, Silverscape wants to remind you of the importance of in-person social networking. In that spirit, we cordially invite you to one rowdy corporate networking party: our St. Patrick's Day Lucky Bastards Green Tie event.

Every St. Patrick's Day, Silverscape staff, clients, friends and industry professionals gather to connect and enjoy some great food and drinks. Stop by to network with peers, check out some exciting work and get inspired about new marketing ventures for your company. Some of our clients' products will be also available to view and sample. Past years' parties have also featured impromptu bag piping, Guitar Hero and dart tournaments.

Championing the merits of in-person networking certainly doesn't diminish the value of social networking. Successful direct marketing is a balance between the two. This year's Lucky Bastards party, for example, will be mainly promoted through our social media outlets so keep an eye on our Twitter and Facebook pages for updates. A helpful tip: if you decide to create an event with the word "Bastard" in the title, be sure to keep it out of the subject lines of your HTML e-mails.

RSVP to attend our Green Tie event - green ties optional - on Friday March 19th. Attendees who RSVP will receive a commemorative pint glass.

Most people appreciate the benefit of beautiful stock photography. What they may not realize is that conceptual stock video is just as easily accessible and maybe even more powerful. It works well on its own or in tandem with static photography. We designed the Camden Consulting Homepage knowing that we wanted to use a bit of video. Video footage is juxtaposed against moving stills in the main image area to help create movement and interest while animated typography weaves a narrative. It's a concise cinematic experience that shows how a touch of video can bring life to a corporate website.

Video is also a great way to spread knowledge. Instead of using a large body of text to educate your audience, use a mini-video instead. This allows users to choose what they want to learn about at their own pace. The Joslin Diabetes Interactive Tour is a learning experience centered around eleven videos that can be sorted by category. The user has the choice to watch the clips in sequential order or jump around and watch only the stories that interest them. A similar concept is present in the 2010 Interactive New Year's Greeting recently completed for our client Haley & Aldrich. This dashboard of interactive elements features four fun and to-the-point videos that highlight the company's main service industries.

In 2010, we will continue to see how quickly the use of video can elevate a brand's presence on the web. Personally, I'm excited to work on the concept and completion of several brand new video projects that are about to hit the studio. Whether it's working on actual video production or designing the perfect interface to house a collection of clips, the process always involves big collaboration and even bigger thinking.

What to look out for: In less than a month we'll be filming at our 6th annual Lucky Bastard's St. Patrick's day party, and this year we've got a few tricks up our sleeve.

Want to learn more about video on the web? Check out Max's blog Using Video to Connect With Your Audience

At the same time, the costs of getting involved in entry level video production have decreased. I recently purchased a high definition video recorder for approximately $160 at Best Buy and while it won't win you any production awards, it will allow you to communicate with your audience in a new way.

As someone who loves new gadgets, I am a frequent visitor to CNET. Check out this review of the Kodak Zi8. Along with the old style review in text form, they provide an additional review of this video camera using video, and it is front and center on the page. CNET has always had their short "Good, Bad, and Bottom Line" reviews to help those of us without the attention span to read the more lengthy review at the bottom, but the video versions are even more appealing. The Kodak Zi8, at about $180 is good enough to make a video of this quality.

Here at Silverscape, we created a microsite for Vestmark's careers section. The video conveys the company culture better than any amount of copy possibly could. You see the people and the office, all in a customized video player which is integrated into the look and feel of the microsite. Again, no particularly fancy equipment is necessary to record the footage and much of this video was taken by their own staff members.

The site Silverscape created for DRIFIRE has an entire site category devoted to videos. This section receives significant amounts of traffic and also drives people to their YouTube channel page, where some videos are lower quality and others have higher production value. Though the YouTube player has limited capabilities for customization, the colors have been changed to match those on the DRIFIRE site and YouTube allows posting video for free.

Interested in getting some video up on your site? We can help find the best route for you whether its video taken with a $160 camera and embedded through YouTube or the organization of a professional video shoot and a highly customized video player interface.

Stay tuned for a blog entry from LD later this week about the different styles of video commonly used on the web and how they can be used to achieve different goals or communicate different messages.

Source for stats: http://www.websiteoptimization.com/bw/1001/

Netflix provides various ways to find movies in their more than 75,000 title collection. Their users, including me, love them for that. The website gives customers the ability to both search and filter with a great deal of control.

Customers can start with a genre and narrow their view to sub-genres at any time. The site has near instant feedback displaying new results quickly and keeping customers engaged. A few filters can narrow results and return relevant titles. For example: "Sci-Fi + Visually-Striking + Future Dystopias". If a customer has an even more focused idea in mind, "Stanley Kubrick," or "2001: A Space Odyssey," relevant titles can be found instantly with a text search. Text searches are augmented with auto-suggestions that display underneath the text box that updates with each keystroke that. You will typically find what you are looking for before you click search to see the complete result list.

This level of interaction is possible with the use of AJAX technology. AJAX allows the browser to make connections to the server to return specific data rather than returning an entire page including graphics. This method can also filter large datasets already loaded into browser memory. The direct benefit is faster response from user interactions.

We've taken a similar approach with the recently launched Fuss and O'Neill re-design. Fuss and O'Neill has a large portfolio spanning a number of markets and locations while offering many different types of services. It gives visitors the ability to filter and browse areas that interest them while still showcasing their broad variety of services. Users can also search by text input if they have something more specific in mind.

Some great things come out of this system. Users are engaged because of near instant search/filter feedback. Though often overlooked in applications like this, the URL is updated with filter data without a page reload. Fuss and O'Neill has found it very handy to link to searches from within their content. Example: "See all of our completed Water and Wastewater Engineering projects in the Northeast." This sends a visitor straight to a filtered portfolio instead of having to search for themselves. From here, customers can still see your other service offerings (just because they may not be looking for them right now, does not mean they won't another time). Projects can span many different relevant filters and do not have to be locked into one category as it would in a traditional system. This categorization is looser and more flexible.

People use the web differently; some meander and browse, and some cut to the chase and search. Give users both options, but be sure to give them the results they want without the sacrifice of trimming your portfolio down to a handful of projects. Keep users engaged by offering them strategic control of their browsing, searching, and filtering experience.

We are often approached by industrial and manufacturing companies seeking advice on how to craft an online sales-driven user experience. There are distinct tactics for creating successful websites in these industries due to the complexity of the product information and differing needs of their various audiences. By popular demand, here is a checklist of best practices for consumer-targeted, highly technical websites:

Create an audience profile needs assessment – Identify key audiences and constituencies and establish user types based on visitors' unique website needs.

Map multiple paths through the site – Break down information in a way that will create an engaging, logical click-path through the website for each user type.
Tip: Utilizing tabs on product pages is a great way to organize information so that visitors can drill deeper into technical specifications or stay top-level.

Give content room to breathe – Industrial and technical component manufacturers will inevitably have an abundance of technical specifications, product manuals and applications for their product lines. To incorporate all of this without overwhelming visitors, leave plenty of white space in your design and clearly accentuate navigational elements on each page.

Use interactivity to improve upon complex searches – Offer a product sort tool that is easily accessible. Consider making this tool fun and interactive to engage visitors as they search for their products. Give them multiple ways to filter products and add new search criteria for the best user experience.

Establish multiple inlets to related information – Provide supplemental information next to page content to guide visitors through a logical click-path. Put yourself in the visitor's point of view and think ‘What would I want to know next if I was this type of consumer?'

Don't settle for less than a great CMS – A content management system streamlines ongoing management of site content. A great CMS will provide the ability to efficiently and easily add new resources and product information.

Get in touch with us if you'd like to schedule a meeting to discuss the next generation of your firm's website, or peruse the Manufacturing and Technology sections of our portfolio to see some of the sites we've created for these industries.

The Irrational Games website, for example uses JQuery to drive the animation and interaction of their homepage features area. Using the ‘NEXT' and ‘PREVIOUS' buttons, you can smoothly move through the features in the sequence. If you pay close attention, you'll notice the easing or ‘bounciness' when a feature comes to a stop. Once you reach the end, in either direction, the sequence flows back to the start or end point. When this happens, you get a glimpse of all the features as they fly through.

Walbridge, a construction company that offers design, management, and general contracting needed a way to showcase their portfolio which allowed users to see all they have to offer. However, they also need something that allowed users to customize how and what they saw in quick and easy way. Using the JavaScript Libraries, we were able to realize their vision. The accordion design allows you to quickly filter projects by what markets, types, services and regions they are related to. Each accordion row has a list of options where, when checked or unchecked, cause the project display area to repopulate in a matter of seconds; often less! Viewing each project's details is as snappy as sorting and searching. When the user clicks on project, that project's content dynamically loads, replacing the project list and allowing you to quickly read the project details. Hitting the ‘back to results' button or making a new selection from the type, market, services and region quickly sends you back to the project list view. The result is a great combination of design, content and technology.

Without a customized website bookmark icon, when a user saves a link to your site on their home screen they'll end up with a miniature version of your website scaled down to the standard 57 x 57 pixel iPhone icon size. These standard icons render your branding unrecognizable and fall flat next to thoughtfully-designed icons. Customized website bookmark icons are a must-have item on your online marketing to-do list.

When creating a concept and design for your icon, simplicity is key! You've got a small footprint to make a big impression, so choosing your pixels wisely is imperative. Similarly, leave text out of the design equation and let your graphics do the talking. Don't forget that the name of your homepage will automatically show up underneath your icon once a user adds it to their iPhone home screen.

You'll be competing with a whole screen-full of other icons for your user's attention, so make sure that yours stands out! Keep the iPhone user interface aesthetic in mind but take care to not just ‘apple-ify' your icon. Glossy reflections and squares with rounded corners are great but probably aren't staples of your company's brand identity. Adopting this aesthetic may actually help your icon blend in too much with the interface and it will be completely overlooked. When we designed the Silverscape website icon, we broke out of the traditional icon template and used the distinct shape of our building at 75 Broad instead. The icon's unique footprint is eye-catching and effective. The "Chomp" icon is another example of a stand-out design. The icon also breaks the bounding box and incorporates a clever visual play on the application's title. While it utilizes the traditional iPhone icon footprint, Mint.com proves that a mere two colors are all you need to be eye-catching. Their black and green icon manipulates the negative space of the mint leaves to form a dollar sign, symbolizing the company's mission statement.

Stay tuned for more tips when we start designing the 228x228 pixel icons for the iPad!

When it comes to successful marketing strategies and validating our efforts, we all know that metrics are important. The ability to accurately track the impact of a campaign in real time is a huge part of what makes the web one of the most powerful marketing and communication media of all time. When it comes to designing your digital campaign – be it an email marketing initiative, microsite or full-scale corporate website – the abundance of accessible global metrics and benchmark data can be a vital asset for outlining the core strategy. But every demographic is unique in its own right. If you want to really hit a home run, it's important to refine your strategy to focus on the needs and interests of your specific audience.

There are several techniques that you can employ to create an audience-appropriate strategy that won't break your budget.

Let's take email marketing as an example. You've got your core message set and you know what you're trying to convey; you've read the Marketing Sherpa studies and you think your subject line is solid. Now that you've followed the basic guidelines for passing spam filters and increasing your overall open rate, it's time to figure out what your audience really wants to read – it's time for some split, or A/B testing. Take your mailing list and split off a few sample groups (making sure that the sample groups are comprised of similar demographics). Draft up two slightly different versions of your email – use two different versions of your subject, switch out some imagery, and maybe rearrange the hierarchy of the content's subject matter. Send off one version to each group and start watching the metrics. While this isn't going to be an exact science with immediate results, you'll begin to see what works, what doesn't; what your audience cares about and what they don't. Over time, through continual refinement, you're going to greatly boost your success.

The same goes for websites – no matter the size. Plug your site into Google Analytics and use an enterprise class Content Management System (CMS) - like Common Goal WebManager - to ‘react' to the metrics you see. While this won't work like the email marketing campaign, where you have two unique versions of a single campaign/mailing, you'll be able to make refinements based on the user actions that you're witnessing through analytics. You may very well find that your users are flocking towards a page you didn't think would be popular. If that's the case, it may be time to really load the content up with more keywords to help with SEO, and possibly add a new callout to the page on the homepage (and maybe in your now exceedingly popular email newsletter!).

The point here is that your digital marketing campaign strategy shouldn't stop at the end of the planning/strategy phase, or even at the project launch. It is paramount to the success of your marketing efforts that you constantly refine your approach and continue to give your audience what they want. If there's one thing we've learned from the internet age, it's that people's attention spans are shrinking. What you planned for last month (which may very well have worked), may be off base today, and may be a total turn off tomorrow.

To this end, we love to check in with our clients at the 3, 6 and 12 month marks to see how their initiatives are going. Making this a priority helps our clients to not only keep up with their audience's demands, but also directly leads to upward success trends for repeat campaigns (like email marketing) and long life cycles for our clients' websites and other digital projects. Now THOSE are metrics that your boss or CFO will love!

UPDATE: Read our post on The Power of Google Analytics for some expert tips!

HTML emails are an invaluable and sustainable tool for keeping up with current clients and for getting your name out to prospects. Especially when an HTML email can be a prospect's first impression of your company, it's essential to make sure that first impression is a great one; here are some tips to help:

SMART SUBJECT LINES: The subject line will probably be the first thing about your email that the reader will see, so it's important to give it the thought that key first impression merits. A good subject line balances length, intrigue and pertinence. It's tempting to want to use a long subject line to make sure the reader knows exactly what your email is about, but most email clients cut subject lines off after 50 characters, so plan wisely. Good HTML email subjects read like newspaper headlines: eye-catching and concise.

ESTABLISH IMMEDIATE VALUE: Kicking your email off with a brief table of contents or highlight callout immediately establishes overall value with the reader. With some recipients' email inboxes getting an influx of over 300 emails a day, the faster you can prove to the reader that your email is a) pertinent and b) interesting, the better your chances for keeping the reader's attention.

PERSONALIZE YOUR EMAIL: Make sure that your emails are sending from a legitimate name and email address. Select a willing member of your marketing or business development team for the email to have originated from. This is wonderfully helpful when people hit reply to ask questions and make comments. Additionally, make a point to call out the recipient by name in the body copy of your email. In an age of faceless and intrusive advertising, this personal touch is crucial to keeping your email tactful and instilling confidence in the reader about security of the exchange.

SHORT & SWEET: HTML email content length should be intrinsically linked to the medium you're working in and your audience; in most cases, HTML emails are more effective when they're short and sweet. Make sure that your copy is substantial enough to perk the reader's interest and then utilize links to strategically draw them deeper into targeted sections of your website, social media presences, a contact form or a call to action.

SOLICIT FEEDBACK: Ultimately, the HTML email is a tool for conversion, so make sure your email includes at least a few prompts to continue the conversation. Promote your SoMe locations - twitter, facebook, LinkedIn.

CHOOSE YOUR WORDS WISELY: Using words like "free" will get your email sent into recipients' spam folders faster than you can say "great offer." SalesNexus has a great list of over 200 words to avoid in your HTML email copy. Also keep in mind that writing for HTML emails, like writing for the web, is a different animal than writing brochure copy. Focus on shorter more keyword-rich copy.

AVOID IMAGE-BLOCKING DISASTERS: Because a majority of email clients (especially ones used in corporate offices) default to blocking images, make sure that your messaging will still get through even if images are blocked. Including a text-only version of your HTML email and linking to a web version are a great way to cover your bases.

SEGMENT YOUR DATABASE!: Once you've got the hang of managing single email campaigns, segmenting your email database makes the HTML email an even more powerful tool. Appealing to your multiple target audiences with customized information and offers is a surefire way to keep them opening your emails and forwarding them along to industry peers.

TALK TO AN EXPERT: The most effective HTML emails are created and executed by HTML email aficionados who know the ins and outs of open-rates, coding for maximum email client compatibility, artful design, and copy writing and who have the CAN-SPAM act memorized. Lucky for you, that's us. Give us a call to learn more or sign up for our HTML newsletter!

At Silverscape, we keep a close eye on the results of our website (and our client sites) and we love to teach others how to read the Ouija Board of Google Analytics. It's certainly not breaking news that a website is a key part of any successful business today. What does tend to be overlooked is how much information is available to monitoring the success or weaknesses of your company's website.

The following are five of my favorite helpful things about Google Analytics and how they could be helpful for you.

5. The GA dashboard packs a strong punch of useful info from a single screen. Knowing how many people are on your site, how they got there and a quick overview of your traffic trends is a fast way to see how your site is running. Think of the GA Dashboard view as the five-minute oil check for your website.

4. Seeing how your website stacks up against your competitors is an important gauge of success. So, unless you're sneaky enough to know how to look at your competitors Analytics account, the Benchmark tool is the next best thing for showing you how your site compares to the rest.

3. Getting a detailed overview of who is on your site, is one of the areas where you can really start to spot user trends. Some of my favorite things to look at in the visitor sections are average number of pages viewed and the time on the site; you can even see the domains of who visited you for tracking leads. Whether you want people to spend a lot of time and browse, or be able to get directly to what they are looking for, these stats are key.

2. Ever wonder which site pages are most popular and if there are some that don't get the attention they deserve? This content area of GA is for you. This area not only tells you which pages are most popular but you can view and overlay of your website to see where people click. This can really give you an idea how people are using the site. Seeing if users are selecting areas you want them to and finding the information you think is most important can be seen through this view.

1. Have an ecommerce site? GA helps you can track everything from conversion rates to average dollar amounts per sale. This is a quick, easy way to track how online sales are going and it only takes a few clicks of the mouse!

These are just a few of the reasons why tracking your website analytics are key. If you feel lost and alone in the world of analytics, Contact Us and we will help you!

Read more about using analytics in our blog "Creating a Marketing Strategy for YOUR audience"

There are many ways you, my reader, could've found your way to this article – our website, web search, RSS reader, Technorati, or perhaps a caring friend. One of my favorites…Twitter.

The past couple of years have seen an expanding growth in the publication, expansion, and adoption of APIs. You might be thinking, I don't know what an API is; how can it help me and/or my business? That's completely normal. If you keep reading, I promise that feeling will subside.

An API is one of those great technical acronyms (like HTTP, AJAX, or laser – that's right, laser's an acronym!) whose definition doesn't really help clarify its meaning. An API – or Application Programmer Interface – is a means through which developers can access, create, or modify data outside of their development environment. Okay, I'll admit even the description sounds only slightly more helpful than the definition – so let's put it into context.

As a developer, I don't have direct access to Twitter's internal information, their development infrastructure, or database. Through their API, Twitter allows a developer like me to access certain aspects of their infrastructure through a secure, controlled environment outside of the Twitter site. I could write code to tweet or read tweets from our website!

Recently, we took that concept a step further. Integrated into the instance of Common Goal WebManager running Silverscape.com is an architecture giving WebManager's blog authoring application the power to automatically tweet a link to our newest article when published! With one click, an article can be published to our website, Twitter, and countless other places picking up syndicated content like Technorati, Facebook, and RSS dashboards like Google Reader. One click: thousands…millions of potential readers.

What's that? Twitter only posts 140 characters at a time?! You're right; and URLs can get pretty long. This is where some API synergy comes into play. Our blog infrastructure is also tied into Bit.ly, a URL-shortening site that has – you guessed it – an API. Integrating with this system, WebManager utilizes bit.ly's services to shorten our blog's URLs before tweeting them.

And it's not just Twitter riding the API train; hundreds of websites and services are available for us to use as tools to improve user website experience. You want a map on your "About Us" page showing the locations of all your stores? There's an API for that (Google Maps). You want to pull in pictures you've taken over the years of all your best corporate events? There's an API for that (Flickr). How about some video (YouTube)? You want to show some Flickr pictures and nearby restaurant reviews (Yelp) based on the location of a YouTube video playing on your site pulled in based on blog content!?! Yeah, we can do that.

APIs talking to APIs talking to APIs; all at the click of a button (or less). That's a lovely conversation.

Here's what I find sexy: The perfect red lip and a complex e-commerce system with an extensive product catalog and zillions of SKUs! Lately, I've found myself really applauding the brand Sephora for the fantastic and cohesive user experience offered to their customers through multiple mediums on the web.

Between the endless eye candy and products to play with, and good old-fashioned customer service, Sephora has always been a great store to visit in person. The brand has done a great job replicating and enhancing the in-store experience using multiple online mediums including their website, social media presences and html email campaigns. Sephora's cohesive and diversified web marketing campaign provides a great narrative for how to generate digital leads.

The hub of their web marketing tools, Sephora.com manages to offer the user a wealth of product and application information in an efficient, targeted manner. The site serves as a huge product catalog complete with juicy photography and in-depth product descriptions. As a designer and as a consumer, I'm immediately drawn to the mini-advertisements they've created for the numerous brands they sell on their site. But, most importantly, they've got what might be the most expansive library of customer reviews online that I've seen in a long time. Sephora also has many easy and effective ways of sorting the large amount of makeup categories and brands featured on the site, making the e-commerce experience genuine and pleasant. We're BIG fans of fun search tools with multiple sorting options!

Sephora helps to increase likability, trust and sales among their target audience by hitting up their inboxes on a regular basis. They use email marketing to speak directly to their following – even take care of them. The same alluring products found in the store and on the website arrive neatly in your inbox accompanied by witty messaging that makes it hard not to click. Being one of these customers, I can attest to the fact that I actually want to open the emails I receive from them. Every email comes nicely-designed and always seems to be completely customized to my wants and needs, which Sephora tracks through my activity and purchases in their online store. I never receive emails from them too often, which I cannot say the same for some other brands that I won't mention! Plus, I never feel like they are pushing something too good to be true. In fact, they actually give me free gifts on my birthday. Instead of running the risk of annoying their customers, they succeed in engaging them.

Another way I've seen Sephora engage customers was through a 2009 holiday Twitter sweepstakes which gave away a prize a day. Instead of filling out a boring form or mailing in an entry, all you had to do was tweet one line - a completely free and time-saving engagement for both the user and the corporate brand.

Now I've sung Sephora's praises quite a bit throughout this post, but I have just one thing to add. Since the company actually has their own "Sephora Brand" line of makeup, just imagine how their customers might enjoy a tool similar to the Jane Iredale Makeover Room. It lets the user test out products and color palettes without ever leaving home!

Empowering brands to succeed online is what stirs up excitement and gets us talking here at Silverscape. We know a thing or two about this kind of stuff. To check out what we consider some of our greatest hits in the consumer space, head over to the Taza Chocoate website, or check out the HMR e-commerce store. If you're curious to see just how cool our own HTML emails are, don't hesitate to subscribe to us, we think you'll like what you see.

As we emerge from 2009 and the economic challenges last year held for many, we're seeing a consistently optimistic and proactive approach from marketers, businesses and brand managers alike. Q1 2010 is being seen as a time to metaphorically come out of hiding as firms are once again focusing heavily on developing creative, compelling marketing campaigns that will help differentiate their brands and build market share. Using another baseball analogy, the benches are being cleared and the first one to the pitcher's mound will steal the spotlight, if only until the others catch up and crowd the field.

Keeping up with the pack requires a surge in marketing but just as importantly, to keep within a healthy budget will require strategic marketing with smart allocation of resources. So what works and what's not worth it? Here are a few tips we have for marketing in the year 2010:

Refresh the look of your website
For many businesses, the corporate website is the face of your brand and it deserves and requires freshening up every once in a while. If the design of your site has not been tweaked or modified in the last 18 months, a touch up is in order.

Develop a clear messaging strategy
It's so easy to skip the first step and go right to the punch but back up and start with the basics if you haven't already done so. First and foremost make sure the content on your website and in any other marketing materials is saying what you've intended to say and in a way that creates value in your firm, for your clients.

Consider your website's functionality
I can't stress enough how important it is to have a website that is perceived as flexible, current and fluid. If you're not a web developer, the actual functionality of your site might not come to mind as needing an update but think again. Unnecessary page refreshes and constraints due to an outdated information architecture can stand in the way of you and potential clients. Give us a call if you're interested in learning how the functionality of your site can be made more interactive and more intuitive.

Keep in touch with your general audience
This year, save the money you would spend on paper and postage for direct mail pieces and instead opt for a custom-designed digital newsletter. It's sustainable, both for your firm and the environment, and it takes about 30 minutes of writing a month to produce a corporate newsletter that can be sent to all of your company contacts.

Treat V.I.P's like V.I.P's
Focus on ways to establish close connections with your target markets. Segmenting your database is one way to easily sort contacts by vertical market, making it easier to get the right information to the right people. Similarly, a new template created specifically for targeted marketing announcements can be designed and integrated as a hidden page within your website so that you can easily access and edit the content to be used for new product announcements, promotional offers for specific industries and more.

In effort to shorten load times, we use "sprites". Sprites are an old technique used in computer graphics – they were most prevalent in video games prior to 1995. A single sprite is made up of two or many images composite into one, and then arranged on the screen along with other sprites, and background imagery. This was done to ease processing load so a game could incorporate more sound or graphics and play smoothly.

This same concept is being used today on the web. If a webpage has 10 images representing a state of a single object and each weighs 10kb, that's 100kb worth of images to download. What's more is that the browser needs to make a request to the server each time to get an image. These requests add up, between the HTML of a page, the CSS that presents the layout and gives the page style, and other functional code to make a page interactive, flash movies, etc etc; Each of these elements adds to overall load time.

We utilize tools to optimize individual pieces of a website to make them load more efficiently – or only when needed. Because images typically make up the bulk of these server quests, we make great effort to optimize them any we can. One such way is by using sprites.

Have a look at recently our launched http://www.fabreeka.com with a basic navigation sprite

Each of the navigation items would normally be one image. Combine that with each item's rollover, and in this example we have 12 images! Yikes. We haven't even got to the rest of the site yet. Instead, we've combined it into one and used some CSS techniques to pull it all together.

For another example of this technique, here is an example by Apple.

7 Buttons, 4 different button states (up, over, down, selected). That would be 28 server requests, before you can even start downloading the images!

Additionally, when a link title needs to be updated, we can easily modify one image and in one location. So while making a sprite work may take a little longer to develop up front, the time is quite literally well spent to save time later in the developement process and prevent site visitors from beign discouraged by long load times.

From last-minute Christmas shopping on amazon.com to working on design for DRIFIRE's webstore, our 2009 was chock-full of e-commerce. Here's a rundown of the five most interesting and innovative ecomm site features of '09, from both inside the studio and out.

5. Big, juicy photography. Compelling photography is a huge part of creating an immediate connection with the user. Salomon Sports is a great example of this; they use expansive and compelling lifestyle photography to draw you into that photograph's moment and use it as a portal to the products they sell.

4. Product searches everywhere. Most online shoppers are in a hurry; having mini product searches on non-store pages makes it quick and easy for users to find what they're looking for, cutting down on impatience and site exits. Our clients, Advanced Instruments, for example, utilizes space on the homepage and subpages to give the user quick gratification by allowing them to see fast results in a product search without ever having to leave the page they're on.

3. Checkouts to better serve your brand. In an age of generic Google and Yahoo checkouts, it's unexpected to find a checkout that really ties your brand experience in a tidy bow. Checkout is the last (and thus most memorable) experience a user will have on your ecomm site, and making this impression a positive one is key to bringing them back. A customized, brand-specific checkout like DRIFIRE's leaves the user with a clear vision of who DRIFIRE is as a brand and can also add credibility to the site when prompting the user to type in personal information.

2. Mini-carts and Quickviews. Two of the best time-savers for online shopping. Take Taza Chocolate's e-comm site for example; thanks to the mini-cart features, the user never has to leave their current page to view or edit their cart. So, when I decide that dark chocolate is going to be my breakfast, lunch and dinner for the next month, I can add 90 bars to my cart no matter where I am in the store and I can do so without any annoying page refresh. Quickviews serve a similar purpose, giving the user a sneak preview of the most pertinent product facts straight from a search results page; an impatient shopper couldn't ask for more. Check out DRIFIRE or target to get a glimpse of quickviews in action.

1. Interactive toys to help sell the goods. The obvious difference between physically going to a store and buying online is that the user doesn't get the experience of trying on or holding products. This is why interactive extras that simulate the tactile experience can really empower the user to buy; Jane Iredale's Mineral Makeover Room is a perfect example of this. From the comfort of her own computer, the user can choose a model that represents her look and can then apply make-up to that model using realistic coverage and color technology. Giving the user the opportunity to 'test' out your product instills confidence in them while simultaneously providing an engaging branded experience that gets you one step closer to a sale.

This is a continuation of my last post, Your Corporate Blog: Why to have it and How to maintain it (Part 1)! In the first part of this post, I discussed the advantages of integrating a corporate, or business blog into your company's web presence. Now that we've thought about why we need one, it's time to think about how to manage it.

With all of the benefits of having a Blog and such a wide range of practical applications, why do Marketers and corporate decision makers so often cower at the idea of implementing a Blog? It seems that the answer often comes down to the burden of producing content on a regular basis. All too often, companies lose out on the myriad benefits of a Blog simply due to a misunderstanding or a preconceived notion about what it actually takes to make a Blog successful. However, I'm a big believer in the idea that consistency, not frequency, is king when it comes to maintaining a Blog.

Content production doesn't have to be, and shouldn't be scary. No one ever said that, if your site has a blog, you need to write new content every day. What is important, however, is being consistent with how often you DO create new content. Don't overburden yourself, but find a pace that works for your schedule and that you can stick to. Then, most importantly, stick to it! Before you know it, your blog will start to gain regular readers, and they'll establish a certain expectation of how frequently they should return to see new content. This expectation is totally set by the pace you establish early on; the last thing you want to do is turn these loyal readers off with inconsistency.

Here are some other helpful techniques and strategies to making your company Blog a success (and easier to manage, too!):

Create a Backlog - Blog content doesn't have to be newly written to be fresh. If you have a day when you're feeling particularly inspired, or happen to have a lot of extra time on your hands, by all means keep writing! Some articles may be more pressing or immediately relevant than others, but lots of posts will be applicable no matter when they go up, so start keeping a backlog to fall back on next time you're in a crunch and unable to pull together a fresh article in time for a post.

Invite Guest Bloggers - Having trouble producing the content on your own, or even with your internal resources? Find someone out there in the Blogosphere (or maybe even elsewhere in the company) that has valuable insight that you think your audience would benefit from, and invite them to contribute to your site blog! This helps introduce the guest author to a new audience, and takes some of the burden off of you and your team. Most bloggers will provide a way for you to contact them directly from their Blog.

Learn How to be Lazy - If the ideas aren't flowing, don't sweat it! A great way to make Blog writing easier is to leverage what others have already written. Make a quick post by taking some excerpts from an article you find interesting, and add your thoughts. Ask questions of your readers - you don't need to know it all! Just be sure to always give credit to the original post and author.

It's OK to Change Pace - Just make sure you're increasing the frequency, not decreasing it. Don't do this at a time that doesn't work for you - make sure it's a planned change and that you have the time and infrastructure to support the new pace. If you find yourself with lots of extra content, but don't feel that your'e ready to up the pace, start creating a backlog to help you manage the next few months more easily.

Being the manager of a Blog can seem intimidating, but by following these tips (and by figuring out what works best for you!), it can be a lot less scary than you may think.

There are so many practical benefits to including a blog in a corporate website that I question companies - regardless of size, manpower or vertical market - that hesitate when it comes to implementing and maintaining a corporate blog. Too often have I heard the excuse, "a blog sounds great, but we'll never be able to maintain it." Sorry, but I don't buy it. I know we're all busy, but maintaining a corporate blog may be much easier that you think... This two-part post will help shed some light on the benefits and various applications of a corporate blog, and then provide some tips for making managing a corporate blog easy and very - for lack of a better word - manageable!

A well-managed corporate blog can provide immense value to an organization by helping to drive qualified, organic traffic to the site, increasing the number of repeat visits and average time spent on the site and keeping the site high in Google's mind (and rankings). While corporate blogs are, by their very nature, biased, they can offer a more sincere and direct view into an organization than traditional communications channels. In addition, a degree of informality in a corporate blog, coupled with regularly posted content, can add a level of credibility to an organization by helping to increase the organization's transparency and accessibility. Our client, Taza Chocolate, for example, runs an engaging and frequently visited company blog.

As far as different types or applications of a corporate blog, we've seen it all. Corporate blogs can serve as everything from a venue for a single employee to share their insights to the central source of content on an entire site. Some Blogs focus on a specific theme, while others have multiple; some allow for commenting and two-way conversation, while others are used as a one-way channel for pushing out News Articles, New Project announcements, and educational content. There is no single format or architecture for a corporate blog that makes it successful or worthwhile. Each industry, company and audience merits a unique approach to implementing and maintaining a blog. In my next post, I will talk about how to establish what is and is not appropriate for your corporate blog, as well as how to streamline the management process and get your corporate blog – and site – on the fast-track to success, so be sure to check back soon and often!

UPDATE: Check out Part Two of this post!

One of Silverscape's newest clients is the geo-engineering firm Haley & Aldrich. A leader in their industry, they decided to thoughtfully forge ahead with a New Year's greeting to their valued clients. Haley & Aldrich came to Silverscape with the goal of sending appreciation and positive thoughts along with a message of thanks and a realistic outlook on the times ahead. Because every penny spent in this economy has to count, they also wanted to call attention to their services and the value they offer. Impossible task, you think? Not so fast.

We did away with the traditional holiday glitz and developed a more classic and sophisticated message to convey positive thoughts about the goodness we can all bring to the world around us. To make this holiday greeting a useful sales tool, we decided to create an ‘interactive world' for users to click around in to learn more about Haley & Aldrich. Several service-themed environments were created to showcase key offerings and provide a customized user experience. Video integration and project photos give users a window into past and current project work. To keep the greeting upbeat and educational, different "did you know?" facts appear for each of the four service offerings allowing for targeted messaging. Social media callouts provide users with fun ways to become more connected to and involved with their geo-technical engineering company of choice. This all mixed in with some seasonal confetti and uplifting messaging makes for and inspiring interactive greeting that is sure to bring some welcome smiles to its recipients and some new business opportunities to Haley & Aldrich. Check out the greeting by clicking here

"Almost all JavaScript libraries are released under either a copycenter or copyleft license to ensure license-free distribution, usage, and modification." Like many others, JQuery is a free, open source library. The number of plug-ins contributed by its users is staggering; there is plug-ins to add custom media players, custom pop-ups, rotate/crop/resize images, change site themes, etc. Any need you might have, chances are that ‘there is an app a plug-in for that". An interesting side effect to this might be having you boss know about new plug-ins before you do. :0

JQuery is the most robust and widely used library today and it used by some of the biggest website on the internet such as: Google, Amazon, Twitter, NBC, ESPN, and Bank of America just to name a few. Some of my favorite and commonly used JQuery plug-ins includes:

• Timers
• curved corners
• lazy load
• simple modal
• Lightbox
• scrollTo

The driving force in the new version has been to really bring the system in line with how web sites are created in the modern age. Content does not simply appear in one place on a page by page basis. Instead, content takes the form of assets which can be pulled into many areas of a site. These assets are well suited for interactive search interfaces and for display in sidebars and the home page.

For use with all of the social media resources available throughout the internet, all content can be tagged. We can use these tags to correlate with blog entries (did you know WebManager has its own integrated blog application?), products from our ecommerce application (and its own ecommerce application...), news, banner ads, youtube videos, flickr galleries, and more.

This tagging of content assets puts Common Goal WebManager way ahead of other content management systems in its ability to leverage and syndicate content both to the site itself and to other sites.

We've added an entire task system. You can assign tasks and connect them to specific content assets or have the CMS create tasks on a scheduled basis to remind you to update certain pages. This is an important addition both from a workflow perspective and from the perspective of having a better web site. You'll always know when to update content to keep it fresh and keep those visitors coming back.

Our CMS generated URL's have become shorter and more search engine friendly than before, getting the keywords from the page title near the beginning of the URL. Because of this change in the URL structure, creating landing pages is easy. Just make a new top level page and tell the CMS where it should be found (i.e. www.mysite.com/mylandingpage). This is excellent for creating memorable, short URLs that can be used in advertising campaigns.

We've completely overhauled the user interface as well. The dashboard provides a wealth of information on what has is happening with your site content, such as a display of content needing approval and content that was recent published or edited. The list view gives faster access to tasks such as enabling and disabling pages or reordering sections of the site with click and drag. The edit views hide the more advanced functionality, giving easy access to commonly used fields.

This only scratches the surface of the great new features and functionality in Common Goal WebManager 6. I'd love to show you a demo, so contact us at Silverscape so we can discuss how our latest release can make maintenance of your site a breeze!

E ink Corporation is the company behind the innovation that will change everything we know about paper and digital displays. Founded in 1997 and based on research from none other than MIT's Media Lab, E Ink is the leading supplier of electronic paper display (EPD) technologies and the sole technology behind handheld e-readers such as Amazon Kindle and the Sony Reader.

If you're interested, here's a bit of info on how this technology works. (If you don't care, proceed to last sentence of this paragraph.) E ink is using electrophoretic deposition - also EPD. (I guess they coined the term electronic paper display so that they could keep the abbreviation and avoid the tongue-twister). Essentially, particles, and in this case pigment particles, are suspended in a medium operating under the influence of an electric field. Because the composition of the pigment particles and the medium are different, the particles are suspended in the medium rather than dissolved, which allows for the display of the text against the screen. The electric field is what charges the particles positively or negatively and results in the display of text or images. Put simply, it's kind of like a modern day Etch-a-Sketch: the stuff behind the screen is the medium, the particles are the gray specs, and the electric field is the stylus that creates the image.

As if this isn't awesome enough, E ink's goal is to continue work on this technology so that it's eventually compatible with full-color displays. Right now they are a little stumped as to how to accomplish this with particles of different colors: each color corresponds to a different wavelength which means that they would require different levels of electrical charge from the same device. But just imagine the possibilities: Instead of wallpaper and paint we would have radio wallpaper that would be able to change color or pattern on the fly. And in terms of design and signage, this puts a whole new spin on the term interactive.

Good luck E ink. In the meantime, want a new website?

This got me thinking about the other videos parodying aspects of design that I'd seen recently, such as: "Auto-tuning: Blake needs to talk to Jack about the homepage... or at least he tries to" from Vimeo, and "Font Fight" and "Font Conference" from College Humor. Does this recent trend mean we designers have broken into mainstream-cool? Have we made it? Do they like us, do they REALLY like us?

I think now it's time for the good people at Silverscape to start using our humor chops for good instead of evil; like instead of hilariously convincing me our WebManager design has been axed and requires an all-nighter of redesign, or an elaborate acceptance speech for the 2009 NEDMA awards is needed to be given by me (you know who you are), we could make a funny video of what it means to "Frankenstein", or a montage of iStock searches gone horribly awry.

So, in the midst of our ecommerce website designs, HTML emails, and web design branding, I think this new year Silverscape is going to bring on the humor, one CSS and bad typography joke at a time.

What happened next is what struck me. Instead of jumping to the main menu, I sat through the commercial and – get this – I restarted the disc so that I could watch the commercial again! This seemed to me a huge breakthrough in marketing, especially what has become typical digital marketing. It got me thinking to a conversation I had with a colleague at NC State University's business school years back. We were talking about an organization that he was involved in that was focused on finding more effective methods of guerilla marketing that would have a stronger connection with people, create buzz around an event or product, and encourage people to seek out information on things rather than forcing marketing spiels at people while they're trying to do something else.

What Sunny did was stray from the concept of interruption marketing that seems to have become the standard in digital marketing today. Think about it: half-hour television shows account for only 22 minutes. The other eight minutes are dedicated to inconveniently-timed commercial breaks that consist of ad after ad using comedy, sex, or other innumerable tactics to hold your attention before blatantly switching to their real purpose of telling you why you should immediately buy their product or service. When did it become all about them and none about you, their alleged end-user on whose satisfaction their success depends?

Guerilla marketing or buzz marketing has started to surface a bit more frequently (as KT's blog entry A love Letter to Hulu also touches on). I think this is a tremendous step in the way marketers are interpreting their audiences and reevaluating their intentions and perceptions by the public. After all, marketing should serve its original purpose of promoting a product, service or idea but it should be fun and engaging for the target audience too. With commercials, the brands should be competing with each other, vying for your attention and aiming to be the one that speaks best to you as a person. Or even better, what if marketers literally had to compete with each other in an interactive format? On Hulu for example, what if viewers could rate commercials and choose which types of commercials they wanted to be served? That's my idea of the future of targeted marketing.

Case in point, as I settled in to catch up on 30 Rock last night, Hulu politely asked me first how I'd like to view my commercial segments, in one longer block at the beginning or broken up throughout the entire program. Hulu, you are a real gentleman; thanks for asking. The sheer difference in volume and quality of advertisements is also an interesting differentiator between mediums; Hulu's ads are shorter and less frequent but, at least to my taste, better designed and more seamlessly compliment of my viewing experience. Ads on regular TV are so loud and jarring that I tune them out completely, cutting any chance for ad impression down to zilch. However, I'll sit and watch the 30-second Cadillac commercial with that sweet Pheonix song and hell, I'll even play the interactive game in the Blackberry commercial. Like all great social media mediums, Hulu allows me to shape my online experience and I love them for it. I can ‘like' or ‘dislike' ads to an actual purpose, rather than the useless screen-yelling version of ‘dislike' that I am forced to employ with a more antiquated medium.

Aside from how Hulu has improved my TV-watching experience, it's also served as inspiration for all kinds of design endeavors. Hulu's lesson seems to be that if you treat your user with a respect that they're not used to being given by the advertising community, a positive response is almost always guaranteed. So, when I'm designing a less-is-more ad on an otherwise busy magazine page or creating audience-specific portals for an interactive community-driven website, Hulu, I tip my hat to you.

So what is Wave? Google says it's what email would have been if it were invented today. A communications platform not built to emulate a familiar, existing platform like email was. No inbox, to, from, CCs, or BCCs – holdovers from an older form of communication that carried over into the digital realm. It's part document, part conversation, oh and in real time.

Did I freak your bean? Well to be honest it did for me at first, but after using it for the last two weeks or so somewhat regularly, I'm not so sure it's as revolutionary as Google is hoping it to be.

By now most of are pretty familiar with Google Docs - shareable documents and spreadsheets that allow multiple people to collaborate and edit all together at once. You can't overwrite people's files (there are no file versions) and you can roll back to an earlier time in the document's history. Pretty neat, and pretty handy. We use it all the time here when we go through our extensive QC process to ensure a bug-free and outstanding completed project for delivery. Designers, Account Executives, Developers, and Project Managers, review the project and note any remaining bugs, design and positioning tweaks, copy edits, etc. In the past we had done this all in a spreadsheet and everyone had read only copies while one person at a time would add to the document. We would make phone calls to each other for clarification on items and other questions.

Now we do it all in one document, at the same time. We color code comments so we know who wrote it and cross of the items in real-time as they're rectified. It's improved our workflow greatly.

Google Wave lets you share files write into a "wave" with everyone apart of it. You can edit what anyone's written to append information or make corrections, or add commentary – in real time. In most cases you can see people typing as they type. Much like Facebook, or iGoogle gadgets, developers can build their own apps to be used within waves. You can embed games, bots that can potentially crawl the wave and pull in relevant information to the conversation, Google maps, conduct polls etc.

Recently, Google announced that individuals will be able to host their own Waves. A company can run it on their own secure networks without relying on Google to be generous and host it on the cloud. This also should remove most security and privacy concerns giving business owners full control over their Waves. Unlike Gmail which parses your email to serve relevant ads, I have yet to see any ads popping in anywhere. I'm not entirely sure how feasible it would be to embed ads without it being entirely too distracting and overwhelming.

What's not to like? Sounds pretty awesome doesn't it. Well, I have my gripes and I'm hoping some things are cleared up as development continues (this is very much so still in Beta, I mean more beta than what Google normally considers beta, how was Gmail in beta and in widespread use? Few years?). I'll detail this a bit in a future post.

If you can't wait to learn all about Wave from me, you can watch Google's 80 minute (yes 80 minutes) unveiling presentation from last March here.

Be on the look out for my future posts on Google Wave!

That being said, I'm quite excited to celebrate some of sprucing up we've been doing around our crib. I really do believe that the environment you work in can directly motivate your creative energy. We're well known for our work in the digital space, making cooler-than-cool websites and bringing some pretty darn innovative technologies to our clients. But I think there is a chance that these qualities are amplified by the fact that our actual physical space allows for so much collaboration and breathing room. After all, it's the people that make this building so great and the work that we've created throughout the years that allow us to appreciate our inspired domain that much more.

Now unfortunately, we cannot offer you architecture or interior decorating services, but if your home on the web needs an extreme makeover, give us a call.

Our latest Direct Mail Self-Promotion piece.

Heather's Andy Warhol inspired poster.

New artwork being prepped for the office.

The 3rd floor gets a makeover!

10. Proxiliant Website - Bronze NEDMA award. This holds a special place in my history at Silverscape because it was the first of many NEDMAs I've been able to accept.
9. Genzyme print collateral, Gold and Silver NEDMA awards. If you've read my past blogs you know I'm a sucker for a good print piece and this is no exception.
8. Silverscape Hot ‘N Wow Series, Gold create award and two NEDMAs. This direct marketing series really encompasses the fun and creative culture of Silverscape. I also spent my first week at Silverscape filling little glass bottles with "magic potion," I'll never forget that.
7. Application Security Kiosk presentations, Gold and Silver NEDMAs. These Flash pieces are just plain cool. After long nights of work on these, the words "the database has been breached" always brings a smile to my face.
6. DRIFIRE website Gold NEDMA. Hot site with a cool ecommerce system.
5. HSP Print Ad, Gold NEDMA. The first project I was the Account Executive on to win an award; it's a beautifully designed and well-managed project, if I say so myself.
4. Silverscape Lucky Bastards Invite, Gold NEDMA. Fun party, fun invites.
3. Walbridge website, Web Award for outstanding website. Innovative design, really engaging dynamic homepage Flash and don't miss the project search tool!
2. Joslin Diabetes Center Virtual Tour, hasn't won anything yet but it will, trust me.

And finally the number 1 award wining Silverscape project. . . (drum roll please)

1. I'd really have to say I can't pick a favorite, I love them all! Check out our portfolio of award wining work and decide for yourself. We'll have comments on our blog soon so let me know what you think!

Session 1b: Extreme Makeover: Website Edition - Heart-warming (and Award-winning) Case Studies
Date/Time: Thursday, March 25, 2010 | 3:30pm - 5:00pm

Summary: Following the theme of the "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" television series, this session will highlight three "families" (A/E companies) and their quest to makeover their existing corporate websites through a complete overhaul. Using a case study approach, the moderator will interview each of the panelists with a series of questions that focus on topics including objectives, process, technologies, social media, measurement tools, results, and lessons learned. At the end of each case study, the audience will shout, "Move that Mouse!" at which time the overhauled website will be unveiled.

The session will be moderated by Caitlin Jewell from Silverscape (www.silverscape.com), with the panel consisting of Mark Tawara, CPSM, from Belt Collins (www.beltcollins.com), Howard Wolff, FSMPS from WATG (www.watg.com), and Bill Reader from NTH Consultants (www.nthconsultants.com).

Yes, I'm talking about the purchase of a brand new laptop. I've had my old Dell for almost eight years now and other than the ten pound frame, the recent localized failure of my motherboard, the external wireless card (remember those guys?) and the inability to download any more music (literally there is no more room on my hard drive) it's served me quite well. Why have I waited so long to replace it you might ask? That's a good question. There's money and the occasional avoidance of life's little inconveniences, but mostly I've been unwilling to compromise my philosophy to meet that of a brands. Now that my music collection is at stake, this has escalated to the point where a decision must be reached.

My statement of brand philosophy is directed at Apple. Even though their pricing model is poor compared to just about any other brand (actually every other brand) in the market, I'm leaning towards a MacBook Pro. After weighing the pros and cons between Macs, Dells, Sonys and a handful of other PC brands, my decision is coming down to the industrial design. All other features seem to be pretty comparable across brands, but Apple's design of the hardware is simply superior in my opinion. There are no plastic pieces waiting to be detached from the main frame of the laptop, the internal disc drive eliminates the otherwise high chances that I will once again hit the open disc drive and cause it to never close again and finally the weight and dimensions of the MacBook are lighter and sleeker than any other model I've seen. A frequent flier, I need a laptop that I can carry around with me easily and that won't break when I shove it into a backpack with a million other things.

My only concern then is with Apple's approach to customer service and their general philosophy regarding customers. I've had some issues in the past that, although very subjective, make me hesitant to jump on the Apple bandwagon. I've had three different iPods over the years, all of which very conveniently seem to reach a point of no return just after the two-year Apple iCare package runs out and at which point I've been told several times by Apple employees that my negligence and not their product is the cause. (Apple employee: ‘Without a warranty there's nothing we can do to help. My guess is that you were probably using the iPod in a way that broke it. Did you ever go running with the iPod? Me: ‘Yes I did, but you sell armbands for running with an iPod and you advertise consumers doing this.' Apple employee: ‘That's true but you're not supposed to do that because it messes up the hard drive. Maybe you should try a Nano?')

So what to do? I've always considered myself to be a person who gives the benefit of the doubt so after numerous talks with Mac owners who are very satisfied with their service I'm ending this debacle. Apple, I have selected you as the provider of my next decade of online experiences. Like any consumer of any brand in a capitalist society, all I'm looking for is the perception that I've received a higher quality product and service than what I would expect to get somewhere else. After all the marketing and positioning, this perception alone is what can make or break a brand.

After laying the foundation with LinkedIn, Caitlin will provide some key best practices of social media, with an emphasis on what you need to do to stay current, and how to connect your LinkedIn profile to Twitter, Facebook, and other online networking outlets to promote professional development.

FULL EVENT LISTING AND REGISTRATION INFO

It may seem a trivial aspect of a movie, simply because type usually only appears at the beginning and ending credits, but it really plays a significant roll in introducing the mood and setting (I'm sure Saul Bass would agree). And the handwritten type in "Wild Things" further demonstrates this point. The vertical, all caps writing signifies a child explaining something fantastic, and I knew from the title sequence this movie was going to be something special.

Other examples of some incredible handwritten type, are works by Marian Bantjes whose done art ranging from magazine covers to Saks Fifth Avenue campaigns, and Si Scott with work ranging from tattoo design to Nike ad campaigns. Both typographers manage to leave you in disbelief, as all of their work looks too perfect and extraordinary to be hand-crafted.

On the subject of handwritten type, I read an interesting blog this morning about the correlation between a font, and the typographer of that font's actual handwriting. Is there a connection? Judge for yourself… I think maybe I can make out some Meta in Erik Spiekermann's handwriting?

Like "Emmy Nominated?" We'd like to thank the good folks at DRIFIRE including Dustin and Stephanie, our moms, the good lord above, Tim Berners-Lee, WC3, Milton Glaser, David Carson, Chip Kid, Eric Meyer, Paula Scher and Ben Forta.

For more information about MITX including this year's MITX award Finalists, click here. Winners announced 11.17 but frankly, we're just honored to be nominated.

What are we going to wear!?

About the MITX Awards: The largest and most prestigious interactive awards competition in the country, the MITX Awards recognize the most innovative, effective and compelling achievements in the development and implementation of interactive technologies.

1. Group costume! CMYK, or RGB, depending on how many in your group. For instance, if you happen by our Halloween Block Party later this month, you will find me as Cyan, LD as Yellow, HL as Black and MM as Magenta. (Word on the street is that LW is coming in all white as paper.) The lone wolf could always go as a solitary Pantone swatch.

2. Your favorite character from your favorite typeface. Stencil that baby right onto a cheap undershirt from Target and you're set. Rockwell Bold Ampersand, Helvetica Neue Extended Capital R and Archer Bold Capital K, here I come. If you want to be really scary, I guess you could go as Comic Sans. Joint costumes for this are easy: quotation marks or serif & sans serif!

3. Sketchbook. Easier than the typography costume. Blank white t-shirt and plenty of sharpies for your fellow party-goers.

4. Glasses, a pressed oxford shirt, a smart blazer and endless charisma and you're Michael Bierut.

5. Twitter! Speak only in bursts of 140 characters or less, example: "@laurendorion, plz pass beer, kthanx"

6. The really time-crunched web designer can always rely on that old stand-by, the pop-up window. No costume required, just hide behind stuff and then jump out.

Okay, now all y'all better take pictures of your design, technology and marketing-related costumes and tweet ‘em to us. We most certainly will return the favor.

(image courtesy of this dude's flickr)

The failure to update a logo is an oversight that can be attributed to several different things. For companies who have had the same logo for years, sometimes even decades, over-exposure is the most likely culprit; after staring employees in the face for that long, an old logo can easily fall off the radar when companies are considering new marketing or branding initiatives. In some cases, it's not that no one thinks to update the logo but rather that they think this could have adverse affects. Some might worry that even minor updates to a long-standing logo will sever the links in the public's mind between the brand and its mark and decrease the strength of the brand.

For both of these groups, read on. Truth: a logo is the mark of your company and the design of a logo can go a long way in supporting or thwarting your brand's presence and the awareness of your brand in the eyes of consumers. However, just because consumers have responded well to a logo in the past doesn't mean that they will continue to respond favorably to a dated logo over time (what does an old-looking logo say about the company it stands for?) A logo is a symbolic representation of a brand, meant to be recognizable and memorable to your brand's audience so that when they think of a market niche or service offerings, your firm instantly comes to mind ahead of the rest. Its function as brand resonator makes the logo a vital entity for any consumer-targeted company, but this function can only be fulfilled if a logo is designed thoughtfully for its intended purpose.

That means designing a logo to be recognizable, memorable and in some way indicative of the brand it represents. In many ways, less is more when it comes to logo design – a thoughtful design includes considering how a logo will be translated to print materials, signage and branded apparel and product. For firms that have outdated logos this is especially for you. Try looking at your logo as an outsider; if every element of the design is not meaningful, too much detail will get lost in these mediums and prevent the logo from being as effective as it could. For companies that find themselves with a logo that was never fully thought out, it's high time that some strategy be applied to create a useful mark. For well established companies that are concerned that a new logo won't be recognizable, this is an easy problem to remedy: do some PR/marketing around the new logo design before introducing it to your public so that people are expecting the change. This is also an excellent excuse to launch a new website or to create some buzz around an upcoming event.

To learn more, the recent update of Walmart's logo is a prime example: click here to read about Walmart's logo redesign project. (Although the design is much more modern than the previous logo, do better than they did about communicating the new logo to your audiences!) To learn more about logo design, visit this blog I found from Smashing Magazine.

In June we launched an experimental approach to our Silverscape blog. We asked each of 15 relevant contributors to briefly answer the question (similar to twitter) what are you working on and why is it innovative or interesting. This approach, in concert with an automated Twitter announcement of each blog posting, has exponentially improved our qualified site traffic and organic search results.

Free suggestions on producing a blog that will be easy to keep up:

1. Find 15 – 30 valued members of your company to write 1-2 blog entries per month.
2. Suggest content contributors include external links of interest in the topic they are discussing to validate their theories and suggestions
3. Limit word counts to 525 and time spent on blog to 45 minutes
4. Tag blogs to make it easier for users to understand common topics your firm will speak about example webdesign
5. Remind content contributors to create keyword rich blog posts
6. Create a SMALL approval team, one or two people who are comfortable with the company voice, do not leave blogs to post in the queue
7. Send weekly Analytics reports to the whole company showing which blogs were the top performing blogs ie Phill's blog got 45 reads but Joe's only 22. Competition will encourage creativity. (Measurement AND fun)
8. Make frequent topic suggestions to your contributors. "Phill can you share the frequent client mistakes when creating an HTML email in a blog please?"
9. Topic titillation equals traffic success. Make if fun and gripping and people will read.
10. TEACH AND GIVE AWAY FREE GOOD ADVICE. If your blog has true value visitors will return.

Silverscape would be happy to add a blog to your site and coach you on how to roll out this program. Please contact us to learn more about the process.

I've had a long-time love affair with NOTCOT, not only for its clever Polaroid-like visual entries, but it's really there for me when I'm way down in the designer's-block dumps. NOTCOT.org is an ever growing collection of way cool creative things. You can find everything from Chupa Chups Lollipops' latest ad campaign to innovative bicycle designs. And the best part is, this amazing library of visual-splendor is submitted by NOTCOT users. In NOTCOT's words, "It's about sharing what inspires you. Bookmarks, del.icio.us, digg, blogrolls, etc. make you read, search and think. This is the PICTUREBOOK to their novel."

I find it simply a great way to find inspiration for any project I'm designing, and I always love, LOVE finding website/print inspiration from non-website/print designs. Like getting inspired to use natural textures for elements of a website through seeing a "Twitter Birdhouse" post; the possibilities for inspiration and creation are endless.

Some of my favorite posts are: A Chopstick-spoon, because I love Pho, and I can never find a suitable utensil for eating it. Pantone mugs, because, well, I'm a designer, need I say more? Good Magazine's issue 017 cover, and awesome packaging for medication called "help", because someone needed to make health problems fun, okay?

Also, do yourself a favor and check out NOTCOT's NotCouture and Liqurious as well. NotCouture has the latest and greatest in fashion and beauty for men and women, while Liqurious showcases some amazing design in drinks; and who doesn't love that?

1. The Alpha and Omega - Replicating the look of a website, cool interactive piece, or intricate montage are out of reach at moment but that doesn't me it can't be beautiful. For some it might mean embracing basic design practices, going ‘back to the cradle' in a manner of speaking. The best tip I can give is to be mindfully your use of space, negative and positive.
2. Symmetry is the "Bee's-knee" – Symmetry is fact of life, we are surrounded by it and sometimes we forget what the good it brings to the table. Aiming for symmetry will keep unexpected complications from rearing their head once your design has to be coded. Not taking this into consideration could cause you more trouble than it's worth.
3. Simplicity – Drop shadows, gradient backgrounds, curved corners are all great features that can make a design stand out but when it comes HTML email's going forward are more trouble than they are worth.
   • Drops shadows typically extend the area of a design, even if the design does not intend to or considers it.
   • Gradients are not feasible anymore because some Outlook 07, the target standard for HTML emails, does not support the background images through CSS and the background attribute in elements will indiscriminately repeat the image. Gmail and other web mail clients strip or ignore some inline CSS properties and style defined in a style block.
   • • Rounded corners, unlike the previous features is less trouble to implement but still posses a fair amount of challenges. I part of this entry I will cover how to get curved corners to play nice in the development phase, but for this section my advice is to avoid combining gradients and/or drop shadows with rounded corners; that would be a recipe for trouble.
4. "Get it Done, Designers" - Tim Gun's famous phrase from the "Project Runway" TV series conveys all that need to be said. Always listen to a well dressed man and you can do no wrong! All kidding aside, creating successful HTML email's going forward will require an even closer partnership between designers and developers. Both sides will have to make compromises but the end result will be something we can all be proud of.

I know I'm early for Christmas, but I thought I'd give you some time to work on my wishlist. Here are a few things that I really really really really want for the next generation of the creative suite.

1. Searchable layers! – Lately, I've been working with some gigantic Photoshop files that have tons of layers and while I am conscientious about my layer naming conventions, that whole ‘right-click to view layer names' just doesn't get the job done when there are 341 layers to sort through. Know what would really rule? If the search had auto-suggestion a la Walbridge project search.

2. Glyph palette for Photoshop – Illustrator has it! Photoshop is jealous.

3. Font preview for Illustrator – Photoshop has a great scrollable font preview in the character palette, Illustrator is jealous.

4. Expanded adjustment layer effects – Photoshop's standard adjustment layer options are great, but I have a serious hankering for blur and sharpen adjustment layer functionality.

Many thanks and keep up the good work,
Kate

The completed tour is now available for viewing here, and if you liked that check out the rest of the Silverscape portfolio!

When I was still in school I studied abroad in India and part of the requirement was to take a Hindi language course while we were there; the most difficult part about the language I found was getting the sentence structure down. In Hindi a sentence, if you broke apart each word into English, would go something like this: ‘Dog she to the park walk.' Because this is not the case with German, it is actually the easiest language to take on if English is your first language. Another cool thing about German is this: many of the countries in Western and Eastern Europe speak German, if not fluently, enough to carry on a conversation. If you're a traveler, German is definitely one of the most convenient languages to know.

The purpose of this blog: learn German! No, but it's still pretty cool. Thanks Fabreeka! And to reward my efforts: Kann ich ein Bier bitte haben?

FCC chairman Julius Genachowski said the new rules would mean providers "cannot block or degrade lawful traffic over their networks, or pick winners by favoring some content or applications over others in the connection to subscribers' homes. Nor can they disfavor an Internet service just because it competes with a similar service offered by that broadband provider. The Internet must continue to allow users to decide what content and applications succeed."

The Internet has been home to so much innovation and entrepreneurship because of a key architecture decision at its inception. The net functions on edge-to-edge design. The "stuff" that goes over the wires and connection all look the same. The start and end points of the connection do the interpreting and translating. This allows infrastructure to mostly remain upgrade free, it's not specialized to handle images and graphics but then the following year video is introduced to the internet and everything needs to be upgraded because it was originally never designed to do it. Instead, you only upgrade the pieces on the end. Usually it only takes a new piece of software to interpret what's coming over the connection. This design is much easier to manage.

Instead, service providers would like to analyze content going over the connection and manage it. It denies predictable rules of the road to all players involved with the Internet.

Opposition to these rules comes mostly from service providers who claim that this may cause flat-rate Internet service plans to disappear and change to usage and data consumption based plans. They also oppose government involvement in private business and would in fact stifle innovation.

For more information visit: http://www.savetheinternet.com/

• A homepage flash piece
• Innovation and news modules powered by javascript and AJAX
• A flash and AJAX-powered map showing Walbridge's locations throughout the world
• A stunning portfolio application that allows users to fitler projects by a range of criteria (types, markets, services, and regions) on the fly and see their results instantly

... and all of those components are managed inside CommonGoal! Flash changes, news updates, office expansions, and project additions are all updated on the site immediately!

Polished design, sophisticated technology, and industry passions came together to help Walbridge score on average 25% higher than any other site entered in the WebAwards, 35% higher than its industry's averages, and a final score of 65/70! Or to put that another way:


Green is Walbridge's scores, yellow is the category average, and red is the WebAward average.

Wow! A big congratulations from us at Silverscape to Walbridge for being recognized as so ... well ... Outstanding.

He said you have to kern Japanese characters just as you have to kern English letters, but they have obvious differences, such as each character is much larger and more complex than an "A" or a "J", therefore sometimes need a little more space between each one. Then he went on to talk about Japanese typefaces, and how they have serif and sans serif and all the same crazy display fonts as the English alphabet does; which is something I have never even thought about, but is flippin awesome.

The Japanese written language is much different than English, while they do have characters based on sound, but they also have characters just for nouns and verbs which are primarily based on Chinese characters. Here are some great sites that talk more about the Japanese written language, and specifically about kerning for web and print:

www.lukew.com/ff/entry.asp?111
www.kanji.org/kanji/japanese/writing/outline.htm
www.linguanaut.com/japanese_alphabet.htm

I'll have to ask Yoshi what he thinks of the Fabreeka site Silverscape did when it launches, since one of the languages it's in is Chinese which probably uses some of the same typographic principles as the Japanese written language. I'm sure he'll be pleasantly surprised and impressed, and if not, I'll just whip out one of the Japanese swears he taught me.

The new site offers a clean layout with multiple access points into critical pages of the site to drive traffic and improve the visitor's experience on the site. Since the LifeYield ROI™ product is targeted at financial advisors rather than the end-users, the website is also tailored to speak to this group; providing educational information about the company as well as the industry, we're hoping to improve the ability of these advisors to enhance their clients' investment choices.

After only two and a half months, we're pleased not only with the outcome of the site but with the experience of working with the LifeYield team. They were organized, insightful, and able to communicate what they were looking for while trusting our team's expertise in design and technical development. Since the company is located just around the corner on State Street, all of our meetings were done in-person and usually involved a working discussion to arrive at the best solution based on the LifeYield team's functional requirements and our recommendations for optimal user experience.

Says Ryan Gorer, VP, User Experience for LifeYield: "We chose Silverscape as our partner to create the web graphic design and to develop a website that is efficient and scalable. The Silverscape team quickly understood our brand positioning and produced a look and feel for the new website that matches the way LifeYield communicates its capabilities to the marketplace. Silverscape's project management and web development effort operated smoothly, resulting in the on-time delivery of a cross-platform and cross-browser website, which matches the design specifications."

Thanks Ryan, right back at cha.

As it seems with all technology today, web technology is hurdling along an astonishing rate of advancement. Rarely is this more apparent than when taking a look at back at some of the previous iterations of today's Internet's biggest and most influential websites. In recent years, some of the most interesting developments have been in the arena of animation. We've come along way since the animated .GIF, and techniques and libraries like AJAX and jQuery are making the use of Flash in simple situations less and less necessary. However, for complex animations, Flash is still king. Unfortunately, for companies that don't have an unlimited budget but want an engaging web presence AND control over the graphic elements, Flash poses some complicated problems. Or so it would seem.

Here in the Silverscape studio, we've been cooking up some pretty sophisticated (and really freakin' cool) solutions to this problem. For some clients looking to build a website, their design requirements call for a sophisticated homepage animation - something more than just a couple images fading in and out - BUT (it's a big "but") these clients often also want control over this animation. Now, we're used to giving clients control. We even LIKE doing it. That's why we built Common Goal WebManager and are working on Version 6 right now. But control over Flash elements? Well that's just...totally possible!!

Let's start with control outside of WebManager. For the recent build-out of LifeYield.com, Silverscape developed a custom Flash animation to quickly and concisely highlight some key advantages of the LifeYield ROI software application. The cool part, however, is the flexibility we were able to the team at LifeYield when it comes to modifying this piece. LifeYield is a relatively young start-up. As such, their brand and product positioning is likely to get tweaked here and there as they go to market. This all being said, LifeYield isn't about to pay everytime they want to edit some text in their Home Page Flash piece. The solution? Silverscape programmed this piece in such a way that it reads the text from a XML file. But that's just the start. Through this XML file, LifeYield can control not only the text itself, but also the text color, size, positioning, and even the timing with which the graphic elements transition - down to the millisecond.

Once we established that we could grant this type of granular control via XML, we took the next step and linked this in with Common Goal.I n the case of Walbridge, we've given them the ability to control the placement of the dots on their locations map by dragging them around on a version of the map within Common Goal. Also keep an eye out for the new homepage Flash piece for the upcoming website for The Walden Woods Project. The piece, designed by Arnold, will be fully controlled through an application in Common Goal WebManager. Once launched, site administrators will be able to turn on and off and edit video and text areas, control background imagery, and edit slide titles.

We get extremely excited about these types of projects and would love to get you (more?!) excited about them, too. So why haven't you called us yet?

• { color: hsl(0, 100%, 50%) } = red
• { color: hsl(120, 100%, 50%) } = green
• { color: hsl(120, 100%, 50%) } = light green
• { color: hsl(120, 100%, 50%) } = dark green and so fort

The inclusion of HSL as color specification in CSS3 stem from the limitation of RBG. RGB is hardware orientated since they are defined by bit range supported by a monitor and graphics card. RGB does not make a clean transition from screen to print, and RGB forces you to put the colors in a machine-generated way. The HSL specification also supports the alpha. As discussed in prior entries, alpha is acts as a mask specifying ‘how a pixel's color should be merged with another when they are overlaid, on top of the other.' The notation is as follows:

• { color: hsla(0, 100%, 50%, 0.5) } = opaque red

HSL is one of many great additions to CSS and we can't way to make use of them once more browsers adopt the CSS3 specification.

The work at Alden continues. In the 21st Century, Alden is a vibrant, growing organization consisting of engineers, scientists, biologists, and support staff. Much of our work supports the power generating, manufacturing, and process industries. A new generation at Alden Lab, led by Dr. Stewart Cain will continue Ned's very important work.

Thank you Ned.
Posted by: Caitlin


Ned Taft, Alden Lab explains the plexiglass used in various fishery equipment to Caitlin Jewell, Lauren Dorion and Silverscape team.

This was a blog posting from 2007 that I repost today in his memory.
"One of my favorite client visits was our trip last summer to see Alden Lab. Alden provides precision flow meter calibrations, fluid mechanic equipment tests and hydraulic engineering. We took a tour with Stuart Cain and Ned Taft, the two managing principals of their firm.

Although Alden had a wonderful library of historical photography from their projects, our design team brought their cameras to capture their beautiful campus and the experiments. It was a fascinating day. We learned about Alden's work with the EPA for fish protection & passage, visited a number of air and gas modeling experiments and spent time with their staff learning about the important research happening at Alden.

Understanding our clients' passion is a core element of our process. It's what I love about our work."

Low
Tire
Pressure.

Yes, that's right. I mean, look, I know tires are designed to operate within certain pressure ranges, but come on, that is NOT worthy of the exclamation point. We might have had to start worrying in about 500 miles, meanwhile I'm in fetal position ready to pull a Keanu Reeves circa 1994 and roll out dis piece.

Granted, I only looked at the icon after pulling over, then realizing my friend failed to explain that the parenthesis was actually connected underneath. BUT, no matter, icons are meant to be recognized at first glance, immediate recognition, especially for new-drivers.

To my point though, why did you, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, decide that the most alarming symbol should be used for low tire pressure? I can't possibly imagine the symbol now needed for "over-heating" or "check-engine"; perhaps a mushroom cloud or an ignited skull and crossbones?

God-forbid the symbol for low-tire pressure be of a TIRE.

I kept this story in mind as I developed an icon set for a scheme of the new Common Goal interface I was designing; remembering that the most important feature of an icon is to be immediately recognizable without prior experience, thus carrying a great responsibility, and should be designed with care.

So, you be the judge. Forgetting all prior knowledge of cars and their parts & symbols, which icon looks more menacing to you?

Rock on with your badass self,
Team Silverscape

Joslin is a world renowned research hospital working towards a cure and improved treatment for Diabetes. The research done at Joslin is largely funded through the centers fundraising efforts. This past summer, Silverscape found ourselves lucky enough to join in the fight and work with Joslin in the development of an interactive "virtual tour" to be showcased and an upcoming fundraising event. The final tour would be the headlining event for a fundraiser held at Patriots Place. My first two thoughts: "I wonder if Tom Brady will be there?" and "This tour better be good!"

The many hours of hard work are coming to fruition and we are days away from the launch of the new tour. Although I still haven't met Tom Brady, I am pleased to say my second hope came true. The end result of our work is a flash-based tour with video integration. The cool design and technology have created a highly interactive experience that allows users to learn about everything from the history of Joslin, to the ground breaking research with brown fats. Don't take my word for it though, come back in a few days and check it out for yourself.

Here's the thing. The keystone of Ikea is accessible design; their inexpensive yet totally stylish homegoods speak to a true balance of function and form - so, I guess, in a way, I can kind of follow the misguided logic in embracing the super-functional, multi-purposeable and medium-spanning Verdana…but ultimately the decision seems short-sighted and ill-executed. Ikea didn't just re-adjust their balance of function and form, they dropped form and crowned function.

Esteemed type designer Matthew Carter created Verdana in 1996 for Microsoft with the intention of it being an on-screen font. With wide proportions and roomy letter-spacing, Verdana is appropriate and best-served for web copy. The very qualities that make Verdana a great on-screen font are exactly what make it clunky and awkward in print. While certainly not terrible, it is a little disappointing.

IKEA, you dropped the ball on this one; you lost sight of the form/function balance makes you truly unique. Think of it this way: if I want any run-of-the-mill inexpensive sofa, I'll go to K-Mart; if I want an inexpensive yet stylistically innovative sofa, I'll go to IKEA. So, why ignore that fundamental difference in the Ikea typographical rebranding? It's not that I have any particular vendetta against Verdana or allegiance to Futura, but, as our web developer Dan so eloquently put it, "[Futura] is so awesome, it's on the moon."

We at Silverscape were fortunate enough to take a field trip out to the Project site and to visit with the wonderful staff of the Project and The Thoreau Institute. As part of the trip, we were given the opportunity to peruse the Thoreau Institute Library and the collection of original manuscripts, busts and portraits related to Thoreau and the culture he helped to cultivate in his readers' hearts and minds.

We are extremely proud and honored to be involved in the development of the new Walden Woods website, and we look forward to continued collaboration with the folks at Arnold and the staff of The Walden Woods Project in working towards the launch of the new website to help this wonderful Project grow and thrive well on into the future!

Sharpie. Simple, charming and to the point. TO THE POINT – GET IT?

Silverscape's favorite Coffee shop, Flatblack.
The black kangaroo mark is great against the yellow.

Remember all the variations they use to have?

Top: Is that Helvetica I see? Approved.
Bottom: The original CVS logo and signage, developed in 1964.

The Pantone logo really works and seems so effortless.
I wonder why, can anyone guess?

This is Kate's (my design neighbor) favorite Stop n Shop carbonated
beverage. The lettering is pretty zazzy and I love the juicy illustrations.

2 logos for the price of one. Mott's and Susan G. Komen!

Yoplait. Food brands are really big fans of the "handwritten italic"
but more and more I'm noticing that food and drink packaging is
becoming a lot more minimal. Think Pepsi.

Play-doh from CJ! This logo hasn't changed for nearly 60 years.
Check out the old vintage play-doh canister below.

The ability to natively specify the opacity of an element has been a long awaited feature. For a long time web developers have use workarounds, browser-specific code, hacks and most recently JavaScript library to set the opacity of an HTML element. The CSS syntax for is as follows: opacity: 0.4. Since Opacity is a measurement of light intensity its value is represented from 1.0, being its maximum to 0.0 being its minimum. Having explained Opacity, that brings us to Alpha, these two terms are often used interchangeably because they result in the same effects. In graphical output devices like computer monitor Alpha is the portion a pixel's data reserved for transparency information.

The alpha, or its official designation ‘Alpha Channel', acts as a mask specifying ‘how a pixel's color should be merged with another when they are overlaid, on top of the other.' In the CSS3 the main difference in usage between Opacity and Alpha is that as we saw earlier Opacity is applied to the entire element. Alpha on the other hand is used as an additional value when specifying the color of an HTML element. CSS syntax for is as follows: background: RGBA (255, 0, 0, 0.2); The RGB (Red, Green, Blue) constructor is extended to include alpha. Where the first three values specify the red, green and blue the last on, 0.2, set the alpha. The syntax is for alpha is the same Opacity, 1.0-0.0, because alpha is the RBG (digital) representation of Opacity as applied to 32-bit graphics.

The support of Opacity and Alpha Channels is very significant for the work designers and developer do. It allows for further precision for design and implementation, and that makes us happy campers. The next meet I will covering HSL or Hue-Saturation-Lightness in CSS3.

Since becoming one of the very few Southern New Englanders, I've noticed that this not only affects my day to day interactions but also plays into some interesting exchanges with clients. Several times when a client is meeting me for the first time, they're astonished to realize that I have a southern accent. Then the next part is what surprises me. People seem to get excited to work with someone from North Carolina – they always bring up how refreshing it is to get a taste of southern hospitality and say that it makes them feel like they're getting the special treatment. Personally I've found the stereotype of mean Northerners to be entirely inaccurate, but apparently for Northerners there's a real difference. So how to fake southern hospitality: Smile a lot, be friendly (as opposed to merely courteous) and be open – talk to your clients often, even if it's just to check in. Part of the southern charm is being personable and relaxed – even if it's work-related, you don't always have to jump right into business and even when you do that doesn't mean you can't have a little fun.

As a developer, I type and write "words" all day long, which can make hearing lyrics a bit difficult. I listened to Audiobooks for a while but found myself often having to go back and relisten because my mind got wrapped up in code. I often listen to a lot of primarily instrumental stuff throughout the day to get me in a groove that helps me code efficiently and gets some creative juices flowing to solve a problem and work out something (hey, designers don't hold all the creativty here, we developers have a bunch too).

I listen to a lot of underground hip-hop when I really know where I'm going with a project and what needs to be done to get there. Stuff with steady beats and heavy grooves. Lately it's been a lot of RJD2, DJ Shadow, DJ Premier instrumentals, Blockhead, and DJ Cam.

For more exploratory work where I'm trying to figure out how to complete a more complex task, i turn to music with more breathing room and some ambience. Boards of Canada, Ulrich Schnauss, Radiohead, post-rock bands like Explosions in the Sky, and God Speed! You Black Emporer. Or Meddle, Wish You Were Here, Atom Heart Mother albums from Pink Floyd.

Crunch time music is much heavier with distored guitars, often screaming vocals of some sort like some of my favorite bands Alexisonfire, The Bled, Thrice, Thursday, and The Recieving End of Sirens.

Take note to what you listen to while you work. You may really be surprised to see a difference in your output if you can synch the two together. Find what works for you and check out some of those artists because they're practicing love for the craft just like us here. Last.Fm is a great place to find some new tunes.

I feel I can do nothing more but direct you to their incredible portfolio: thelittlefriendsofprintmaking.com/oops, and their official website (and yes you are not seeing a typo, that says Windex, another example of how great they are at being them): thelittlefriendsofprintmaking.com/windex.

And here are four of my favorite works by them:

BAM! Little Friends of Printmaking. Did I just blow your mind or what?

Now - please don't get me wrong - if there is a sale or a deal, I'm the first one in line, but, as the old saying goes, "sometimes you get what you pay for." After witnessing first-hand an end product from a generic vendor on a generic stock and seeing what a well-designed print piece looks like after it's been to a custom printer, I'd have to say this is one of those cases. So, I pose this question: how do you want your company to be remembered? Take pride in handing out your business card on that Finch Fine 100# cover, I know I do! People remember a nice print piece.

What I beg of you in these hard times is not to cut out print, but to market smarter. Some of our most successful pieces this past year have been multi-functional print pieces (featured images above). Brochures that can function as a memorable leave-behind or a direct marketing piece are some of my favorites. And yes, let's face it, because everything does come down to money in the end I'd ask you to think of it this way: you can get a less expensive product from those larger national vendors, or you can support the local custom print shops but with the local shops you'll get a beautiful end result and if you include Silverscape in that mix you'll be sure to end up with a strategically-driven beautifully-designed piece; sounds like a win, win to me.

Two years ago we heard a lot of "We only get business from referrals" and my other favorite – "Our clients' only need our website to get the phone number."

This was frustrating at the time but within our client base *(who are more innovative, smarter, taller and better looking than folks that are not Silverscape clients) we found the curiosity and drive to innovate. The best question we helped our clients to ask was "Teach me to mine the best information from Google Analytics, understand what a lead is and coach me on how to put this info out to my business development team and firm leadership." These folks still have jobs.

I often remind our SMPS marketing leaders of the SMPS Mission Statement: "The Society for Marketing Professional Services (SMPS) is a community of marketing and business development professionals working to secure profitable business relationships for their A/E/C companies." Emphasis on Secure profitable business relationships.

If you want to know more about how to understand who is actually on your website, and you are responsible for the forward momentum of your firm at any level, you must become a Google Analytics GEEK. This is not the IT guy's job. This is not the Webmaster's job. This is Marketing's Magic 8 Ball and most of you are not using it on a daily basis. This free tool offers hundreds of analytics. You will get an ice cream headache at first if you try to understand them all. At a minimum, drill into your referring site reports DAILY! This report tells you by domain who is on your site.

Example: Let's say you see www.silverscape.com and there were 6 visitors. You've never done business with Silverscape but gosh you've been trying to for 3 years. You've mailed them literature, networked with them at events and bought them drinks at the golf outing. FINALLY on this random Tuesday in August there are SIX human beings looking at your site!? What!? Why? What does that mean? They're LOOKING at you. They're LOOKING at YOU! *Happy dance.* Now what? Get that info out to all of your Business Development folks. Call the Principals on the Golf Course. Somebody needs to get on the phone and call them and find out why six people were on your site. I suspect some prequalification for a project. What if they didn't call you? At least you called them. You get what I'm implying now.

This is where YOU as Marketer, offering ACTIONABLE LEADS to your team become invaluable.

Ok bulletproof superhero, ask for Friday off now.

Seriously, interested in an A/E/C website that will pay for itself with actionable leads from a very nice firm that you would LOVE working with? We'd love to hear from you.

ffffound – "A web service that not only allows the users to post and share their favorite images found on the web, but also dynamically recommends each user's tastes and interests for an inspirational image-bookmarking experience!!" Beautiful details, international designs, new perspectives; like leafing through someone else's sketchbook slash secret box of treasures.

etsy – "Your place to buy & sell all things handmade." Great cross-media inspiration. Offbeat, hand-crafted, lovely. Sort by color, texture, or etsy-recommended. Hand-painted yarn can offer some great color palette inspiration.

flickr – "Almost certainly the best online photo management and sharing application in the world." Searches for "haute couture" "poster design" are favorites for unexpected finds. A helpful and effective taste-network: browse everything by a particular user or artist, check out his or her favorites, explore flickr pools that he or she belongs to.

amazon – Frequently updated collection of book covers via bestsellers and new releases list; right-click-save The Girl Who Played with Fire, Dry, The Portable Atheist, the Oral Biography of Buster Casey, Fahrenheit 451...

‘Web Fonts', are not exactly a new idea, supported for them started in CSS2 and Internet Explorer 5.5 but both implementation relied on the proprietary Embedded Open Type format that saw little support from many browsers. CSS3's ‘Web Font' supports any licensed TrueType and OpenType font for easy use of multiple font-faces. Implementation is as easy as declaring a font using ‘@font-face', specifying its font-family or name and linking to the source file. Since the files are stored at a web server they are always available to any visitor. This is a very exciting feature for designers and other creative people because in many cases it could do away with the practice of using images for exotic fonts that are not supported by HTML, browsers and operating systems.

Although CSS3 is not finalized many current browsers have included support for many of its new features for quite some time. The latest versions of Firefox, Internet Explorer, Google Chrome, and Opera support features such ‘Web Fonts', new border rendering and styles, and text effects. However, at the moment only Safari 4.0 and above have the most complete and robust support for the CSS3 specifications. In future post I will be discussing some of the other features in CSS3 so look forward to learning about Alpha and Opacity. :-)

Some of the popular sites in the list are web applications. Tools for both productivity and distraction that would have been tradtionaly installed to the operating system and used locally have made its way online, often referred to as cloud computing. Meebo is a multi-client instant messenger application taking place of installed applications like Pidgin and Trillian. It's missing some of the bells and whistles like chat history, but the core functionality is there.

Google Docs is another big one that we frequently make use of here at Silverscape for collobarating on documents while we are producing sites. Normally we would be forced into working on one document at a time, locally. Then save it onto a network drive for one other person to have the ability to edit, and everyone else having read-only access. And the most current version is as recent as the last attachment in your email, or when the last time you opened the file with read-only access. Google docs lets you collaborate all at once and see updates and changes, in real-time, anywhere with web access.

Mint is another site I have personally started to use for making budgets. You can tie it directly to your credit cards, bank accounts, and any kind of loans you may have. It has tools for tracking your purchases and generates all kinds of nice charts and graphs to help you visualize where all your money is going. Again, another tool that would have been relegated locally to your computer using information that you would typically have to manually enter.

Of course there's the time wasters. But it should be no surprise that most of these time wasters are fueled by the users of the site. Twitter, Flickr, Youtube, Facebook. By now you all should have heard of them but they have been becoming more entrenched in everyday usuage. Senators tweeting while congress in session, politicians campaigning through YouTube. When some old foagies in Washington are doing it, you know it's big. Yelp started out as a community resturaunt review site, but it now encompasses all kinds of business. I didn't have any personal reccomendations for a dentist in my area, but found one through Yelp and was pleased.

So we're really seeing the masses of the web flocking online for productivity, leaving behind some old tradtional desktop apps, and entertainment resources driven by users. Seems like every year PC Mag and other sites do these lists, they consist more and more of sites like these. Some new faces of course but many of the familar ones with bigger userbases.

For all else, please refer to: http://www.youshouldhaveseenthis.com/

There are, of course, arguments both for and against going with a proprietary CMS like ours as opposed to an open source solution, but its really a no-brainer for us. I am not bashing any of the open source solutions, as I've used a number of them successfully in the past and they serve certain purposes well. The reason we put our clients on our CMS is because of the control we have over it.

Silverscape is a company focused on both technology and design, and to compromise either would be a real failure on our part. With our CMS, we can customize it to meet any design need or user experience need that one could imagine. If we used a third party CMS, we would inevitably find ourselves hitting the wall on how far we could go with our designs and our user experiences.

Despite what you may think, the purpose of this blog is not actually to sell you on CGWM (though if you'd like a demo, contact us!).

Instead, I wanted to briefly mention that we have been working dilligently on a new version of CGWM and we're very excited about the new features and new design. We're bringing in some of the best things we've developed for it in the past year or two, such as our blog application (which is fully integrated with all the social media sites you use right now), our Common Goal E-Commerce system, many UI and performance enhancements, and some surprises for when we officially release it.

Stay tuned!

First and foremost, FAQ pages are about customer service. The concept is simple enough: list the questions that your audience asks the most often and post the answers for all to see. In addition to providing a convenient service to their audience, this has some nice perks for companies; they take practically no effort to maintain, and can help reduce the number of incoming support calls. I'm not suggesting we abandon this practice. However, it seems to me that these pages, with a few simple modifications, can provide even better customer service, and become a valuable tool for companies.

With the advent of sites and tools like Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook company pages, there's a lot of talk in the webosphere about improving customer service by making big corporate entities (as well as the little guys) more accessible – by giving them a face and a personality, in a sense. What this results in is real conversation. Consumers no longer have to settle for stock responses to their questions or find a way to phrase their inquiry in a way that the automated phone menu will understand. We're seeing real dialogue, where a question is followed up with another question, more detail is given, and ultimately the consumer walks away happy, and will often go tell all their webby friends about what a great experience they just had. Seems like a win-win.

Now let's take this mentality and apply it to the FAQ page. On one extreme are companies like Apple, who have a full forum running as part of their site's (awesome) Support section, including dedicated employees to answer questions and supply expertise on the fly. The benefits of this model are huge – not the least of which are great organic SEO and a continually-growing library of answered support questions (regardless of how frequently they were asked). Obviously this model requires quite a bit of infrastructure and won't suit all (or even most) businesses. But scale it down a bit, and we can still see the same results. Try adding a comments section to the FAQs, allowing users to submit follow up, or more detailed questions – moderation is optional, but on this type of page I would recommend it. Alternatively, try taking a few conversations or dialogues – be them from Twitter, Facebook, Email or even a transcribed phone conversation – and post those as an FAQ page. With a few of these relatively simple changes, the FAQ section can go from being a largely-unhelpful page often buried in a site to a traffic builder and essential communications and customer service tool.

But then I got to thinking about the way that advertising success is measured – return on investment is definitely part of it, but what about brand resonance and memory recall? The fact that the Snickers ads are irking anyone surely says something about their advertising. After all, I'm writing about it. So instead of a cold-hearted jab, I thought I'd explore something larger than a candy company – is there such a thing as bad advertising?

I've been paying attention to ABC's The Gruen Transfer, a show that is dedicated to picking apart advertising and features a stand-up comedian and a panel of ad industry experts as its hosts; if for no other reason the comic appeal is worth a watch. Russel Howcroft, one of the panelists, makes an interesting statement on one of the episodes: he says that all advertising works, it's just a matter of how much. I'm not sure I agree to the extent of his statement, but I definitely see what he's getting it.

If the purpose of advertising is to generate a return on investment, either through increased sales or brand loyalty, then in some cases a campaign could have a negative effect on sales but the likelihood of this result would vary depending on industry and the brand in question. In the case of the Snacklish campaign, Snickers is a well-established and recognized name, so even if people find the ads irritating, it won't make the brand any less prominent – and in fact it might bring the candy bar to mind more frequently. I don't foresee an end to my griping but I will give them this – the Snacklish campaign, for positive or negative, definitely leaves a lasting impression.

The expansion is driven by the need to account for the exponential need for gTLD's by emerging markets such as China, South-East Asia and the Middle East. "The Roman alphabet, for instance, still dominates the internet naming system, yet the world's biggest internet audience is now in China. Arab nations have also bristled under long delays in Icann's efforts to come up with a system that suits their needs." The move is fraud with potential pitfalls, the additions of top many top-level domains could splinter the "single global online medium into a series of separate systems." The rise and fall of popularity of top-level domains could very well become a prominent concern for any company's online presence.

In our interconnected age controlling the message to public is a top priority for any company, especially on the internet. In order to do it is not enough to retain rights to their URL address (companyname.com) but also those of those that might misrepresent, infringe or in any way damage their brand; Companies like Microsoft and Verizon, the US telecommunications operator, control hundreds of URL addresses including misspelling and potentially damaging one such as ‘Verizonsucks.com', all in the efforts to control their brand message. The open bid for generic top-level domains could drastically complications the web presence of many companies, small and large.

When I started at Silverscape, Health Management Resources (HMR) was already a client, and their robust corporate site was about ready to launch. Several months earlier, and completely unrelated, my mom had started the HMR program and was well on her way to losing 60-some pounds and undergoing a complete lifestyle 180. Her insights, and – as a frequent dieter, myself – my own, became invaluable to me as Silverscape began planning and implementation for a large-scale HMR e-commerce website and soon to follow, a community-driven microsite. My weekly phone calls home would turn to work, and my mom and I would bore my dad and sister off the line with lengthy discussions about diet and lifestyle marketing strategy and what she, as a client, sought out.

Her perspective informed every step of my design process – I sought out inspirational, yet not unrealistic, photography. I carefully crafted a color palette and aesthetic that honored HMR's respected medical background but that also provided a supportive and friendly online haven for the struggling dieter. "Dieting is hard!" my mom said, "make a website that's engaging, fun, useful and easy!" I've kept this as my mantra, from initial brainstorming sessions to production. Sure enough, the team has risen to the occasion, launching an e-commerce site including a persistent shopping cart with dynamic updates, an intuitive repeat-order scheduling tool, product prep tips and an inviting UI. I can't wait for her to sign up for the forums on the community site, to browse through and submit her own HMR recipes, and add her own success story to the site. Bearing witness to the huge impact that HMR has had on my mom's life, and my own, has brought a real richness and fulfillment to my process and identity as a designer.

So you may have noticed in that right sidebar there are a few pretty neat things going on. Silverscape's Twitter, Silverscape's Flickr, and Silverscape's Last.FM recently played tracks. We and some of our clients are taking advantage of what those social sites are offering and integrating it right into our own sites.

For me personally, I've really enjoyed digging through developer documentation for these sites and learning how to wrangle all that data and all the limitless things that can be done with it. Listen to this, how about a web app that takes your picture with your webcam, uploads it to flickr, tweets the artist and title of the song you just listened to with a link to the flickr image of your face while you were listening to the song? Sure, why not? This is the kind of openness that we developers have begun to see.

Gone are the days of being limited to simple and static "brochure" sites. We are integrating all kinds of sites and services to connect visitors to the company's culture and voice, dynamically (through some cool code too).

I guess calling it "the Web" is a pretty accurate title with how interconnected everything is becoming?

But there are a select few people that love the typeface Helvetica, and I am one of them! For those of you who didn't know it was possible to love a typeface, keep reading. Helvetica is everywhere, and it's over 50 years old. There is a documentary all about it – you should really watch it, probably today or tonight. As a designer, it's a typeface that I actually have to try not to overuse, although I don't know if that would be possible. Helvetica is a strong, pure typeface capable of telling many stories and fitting into infinite design environments. It will never get it the way or distract. It needs no decorative serifs, or witty details to be the best typeface of all time. Helvetica is used in subway systems across the world, in some of the world's most famous logos and in probably millions of trendy instances across the web. See if you can find it working in some of our latest designs – Advanced Instruments, Dyer Brown Architects and the Jane Iredale Mineral Makeover Room. To me, Helvetica is just the epitome of classiness and cool without ever trying to hard. That's why it's such an uncomplicated typeface to use when representing great people and great services. As Kate Tetreault says "It like, transcends style". Don't even get me started on Helvetica Neue. Let's just say it's probably not a coincidence that the reworking of Helvetica was completed in 1983, the year I was born. Just take my word for it, once you lay your eyes on Helvetica Neue Ultra Light you'll forget all about Futura and Gill Sans. Don't get me wrong there are many other typefaces I love and use often while designing for print and web. But the fact is that every time you use Helvetica you're really getting help from the Swiss designers that created it; they made it easy for us to communicate all types of information effortlessly and successfully while still looking good. They made it easy for us to fall in love with, and become just a little tiny bit obsessed, with a bunch of letters.

The Architecture, Engineering and Construction market is a complicated industry, which most successfully markets and closes new business via reputation, portfolio and personality. One of the few good things to come of this economy, however, is an increased willingness to try new approaches. Although I'm confident the audience is excited about the potential of Social Media, (SoMe) I've found it difficult for internal members to get key stakeholders onboard with trying new approaches.

Through measurement of efforts and results by marketers, I'm expecting there to be a greater interest at the management level. My hope is that they are willing to try new things though.

Three of my favorite examples of using Ajax to come out of our studio recently are the DRIFIRE Product Search, the Advanced Instruments Product Search, and the Walbridge Project Search:

http://www.drifire.com/store/search
http://www.aicompanies.com/index.cfm/Products
http://www.walbridge.com/index.cfm/Projects

As you can see on all of these, the lack of page refreshes, combined with the fast load time and the summary views of the information you're looking for are a really nice touch that helps to get users the information they're looking for more quickly (and hopefully to make a purchase or contact the company for more information). Quick access to information is nice, but don't forget about the nice transitions, fades, and effects we use on each of these as well. At one point, we would have created these with page refreshes or built them in flash. Now we don't have to, and all of these work on the iPhone!

Ajax as a technology is not new but creative developers are finding increasingly creative uses for it and we're very excited about helping to drive that innovation here at Silverscape.

I do hope you join us!

Registration and more information at this SMPS site link

Implementing and Measuring Social Media Marketing for A/E/C Firms
July 28, 2009 at 2:00 PM EDT, 1:00 PM CDT, 12:00 PM MDT, 11:00 AM PDT

If your firm is considering adding social media components to your existing marketing mix or you've begun to dabble with social media, you may be wondering what's next and how to measure the results of your efforts.

This Webinar will focus on how you can extract results from LinkedIn, Facebook Fan pages, and Twitter by implementing greater online measurement via Google Analytics, Urchin, and other statistical programs. The program also will help you debunk common social media myths, set realistic goals, and find an appropriate tone for professional services firms. Finally, get valuable tips and suggestions for addressing management concerns about the use of time and resources on these marketing efforts.

This program is not another overview of the social media tools available, but instead a tactical look at how your firm can implement strategies, measure outcomes, and manage resources.

More>>

I'm in Chicago this week. I wouldn't call this the greatest beer city in the world, but I've had some wonderful Goose Island Seasonal on draft and was very excited to find fresh New Belgium Fat Tire.

I mentioned on my other blog my recent trip to Colorado last year for GABF. The highlight of our trip was a 5 hour VIP tour at New Belgium Brewing with JR, one of their Cellar Men. JR generously spent the afternoon sharing his journey in brewing and his experiences working for New Belgium. Of course the beer is wonderful, but perhaps the most fantastic take away was the Brand Evangelism surrounding their company and their community. 'To create a profitable business in which our love and talents manifest' is lovingly tiled at the top of the large Merlin brewing kettle. It's a sentiment that I can't stop thinking about.

Owning a marketing strategy, technology and design firm, Silverscape in Boston means trying to find the balance between the art of design, technological solutions and profitability. It is said, that as the economy goes south, the profitability and sales for stress reduction products, beer for example, go up. This doesn't surprise me.

At Silverscape, we recently completed the getting to know you process and have begun work with a new client Taza Chocolate in Somerville MA. What we've realized in our discussions with Taza is the power of creating a full life cycle hand-crafted experience. As artisans, we have much in common. For Taza, it's Chocolate, for Silverscape our output of love and talent is marketing solutions for our clients including large enterprise-class websites. Our service solutions are crafted by an entirely in-house team. Just as our new friends who create a bean-to-bar sensory experience, we deliver full branding and sales solutions though engagements but our goal is just the same to engage and delight.

I'm so excited for our new Silverscape site. One of the whiz-bang innovations will be a community blog. A blog, by general definition is the musings of one writer. Occasionally, a blog will be the thoughts of four to five writers but generally not more than that. But how does a whole community, team or company blog as a common voice? We're developing a new Adobe Air application. Through this technology our entire team will have the ability to easily blog small bits of what we're working on in real-time thus bringing our clients and prospects closer to what we're developing. You might be thinking that you'd never let your company have a fully democratic blog for worries that someone might say the wrong thing.

Our solution allows our team to, as a group, select posts that we as a group do not feel entirely reflect the company's goals and spirit. This is a new paradigm in inbound/outbound communication with clients. For too long websites have been about having an online brochure, job posting board and tomb stone or news announcement device. 'We're pleased to announce this new client; we're pleased to announce the culmination of a project with client B.' Snore.

There's a lot of writing and thinking about what web 2.0 is and will be. Now, our site visitors will have a very easy way to comment, query and interact with our team members who are directly shaping the vision and execution of our client marketing strategies. Our goal is to create a convenient way for our whole company, our prospects, our suppliers and our clients to interact and have meaningful discussions on what we're working on in real-time and while ideas and challenges are being attacked head on.

Creating brand evangelists requires a two way conversation. We're looking forward to learning more from the outside world and having more meaningful conversations. Most corporate websites barely achieve sleep walking.

Sleep walking is dangerous. Sometimes you don't discover the milk is sour until you're already drinking it.

What really made UP stand out is its ability to connect with its audience through such a simple story. Without giving away to much, a man lives, meets some people, and decides to travel to "Paradise Falls" in his air-bound house powered by hundreds of thousands of helium-filled balloons. But the commitment to each character and the progression of their relationships along the way is just so authentic. And, really, that's why Pixar movies are so darn successful. They put so much time and care into the development of each character that ultimately the audience can't help but fall in love with them.

And PLUS, it was in 3-D!! So cool. I haven't seen a 3-D movie since I went to Disneyworld in the second grade and saw Muppets 3-D, and that was with the old school one-lens-red, one-lens-blue glasses. Now they're sort of ray ban-like specs. Actually, I just made them sound too cool; they look more like SpongeBob Square Pants glasses.

But seriously. UP. Go see it.

"We have had some fabulous success stories with the Web site. Recently, a company that we've never done work with put Walbridge on its short list for a new building based on the information they read on our site- shortlisted before ever speaking to someone from Walbridge! We've also been receiving more interest from owners in the Middle East, including a lead for a facility in Saudi Arabia. We've also received great feedback from many of our current and potential customers. Our purchasing team has seen a decrease in calls from people not finding the pre-qual form. These are just a few of the stories that continue to pour in. I hope you share them with everyone who has worked so hard to make the Walbridge site a success!"
Jennifer Hindman
Walbridge Construction

We are really proud of this site and are glad to hear Walbridge is too. Personally my favorite section is the project search. It's really fun to click around in. Don't take my word though go check it out for yourself!

06/03/2009 COLUMBUS, GA – Leading flame resistant clothing developer and manufacturer, DRIFIRE®, recently launched a newly re-designed, user-friendly website created by Silverscape. To better serve customers, the website http://www.drifire.com has been completely overhauled, providing an even wider selection of high quality comfortable FR apparel. In addition to the expanded product line, the fresh, new design includes powerful action photos of various situations where DRIFIRE clothing was used, including firefighting, electrical work and military applications.

"We are thrilled with the launch of our new website. The new design is not only more visually appealing, but it is also extremely user-friendly and functional as well. We're confident that our customers will enjoy all of the new design improvements along with our expanded inventory of premier flame resistant clothing," says L. Gene Cone, President of DRIFIRE.

DRIFIRE's newly revised website features a convenient product search tool, making online shopping easier and more efficient. When searching for comfortable FR products, customers can now choose to search by gender or industry-specific clothing, as well as by clothing features such as layer, fabric and color. As an added feature, the new website also includes an option for users to create a DRIFIRE registry. By signing up for a registry, customers can choose the best options for FR clothing for themselves and their team, and invite friends and family to view their selections.

In addition to the functional features added to the DRIFIRE website, the newly re-designed site also includes a variety of DRIFIRE videos. A selection of videos showcase real-life shots of DRIFIRE product testing, allowing users to see first-hand the durability of the innovative clothing design against even the toughest elements. Additionally, the new website allows customers to upload personal video testimonials to share their story of how DRIFIRE has helped increase their job performance and safety.

As a leading developer of comfortable FR clothing, DRIFIRE is dedicated to ongoing product innovation, enabling the firm to continually supply the highest quality and most effective flame retardant clothing available. All of DRIFIRE's premier flame retardant garments offer customers an optimal combination of comfort, moisture management and flame resistance. Additionally, DRIFIRE garments feature odor management and antimicrobial protection, helping wearers reduce skin irritation, infection and bacteria buildup. Used in military, fire protection, law enforcement and many other professions, DRIFIRE apparel is available in a wide variety of fabrics ranging from ultra lightweight to heavy fleece weight.

"At DRIFIRE, we are committed to providing the highest quality flame resistant garments to customers across a wide range of professions. Now with our newly redesigned, more functional website, even more customers can benefit from our innovative and versatile garment designs. We think the new site will also be a great way to educate individuals about our products, encourage them to purchase and try the products, and then ultimately request that their employers purchase them for their entire organization," says Cone.

About DRIFIRE: DRIFIRE (http://www.drifire.com), a premier developer, manufacturer and marketer of flame resistant clothing, offers garments providing optimal levels of comfort, moisture management and flame resistance.

About Silverscape: Silverscape (http://www.silverscape.com) Silverscape® is a leading marketing services, technology and design firm. We help companies become market leaders through innovative brand development and effective marketing solutions that drive sales. Our team offers a full range of services including marketing and business development strategy, brand identity creation, web design, custom software development and interactive media.

Eric Tan is, first of all, an amazing designer/artist, and best known for the retro-style posters he did for Pixar's: The Incredibles, Ratatouille, WALL-E, and now UP. He translates Pixar's 3-D character's so seamlessly into this style of layered flat color and simple gradients. His approach to these posters has almost become a trademark of Pixar films, and I look forward to them almost as much as the film itself.

Silverscape is thrilled to announce the launch of the new corporate website for Norwood, MA - based Advanced Instruments, Inc. (AI) and its subsidiaries. AI is the world's foremost authority for the application of freezing-point depression (FPD) technology. Over the course of the last half-decade, through development and acquisition of emerging technologies, the AI family of companies has become a leading supplier of diagnostic testing systems serving medical and industrial laboratories around the globe.

Offering an extensive online reference catalog, the new site also features a sophisticated product search designed with a flexible interface to allow a diverse user base to intuitively find the product information essential to their operation with minimal effort. Brand microsites - each with a customized, brand-specific product search - offer AI the opportunity to promote the unique identity of each subsidiary brand, all while maintaining a consistent aesthetic tie throughout. A greatly-improved Service & Support section help AI connect with their customers - from providing crucial laboratory safety and compliance tips and industry-standard terminology explanations to downloadable resources like material safety datasheets, photographs and even part-number-specific Certificates of Analysis. All this was designed and developed by Silverscape and is powered by Common Goal Web Manager - ensuring the AI companies a solid technological platform to help them maintain their new site and drive their online communication efforts into the future.

Next up is a new corporate website and full-blown web store for the leader in comfortable Performance Fire-Resistant (FR) Clothing, DRIFIRE (an Optimer Brands Company). The Silverscape team has been putting the pedal to the metal to deliver a state-of-the art online experience, complete with all the bells and whistles one would expect, and then some! Having built the previous two iterations of the DRIFIRE website, Silverscape has been able to truly watch and help this brand grow. We're excited to take this business to the next level with the upcoming launch of the new website and store!

Finally, we are extremely excited to be beginning a new project with a long-time client, David Sluter, Co-Founder and President of New England Construction. David's latest venture, Bourne Avenue Capital Partners, is a brand-new real estate investment firm. Founded around David's extraordinary wealth of knowledge and experience in the industry, the quality of Bourne's offering is undeniable. Now that Silverscape and Bourne have teamed up, we will work to cement the Bourne Avenue brand and create a web presence that will let the new venture get off to a flying start!

On April 6 at noon, join the BSA Career Resources Network for a free training session led by Caitlin Jewell, Principal and Creative Director of Silverscape, on how to use LinkedIn to expand your job-search network.

This new network is an open forum for discussion on how the economy is affecting you. This group is a great way to network with like-minded professionals and discuss the current challenges in the economy. If you are currently unemployed or just interested in keeping your career or business moving forward, join us. The group meets the first Monday of each month at noon at The Architects Building. All are welcome at these free lunches; RSVP to rsvp@architects.org or 617-951-1433 x221 by 9:30 am on the day of the meeting to ensure we order adequate food and refreshments.

April 6, noon
The Architects Building
www.bsa.org

Sony: "Designed for the fashionista in all of us, it's the ideal companion..." "The spacing between keys has also been engineered to help reduce typing mistakes making it perfect for long fingernails." Based on the varnish techniques in the print pieces, I wonder what the cost of conversion will be?

• Barry Libert, Chairman of Mzinga, social networking guru, and co-author of BARACK, INC: Winning Business Lessons of the Obama Campaign (all attendees will receive a copy of this just published book!)
  
• Seth Levenson, Strategy Consultant and 'Change Management Coach' to Fortune 500 and corporate America Chris Bond, Partner at sales management consulting firm Next Level, Inc. Susan Murphy of Murphy Motivation and Training
  
• Caitlin Jewell, Co-founder and Creative Director at Silverscape speaks on Social Media for the Architecture, Engineering, Construction and Real Estate Industry
  
• Michael Reilly of Reilly Communications with a 'leaders' panel that looks at the strategies A/E/C firms are using to excel in this economy
  

Visit the SMPS website regularly for updates on speakers, programs, and conference registration! We look forward to seeing you in March!

Northeast Regional Conference

March 25th to 27th
The Beechwood Hotel
Worcester, MA

Caitlin Jewell

As Principal and Creative Director at Silverscape in Boston, Caitlin works with Architecture, Engineering and Construction firms throughout the United States to rocket firm perception and value from outdated to award-winning, awesome and measurable.

As an evangelist for what's possible, she pushes organizations to stretch beyond current capabilities - not just in technology, but also in its strategic partnerships and new business models. She is co-Author of the forthcoming book 'Meaningful Conversations: A 10-year celebration of Architecture, Engineering and Construction Marketing with Silverscape.' Meaningful Conversations presents a series of trends and case studies about Silverscape client organizations within the architecture, engineering, construction and real estate industries which successfully elevated their firm's waylaid branding to a first-rate level, equal to or greater than the firm's stature itself.

A/E/C Client List: Alden Research Laboratory AJ Martini General Contractors ADC Architects Ballast Realty Barr & Barr, Inc. Builders Bialosky Partners Architects Chapel View for Cubellis Columbia Construction Cubellis Associates DiGiorgio Associates Dolben DRA Architects Dyer|Brown Architects EMG Associates Esocoff & Associates Architects Fuss & O'Neill HDB/Cram Ferguson Larson Associates Landscape Architects Margulies & Associates Monitor Builders New England Construction Nilsson Siden Architects Nordblom Pinncon RDK Engineers The Smith Group Sheskey Architects T3 Realty Advisors Weinstein Architects and Walbridge

Silverscape has been selected by Fabreeka International, Inc. to design and develop their new corporate website. Fabreeka has been a worldwide leader in Isolation Technology since the development of their revolutionary Fabreeka® Pad in 1936 and has international offices throughout North America, Europe and China. The upcoming website will be developed on Silverscape's Common Goal content management platform and will support English, German and Chinese language versions of the site to accommodate Fabreeka's international clientele. Additionally, the new site will incorporate products sold under the Tech Products name, a subsidiary of Fabreeka in Germany and the United States. The new site is scheduled to launch in May 2009.

Linked In and Facebook Strategies

Arrive 12 Noon for a quick tour of the Studio & grab lunch. Program 12:15 to 1 PM. Format: A meaningful conversation. Q&A for those who have more questions for our expert team 1 PM 1:30. Parking and Directions

Missed it? Catch up!

Silverscape has just partnered with local artisan chocolate manufacturer Taza Chocolate, located in Somerville, MA. Taza Chocolate is a bean to bar chocolate maker and is truly one of a kind; they are the only maker in the United States that produces 100% stone ground chocolate. Taza is sold nationwide (Whole Foods carries them) and at your favorite Boston area locations such as Diesel Cafe, Darwin's Ltd. in Cambridge and Dave's Fresh Pasta in Somerville. Taza founders Alex Whitmore and Larry Slotnick selected Silverscape to bring their web presence to the next level and to better service their customers through an improved online store. Silverscape will be moving the current Taza website onto the Common Goal platform and will integrate the Common Goal e-commerce store within the site to provide a more intuitive buying and checkout experience. Silverscape will also be redesigning the homepage and including feeds to display the most recent news articles and upcoming events where Taza chocolate can be bought.

Session 1: 11/7/2008 Tweet!
Session 2: 11/14/2008 Blogs!
Thanks for joining us! We had such a great turn out! Please join us for this week:

December 5
Killer Recruitment and Retention Microsites Guest panelist David Kimmelman, VP Talent Services from Vestmark will join us to discuss the goals, strategies and success stories behind a recent Silverscape project www.vestmark.com/careers to drive recruitment in his organization.

December 12
Linked In and Facebook Strategies for just about whatever you need from life- including advancing your organization. Sometimes you CAN teach an old dog (or a pack of them) new tricks. This session will prepare you to train your organizations executives to capitalize on new Business Development opportunities through Linked In. In addition, the session will cover Face Book strategies to target the highly sophisticated Millennial Generation.

What did you miss?

11/21/2008 Blog integration: How to get started, promote and measure. Guest speaker Stephanie Youker from DRIFIRE Performance FR wear will join us to discuss the social media tactics for the DRIFIRE brand and successful strategies for keeping your blog out in front of the press and consumers. www.drifire.com/blog

My Team Has Lost Its Mojo

Q: "My design firm, which I've been with for years, has been working with a small advertising agency start-up for the past few weeks. The atmosphere at the firm is great everyone laughs, has a great time and seems truly enthusiastic. These days, everyone on our team seems too busy keeping up with the growing workload and juggling deadlines that we don't have time to have fun. I think we are still doing great work but we've lost our mojo. Any ideas how we can reclaim it?"

A: The importance of fostering an engaging and fun atmosphere at work cannot be understated, especially when team morale is on the decline and performance levels slip. Team dynamics also play a pivotal role in coming up with innovative ideas that help companies maintain a competitive edge. We spoke with two design principals who shared some simple yet effective ways to "shake it up" in the office and instill greater energy into the workday. Caitlin Jewell, Principal and Creative Director at Silverscape, a Boston-based marketing strategy, technology and design firm, says that spending "quality time" together helps build camaraderie. "On Fridays, the team stops at 4 p.m. for food and beer. Each week, a different member of the team presents a) something interesting about what he or she does, and b) something interesting about him- or herself. For example, someone might talk about 'innovations in Adobe Flex' and then 'how to make home-brewed beer,'" she explained. Tod Martin, CEO of Unboundary, an Atlanta-based strategy and design studio, takes a similar approach with his team. "There is sometimes more to learn from the people you work with than from going outside your office looking for stimulation. We have a thing called 'Cool Day' every quarter where everyone brings something they found or encountered that they think is cool. "We've all learned so much from doing this. Plus, rather than making stimulation an event, it feeds the idea that our work is about always being curious, observant synthesizers. One of the best 'Cool Days' we did was to have everyone draw an analogy between someone of interest to them and the firm. Each person had to do a short presentation two or three minutes to explain their choice," he said. Jewell and Martin shared these additional tips:

• Have a clear purpose. "Agency start-ups often have a fun atmosphere because they have a clear purpose they're an underdog with big dreams. Does your firm still have a clear purpose? While I love toys, outings and dogs as much as the next person, they're not as powerful as making sure your company has a sense of purpose. Find or rekindle your sense of purpose." T. Martin
• Chronicle your achievements. "The most important employee handbook we have has nothing to do with politics or benefits. It's a chronicle of all our work written from an internal perspective that captures what we did, what we learned, what oddities happened along the way, and why it was important as part of our body of work for a client. This information helps make sure that everyone in the organization knows the work that we're doing, how we do it and why it's valuable. Everyone here is capable of 'selling' the firm as a result because they have great pride in what we're doing. This piece is one of our greatest recruitment tools, too." T. Martin
• Cross-disciplinary teams improve collaboration. "Include developers in early phases of design projects, and share account and pitch work across all disciplines. Kick people out of their comfort zones. To really shake things up, invite team members to 'intern for the day' in a different department or discipline than their areas of expertise. This is both enlightening and exciting." C. Jewell
• Play! Play! Play! "Get a Roomba vacuum cleaner and let it run during the day. Hang a dartboard on the wall. Put out huge, two-gallon buckets of candy. Give $4 toys (e.g., Slinkys, Legos, Silly Putty) with personal thank-you notes to your colleagues, especially to your most stuffy, grown-up staff." C. Jewell
• Make (and keep) traditions. "We look forward to our annual St. Patrick's Day party. This is a gathering of hundreds of friends, family and staff to celebrate the previous year." C. Jewell

Silverscape® is not affiliated with The Creative Group.

This fall Silverscape designed and developed a brand and product introduction brochure for Integrated Trade Processing Corporation. A leader in forward-thinking products for the financial services industry, ITP has recently developed the revolutionary Managed Accounts Trading Service (MATS). Developed to automate the trade process among brokers, investment managers and sponsors, MATS provides a single platform for consolidated communication and processing.

Based in Detroit Michigan, Walbridge has selected Silverscape to design and develop their new website. Founded in 1916, the company has grown steadily to become one of the top 50 construction organizations in the country with over 700 full-time personnel and locations throughout the United Stages, Canada and Mexico. Their new site built on Common Goal Webmanager will highlight the company's distinguished history and extensive portfolio which includes companies like: Ford Motor Company, General Motors, Daimler Chrysler, North West Airlines, Jaguar, Compuware, and Volkswagen. To accommodate Walbridge's international clientele Silverscape will also be developing a Spanish language version of the new site. Both the English and Spanish websites are expected to launch in late 2008.

Boston-based Web Design and Development Firm Wins Gold for Excellence in web design in the 2008 Reader's Poll by Banker & Tradesman. Silverscape, a leading marketing strategy, web design and technology firm received the distinguished honor of being nominated and winning gold in the general category of web design. The readers of Banker & Tradesman, the leading publication on banking and real estate, named Silverscape the 'Best in Web Design' in the publication's inaugural 'Best in Business' Reader's Poll. Banker & Tradesman's readers are among some of the highest educated and most discerning consumers in Massachusetts, making their appreciation highly honored. Best of Business Awards derive from the Banker and Tradesman publication. Based in Boston, each year they hold a Reader's Poll to honor the best businesses in the surrounding Boston area. Nearly 80 awards are given out in five categories; Commercial Real Estate, Development/Construction, Residential, Banking, and General. The combination of a nomination from Banker and Tradesman and the recognition from their readers gives these awards a special honor. (www.bankerandtradsman.com) Silverscape is a leading marketing strategy, technology and design firm. We help companies become market leaders through innovative brand development and effective marketing solutions that drive sales. Our team offers a full range of services including marketing and business development strategy, brand identity creation, web and custom software development, interactive media and CD-ROMs. Our award-winning client solutions are a thoughtful balance of artful design integrated with innovative technical expertise. (www.silverscape.com) Click here to download a PDF of all the winners.

The New England Direct Marketing Association is a regional professional association dedicated to the education and professional development of individuals interested in direct marketing. Each year the NEDMA awards honor innovative direct marketing campaigns and creative pieces that produce dramatic results. With nearly 700 entries this year, the NEDMA Awards continue to be a highly competitive mark of distinction for the best in the industry.
Silverscape is a leading marketing strategy, technology and design firm. We help companies become market leaders through innovative brand development and effective marketing solutions that drive sales. Our team offers a full range of services including marketing and business development strategy, brand identity creation, web design, custom software development and interactive media. Our award-winning client solutions are a thoughtful balance of artful design integrated with innovative technical expertise.

NEDMA Names Direct Marketing Champs Thursday, June 12, 2008 - 1:24 PM EDT NEDMA names direct marketing champs, Boston Business Journal The New England Direct Marketing Association tapped advertising agency Mullen as its Best in Show winner at its 27th annual awards show on Wednesday night, the organization said on Thursday. Wenham, Mass.-based Mullen won for its Virgin Money Web site; the ad shop also won six gold awards at the event, which was held at The Roxy nightclub in Boston. Other top winners of the night included Hill, Holliday, Connors, Cosmopulos Inc. in Boston, with 14 awards; Amergent in Peabody, Mass., with 13 awards; Silverscape LLC in Boston, with 13 awards; LW Robbins Associates in Holliston, with 10 awards; and Wilde Agency in Holliston, Mass., and Winsper in Boston, each with nine awards. NEDMA's annual awards show recognizes marketing agencies for innovation in all forms of direct marketing media, from direct mail to interactive, advertising, broadcast and telemarketing.

As a leading staffing firm in Boston and New York City, The Winter, Wyman Companies wanted to engage candidates with their vast database of available jobs and resources in new ways. With Silverscape's help, Winter, Wyman now reaches candidates through the popular social network Facebook. Facebook users can share job openings with friends and post positions on their own profile with the click of a button. Winter, Wyman can now connect with people not just professionally, but socially through this new and dynamic medium. Visit Winter, Wyman's Silverscape-designed website or search for a job and add it to your personal profile.

Silverscape is excited to announce the launch of PointRight's new website. As an industry leader in providing data-driven analytics and consulting services, PointRight helps the nation leading long-term care providers and insurance carriers optimize profitability by analyzing relevant information and providing valuable advice. Designed and developed by Silverscape, the website simplifies the complicated study of analytics, making it easy for visitors to locate the products and services best suited for their needs. With detailed content relaying their years of experience and custom photos of the PointRight team, site visitors find a corporate website that is both confident and friendly.

Silverscape is proud to announce the launch of Dyer Brown Architect's new website. As one of Boston's premier Architectural firms, Dyer Brown provides a large range of design and management options for their commercial, corporate and public clients.

Designed and developed by Silverscape, the sites confident color palate and contemporary aesthetic gives Dyer Brown an online presence that is sophisticated and modern, appealing to their broad range of clients. Within the site, visitors and clients are provided an unparalleled experience into the portfolio of Dyer Brown's projects, complete with images and descriptions detailing the expertise involved in each.

4/22/2008		Mid-Atlantic Regional Conference, Hershey, PASticking Our Necks Out For Business SMPS Mid-Atlantic Regional Conference
4/30/2008		Heartland Regional Conference, Cincinnati, OHHeartland Inaugural SMPS Heartland Regional Conference'Building Professional Marketers. Hosted by the SMPS chapters in Columbus, Greater Cincinnati, Northeast Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, Kentucky and Pittsburgh
5/07/2008		Northeast Regional Conference, Providence, RIThe Art and Science of Marketing: Experience a Creative Reaction Participating Chapters: Connecticut, Long Island, Boston, Maine, and Upstate New York.

We hope you have a fantastic time at the conferences.
Please let us know if you attended!
About SMPS: Society for Marketing Professional Services SMPS' mission is to advocate for, educate, and connect leaders in the building industry. SMPS' vision is for premier professional service firms to recognize SMPS as their most trusted resource for building business and achieving success. Today, SMPS represents a dynamic network of 6,500 marketing and business development professionals from architectural, engineering, planning, interior design, construction, and specialty consulting firms located throughout the United States and Canada. The Society and its 53 chapters benefit from the support of 3,250 design and building firms, encompassing 80% of the Engineering News-Record Top 500 Design Firms and Top 400 Contractors.
www.SMPS.org

Silverscape is pleased to announce the launch of Commonwealth Capital Ventures' new website. A leading venture capital firm located in Waltham, MA, Commonwealth has over $580 million under management through its investment focus on early and growth stage technology companies, including notable companies such as Constant Contact, e-Dialog and Me.dium. With over a decade of dedicated industry experience, Commonwealth chose Silverscape to update and establish their online presence to be amongst the nation's top venture capital firms.
Designed and developed by Silverscape on the Common Goal Webmanager CMS platform, Commonwealth Capital Ventures' new website represents a clean and professional presentation of the firm, its experienced management team, and strong commitment to entrepreneurial innovation. Anchored by highly custom portfolio and news applications, the site conveys the firm's expertise both in their own words, and through the testimonials of their investment partners. Leveraged with strong imagery that illustrates their collaborative efforts with their partners, the firm's new site gives potential limited partners and entrepreneurs a confident snapshot of one of New England's most respected venture capital organizations.
Silverscape is a leading marketing strategy, technology and design firm. We help companies become market leaders through innovative brand development and effective marketing solutions that drive sales. Our team offers a full range of services including marketing and business development strategy, brand identity creation, web and custom software development and interactive media. Our award-winning client solutions are a thoughtful balance of artful design integrated with innovative technical expertise. (www.silverscape.com)

~~ We'd like to mention that Silverscape is a Marketing Strategy, Technology and Design firm. Silverscape is often referred to as a Boston Web Design firm or a Boston-based Web Design firm.

Silverscape is a Registered Trademark.

Silverscape announces the launch of The McIntyre Group's new website. As Connecticut's leading staffing and consulting firm, they have provided expertise for over 20 years in five specialized industries including Corporate & Administrative, Financial Services, Corporate Accounting, Information Technology and Creative Services. Designed and developed by Silverscape, the site offers visitors and prospective candidates a remarkable experience through a custom integration of Bullhorn Staffing Software.
The new website focuses on giving The McIntyre Group a modern look and intuitive navigation. The McIntyre Group features a separate section for clients and candidates. With a dynamic job board listing through Bullhorn, and with 'Ask the Expert' and 'Pay it Forward' custom applications, The McIntyre Group design and website is truly a unique experience. As a result visitors of the site can easily access information important to them, utilize industry resources and find the new hire that has the proper talent or find the job that allows them to pursue their dream.

Silverscape Wins Gold in the 2007 Create Awards Competition

Silverscape's entry, 'HOT & WOW', in the category of Creative Industry Self Promotion, Direct Mail Campaign, has won a GOLD AWARD in the 2007 Create Awards competition. This year's entries spanned across the globe, and were judged by more than 20 leading professionals spanning eight creative industries. Only 235 awards were chosen out of the roughly 2,400 entries.

The Create Awards (www.thecreateawards.com) is produced by Create Communications, publishers of Create Magazine. The intense creative competition included 40 categories and 300 subcategories in eight major creative industries including: advertising and art direction, film and video, motion graphics, graphic communication, photography, printing and packaging, interactive, copy writing, self promotion, and student work from creatives all over the world.
We would like to thank all of our clients and vendors for their continued support and inspiration. We also want to thank Create Magazine, the award's architect, for fueling the professional creative community and providing an essential networking resource to the creative and business communities alike. Finally, thanks should also go to the award's many sponsors including Alienware, HP, Adobe, Microtek, Pantone, NEC, Wacom, Corel, Kodak, and NewPage.
Create Magazine's mission is to inform, connect, inspire and educate creative professionals. First published in 2001, Create Magazine is an award-winning, bimonthly creative industry magazine published for those who produce or require creative services and products. As a networking resource, Create Magazine provides an insider's perspective on the people, news, trends and events that influence both local and national advertising and creative production industries. With five regional editions nationwide, each issue features articles by local community leaders who are the trusted source for information and commentary on the Advertising, Design, Printing, Photography, Film and Video, Animation and New Media industries, in addition to national content from industry experts. To find out more, visit Create Magazine online at createmagazine.com.
The Create Awards is one of the top competitions for working creative professionals across the nation and is open to all creative professionals and students working in advertising, film and video, motion graphics, graphic communication, photography, printing, interactive media, and copywriting.
Silverscape is a leading marketing strategy, technology and design firm. We help companies become market leaders through innovative brand development and effective marketing solutions that drive sales. Our team offers a full range of services including marketing and business development strategy, brand identity creation, web and custom software development, interactive media and CD-ROMs. Our award-winning client solutions are a thoughtful balance of artful design integrated with innovative technical expertise. (www.silverscape.com)

View from Second floor gallery.

Auction guests, Jim and Heather Howland.

Silverscape staff and guests enjoy the auction and the reception.

The Boston Business Journal recently profiled the top 25 Boston Area's Largest Web & Graphic Design firms, naming Silverscape #12. Previously named Boston Area's Largest Graphic Design firms, this year's list was expanded to include Web Design firms.
'We are excited to see the inclusion of the words 'web design' to the graphic design category on the BBJ list. These two design disciplines present unique challenges which require different skill sets. Silverscape constantly strives to provide a wide range of sophisticated web and print design services including websites, interface design and multimedia presentations to print collateral, identity systems, tradeshow and more traditional communication vehicles,' said Caitlin Jewell, Silverscape Principal. 'We've had a very good year, including launches for Health Management Resources (HMR), Janome Sewing Machines and Drifire. Our talented print and web designers, coupled with our state-of-the-art technical expertise, allows Silverscape to provide a unique service offering to our clients. Being able to develop and manage full marketing campaigns under one roof means greater brand consistency and therefore enhanced brand recognition for our clients.'
Silverscape is a leading marketing strategy, technology and design firm. We help companies become market leaders through innovative brand development and effective marketing solutions that drive sales. Our team offers a full range of services including marketing and business development strategy, brand identity creation, web and custom software development, interactive media and CD-ROMs. Our award-winning client solutions are a thoughtful balance of artful design integrated with innovative technical expertise. www.silverscape.com

Genzyme Oncology has selected Silverscape to design and develop a comprehensive "kit" of print collateral addressing general and specific aspects of the company's research and development capabilities. The print materials will consist of both permanent and modular information, allowing custom configuration on a kit-by-kit basis to address the specific needs of various audiences as well as the long-term ability to update kit components as needed. Silverscape is pleased to be extending its working relationship with Genzyme, having previously developed the award-winning multimedia CD-ROM presentation, 'Approaches to Immunotherapy' for the group in 2002.

QAS Wins "Best in Show" Award at IASA At this year's IASA Annual Conference in Minneapolis, QAS won the "Best in Show" award for the small booth category. The booth, designed by Silverscape, was named The Best in Show award was presented to vendors who demonstrated both creativity and relevance in their booth design, and was based on the votes of attendees and the official show judges. "We wanted our booth to have a modern look to appeal more to the eyes of the attendees," notes Jaime Reynolds, Program Specialist for QAS. "It was designed to have an attractive, yet distraction-free backdrop to showcase our tools and demonstrate our messages clearly to the attendees." The award is now proudly displayed in our Boston office. More images of the booth are available under the Our Work Section of the Silverscape site.

Silverscape is pleased to announce the launch of Janome's new website. Janome is the leading global sewing machine manufacturer. The company has divisions in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Europe, Australia and New Zealand as well as agents in Africa, Central and South America and throughout the Pacific Rim of Asia. Janome was the first to develop a computerized machine for home use and the first to offer professional style embroidery to the home market. They currently deliver the most powerful, sophisticated home machine on the market, with patent stepping motor technology and industry-leading software. The new website focuses on giving Janome a modern look and intuitive navigation. Janome.com features an extensive functionality for users to explore and compare Janome's products. With community-focused Project and Learning Center sections, the site aims to engage the average sewing enthusiast from an initial shopping visit through ongoing project ideas and resources across all levels and areas of interest.

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Gold - Print Ads (Image or brand building) - Loftware Inc. Print Ad
Gold - Website (B-to-B) - Proxilliant Website
Gold - Consumer Integrated Campaign - GWV Vacations Integrated Media Campaign

Silver - E-mail (Consumer) - Sunburst Vacations HTML Email
Silver - Interactive/B-to-B (CD-Roms, Videos, Interactive kiosks, blogs) - RBJ Crosspoint Presentation for Dyer Brown Associates, Inc.
Silver - Outdoor, Transit Posters GWV Vacations Billboard Advertisement
Silver - Best Creative Execution - AppSecInc. Tradeshow Materials

Bronze - Agency Self-Promotion - Silverscape Holiday Flash Email
Bronze - Website (Consumer) - Hollister, Inc. Website

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The New England Direct Marketing Association (www.nedma.com) is a regional professional association dedicated to the education and professional development of individuals interested in direct marketing. Each year the NEDMA awards honor innovative direct marketing campaigns and creative pieces that produce dramatic results. With nearly 700 entries this year, the NEDMA Awards continue to be a highly competitive mark of distinction for the best in the industry. About Silverscape: Silverscape is a leading marketing strategy, technology and design firm. We help companies become market leaders through innovative brand development and effective marketing solutions that drive sales. Our team offers a full range of services including marketing and business development strategy, brand identity creation, web and custom software development, interactive media and CD-ROMs. Our award-winning client solutions are a thoughtful balance of artful design integrated with innovative technical expertise. (www.silverscape.com)

Go PINNCON Go! www.gopinncon.com Silverscape is excited to announce the launch of a new website for Pinncon LLC. Among the most influential firms in the Northeast, Pinncon LLC provides a full range of general contracting and construction management services for the retail, office, industrial, institutional, and hospitality industries. Based just outside of Boston, Pinncon is known for its dedication to excellence and on-time-on-budget performances. The company's priorities of satisfaction and state of the art communication with every customer are reinforced with the development of a highly intuitive and attractive website. Built on CommonGoal Webmanager^TM, by Silverscape, the website sets to strengthen the connection between consultant and client and acts as the first part of a larger branding engagement, including a variety of print materials.

Silverscape announces a major consumer website launch. In the B-2-C consumer diet programs space, HMR (Health Management Resources)^TM is known as the leading provider of medically based weight management programs. The website, HMRProgram.com, offers prospective program members an introduction to the program, products and scientific methodology. This website serves as a resource for medical professionals, active and potential participants to experience program.

HMR®: The Weight and Health Management Leader HMR (Health Management Resources©) is a privately owned national healthcare company specializing in weight loss and weight management. Our programs offer lifestyle education, personalized attention, nutritious, low-calorie foods, structured diets, and an emphasis on long-term weight and health management. Headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts, HMR has trained thousands of healthcare professionals and provides programs and support services to hundreds of medically based obesity treatment centers across the country. In addition, HMR at Home programs make our proven products and methods available to virtually anyone wanting to lose weight and improve their health. When HMR began over 20 years ago, our goal was to offer dieters a sensible, healthy way to lose weight without gimmicks or fads. Today, our commitment continues through an even greater range of programs that enable fast, maximum weight loss with greater health benefits.

Silverscape is featured on the cover of Making Room for Innovation Creating a Center for Design Innovation at MassArt. Massachusetts College of Art Announces Architects for New Center for Design Innovation BOSTON, MA - Massachusetts College of Art, (MassArt), one of the premier colleges of art and design in the U.S., and the Commonwealth's Division of Capital Asset Management (DCAM) today announced the selection of Polshek Partnership Architects, winner of the 2004 Cooper-Hewitt National Design Award in Architecture, to plan and design a new Center for Design Innovation on the college's campus. The project marks a milestone in MassArt's long term plan to revitalize its urban campus, which is located in Boston, one of the nation's top centers for design. A As a college founded over 100 years ago to teach innovation, MassArt is a major source of the designers who drive the Massachusetts creative economy and has been recognized as a top design school "D-school" by Business Week in their recent survey of top global design schools and programs. With roughly half of the college's students enrolled in design + media programs, MassArt's need for space is pressing. The new Center for Design Innovation will feature open, flexible studio space, new exhibition/teaching space, and a new main entrance that will create a bold MassArt presence on the city's Avenue of the Arts. Kay Sloan, president of Massachusetts College of Art, sees the new Center for Design Innovation as a unique physical space that will foster collaboration and creativity. "We are pleased to work with Polshek Partnership Architects to develop a new interdisciplinary design + media center that will allow us to enhance our ability to prepare our students to meet the increasing economic demand for creative, highly-skilled, and innovative talent." Paul Foster, vice president of Trade, Community & Government Relations at Reebok International, Ltd, articulates the need for a new design center. "We depend on MassArt to bring us the best talent possible. A new Center for Design Innovation will enable the college to deliver that genius." MassArt's own planning work for the design + media center is well underway. The college has initiated a process that will insure that principles of sustainability are fully integrated into the building's program, design and construction. MassArt will apply for 'green building' grants to subsidize planning expenses, and pay for portions of the construction. The Polshek design team will be a great partner in this effort, not just supporting, but leading MassArt's commitment to sustainable design. Their 'green building' capabilities are demonstrated in the recently completed Heimbold Center at Sarah Lawrence College, an art and design facility that includes energy conservation, waste reduction systems, natural and recycled materials, and a geothermal heat pump system that serves all of the buildings heat and cooling needs. The curriculum / organizational study of the design + media disciplines at MassArt (the Vision Study) is in full swing. The team, with representatives from all departments and disciplines that might be included in the design + media center, is taking an expansive look into the future to establish a framework that describes design + media at MassArt in the year 2020. Since last spring, the study team has completed independent research work field trips, panel discussions and workshops. Design + media programs offered at MassArt include: Animation, Architecture, Fashion Design, Film/Video, Graphic Design, Illustration, Industrial Design, Interior Architecture, Photography, the Studio for Interrelated Media, and the Dynamic Media Institute. Massachusetts College of Art, recognized as one of the premier colleges of art and design in the United States, is internationally known for offering broad access to a high quality professional arts education, accompanied by a strong general education in the liberal arts. Located in Boston's Fenway Cultural District, MassArt offers a comprehensive range of baccalaureate and graduate degree programs taught by outstanding faculty and designed to encourage individual creativity. A major cultural force in Boston, MassArt offers public programs of innovative exhibitions, lectures, and events.

driFIRE Performance FR Wear has selected Silverscape to provide marketing strategy, design and website development services to assist in rebranding the company, helping position it for the military, law enforcement, fire service, and industrial markets. Chicago-based driFIRE offers a revolutionary line of performance wear engineered to provide the optimal combination of flame resistance, moisture management and comfort into the military, law enforcement, fire service, and industrial markets and will be sold directly as well as through its channel partners.

Silverscape is pleased to announce the launch of New England Construction's new website. New England Construction offers services ranging from feasibility analysis, design and facility planning to engineering, energy management and construction. Built on Common Goal WebManager, the website features a robust project portfolio and contemporary graphics to present New England Construction's services, history and reputation for "Integrity. Committment. Excellence." Based in Rhode Island, New England Construction offers services ranging from feasibility analysis, design and facility planning to engineering, energy management and construction. "It has been an honor and a pleasure to work with New England construction. From our first visit to their beautiful office, we knew we could help them realize a remarkable online experience worthy of their portfolio and industry reputation," said Caitlin Jewell, Silverscape Principal and Creative Director. "Our experience in this market allows us to create a lasting, differentiated and beautiful representation of their firm." See New England Construction's new website>>

Silverscape, a leading marketing strategy, technology, and design firm recently designed and deployed the website and brand identity of ARGI (formerly known as Automated Resources Group International), the leading subscription and membership customer management solutions provider. ARGI, based in Montvale NJ, has implemented Silverscape's proprietary content management system, called Common Goal©. Common Goal© allows Silverscape's customers to easily add and manage content on their website and is part of Silverscape's unique technology and design offerings. An award-winning, strategic marketing and technology firm for nearly 10 years, Silverscape brings a unique approach to the re-branding of ARGI's company brand, website and corporate identity. Silverscape's strengths lie in its ability to understand the technology behind the three major offerings that ARGI is heavily promoting in its business strategy: subscription fulfillment, database marketing and web services. Silverscape's speed to market, great reputation and a complete understanding of our business-to-business playing field contributed to our decision to choose Silverscape, said Dave Hendricks, Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing at ARGI. "With a 35-year legacy of providing subscription fulfillment and database marketing services, ARGI recognized the need to re-brand and re-focus its technology offerings and we at Silverscape were excited to be a part of this vision," said Silverscape's Principal, Caitlin Jewell. With the new strategy and vision of ARGI CEO Ray Butkus, the company made the commitment to focus its offerings and provide its customers with in-depth assessment and strategic concept development by implementing unique solutions that help its clients effectively operate, market, and control their businesses. Silverscape made the commitment to ARGI to deliver a brand and identity that would help achieve this vision."

About Silverscape Silverscape is a leading marketing strategy, technology and design firm helping companies become market leaders through innovative brand development and effective marketing solutions that drive sales. Silverscape offers a full range of services including marketing and business development strategy, brand identity creation, web and custom software development, interactive media and CD-ROMs. Its award-winning client solutions are a thoughtful balance of artful design integrated with innovative technical expertise. For more information, please visit www.silverscape.com.

About ARGIEstablished in 1971, ARGI is a subscription fulfillment, database marketing and web services solutions provider. Specializing in providing technology-enabled Subscription and Membership Customer Management Services across multiple touch-points and channels, ARGI provides clients with the tools they need to maximize profitability and satisfaction over their customers' subscriber and member lifecycles. Through in-depth initial assessment and strategic concept development, ARGI implements unique solutions to help clients effectively operate market and control their business. For more information, please visit the new site at www.callargi.com.

PinnCon, a division of The Pinnacle Companies, has selected Silverscape to design and develop a website built on Common Goal WebManager and corresponding print materials, establishing the company's visual presence as it undertakes a new branding effort. Based in Braintree, MA, PinnCon boasts a project portfolio that spans a range of project sizes, geographies, market sectors, costs and complexities, representing the depth and versatility of the organization's experience.

Silverscape is named #11 in Boston Business Journal Top 25: Area's Largest Graphic Design Firms. Founded in 1998, Silverscape offers integrated marketing expertise for established B2B businesses in the Technology, Services and Architecture, Engineering and Construction industries where the firm provides a unique blend of identity development, marketing consulting, graphic design and technological services and products for creating websites, intranets and extranets. Silverscape Listed #17 in 2005.

Silverscape is proud to announce our memberships within the Adobe Solutions Network (ASN) Developer Program and the Adobe Enterprise Developer Program. As an Adobe Solution Partner, Silverscape participates and works with a larger international community of developers to collaboratively innovate and bring new applications and solutions to our clients. Silverscape, Member Adobe Solutions Network (ASN) Silverscape, Member Adobe Enterprise Developer Program (AEDP)

We're pleased to introduce Chad Smith a new addition to our growing team. Clients will benefit from his outstanding experience in the focus group industry working with clients such as Microsoft, Dos Equis Beer, Starbucks and the cellular phone company LG. One of Chad's greatest interests in growing out the Silverscape B-2-C consumer and product division over the next year. A recent graduate of Boston University, Chad holds and MS in Advertising and greatly enjoys his one to one interaction with clients and shaping the brand and strategic direction for them. Chad Smith As an Account Executive and New Business Associate at Silverscape, Chad spends his days working with the Silverscape team and clients to facilitate a wide range of marketing communication, design, and new business development projects. Before joining Silverscape, Chad served as a Branch Manager at one of the areas largest Marketing Research Firms, Boston Field and Focus, where he gained new, helpful perspective working closely with focus group moderators, planners, and marketing executives for brands ranging from biotech to beer to baby food. Chad approaches every project from a strategic marketing standpoint and is skilled at using his unique insight and training to help clients find creative yet strategic marketing communication solutions. Originally from the shores of Lake Michigan, Chad joins Silverscape after recently receiving an MS in Advertising from Boston University. Chad is an avid hiker and has been to nearly every mountain range in the US. When he isn't wearing his boots, Chad enjoys photography, playing kickball, and tapping his foot to all sorts of live music.

High Street Partners has chosen Silverscape to create their new website and company extranet. High Street Partners is an international company that provides expertise in multi-country expansion and offers advisory services to a comprehensive list of world-class businesses. Built on the Common Goal® platform, the new website and extranet plans to boost the company's brand through the careful balance of top-class technology, and strategic design.

About High Street Partners The firm offers advice and ongoing practical management to high growth companies which are launching, expanding or seeking to stabilize their international operations. Our professional resources work closely with the senior financial management of venture backed and recently public companies on an outsourced basis, allowing the corporate accounting organization to remain focused on core operations. We provide a single point of contact for our client's HQ based finance team and we manage the external finance, accounting, administrative and compliance requirements related to their overseas operations. Our approach is unique in the marketplace, in that we utilize the assistance and support of a high quality network of in-country Local Service Providers (LSPs) around the globe, giving our clients the benefit of market pricing and local "best practice" knowledge.

Proxilliant Systems is a global provider of broadband cable network solutions that enables cable companies worldwide to deliver VoIP and other advanced two-way services essential to service expansion and profitability. The company is currently launching its newest generation of cable service management solutions and selected Silverscape to assist in positioning the company for further expansion through the design and development of a website built on Common Goal WebManager, tradeshow and presentation materials, and the development of an online advertising campaign. The Proxilliant Systems website features sharp graphics and subtle Flash animation to playfully illustrate the nature of their products, as well as intuitive navigation to quickly and accurately guide visitors to the information they are seeking.

Silver Business-to-Business Website - Margulies Website (www.margulies.com) Self-Promotion Silverscape Sound Direct Mail Campaign

Bronze Business-to-Business Website - Cubellis Associates Website (www.cubellis.com) Business-to-Business Website - Alden Laboratory Website (www.aldenlab.com) Intranet/Internal Communication - A.J. Martini Intranet Flash - Silverscape Common Goal WebManager Demo

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Horizon Interactive Awards In its 5th year, the Horizon Interactive Awards was created to recognize excellence in interactive media production worldwide. Since 2001, the competition has received thousands of entries from 26 different countries and nearly all 50 US States. Each year, those entries are narrowed down to the best of the best to be recognized and promoted on and international stage for their excellence. For more information, visit (www.horizoninteractiveawards.com.)

Silverscape is a leading marketing strategy, technology and design firm. We help companies become market leaders through innovative brand development and effective marketing solutions that drive sales. Our team offers a full range of services including marketing and business development strategy, brand identity creation, web and custom software development, interactive media and CD-ROMs. Our award-winning client solutions are a thoughtful balance of artful design integrated with innovative technical expertise. (www.silverscape.com)

Monday, April 10, 2006 SILVERSCAPE TAKES HOME EIGHT NEDMA AWARDS FOR CREATIVE EXCELLENCE IN WEB AND PRINT DESIGN

Gold- Technique Best Art Direction Symantec Corporation Book & Envelope - Interactive Business-to-Business Website Margulies & Associates Website (www.margulies.com) - Interactive Agency Self-Promotion Silverscape Common Goal WebManager Demo (www.silverscape.com/cgwm/) - Direct Mail for Agency Self-Promotion Silverscape Direct Mail Series

Silver - Interactive Business-to-Business Tatara Systems CD-ROM Demo

Bronze - Print Ads for Lead Generation Winter, Wyman & Company Print Ad - Interactive Business-to-Business Website Cubellis Associates Website (www.cubellis.com) - Direct Marketing on Shoestring Budget Silverscape Sound Direct Mail Campaign

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The New England Direct Marketing Association (www.nedma.com) is a regional professional association dedicated to the education and professional development of individuals interested in direct marketing. Each year the NEDMA awards honor innovative direct marketing campaigns and creative pieces that produce dramatic results. With nearly 400 entries this year, the NEDMA Awards continue to be a highly competitive mark of distinction for the best in the industry. About Silverscape: Silverscape is a leading marketing strategy, technology and design firm. We help companies become market leaders through innovative brand development and effective marketing solutions that drive sales. Our team offers a full range of services including marketing and business development strategy, brand identity creation, web and custom software development, interactive media and CD-ROMs. Our award-winning client solutions are a thoughtful balance of artful design integrated with innovative technical expertise. (www.silverscape.com)

Silverscape developed a cohesive website with simple, clean navigation that allows users to easily locate the information they are seeking. The website incorporates subtle Flash animation and sophisticated graphics. While highlighting the firm's eye to the future, the site also places an emphasis on its history, conveying its incomparable breadth of experience.

Silverscape is named #17 in Boston Business Journal Top 25: Area's Largest Graphic Design Firms. Founded in 1998, Silverscape offers integrated marketing expertise for established B2B businesses in the Technology, Services and Architecture, Engineering and Construction industries where the firm provides a unique blend of identity development, marketing consulting, graphic design and technological services and products for creating websites, intranets and extranets.

Alden Research Laboratory is an acclaimed fluids flow engineering laboratory providing analytical and physical modeling capabilities, extensive testing facilities, flow meter calibrations, and field measuring services for over 100 years. The firm's specialties are: hydraulic engineering, fish protection & passage, precision flow meter calibrations, air/gas flow modeling, and fluid mechanic equipment tests. Silverscape developed a new website for Alden Research Laboratory that positioned the firm as a global leader in flow-related engineering and environmental solution laboratories through content and imagery. The website offers a user-friendly functionality with a clearly defined navigation system. It has been a pleasure to work with the Alden staff.

We're very excited to announce an addition to the Silverscape team. Michelle Mount will be a key client contact ensuring that our client receive outstanding project management and TLC customer care. Creative and energetic like the rest of the Silverscape team, most recently she's been spotted on local community theatre stages in Needham & Medfield as Abigail in The Crucible and Hero in Much Ado About Nothing. Michelle has a background in sales and advertising and holds a degree in Advertising from Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication, University of Georgia.

Silverscape has launched http://www.keystonepartners.net for Keystone Partners, Inc. This career management firm's web site was designed to provide information about each area of their specialization. Silverscape worked with the Keystone design team to develop an online identity that would also serve as a portal to Keystone Partner's affiliate sites. It provides an animation of how their corporate structure is organized, company information, and a method of easily updating content.