Into High (Tech) Gear: Launching a New Financial Web-App

The beginning of March brought us to the end—really the beginning—of a long but satisfying journey. For nearly nine months, we have been hard at work developing a competing product with the likes of Mint and Wesabe. Both products are good at what they promise to do, but for many people who need more "personal attention" they leave much to be desired. Enter Solutions web app found at actfinancially.com.

Late last summer, two women entrepreneurs approached us with a detailed concept for a new financial tracking web application. Drawing on decades of corporate and financial experience, Jo Bittof and Nancy Lowery articulated a vision of a robust, user-friendly financial tracker surrounded and supported by educational materials, coaching and a personal rewards program. Their goal was to create a platform that would allow individuals and families to address bad financial habits the same way people learn to lose weight and get healthy: with an emphasis on education, accountability, habit formation, reinforcement and conditioning.

What is Solutions?

Solutions contains a full-featured set of budget planning and reporting tools. The transaction register is based on manual entry to force the user to maintain top-of-mind awareness of each and every transaction. For convenience, transfers between multiple accounts, cash withdrawals, reconciliation tags and commenting areas are supported under the register. At any time, the user can run reports on their spending and saving patterns as well as comparisons against their ideal budget.

Those interested in learning more about the whys and hows of financial planning and management can turn to two main areas for education and personal growth: the community and coaching sections. Community features forums, where people can ask questions, get opinions, be inspired by others’ successes, and learn from mistakes. A rich knowledge base is made available, easily accessed in the coaching section. There, the user can find skillfully written articles--sorted by topic—as well as quizzes, videos and a blog published by Jo and Nancy.

Finally, Solutions features a rewards system, to reinforce learning and good financial behavior. Each time the user completes a task in Solutions—such as reading an informative article or completing a step toward financial independence--they receive a reward in the form of "Golden Eggs." The eggs can then be redeemed for prizes.

It Takes a Village

As Designsensory moves from project development to release, our role transitions to one of promotion and refinement. We launched a beta-testing program to capture early adopters and early bugs, and now we provide an integrated online-marketing strategy.

Of particular note and pride to me is the sheer breadth and scope Designsensory played in the creation of this product. Starting with the brand identity and positioning we moved through architecture and feature planning, usability and interface prototyping, and design and technical development of the web-application itself. We deployed E-commerce to fulfill the user transactions and wrote the logic behind the rewards tracking. On the marketing side, we have concept, strategy and artwork in place for display, social and email campaigns to get the word out.

To sum it up, our entire team did a bang-up job on this application. The interface is magic, and the logic behind the number tracking, reporting and rewards programs is particularly amazing (woot to our tech team!). Also noteworthy is the detailed and inspired work Mark put into the construction of the user interface. We both worked hard to identify the values of the brand and to structure the flow of an elegant user-interface experience, but Mark stayed on tactical point throughout the whole development. His stamp of diligence stretches across every page, grouping and button, resulting in something cohesively articulated and pleasurable to use.

So, if you are a parent looking to find the money for braces or a recent grad with a new job looking to save for a home check out Solutions today. You bring the goals and it'll help get you there.

Comments (1)|Posted by: Joseph Nother, 17 March 2010 at 3:38pm

DISH: A Hearty Helping of Design

Today's post comes from our beloved design intern Erin Slattery. A writer by education but now pursuing a design career, Erin elegantly captures her recent experience at the DISH Conference in Nashville.

***

Last Thursday, I packed up my portfolio and headed off to the DISH conference hosted at Lipscomb University by AIGA Nashville. I figured it would be a nice opportunity to get some feedback on my work and maybe hear a few good words from industry professionals. Little did I know, I was headed for two amazing days of candid advice, industry insights and inspiring words from the creative minds leading the world of design.

The event kicked off with studio tours of Bohan Advertising, Red Pepper, Advocate Printing, St8mnt Design, Lithographics and Anode. Students met at Plaza Artist Supplies, where we signed up for the tours we wanted to attend. I chose Bohan and St8mnt, Bohan being the first on the list.

Mr. David Bohan, CEO and founder of Bohan Advertising greeted us warmly and said he would be our tour guide. He led our small group of 8 through the walls of the renovated industrial building, stopping at each of the massive portfolio pieces adorning the walls. At each pause, he shared with us the concept behind the piece and the collaboration it took to bring the project to completion. We continued the tour, passing individual offices marked only with the work and whiteboard critique hung on the sliding barn door that guarded the busy designer inside. Finally, we stopped in front of a painting of individual colored squares. He explained that this painting was essentially their first office, where the designers were allowed to paint their spaces in any color they liked, allowing the designers to express themselves as they saw fit, helping the company save on redecorating fees. He shared with us the importance of being able to tell a story in every piece we create, a theme I would see repeated throughout the conference. The tour ended with his business card and a warm handshake, and a newfound appreciation on my part for this man who had started from the ground up and built something absolutely amazing.

Next, I headed to St8mnt, which proved a perfect complement to the large firm I had just left. They were a polar opposite, operating in an open office with just four people. They spoke about their former work at recording studios and displayed some of their current projects, offering great advice about keeping positive relations with the people for whom you work. It was nice to see another side of design in the real world, although I did find it ironic that they too had sliding barn doors. Maybe there was a sale.

Day gave way to night and the conference participants congregated back at the university, waiting on a speaker of which most of us only knew about his hair. The speaker was Stanley Hainsworth, well noted for his work at Nike, Lego and Starbucks, and of course for his hair. He spoke candidly with us about his background, and the ability to look at design outside traditional bounds. Design, he said, was a great combination of not only print, interactive and the like, but also industrial design. He spoke about the need to tell a story in every project, and to remember that designers, in the end, are there to sell. What I found most fascinating is that when asked where he got his inspiration he merely said, "Get out of the studio." Thank you Mr. Hainsworth. I will remember that for the next sunny day.

The next day began early, with breakfast and talks by Project M and Mohawk Paper. Industry professionals shared some great insight about getting a fantastic design job. After lunch, students split into two groups and gathered for the portfolio review. Area professionals donated their time and energy, offering some insightful advice on each student's portfolio. Critique, at least in my case, was limited to not only work, but extended into design environments that might be a good fit in the future, and tips on the importance of branding oneself. For this insight alone, the 3-hour drive was worth its weight in gold.

Creative Circus, a portfolio school from Georgia, and a panel discussion rounded out the afternoon. IO Studio donated a MacBook Pro to the Best of Show winner. Prizes were raffled off, and goodbyes were said.

Once again, I packed up my portfolio, heading home to Knoxville. This time I was not thinking about getting some helpful advice on my portfolio, but rather thinking how excited I am to work on that next piece.

And, possibly, to get some barn doors if things work out right.

Endless thanks to AIGA Nashville for hosting such an inspiring event, also to the volunteers and professionals that donated their time to make it so.

Comments (5)|Posted by: Joseph Nother, 15 March 2010 at 12:44pm

Exploring New Ground. A Retrospective on The Tennessee Trails & Byways Website

Several weeks ago, Designsensory proudly and excitedly played a crucial part in the launch of a new Tennessee statewide tourism initiative: Discover Tennessee Trails & Byways. Governor Phil Bredesen, along with the Commissioner of Tourist Development, Susan Whitaker, announced an initiative that will take Tennessee Tourism to the next level.  

The premise is simple: most travelers visit well-known cities within a state or region. Unfortunately, this often leaves so much left to be discovered begging the question: Is there an easy way to get people to leave the tried-and-true behind and explore new things. Tennessee's new tourism initiative answers that call.

The mandate from the State on this project could not have been more clear---create a wildly memorable website for people to engage a new ground-breaking, state-wide tourism initiative in Tennessee. We were simply told "Have fun and just run with this one." Well, we did!

This was one of those projects where we threw ourselves into an idea not exactly knowing how we would pull it off. Let me just say, I love the pressure and creative breakthroughs that come from this type of scenario. Creatively, my goals for the user experience were quite clear: meaningful movement, whimsical yet contextually-specific imagery, and visually something different from the conventional page and site structure. We wanted movement---not gimicky but something that made sense within the concept.

In surveying possible new ways to create movement without Flash I came across a jQuery plug-in called jParallax. As usual, our tech team and Josh, in particular, worked a miracle to get past the learning curve and make it work with everything else. The integration of this plug-in allowed us to implement the key conceptual element of the website---the left-to-right, east-to-west browsing action of the view-port area. Later, we would return to this code to deploy custom interactive trail maps based on the graphical print map found in the brochures.

It's quite incredible to think that the entire site, which when all the trails finish development and go live will include thousands of backroad finds and hidden gems all served up from essentially one "page". In the end, what is most experimental is not the visual or technical design but the organization and browsing behavior. This website could have easily evolved into a typical "menu, click-to list, click-to tertiary page with a sidebar" routine. Instead, as the emotional appeal of the initiative suggests, we left our comfort zone and explored new ground. Hopefully, the ends will be as satisfying as the means.

The early feedback could not have been more promising. Here is a videocast from a well-known online design resource (Thank you Unmatched Style):

tnvacation.com/trails from Unmatched Style on Vimeo.

Anyway, give the website a go and see what you think. Better yet, travel to Tennessee and experience the trails firsthand. As the initiative blossoms over time, we hope the interactive experience leaves a memorable impression with the explorer in all of us compelling people to...hit the trail!

***

If you want to learn more about the website, visit our portfolio page. You can also interact with the initiatve on social platforms (courtesy the hard work of our partner agency Paramore|Redd). Participate in the development of the trails on Facebook, stay informed on Twitter and post images from the trail to Flickr.

Comments (1)|Posted by: Joseph Nother, 7 December 2009 at 5:41pm

Making and Thinking in Memphis

Two weekends ago, I had the opportunity to attend AIGA's Make/Think national design conference. It was a great experience that was as fun as it was inspiring. The theme of the conference (Make/Think) focused on the designer's dual role of both making artifacts and solving problems with creative thinking. It also provided multiple opportunities to engage in both activities. Here are a few of the things I learned at Make/Think:

You can do anything that you want. Really.
As I heard Stefan Sagmeister describe the things he learned from his year-long sabatical in Bali, it occured to me that the solutions to a design problem really can be anything. So often we model our work after existing solutions that we limit ourselves in what we can achieve. Watch Sagmeister describe the Casa da Música identity (skip to 10:00) to see what I mean.

Making things is fun, and I need to do more of it.
Before the conference, I had been thinking that I needed to draw more. For me (and I imagine it to be the same with most designers), my love for art and design began with drawing as a child. Drawing anything and everything for the pure joy of drawing.

At the conference, I got a chance to draw for the joy of it by participating in Stefan Bucher's workshop on how to draw ink-blot monsters. My end result wasn't nearly as cool as Stefan Bucher's monsters, but the experience of drawing was what I needed.

In the same way, participating in the Hatch Show Print letterpress workshop provided the joy of making something beautiful with the simple elements of wood, ink, and paper. As a designer in the digital age, it was a great reminder to step away from the computer every once and a while and just make something.

"Our approach to design creates the value."
This quote comes from perhaps the most impactful speaker I heard at Make/Think: David Butler, the vice president of global design at Coke. He challenged his audiences to take a holistic approach to design – thinking about the system within which a particular design or product exists instead of narrowly focusing on the minutia of design.

It was great food for thought and was fascinating to hear about how those ideas have played out in real life at Coke. It also has me thinking about the different systems which I work within and how those can be leveraged for greater value through design. Be sure to check out the recent Fast Company article featuring David Butler if you haven't already.

Connect. As the rest of our design team has unfortunately found out by experience (obviously I think this was Joseph's motive in sending me), I could literally discuss for hours the different people, experiences, and ideas I encountered at Make/Think. So, as this is a blog post and not a book, let me close with some pictures and end with an open invitation for designers and non-designers to connect with me if you want to hear more.

Stefan Bucher presenting on the main stage

A slide from the Hatch Show Print affinity session

3 floors worth of designers

Main Street

Comments (0)|Posted by: Mark Schafer, 21 October 2009 at 1:28pm

Demystifying Direct Mail, Part 3

This continues our series of introductory posts on designing for direct mail. Part 1 introduced your friend at the post office, the Mailpiece Design Analyst, the basic mailpiece shapes, and some helpful online resources. In Part 2, we looked more closely at the shapes and other ways that the USPS categorizes mail. Here in Part 3, we examine requirements for getting your mailpiece through the USPS's processing equipment.

Nonmachinable mail
A mailpiece is nonmachinable if it has any physical characteristic which prevents it from being processed by the post office’s equipment, and is subject to a surcharge. Unless you are doing something unusual with your mailpiece on purpose and electing to have it processed manually at extra cost, your goal is to make all mail machinable by meeting all of the specific guidelines in the reference documents available to you (and with the help of your Mailpiece Design Analyst, printer, and/or mailing service representative). All discount mail must be machinable.

Nonmachinable characteristics for letters:

• Has an aspect ratio of less than 1.3 or more than 2.5.
• Is polybagged, polywrapped, enclosed in plastic, or is made of a non-paper material. Windows and certain other types of external attachments are an exception to this.
• Has clasps, strings, buttons, or similar closure devices.
• Contains items such as pens, pencils, keys or coins that cause uneven thickness or are loose and able to move around.
• Is too rigid (does not bend easily when subjected to a transport belt tension of 40 pounds round an 11-inch diameter turn.
• For pieces more than 4-1/4 inches high or 6 inches long, the thickness is less than .009 inch.
• Has a delivery address parallel to the shorter dimension of the mailpiece.
• Is a self-mailer that is not prepared according to DMM 201.3.14
• Is a booklet that is not prepared according to DMM 201.3.14.2

Machinable mail
This means the piece meets all of the physical requirements which allow it to be run through the USPS’s high-speed processing machinery. Machinable mail must meet all of the same requirements that Automated mail must meet (see below), except a barcode is not required.

Bookmark the USPS Quick Service Guides for detailed requirements for machinable and automated mail.

Presorting
Presorting is required for discount mail. This done after addressing, either by a presort bureau/letter shop/mailing service, or in-house using specific supplies and methods required by the post office.

Automated mail
Think of this as “machinable plus barcode.” To qualify for the lower automation postage rate, a barcode is applied by a presort bureau along with the address before delivery to the post office. There are minimum quantities for getting automation rates. Learning to design a mailpiece correctly for automation will most likely require the help of an MDA or other mailing adviser.

Barcodes
A barcode will be applied to your piece at some point in the process; it is either applied by a mailing service along with the address before it goes to the post office (in the case of Automated mail), or it is applied at the post office after a machine has read and interpreted the address.

If your piece will not be mailed at the Automation rate, you must leave a strip of clear space in the bottom right corner of the address side, the dimensions of which are based on the shape of the piece. If the piece is letter-sized, for example, the barcode clear space must be at least 4-3/4×5/8” and extend all the way to the right and bottom edges. Your MDA can provide you with an up-to-date plastic template and measurements.

If designing for Automated mail, the barcode will in most cases be printed as part of the address block by the mailing service / presort bureau. That address block will only need a clear space a few inches wide and tall, and the additional clear space in the corner is not needed. There is a great deal of flexibility in where the address/barcode block can be placed, as long as the barcode is within 4 inches of the bottom edge of the piece. The minimum size of the space needed will vary a little depending on the mailing service, so communication is key.

Background color/paper
In the aforementioned clear spaces, the background should be of a uniform color with adequate light reflectance for the barcode reader or address reader to read properly against. White is preferred, but lighter colors can also work. The USPS has reflectance meters which can measure a sample of the paper you are using. Certain types of coated papers should be avoided.

____

In Part 4, we'll cover addressing and postage.

Comments (0)|Posted by: Alison Ashe, 24 July 2009 at 3:10pm

Demystifying Direct Mail, Part 2

This continues our series of introductory posts on designing for direct mail. Part 1 introduced your friend at the post office, the Mailpiece Design Analyst, the basic mailpiece shapes, and some helpful online resources. Here in Part 2, we'll look more closely at the shapes and other ways that the USPS categorizes mail.

Factors determining the type of mailing
As a designer, unless the format of the mailpiece and the class of mail are already decided for you, you'll be basing decisions about the design of the piece on what kind of message, information, or material needs to be conveyed, weighed against how much the client is willing to pay to get their piece into the hands of the recipients on their list. This cost analysis tool can help start that decision-making process if the client is unfamiliar with commercial mailing.

Retail or Discount
In most cases, commercial mail is discount mail and is designed for easier processing by the post office's equipment. Not meeting the specific physical requirements will bump you back up to full retail price or incur a nonmachinable surcharge. Retail is synonymous with Full Rate First Class. There is also a discounted Presorted First Class category for commercial mailings.

Size and Shape of Mailpiece
As mentioned in Part 1, any piece of mail will be classified as a postcard, letter, flat, or parcel, depending on the dimensions of the piece.

Postcard
Small postcards only
To qualify for the postcard rate:
• Minimum size 3-1/2 x 5 inches and .007 inches thick (equivalent to 80lb text weight stock, or an index card).
• Maximum size 4-1/2 x 6 inches and .016 inches thick (about as thick as 120lb cover weight stock).
• Postcard rate is only available if using First Class.

Letter
Larger postcards, letters, booklets, self-mailers
• Minimum size 3-1/2 x 5 inches and .007 inches thick (equivalent to 80lb text weight stock, or an index card).
• Maximum size 6-1/8 x 11-1/2* inches and 1/4 inch thick.
*Maximum length for a letter will be 10-1/2 inches effective 9/8/09.

Flat
Larger envelopes, newsletters, magazines, larger booklets, larger self-mailers
• A flat has at least one dimension that is greater than 6-1/8 inches high or 11-1/2* inches long or 1/4 inch thick.
• Maximum size: 12 inches high x 15 inches long x 3/4 inch thick.
*Maximum length for a letter will be 10-1/2 inches effective 9/8/09.

Parcel
Anything that isn't a postcard, letter, or flat
• Length + girth cannot exceed 108 inches (130 inches for Parcel Select).

Class
Classes can be thought of as service levels. The class affects postage rates, speed, and services included such as forwarding and returning.

Express Mail
Anything mailable can be sent Express
• Highest cost
• Fastest service available

First Class Mail
Anything mailable can be sent First Class
• First Class Mail offers a discounted rate for small postcards
• Faster than Standard

Standard Mail
Advertisements, circulars, newsletters, magazines, small parcels, merchandise
• Maximum weight is 16 ounces
• Slower than First Class

Periodicals
Newsletters, magazines
• Must be published at regular intervals and meet other specific qualifications
• Requires a formal application procedure

Package Services
Merchandise, books, circulars, catalogs, computer-readable media, film, recordings, educational materials, binders, other printed matter
• Subclasses are Parcel Select, Bound Printed Matter, Media Mail, and Library Mail
• For merchandise, Priority Mail (First Class) may have similar postage costs to Package Services but is faster.

____

In Part 3, we'll look at what you need to know to get your mailpiece through the USPS's processing equipment.

Comments (0)|Posted by: Alison Ashe, 1 July 2009 at 12:29pm

Demystifying Direct Mail, Part 1

We recently attended a breakfast talk hosted by AIGA Knoxville on designing for direct mail. Sheila Kirton, our local USPS Mailpiece Design Analyst (did you know those existed?), gave us a great refresher on what to do and not to do when designing direct mail and alerted us to some upcoming changes in mailpiece requirements. Since we found this so helpful, we decided to put together our own introductory guide to mailing standards. Even if you’ve worked on mailpieces before, there can be many gaps in your knowledge. Mail can be pretty tricky, and it’s difficult to know where to go for a comprehensive overview from a designer’s perspective.

Interesting Findings from the AIGA Knoxville Breakfast Talk

• The maximum length for a mailpiece in the Letter category is being reduced from 11.5 to 10.5 inches on September 8. Anything over 10.5 inches will be mailed as a Flat instead of a Letter. (This applies to Sumo-sized postcards, self-mailers, booklets, etc.)
• A square letter-sized mailpiece will receive a nonmachinable surcharge because it will tumble end over end instead of sliding smoothly through the equipment. Flats can be square, however.
• Glossy paper stocks can cause problems in the machines because they generate static electricity. They can also interfere with machine readability and incur additional charges.
• Some paper coatings or printing methods can interfere with the barcode your piece will receive during processing. A mailer that we received recently had a barcode which was badly smeared over a field of solid color. The color appeared to have been printed by a color laser / quick run method.
• Blue inks are more difficult for machines to read.
• Your envelope’s flap can be on either the front or the back side, but cannot be on the bottom edge.
• Your piece can have rounded corners, but they can have a radius no larger than 1/8 inch.
• Don’t use an open / cutout address window in your self-mailer; it can get caught in the machines. A booklet that we received advertising a well-known design conference demonstrated this error!
• Those clear tabs for closing self-mailers look nicer, but they often don't stick as well as the opaque ones.

Mailpiece Design Analyst

Something you may not know even if you have been designing mailpieces for a while is that there is someone at the USPS whose job it is to help you design mail correctly and prevent unexpected postage costs and delays for you and your clients. Sometimes this information finds its way to you through others, such as printers or mailing services / presort bureaus, but the MDA is closest to the source.

From the USPS site: “Mailpiece Design Analysts (MDA) are postal employees specially trained to answer your questions regarding mailpiece design. These employees provide advice and issue rulings regarding acceptability for automated rates. MDAs provide technical assistance on mailpiece design to envelope manufacturers, printers, advertising agencies, and graphic designers.”

This includes testing your chosen paper stocks, if needed, and checking your artwork via email/PDF for problems before you send it to print.

To find the analyst assigned to your zip code:
http://pe.usps.gov/mpdesign/mpdfr_mda_lookup.asp

Brief Introduction to Mailpiece Shapes

We’ll look more in depth at how mail is categorized in upcoming posts, but one of the first things you should know, which will make it easier to navigate the USPS’s reference documents, is that there are only four categories of mail shapes.

• Postcard
• Letter
• Flat
• Parcel

Any piece of mail will be classified as one of these, depending on the dimensions of the piece. Many things which do not seem like a letter, for example, actually fall into the Letter category, such as a small booklet, a self-mailer, or a large postcard.

Small postcards under 4.5×6 in. and being sent First Class are the only things the USPS places in the Postcard category; a Postcard is really only a type of discounted Letter.

Other Resources

For those who would like to dive right in, these have been the most helpful online resources for us. The USPS publishes an overwhelming number of reference documents, many of which repeat the same information in ways that are tailored for the different audiences to which they speak. The more in-depth resources also tend to include lots of information on sorting methods, barcode creation, etc. which most designers don’t need to know; that information is targeted at mailing professionals (presort bureaus; postal employees; in-house mailing departments).

Business Mail 101
Online introductory tool for beginning or infrequent mailers (this applies to a lot of designers!), including a glossary.

Quick Service Guides
A more user-friendly version of the information in the Domestic Mail Manual. Includes visual diagrams of sizes and shapes of the different types of mail (see the sections labeled “Physical Standards”).

USPS Domestic Mail Manual (the Bible of mailing)
It’s actually not easy to locate this online version of the ultimate domestic mailing reference when browsing the USPS site.

USPS International Mail Manual

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In our posts to follow, we'll examine the different shapes and classes of mail, and discuss how to ensure that your mailpiece will travel safely through the post office's automated equipment.

Demystifying Direct Mail, Part 2

Comments (4)|Posted by: Alison Ashe, 8 June 2009 at 3:28pm

Cut & Paste: The 2008 Greeting Card Competition, AIGA Knoxville

As many of you may know, Designsensory is a proud and active member of our local chapter of the AIGA, the professional association of design. Given that Alison and I both serve on the Knoxville AIGA board we thought we'd do our part to get the word out for this year's greeting card competition.

The theme is handmade and the competition is open to everyone!  Here's more info:

We're encouraging you to step away from your bright computer screens this holiday season and get back to working with your hands. Create an original holiday greeting card(s) and mail it in to our competition by December 1st for a chance to win one of four locally handmade packages: 1st prize = $150 value, 2nd = $75 value, 3rd = $30 value, 4th = $20 value.

Then, join us on First Friday, December 5th at the kickoff of the Handmade Holiday Show in the former White Store Building on North Central (get directions). The Glowing Body / MagPies reception will open at 6.00 pm with music starting at around 8.00pm. Proceeds from the event will go to benefit the Second Harvest Food Bank of East Tennessee, Downtown North Redevelopment and AIGA Knoxville.
 
Fifty designs will be chosen from the submitted entries. All fifty chosen designs will be on display and offered for sale in a silent auction on December 5th.

So break out the pens, pencils, and brushes to show us what beautiful things you can make. Be it cross-stitch, screenprinting, letterpress, collage, illustration, spraypaint, etc...the options are limitless!

Go to Knoxcards.org today to download your application.

P.S. Also, don't forget we have our PM: Happy Hour coming up this November 18, 2008 from 6:30-8:00pm at the Urban Bar. Come join us for drinks and good conversation with folks from the local creative community in Knoxville! In fact, if you mention you learned about this event through this blog post, I will personally buy you a drink.

And...no, I am not resorting to bribery.  :-)    See you there!

Comments (3)|Posted by: Joseph Nother, 11 November 2008 at 4:40pm

Work Honored by Graphic Design USA

Just a few days ago the mailman brought a little dose of love in the form of a good ole catalog envelope. There was nothing special about the envelope except for what was inside---five awards for design excellence and a special note of congratulations. Our selections were picked out of a pool of 10,000 plus entries as part of the top 15%. A big pat on the pack to everyone who worked on these projects! Check out the certificates below. More importantly, click on the projects and see the work!

Recognition for the new Tennessee Theatre ID mark (logo)  |  View project»

Recognition for the Goodwill Industries 2007 Fashion Show Campaign  |  View project»

Recognition for the redeveloped AC Entertainment website, Concertwire.com  |  View project»

Recognition for Careers and Education website for the State of Tennessee  |  View project»

Recognition for the Lifesaver Luau 2007 Fundraising Campaign  |  View project»

Again, congratulations to everyone for their passion and hardwork. Awards are great but effectiveness and business performance are better. I am happy to report that in each case above, the customer AND their constitents benefited from great design. Anyone have a favorite?

Comments (11)|Posted by: Joseph Nother, 12 September 2008 at 1:39pm

A taste of our own medicine: Designing one's own Identity

Why is it so difficult to design and develop your own identity system, print collateral and web site? Besides the time and personnel commitment, many design and web development agencies often struggle to capture the essence of their organizations when it comes time to do all things brand, identity and web site. Perhaps it is deciding on one path from a myriad of creative possibilities. Or perhaps it is a battle between aspiration versus pragmatism with respect to positioning.

Be it a large, hundred-man enterprise or a small, two-person shop, it is always a decidedly difficult task. Having said that, focusing the mirror of the design process on oneself has its rewards as well. Turning a process reserved for clients on ourselves ultimately shows how painful, yet rewarding, the design process can be.

Comments (4)|Posted by: Joseph Nother, 5 August 2008 at 9:56am

Alison Ashe

Alison solves visual communication problems through a process of research, concept exploration, and original thinking.

Lindsay Miller

Lindsay is dedicated to the unrelenting pursuit of delivering unique, effective media solutions that bring a company's message to life.

Joseph Nother

As co-founder and creative director for Designsensory, Joseph oversees teams that deliver award-winning and compelling design.

Brandon Rochelle

Brandon, co-founder and technical director, oversees technology development spanning interactive work through online marketing.

Mark Schafer

In his role as creative designer, he puts his passion for creating excellent, meaningful design into practice.

Susan Sewell

Susan brings a background as a writer, senior editor, promotion specialist, and project manager.