Archive for April, 2008
« Previous EntriesGrand Theft Auto 4 Packaging
Wednesday, April 30th, 2008
Tuesday marked the launch of Rockstar Games newest release of the Grand Theft Auto series with Grand Theft Auto IV. For those who remember the cult classic birds eye view video game, the series has come a long way. The gameplay and graphics are not the only thing to rant and rave about though. The game packaging itself is something to be desired. For an added $30 dollars, gamers can get the Grand Theft Auto 4 special edition which includes some nice additional swag. The game comes in a metal lock box, a small sized duffel bag good for an over night trip or to carry a few bundles of Benjamin’s from your latest heist, a book filled with concept art and GTA style imagery, and a soundtrack to jam out to on your next mugging. JC in our office won’t be leaving his house for the next 3 months.
Topics: Xbox360 | No Comments »
Buster Run
Tuesday, April 29th, 2008
Had a bit of a scare this morning at BIHQ. We had the door in the back room open to enjoy the cool weather and Buster decided to take a constitutional around the East Side. We’re not totally sure how long he was gone, but thanks to this fine graphical representation you can trace his route from the comfort of your home. It’s almost as fun as seeing what Jeffy gets up to in The Family Circus. That rascal.
Topics: Athletic Pursuit | No Comments »
Social Media Marketing Links With Zemanta
Tuesday, April 29th, 2008
Image by Tom Raftery via FlickrA while back we wrote about Zemanta, which is a plugin that scours the Web for related posts and images based on what you start typing in Wordpress or favorite blogging program.
This is our first test with it, and I can say that it’s pretty sweet. I started the title with “social media marketing” and typed a few more characters in the body, then hit the “update” button, and it presents you with this:
Even the screen shot is suggested, and I just click it an added it to the post. Sweet, huh?
The only downside is it needs about 300 characters to get more suggestions, and repeatedly hitting the “get more suggestions” doesn’t show more. I’m sure playing with some settings will help.
Now, here are some of the articles they “suggested.” I previewed them all and think they’re great.
Topics: Blogging, Marketing & Advertising, charleston sc marketing | No Comments »
Dub Show
Friday, April 25th, 2008
Headed outdoors yesterday to catch an impromptu Dub Island show in Marion Square. The fellas rented a flatbed truck and set up scaffolding and equipment for a rolling stage. One of the best/smartest moves was driving the entire rig through the middle of campus before the payoff in the park.
Topics: Fandango | No Comments »
I’On Group’s Latest Launch
Friday, April 25th, 2008
As a nice cap to the week, we launched a new version of the I’On Group website and a re-skinned version of their blog. The I’On Group continues to advocate for and deliver neighborhoods built on a human scale. Places where you want to get out of the car, walk, sit, wander, connect and just enjoy the experience of place. From their pioneering work on I’On Village to Mixson, Morris Square and a number of advocacy efforts…they’ve demonstrated a saner way to plan for community. Get involved through their blog and email updates. Thanks to the I’On Group team and Meghan Alexander for their key roles in making all this happen.
Topics: Fandango | No Comments »
Sagmeister Talk
Wednesday, April 23rd, 2008
Great presentation from Stefan Sagmeister last night at the SC AIGA chapter meeting in Columbia. Sharing a list of 16 personal insights gleaned from his years in the design profession (published in his new book Things I Have Learned In My Life So Far), he showed how he was able to work each maxim into a specific design or art project. Sometimes on his own, sometimes with the help of paying clients.
One favorite was his story of setting up “Self-Confidence Produces Fine Results” as a gallery wall display of over 8,000 bananas. As the bananas ripened over the days, the display changed color…the words slowly fading and then almost returning in full when the background bananas turned dark brown and the rest turned yellow. The scent of banana was strong. Very cool “living experience”…something that he explores in other formats through identity design, photography, interactive displays, film, etc.
He’s set up an interactive companion to the “Things I Have Learned” project where anyone can submit their insights and perspectives.
Topics: Fandango | 1 Comment »
Can I Get an Omacron?
Tuesday, April 22nd, 2008
We had fun with fonts a few weeks back while working on the Folbot website. 2 issues threatened to compromise the design/programming of the site. I’ll break it down for you…
Problems initially arose when dealing with headlines. JC knocked one out of the park on his design for the site, but did us no favors with the headline font, which wasn’t a typical run-of-the-mill web safe font. Not content to take the easy way out and slice a million graphics for the titles, we used sIFR, which in-short takes plain text, runs it through Flash quickly and outputs an equivalent embedded with the font of your choice. (The cool part about sIFR is the plain text code remains searchable by engines like Google, so really everyone’s winning here).
Second, Folbot has a new kayak they call the Citibōt. Citibōt is spelled with a special Latin character called an omacron, which puts a line over the “o”. No big deal for most web fonts - we just insert the html for the character and it appears on the site.
If I haven’t lost you yet, here’s where it gets interesting. We’ve solved the problem of not having to use graphic titles with sIFR, but the headline font of choice - Avenir - still lacks the Latin character for omacron. What to do about Citibōt you may ask? Why, we edited Avenir, of course! With our newly embedded Frankenstein font in sIFR, the Citibōt’s name displays correctly across the site and we didn’t have to resort to cheapening ourselves with lame headline graphics.
Topics: Fandango | 3 Comments »
Moving Time
Friday, April 18th, 2008
We are bit out of commission this afternoon as we move the studio. We’re still in the same building, but we needed to make way for the rebirth of the main Cigar Factory building into luxurious loft residences (our previous space will make for a choice 4th story loft overlooking the bridge). So we’re on the first floor now, enjoying a bit of fresh air through open doors…which is a fair exchange for the previous views.
Here’s a sneak peek of the “clubhouse” room…more pics to come next week.
Topics: Fandango | No Comments »
Folbot
Thursday, April 17th, 2008
Launched another great site this week for Folbot. They’ve been making folding kayaks since 1933. If you’re not hip to the folding kayak scene, just think of it like a collapsible tent. The great thing about these boats is they break down to fit inside a bag - perfect for keeping in the trunk of your car for impromptu paddle sessions or as checked baggage when you travel. They go together in around 15 minutes and people regularly take the larger models out on weeks-long excursions.
Poke around the site - we tried out a bunch of new technology on this one, and we’re really pleased with how it came out.
Topics: Sweat & Tears | No Comments »
Gil Shuler Graphic Design
Wednesday, April 16th, 2008
We just finished up a brand spankin’ new site for Gil Shuler Graphic Design…it’s always fun working with their crew. The site is portfolio gallery on steroids as there’s lots of amazing work to show off. Thanks to Gil, Tina, Amy and Mark.
Topics: Fandango | No Comments »