Giving the Perfect Gift….and Making it, Too!

Holiday gift-giving can be a creative challenge.  It’s hard to strike a balance between functional, original, and sentimental.  This year, we paired with our friends at Campaign Consultation to give a very unique holiday gift to the organizations’ principles.  It came from the heart.

As we prepared for our Principal team members to embark on a 60 day adventure around the world, (learn more about that HERE) we asked our President, Linda Brown Rivelis, and CEO, Steven Rivelis what they were going to miss most while they were away.   Among other things, (holiday celebrations and the like) they said that every fall for the past 20 some years they had watched the leaves on the maple tree in front of our offices turn fiery red before falling to the ground.  This year, they were going to miss it for the first time. We secretly started thinking of a way for them to partake in the tree’s transition, even if they couldn’t physically be here for it.  Through the use of QR codes, animation, and branding irons, (yes branding irons!) we made this possible.  Here’s how we did it:

• Every day, we took a picture of the tree
• Our design team cleaned up the sequence of photos and then developed an animation of the tree’s leaves turning red and gently falling
• We went wild and bought a branding iron,  and ordered a branding plate with the image of a QR code we developed
• After a trip to the hardware store, we used the brand to imprint a piece of wood and created a piece of art to hang on the tree.
• Upon their return, we invited Linda and Steven outside to see the “installation art.”   They of course scanned the code and voila!
• A lasting gift was created for the entire community.   Now anyone can walk by the tree and see the leaves a’fallin.

Check it out here: www.eyebytesolutions.com/qrbrand

Now as proud owners of our very own branding iron, the possibilities are endless.  Maybe you’ll be taking a walk around Charles Village and see these things wrapped around more than just one tree. Or maybe you will see something in downtown Austin in time for SXSW. Stay tuned…

Award Winning Design

The International Academy of the Visual Arts recognized Eye Byte Solutions, LLC with a W³ Award for work with Campaign Consultation, Inc. on behalf of Volunteers in Service To America (VISTA) – the nation’s domestic Peace Corps.

From among submissions by Fortune 500 companies, international agencies, and independent firms, the VISTA Campus was selected for the 2011 W³ Award. The VISTA Campus is the go-to web resource and interactive hub for those dedicated to alleviating poverty with AmeriCorps VISTA, founded by anti-poverty leader Sargent Shriver in 1965.

It is very exciting to have the opportunity to visually express the work of VISTA.  There are so many great volunteers dedicating their time to serve others.  Showcasing their efforts and the resources has been inspiring. Creating a design for a virtual space that not only gets noticed, but invites people to stay a while is a tall order. The W3 award is a great acknowledgement of this effort.

The W³ Awards recognizes the power of Web creativity, honoring the professionals behind best-in-class sites, videos and marketing programs. The W³ is judged by the International Academy of the Visual Arts, an invitation-only body consisting of top-tier professionals from a “Who’s Who” of acclaimed media, interactive, advertising, and marketing firms, including executives from organizations such as AvatarLabs, Conde Nast, Disney, The Ellen Degeneres Show, Microsoft, MTV Networks, Polo Ralph Lauren, Sotheby’s Institute of Art, Wired, and Yahoo!

Eye Byte Solutions, LLC Wins W3 Design Award

Eye Byte Solutions, LLC Wins W3 Design Award

The International Academy of the Visual Arts recognized Eye Byte Solutions, LLC with a W³ Award for work with Campaign Consultation, Inc. on behalf of Volunteers in Service To America (VISTA) – the nation’s domestic Peace Corps.

From among submissions by Fortune 500 companies, international agencies, and independent firms, the VISTA Campus was selected for the 2011 W³ Award. The VISTA Campus is the go-to web resource and interactive hub for those dedicated to alleviating poverty with AmeriCorps VISTA, founded by anti-poverty leader Sargent Shriver in 1965.

It is very exciting to have the opportunity to visually express the work of VISTA.  There are so many great volunteers dedicating their time to serve others.  Showcasing their efforts and the resources has been inspiring. Creating a design for a virtual space that not only gets noticed, but invites people to stay a while is a tall order. The W3 award is a great acknowledgement of this effort.

The W³ Awards recognizes the power of Web creativity, honoring the professionals behind best-in-class sites, videos and marketing programs. The W³ is judged by the International Academy of the Visual Arts, an invitation-only body consisting of top-tier professionals from a “Who’s Who” of acclaimed media, interactive, advertising, and marketing firms, including executives from organizations such as AvatarLabs, Conde Nast, Disney, The Ellen Degeneres Show, Microsoft, MTV Networks, Polo Ralph Lauren, Sotheby’s Institute of Art, Wired, and Yahoo!

Give 5 2011

Each year Eye Byte donates 5% of our year’s pre-tax profit to charities and causes we believe in. This year, on January 6, 2012, we held our annual Give 5 at a local restaurant, Woodberry Kitchen.

As part of the initiative, each member of the team is asked to present their cause and ask for an amount that they think would make an impact.  So, who did we choose?

Here’s the full list of 2011 Give 5 recipients:

• Habitat for Humanity
• KOTO Vietnam
• Make Studio
• Wide Angle Youth Media

Are you or your organization involved in giving back?  Share your story with us!

Linda Brown Rivelis, President, and CEO, Steven Rivelis brought back items from their 60 day sabbatical around the world to display to the team at our annual Give 5 event. Check out the designs of these items!

Wishing you all the best in the new year

MailChimp!

MailChimp is such a trusty little chimp. Located at www.mailchimp.com, it’s an online email service with a sign up process so simple, you can be creating and sending your own good-looking email blasts in a matter of minutes. This is a great email marketing tool that we here at Eye Byte use to create & send emails, save distinct email lists, and analyze data about our communications.

Not only is MailChimp efficient and easy, it is also fun! A little chimp who lives in the corner of your screen is a blast to work with. Each time you refresh the page or go to a new page, he has a new witty little message to keep you motivated. “Yo, Eyebyte! Let’s rock some emails!”

What I love about MailChimp is that while it keeps things easy for any client, it also has a range of complexity to please designers and developers. I recently spent time creating my own HTML email from scratch, but then put in some handy code that then allowed our client to edit certain sections of the template as well. This is a great time saver for developers and clients.

We now have our own MailChimp mascot hiding out in the office, thanks to Rebecca! I love this chimp.

Eye Byte Bits – Designing Your Year End Message

Designing Your Year End Message

Each month we’re emailing “Eye Byte Bits” – a quick share from our experience in design, web, interactive and social media. This month, we’re focusing on a two part series on Your Year-End Message that includes the following:
1. Developing Your Year-End Message
2. Designing Your Year-End Message

Hope you enjoyed last month’s feature “Developing Your Year-End Message”

Determine Your Message

The first step in designing your message is to choose an approach. In the last issue of Eye Byte Bits, we discussed several methods.

• Tell a great story
• Include the voices of others
• Highlight company changes
• Share a concise goal for the coming year
• Express a heartfelt thanks, and wish your audience a happy holiday season

Fix Your Budget

After you know your approach, it’s time to nail down the budget. Having a set budget is key for any business project, and will help you decide how to get the message out. Will you have enough cash to print and send a fancy mailer? Or is an e-delivery more suitable for this time around?

Choose a Delivery Method

There are so many ways to reach your audience. A classy, grainy printed piece feels great in the hand, can be highly interactive, and may be featured on a cork board in an office. If you want send something that’s easy for folks to share and has viral potential, you could create a dynamic electronic file or a link to an interactive web page. Ideally, you can do it all, but if your budget is constrained, this is when knowing your audience comes into play.

If you go with print, you may consider:

• A letter in an envelope
• A card or postcard
• Some other type of folding piece that can be mailed flat, (think about a die cut, embossing, screen printing, or specialty inks)
• A poster (delivered flat or in a tube)

For electronic deliveries, consider:

• A fancy HTML email (be sure to use an enticing subject line and check your mailing list twice)
• A link to an online card, animation, or other interactive piece
• A video (check out vimeo and other online platforms for sharing videos)

Once you have chosen your delivery method, compile a list of deliverables and make sure it fits your budget in both time and materials

Create Content

Here comes the fun part! You know your message and how you want to deliver it. Now it is time to decide how to say it best. Brainstorm with at least two other people—get everyone’s ideas out there so you don’t miss a beat.

If you keep your audience in mind, you can really make yourself stand out. What tone do you want to convey? Whose “voice” should be guiding the words? This is a great time to start compiling your list of recipients. That way your readers/viewers will be fresh in your mind.

Think about the space provided in the delivery method you’ve chosen. Make sure to keep it short, sweet, and to the point.

Keep your brand in mind and show your personality through written content, the visuals and the material you choose.

How can you engage your audience through interactivity? QR Codes are a great way to make print pieces interactive.

Now, weed through the ideas and choose ONE.

Develop the piece(s) and the delivery list

Build out the design, have fun with it and revisit with your brainstormin’ crew to make sure your message is being executed as you discussed.

As you get close to the delivery date, make sure you have an inclusive and accurate list of recipients, so that when it’s ready you can send it right out.

Edit

This is generally a challenging part of the process and it may be time to bring in ‘fresh eyes.’ Try and have at least two people review and make any necessary edits. Remember: less is more.

Make it Happen!

Get out that list, make labels and put on stamps, or simply paste and press send. Get it out the door!

Eye Byte Solutions Hires Bob Gillespie

Linda and I are thrilled to report that we have just hired Bob Gillespie  as a new addition to the Eye Byte Solutions team!

Bob joins us as a creative designer with ten years of exceptional experience.

• He has owned his own design firm
• Worked for a variety of design shops
• Most recently has been associated with the North Charles Street Design Organization
• Holds an Associated Degree in Animation from the Art Institute of Philadelphia
• Holds a BA in Digital Arts & Multi-Media Design from La Salle University
• Holds a Masters in Publication Design from the University of Baltimore
• Recognized as an ADDY Award Winner

Join us as we welcome Bob to the team!

Eye Byte Bits – Year End Story

Each month we’re emailing “Eye Byte Bits” – a quick share from our experience in design, web, interactive and social media. This month, we’re focusing on a two part series on Your Year-End Message that includes the following:

Tell a great story

Construct a personal, relevant case for support, and show how your organization is making real-world impact for individuals.  Show measured successes which will inspire people to get involved with your mission and work.

Include the voices of others

Let your beneficiaries and clients tell your story for you. This approach can be very powerful. The unique words of those who have benefitted from your expertise will go far to make your case. Plus, these folks will feel even more invested in your organization when you thoughtfully gain permission to use their testimonials.

Highlight company changes

Share a concise goal for the coming year

Express a heartfelt thanks, and wish your audience a happy holiday season

DCWEEK

Last week, Eye Byte Solutions attended (and was a web sponsor of) DC Week.  The keynote, “The Future of Mobility”, focused on the effects mobility has on the economy, speaking to more than one definition of “mobility”: mobile applications, cars, and innovation.

A variety of speakers took the stage, including Mayor Vince Gray, who announced that November was established as DC Tech Month; Genevieve Bell, Director of Interaction and Experience Research at Intel Labs; Mike Jones, Former CEO of Myspace, Former SVP of AOL and Founder of UserPlane; Author Brian Solis; and Frank Warren, Creator of Post Secret.

Here are some interesting takeaways:

Genevieve focused on what our cars tell us.  You can learn a lot of someone from what they keep in their car.  Cars are one of the fastest growing status symbols, they are everywhere and full of technology, they are people’s third homes, they keep us socially safe, but most of all, they hold our secrets. What once was a place used solely for transportation has become somewhere that we use for many tasks – checking email, using GPS to navigate us, desiring Bluetooth to have hands free conversations, and more.  As a business, it is important to determine where you fit into the mix.

Brian Solis, author of “The End of Business as Usual”, gave a compelling speech about the ability to do something that matters through innovation. “Digital Darwinism is the evolution of consumer behavior when society and technology evolve faster than your ability to adapt”. He asked us to think about the following: What is it that we are going to do right now that is actually going to matter, that people love and that people love to share, what can you do differently to inspire people to be part of what you’re doing because it’s so amazing?

Frank Warren, creator of Post Secret, left a lasting imprint on the audience.  He reminisced on times when he used to walk around the streets of DC saying, “Hi.  I’m Frank and I collect secrets.”  He handed out self addressed post cards for people to write their secrets down on and send them to him.  His inspiration came from a sad story – the suicide of his best friend.  It was then that Frank realized that people need someone to tell their secrets to – that talking can make a whole world of a difference – that it can save lives.  What many could see as a tragedy, this man turned around into a movement to make a difference. He has since published four books filled with secrets, an iPhone app, and runs PostSecret.com -  the largest advertisement-free Blog in the world. It was incredible to hear from an artist who gave back, but also to bring out the artist in others.

As a designer and developer, the speeches left me inspired. The feeling coming from the speakers was that we, as the audience, are the future of mobility. And that we, as entrepreneurs, should encourage one another to take part in building the future.