…And We’re Off!
January 18, 2012 -
January has been a whirlwind already, but that’s what we thrive on. We’re kicking off many projects with new clients in a diverse set of industries. Very exciting, not just because we can bring in our interactive expertise to help our clients, but we’re keeping ourselves on the forefront of many market sectors as we translate their visions into cutting-edge interfaces and campaigns.
A few of the projects we’re exceptionally thrilled about are:
- A redesigned website, logo, and annual report for a major medical center on the UCSD Campus
- A 3D animated video and touchscreen kiosk for one of the nation’s best retail developers
- A redesigned website for a thriving and award-winning environmental agency
- A mobile and iPad compatible site for a major real estate SaaS company
- A new website for a major energy company
We’ll keep the updates coming, but for now, it’s time to get back to work!
Screen Shot – 2011 Holiday Video
If you haven’t seen this year’s video yet – check it out! We had a blast making it, and hope it brings you a chuckle or two. HAPPY HOLIDAYS!
The Future Of Mobile In 2012
It seems like the smartphone is already an amazing multi-tasking machine, but it will take on even more in the coming year according to Gartner, Inc, in its analysis of mobile trends likely to emerge and become more mainstream in 2012.
Location Based Services (LBS)
LBS enables services to be delivered to consumers based on their location, but this will go a few steps further. A more intelligent experience will come from context based services, depending on users’ personal preference, gender, age, profession, intention and so on.
Social Networking
As major social networking sites (Facebook, Twitter) become mainstream on mobile, they’re becoming portals and cloud storage for all types of email, messaging, photo and video data. They’ll be driven toward a new role in acting as data warehouses, providing data to major consumer brands.
Enhanced Mobile Search
Instead of just searching, mobile users will take action based on their search result, like making a reservation, buying a ticket or placing an order.
Mobile Commerce
Mobile users will have the ability to “check in” to a store to alert a retailer that you are there, or the ability to add items to a shopping cart simply by taking a photo of an item or bar code in the physical store.
Object Recognition
Apps will soon come to the market with enhanced capabilities that allow users to rely on the camera, as well as other device sensors to search and communicate.
Cool New Stuff
In light of the holidays being right around the corner, here’s our round up of pretty outstanding – and quite useful – tech products worth a quick look.
1. SWYP (See What You Print) Printer
This is just a concept in the works, but a very cool one. You’ll be able to use the handy touchscreen right on the printer to do all of the normally confusing and time-consuming tasks on a traditional printer:
2. iTwin
iTwin is just like a pair of USB drives and will enable you to get the data from your home computer without a cable or third party software.
Insert one USB drive in your home computer and take the other with you. Whenever, you want data simply put the drive in any computer in any part of the world and you will be able to reach your data in your home computer without any fear of loss of data.
3. Tefal Toast ‘n Egg
Behold! The toaster on steroids. This is genius. Pop everything in the same time, and voilà! It also has a meat warmer for the bacon that will go on your breakfast sandwich- that you’ll be able to whip up in less than five minutes.
4. Sony Playstation 3D Display
- This bad boy has a 24 inch full HD 1080p resolution screen with SimulView which enables two spec wearing players to see their own individual full screen feeds in 2D. Watch TV and movies in 3D or 2D with built in speakers. It even comes with a game and 3D glasses, and is reasonably priced.
5. Porsche BlackBerry
Porsche and BlackBerry teamed up to create the P’9981. This little gem is made of a single slab of aluminum and black leather back. It’s equipped for high-speed internet and recording video in HD quality, and is sure to be a popular item on the wish list!
6. Weezy Bluetooth Music Receiver
Play your phone or computer’s music library on your stereo system using Bluetooth connection. Completely wireless, full HiFi quality and has much more visual appeal than the standard dock.
Ringing in 2012 With A Plethora Of New Projects
It will be pretty quiet around here while we’re closed during the last week of 2011, but that will all quickly change in January! We’ve got some exciting new projects on the forefront that we’ll be kicking off in 2012, and are looking forward to working with both old and new clients in industries ranging from retail, apartment, residential and commercial development to medical services to high-end consumer products.
We can’t give away too much quite yet, but along with a number of website redesigns, we’ll also be working on iPhone, iPad and Droid apps, touchscreen kiosks, laptop presentations, responsive design, video, logo redesign, social media campaigns and more.
We’ll keep the blog updated, so check back often!
Web Design Techniques To Watch In 2012
Web design is such a dynamic field, it’s tough to know what will stick around and what will simply be a fleeting trend (remember scrolling marquees and blinking text?) We have no doubt that the design techniques and technologies listed below will rule the web, due to their visual appeal, cross browser functionality, ease of use, and – let’s face it, cool factor.
Trends in Functionality
Large, Scalable Backgrounds
Faster internet connections and better cameras, among other technologies, are allowing large photos and illustrations to take center stage as backgrounds. In many cases, this enables brands to integrate their product directly into the design, without competing with actual content.
Responsive Design & Portability
With so many emerging screen sizes, tablets and smartphones, designers and developers are being challenged to create a seamless experience for different viewing environments. Responsive Design means creating multiple approaches of one design, and developing them in a fluid, flexible manner for a fully functional, brand-cohesive experience of the site, regardless of the device they’re using.
More HTML5 and CSS3
These technologies aren’t brand new, but continue to be more widely used among developers as Flash becomes obsolete. HTML5 creates more readable code, features smarter forms, typography, social tools and new API’s among other features. CSS3 also includes many new functions now available in previous versions, such as multiple backgrounds and @font-face technology.
Parallax Scrolling
Parallax Scrolling is a technique that incorporates movement and change of the background and foreground images to create a sense of depth as the user scrolls. Utilizing a combination of jQuery, CSS3 and good imagery, designers and developers can create a very interesting experience for even the smallest of sites.
http://www.manufacturedessai.it/it/
http://www.nikebetterworld.com/
(We’re working on our own parallax site that you’ll see very soon!)
Trends In Design
Minimalism
Minimalism is nothing new in graphic design, but has been more recently embraced in web design. This will continue next year with strides in technology and users demanding instant gratification. A continued focus on content, where less is more.
Typography
Web designers are able to integrate custom fonts as more browsers are becoming font-friendly. Also, tools like Google Fonts, Font Face and other font services, allow designers the ability to access a directory of open source fonts and use them in websites without having to adhere to a particular set of “web safe” fonts that the user has pre-installed on their computer. They’re able to design using bolder and bigger typography that will not only please the eye, but are also SEO friendly.
Welcome Bryan Perez, Web Developer
We’re excited to have a new developer on board, especially one who’s willing to take on any new challenge! Bryan earned his bachelor’s degree in Computer Science at California State University at Fullerton, and has since grown to love web development, with an appreciation for building sites from the ground up.
“I like the challenge of trying to improve my skills from the previous project, such as making my code more efficient and easier to maintain,” Bryan says.
The skills he uses at LJG vary from those he learned in school, but he’s always able to adapt what he learned to complete the task at hand.
“If Bryan is unfamiliar with a specific task, he’s very resourceful and catches on very quickly,” says lead developer, Donny Hansen.
Looking ahead, Bryan is interested in what HTML5 and CSS 3 have to offer the web world once they become standard, and spends time reading blogs and articles to help him stay up-to-date on all the latest technologies and improve his skills.
Welcome to LJG, Bryan!
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The iPad: A No-Brainer For Commercial Real Estate Execs and Brokers
Commercial real estate brokers and executives have quickly warmed up to the iPad as an everyday tool for conducting business. You’ll rarely find many of them without their tablet computer in both the meeting environment as well as out in the field.
But, why has the adoption of this trend occurred so quickly in an industry known for being a little slow on the uptick when it comes to technology?
The ability to be completely portable, and and have full office capability from the car is just one of many reasons. Brokers can easily utilize iPad apps like Keynote, Numbers and Bloomberg when preparing to meet with a client.
Commercial retail brokers are implementing their own, custom applications very regularly, that allow brokers and clients to showcase and search for available properties. These apps are not only utilized in the field, but also at trade shows and meetings, where the presenter can quickly engage prospects with visually stimulating photography, video and graphics.
What about paperwork? Many brokers even have an inverter in the car, to plug in an e-printer to print maps, contracts and other information while mobile. Furthermore, DocuSign is gaining popularity as an electronic signature service so that proposals, contracts and other documents can be signed on the go.
Since the iPad starts up instantly as opposed to a laptop, it is a huge time saver, and can be used with myWi for mobile WiFi connection for up to five devices.
In an industry where generating new business depends on being able to quickly access large amounts of data and showcase it in an engaging way, the iPad (paired with peripheral tools and applications) is quickly becoming mainstream.
North American Properties Makes Huge Strides With Avalon iPad Application
After wowing crowds at the 2011 ICSC Conference in Las Vegas, NAP continues to leverage the iPad as a leasing tool for prospective retail and hotel tenants for Avalon, its 106-acre mixed-use development project in Alpharetta, Georgia.
NAP commissioned LJG to interpret the intelligent design created by Janis Brown & Associates for the iPad, then develop and deploy a presentation that includes a fly-through of its location in Alpharetta, as well as a demographics map and psychographics information. A master site plan also provides brokers a visually stimulating and engaging method of introducing the overall project vision to prospective tenants.
The presentation has become so popular with retail brokers, that it’s currently in the process of becoming an application, available in the Apple Store for download.
As an application, it can be installed for free via the Apple Store, and can be used anywhere to showcase space available for lease to prospective retailers. Similarly to any other app, the user will be notified when updates are available and they can simply install them to their own device.
Victory For Village at Westfield Topanga Project
Congratulations to Westfield, who overcame a major key planning hurdle last month with approval for The Village at Westfield Topanga, Westfield’s proposed retail center in Woodland Hills. Already a hugely successful center, the plan will bring even more for shoppers and visitors.
Due to its size and complex nature, Westfield included LJG on its consultant team to help bring its vision to life in intricately detailed 3D presentations to community and government officials.
We’re thrilled to be included in such an innovative project, and again want to congratulate the Westfield team for such a huge victory!
San Diego Centre City Development Corporation Website Wins Silver At 2011 W3 Awards
October 17, 2011 – The International Academy of Visual Arts announced its 2011 W3 Award winners last week, honoring creative excellence in outstanding websites, web marketing, web video and mobile apps created by some of the best interactive agencies, designers and creators worldwide. Out of over 3,000 entries, LJG and San Diego’s Centre City Development Corporation took home a silver award in the Government category for the new CCDC website.
CCDC plans and implements downtown revitalization programs, and is a primary reason for downtown San Diego’s ongoing improvements. LJG worked closely with CCDC to create a more intuitive interface design. The site’s interactive map illustrates all current and planned development in downtown San Diego and is the most visited area of the site, and major component of the redesign. The new website also links seamlessly to the Geographic Information Systems (GIS) database to create a completely accurate and interactive mapping feature of downtown San Diego.
We’d like to congratulate CCDC, for all their hard work in creating a new site that conveys their mission, while maintaining up-t0-date information that both residents and San Diego visitors alike to learn what makes downtown San Diego such a special place to live and play!
2011 Silver Award Winner: http://www.ccdc.com, Centre City Development Corporation (CCDC)
For more information on the award, visit the W3 Award website.
RSM & LJG Take Home Silver In The 2011 W3 Awards For Architype Review e-Zine
October 17, 2011 – The International Academy of Visual Arts announced its 2011 W3 Award winners last week, honoring creative excellence in outstanding websites, web marketing, web video and mobile apps created by some of the best interactive agencies, designers and creators worldwide. Out of over 3,000 entries, LJG and RSM Design took home a silver award in the Magazine category for the Architype Media website and e-zine.
Redmond Schwartz Mark Design (RSM) and LJG created a partnership to own and completely redesign ArchitypeReview with the objective to” honor those projects that are challenging the limits and redefining the norms of a certain building type.” ArchitypeReview, combined with ArchitypeSource and ArchitypeConnect, will offer a comprehensive way for designers to look at the best architectural work in the world, while connecting, sharing and learning with tens of thousands of other registered members.
We’d like to congratulate RSM Design, for all their hard work in creating such a cutting-edge resource for Architects and Designers!
2011 Silver Award Winner: http://www.architypemedia, RSM Design and Architype Media, Inc.
For more information on the award, visit the W3 Award website.
NBA Champion Dirk Nowitzki, TOYOTA and Children’s Cancer Research Fund Team Up this Holiday Season for the Joy and Future of Our Children
The Children’s Cancer Research Fund (CCRF) has launched the Light Up The Nation campaign and website (www.lightupthenation.org) – a unique holiday giving program benefiting both the donor and a child in the hospital. From now until the end of the year, both individuals and corporations can participate and bring a smile to a child in the hospital undergoing cancer treatment. For each $50 donation, the donor will receive Harry the Holiday Conductor Bear. As Harry arrives at the donor’s doorstep, a matching bear will also be sent to a child at participating hospitals, nationwide. In addition, the donor’s name will adorn a gift tag on the CCRF Christmas Tree or Menorah on www.LightUpTheNation.org.
With participating hospitals in almost every state, children around the nation will be recipients of Harry the conductor bear. Thanks to generous sponsors and volunteers, 100% of every $50 donation goes directly to funding pediatric oncology research. To view the local recipient hospital in each state, click here or visit the interactive map at www.lightupthenation.org/#/kids-benefit.
About Children’s Cancer Research Fund
Having seen the courage, strength and need of children with cancer, founder Matti Contopulos discovered a new way to bring fresh hopes and more than a few smiles to children with cancer and their families. Since 1987, Children’s Cancer Research Fund (CCRF) has remained dedicated to providing support on a national level for clinical research in pediatric cancer and improving the medical environment for all children.
For more information, photos, logos and other materials please contact Holly Flakus at 619-232-3000 or holly.flakus@ljg.com or visit www.lightupthenation.org
San Diegans 4 Great Schools & LJG Win Gold At 2011 W3 Awards
October 17, 2011 – The International Academy of Visual Arts announced its 2011 W3 Award winners last week, honoring creative excellence in outstanding websites, web marketing, web video and mobile apps created by some of the best interactive agencies, designers and creators worldwide. Out of over 3,000 entries, LJG and San Diegans 4 Great Schools took home a gold award in the Politics category.
Congratulations to San Diegans 4 Great Schools, who worked diligently with us to see their vision come to life online!
2011 Gold Award Winner: San Diegans 4 Great Schools
For more information on the award, visit the W3 Winners Gallery
North Embarcadero Visionary Plan 3D Walk Through
October 13, 2011 – San Diego’s KUSI morning news interviewed Board of Port Commissioners Chairman Scott Peters today, covering the North Embarcadero Visionary Plan. LJG created this piece to illustrate the Port of San Diego’s plan to turn the city’s downtown waterfront into a new center for culture, commerce and entertainment.
We were thrilled to create the video, providing multiple audiences a first-hand experience of what the new Embarcadero would offer – a new pier, extensive landscaping, a dining terrace, upscale retail and a new wharf dedicated to civic events.
Now in progress, this multi-phased plan will affect the area between the Midway and the San Diego International Airport, when finished. For more information on this plan, please visit: http://www.portofsandiego.org/north-embarcadero/1880-overview-and-background.html
A Fresh Look For LBARealty.com
LJG recently launched a new site for real estate investment and management company, LBA Realty. The new site features intuitive searches of both office and industrial properties by criteria, map, region or address. Each comprehensive property page includes large photos and aerials, directions, availabilities and a custom marketing brochure PDF generator allowing users to create a custom brochure.
Thank You For Revolutionizing Our Industry, Mr. Jobs
It was cold and rainy last Wednesday when I learned that Steve Jobs had passed away of pancreatic cancer. I’m certain that like many people, I’ll never forget where I was when I found out, and have thought about it often since then.
We spent some time talking about this in the office last week, and have likened his acumen to that Thomas Edison or Henry Ford. The news of his death hit close to home for so many of us, because the company he turned into an iconic brand is now embedded in our both our home and work.
You don’t need to look much further than your own Facebook or Twitter feed to find tributes to, stories about, or inspirational quotes from this visionary, those of which you very likely viewed on your Apple device.
Our situation is not unique here at LJG, where the way we work has evolved with the innovation and tenacity of Steve Jobs. His ideas changed how we perceive technology, design and entertainment, combining them all across various types of media, an influence that will continue to be felt across many industries.
Finding a list of his accomplishments is as easy as typing a search into Google, so here is a short round up of our favorite #weloveyoustevejobs tweets. Thank you for changing our world, Mr. Jobs. You will be missed.
- Imagine being able to say Pixar was your third greatest achievement.
- iHateCancer
- Why couldn’t it have been the Compaq guy? Was there a Compaq guy? Exactly.
- The guy who made a computer that both me and my 82 year old dad could understand must have been a genius.
- The genius we didn’t deserve, but the one we needed. Farewell, Steve Jobs.
Communicating Concepts Through A Sketch
Interview with Tom Greer, Partner and Project Director
Even in today’s high-tech world, where we’re constantly living in front of an LCD screen of some kind, even the most technologically advanced concepts begin with a simple sketch. No computer required, just a sketch pad, a pen and an idea.
LJG Partners Senior Project Director and Architect Tom Greer sheds some light on the process when taking on a new project, from sketch to completion.
1. Why do you use a sketch, rather than starting in CAD or another 3D modeling program?
We often use hand drawn sketches to convey our initial thoughts quickly and effectively. Our ideas are frequently cutting edge concepts so they’re not something we can pull from past projects. Sketching provides the most direct way to collect these early thoughts and communicate our concepts to our clients.
2. What has been the most challenging project of this nature and why?
Developing the concept for a new type of interactive homefinding/information center that also needed to be a place current homeowners would return to for additional support and education. The challenge was to answer the demands of a complex building program while also incorporating state-of-the-art interactive and visual technology all under one roof.
3. What do you like best about these types of design projects?
Besides providing a bit of a break from the computer screen, each project has its own set of problem-solving challenges. One that stands out in my mind is the 3D viewing room that included five floor-to-ceiling rear projection screens where visitors would sit in a space with these screens surrounding them. With the use of a touchscreen interface, they are able to view different rooms within a virtual 3D environment. It’s really fun to create such unique and interactive experiences for people while helping our clients effectively market their product or services.
New Atlantic Station Site Conveys The Fresh Vision Of Atlanta’s Multi-Use Hot Spot
New owners of Atlantic Station, CBRE and North American Properties (NAP), crafted a strategic plan to enhance and evolve the property and attract their target audience of affluent urban professionals and young cosmopolitans. The new Atlantic Station website has been a main component of this plan to re-brand and re-position the property.
With a sophisticated design vision created by Janis Brown & Associates, LJG developed a restructured site, with interactive flash directory, social media feeds, calendar and CMS to manage the content.
The redesigned site now represents Atlantic Station’s new brand and enables users to easily navigate and find the information they need to stay up-to-speed on a variety of social events that go on every day at center. Site administrators will also be able to easily self-manage the full schedule of activities with their own set of tools.
We’re thrilled the site has launched and congratulate CBRE and NAP in this accomplishment, and look forward to hearing about their continued success at Atlantic Station.
“Light Up The Nation” This Year With Children’s Cancer Research Fund
We teamed up with Children’s Cancer Research Fund (CCRF) a short time ago to help bring life to founder Matti Contopulos’s fundraiser vision to “Light Up The Nation” this holiday season. The state-of-the-art website takes the user into a winter wonderland, where a $50 donation will send a teddy bear to a child undergoing cancer treatment in the hospital. The donor will also receive their own bear with their donation, and they’re able to adorn a gift tag on the Christmas Tree or Menorah on the site’s home page.
CCRF is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing support for clinical research in pediatric cancer and to improve the medical environment for all children. We’re honored to contribute to this very special project, and work with such a wonderful organization, who is contributing 100% of the proceeds directly to funding pediatric oncology research.
This project is very near and dear to our hearts, and we hop you’ll make a donation to support CCRF and bring a smile to a very special child.
Website Launched for New Coffee Table Book
50,000 acres of permanently preserved open space is a gift from our client to residents and visitors of Southern California. This unique land has been permanently designated as a National Natural Landmark. See the website to learn more about the beautiful book documenting these special places.
http://coastalmountainstothesea.com/
Allowance Manager is Live!
Allowance Manager is a free online tool for parents to manage their child’s allowance. Parents can use Allowance Manager to set and monitor their child’s allowance, create incentives and reward good behavior while children can use it to learn how to earn and manage their money. What a great idea!
LJG worked with Allowance Manager on the identity as well as the website design and development. Take a look for yourself and see how easy it is to use.
http://allowancemanager.com/
The 1st Phase of the New Century Plaza Website is Live
The proposed Century Plaza project is a vibrant mixed-use development in the heart of Century City. The 5.74 acre property will provide a variety of compelling uses – including hotel, residential, retail and office – as well as nearly two acres of landscaped public open space. Destined to be the ultimate urban destination for Century City, the project will bring numerous benefits to the community, tenants and guests and will honor the properties’ grand past while providing the ultimate platform for the future.
Working closely with Greer | Dailey and Next Century Associates, LJG Partners was selected to create a website for the new Century Plaza.
Take a look: http://www.newcenturyplaza.com/
Portability: Creating A Seamless Experience Across All Online Media Through One Channel
Thinking back when I visited China, I remember asking locals with choppy words… ‘Coffee? Coffee?’ They looked at me with blank faces, so I changed my tactic and asked, ‘Starbucks?’ They were immediately engaged, and I was even escorted to the closest location. That got me thinking…if two people from opposite ends of the world can figure out a way to communicate about a brand through the same recognized method – why can’t our online presence do the same?
Brands big and small strive to engage users and create a trusted, almost personal, relationship. Why, then, is it so common to get a disconnected experience online? A major challenge today for brands on the web is the fact that media isn’t just about computers and a few variations of smartphones anymore – we’ve now got tablets, pads, computers, video game consoles and even web TV to contend with.
We should be striving to express our brands in the cleanest, most evocative way possible. Just because I’m viewing a site on a mobile device doesn’t mean I should suffer through a watered-down experience. I mean, I’m none the lesser for having a 4-year-old iPhone …I just haven’t had the time to upgrade yet!
Designing for portability is an emerging practice that challenges web designers and developers to create a seamless experience for different viewing environments. By creating multiple approaches of one design, and developing them in a fluid, flexible manner, your user will enjoy a fully functional, brand-cohesive experience of your site, regardless of the device they are using.
We’ve begun our own adventure to true portability here at LJG, and we’re excited to share our progress and reveal our very own version of this unified experience soon — so stay tuned!
If you have questions about this topic, please don’t hesitate to contact us - we’d love to chat!
To view more about the four approaches that go into responsive design to for successful portability, please visit this site.
LJG Wins Three New Projects
LJG is thrilled to be working on three new exciting projects.
CB Richard Ellis Investors asked LJG to create a touchscreen kiosk presentation for their new project located in the heart of Midtown Atlanta called 271 17th Street. 271 17th Street is a 541,318 SF, 25-story, Class A, LEED Gold Certified office building. The project will focus on the dynamic leasing presentation that will be displayed in the lobby and will incorporate full-screen, hi-def graphics, imagery, animated tours etc.
Sony Pictures Entertainment is preparing for their annual presentation and has asked LJG to create their 2011 microsite/annual report presentation where visitors are able to link out to other SPE sites and have all of the necessary information at their fingertips.
Westfield Corporation has asked LJG to help with the creation of a hearing presentation which includes 3D animation and renderings.
Check back soon as we will have more updates on the progress of each of these projects!
100 Worlds Project Promotes Collaboration While Bridging The Gap Between Print and Digital
If you’ve ever visited our office, that we affectionately call “The Logan,” you will notice the light, colorful, modern, yet edgy style of the exterior and interiors. One accoutrement that’s been growing both in quantity and fondness are the handmade globes displayed throughout our workspace. The incredibly unique designs of each globe have taken on a life of their own and we’ve grown attached to their presence.
So it’s no wonder when artist and brand developer, Ron Miriello, principal and owner of Miriello Grafico, asked us to partner with him in his upcoming art exhibit, we enthusiastically said YES. Being a part of the team that breathes digital life into an object that symbolizes the essence of life was something everyone of us were eager to tackle. Ron is the master of creating the physical globes, and LJG was given the charge to develop the digital, touchscreen presentation and record of the exhibit.
We started by collaborating on the user interface design for the touch screen kiosk, taking the branding and design developed by the Miriello team and adapting it to our digital “canvas.” Early on, we realized that we could create something special that bridges the gap between print and digital. An interactive experience created from something tangible — giving it a digital footprint that can be accessed and remembered once the show is gone.
From designing the UI to organizing the shoot for the video testimonials to the elaborate programming of the entire application, the part I most fondly remember is the unity of the team coming together after hours and on weekends, pitching in to make this project a success.
UI Design – The interface is comprised of an interactive landing page with each globe shown in a bubble. Once a globe is clicked, the user arrives at a detail page for that globe, which includes photographs, a video testimonial, a sketch and a write-up.
Sketch Photographs – Our original scans looked too flat, so we took Ron’s sketch book and used a smartphone to snap quick shots of each sketch to use in the presentation. Having a real photo of the sketch versus the scan made the quality of the overall piece feel more real and tangible.
Videos and Production – We worked with some partners over the weekend to shoot Ron’s testimonials. With minimal direction and lots of heart, they were able to capture 50 videos in just two days. From the raw files, we edited and compressed each one for optimal viewing within the UI design.
Content Prep – This was no picnic when gathering, prepping and producing four pieces of content for each globe with 50 globes to produce.
Overall, it was ingenuity, creativity and teamwork that made this project a success. Stay tuned for the next 100 Worlds Project installment. This time we just might surprise you and produce it in 3D!
For more information, visit:
http://miriellografico.com/mg/weblog/2011/03/08/my-learnings-from-100-worlds-project/
http://miriellografico.com/mg/weblog/2011/02/21/colliding-worlds-bring-the-unexpected-together-at-the-100-worlds-project-opening/
Written by Gina Von der Kret
FAST (Fixing Angelenos Stuck in Traffic) is Continuing to Move “Fast Forward”
FAST is a non-profit organization dedicated to reducing traffic congestion in Los Angeles by optimizing the current transit infrastructure and facilitating use of public transit in order to improve our quality of life. We have been working with FAST since the inception by creating an online presence for this all-important project that shares the recommendations for reducing the impact of traffic on Los Angeles residents. The site offers a variety of tools and success stories to make it possible to make a difference!
GO FAST!!!
LJG is Awarded Shea Apartments Website Redesign
Shea Apartments, a recognized leader in premier apartment homes in Southern and Northern California and now Denver Colorado has awarded LJG to help with their new online brand by redesigning their current website.
We’ll keep you informed as work gets underway.
What’s The Deal With Apple’s iCloud?
In case you didn’t know…
Apple’s new iCloud, coming out this fall, will store all your content and push it to all of your devices. What does this mean for you and your business?
iCloud is a hosted storage service that works by pushing copies of files stored on Apple’s servers (ie: music, documents, apps, contacts, and email) to multiple devices registered to a single Apple ID.
Businesses that use Macs will likely benefit, but larger organizations may encounter obstacles preventing them from adopting iCloud, unless they’re able to address the following concerns:
-There’s no service level agreement
-Lack of clarity about encryption and security
-Free storage only up to 5GB
Consumers Spend More Time on Apps Than Web – Should You Go Mobile?
A recent study indicates consumers spend more time on mobile apps than they are browsing the web. Eighty one minutes on average, to be exact. The shift comes as combined tablet and smartphone shipments are surpassing those of desktops for the first time. While an app is not always the answer, it’s worth contemplating for many businesses.
You wake up and check email on your iPad App. While you drink your morning coffee, you browse Facebook, Twitter and CNN. Three more apps. At work, you have Skype conversations and read RSS feeds. Two more apps.
Consumers are increasingly choosing to use apps – semiclosed platforms that use the internet for transport but not the browser for display – because thy often just work better or fit better into their lives. The screen comes to them, rather than them searching for it.
So, how should you decide if your business or organization would benefit from a mobile app?
First, decide what your goals are. An app is a marketing tactic, a way of communicating with consumers in an uncluttered way.
Next, determine the kind of experience you want to provide for your customers. Apps provide a feature rich user experience, so you must consider how you’d like the consumer to interact with your brand.
Finally, your app should be focused on one of three things: utility, content or entertainment. If you can’t decide on one of these options, an app might not be the best way to meet your goals.
Need help determining if an app is right for your business or developing an app? Email us!
3D Visualization for Campus Expansion Plan Proves Invaluable for Scripps Health
For Scripps Health, 3D visualization with LJG’s help brought much better depth and clarity to their latest hospital campus expansion projects in La Jolla and Encinitas.
Both San Diego locations will be undergoing extensive expansion over the coming years, and the architect’s “flat” site plan drawings of each construction phase were difficult to follow and comprehend for the wide range of intended audiences.
Working in the 3D realm gave photorealistic depictions of the proposed development plans while also offering other benefits to our client. 3D visualization simplifies architectural and site design plans which greatly improves the understanding of the overall project. Scripps and their project design consultants were also able to preview the complex development plans phase by phase, and clarify any necessary design details.
Have questions about 3D modeling and animation? Email us!
Written by Tom Greer
NAP Shines at ICSC Conference with iPad and Interactive Displays
National commercial real estate developer, North American Properties (NAP) needed to innovatively showcase its newest project, Atlantic Station, at the 2011 ICSC Conference in Las Vegas and approached the team of LJG Partners and Janis Brown & Associates for help.
Our goal was to create a hi-def touchscreen application for the interactive displays and then release a handheld version via the iPad. This multi-platform approach allowed the touchscreen piece to attract visitors to the booth, while NAP staff walked the floor with the iPad presentation to connect one-on-one with potential tenants.
We chose a web-based platform to keep production time low and portability high. The interactive touchscreens were developed using HTML, CSS and Javascript, providing a base application to easily translate to the iPad. Janis Brown & Associates created the content and design for the presentations.
Unique, personal presentations at the conference weren’t the only benefit of the iPad application. Even more importantly, it gave NAP an engaging sales and marketing tool they can continue to use beyond the conference.
With LJG’s help, NAP was able to both attract conference participants with the interactive touchscreen, and develop lasting connections with potential clients using the iPad application-an overall success. Way to go, NAP!
Do you need help developing a multi-platform application? Email us!
Written by Donny Hansen & Ben Brock
Shea Properties: The Collection at River Park Website
We’ve been working closely with Greenhaus and Shea Properties for the past several months to create the brand and interactive marketing tools (website, Facebook and Twitter pages) for their newest center, The Collection at River Park – just in time for ICSC 2011. GO SHEA!
Click the image below to see the site:
Cohn & Wolfe: Print Piece to Help a Worthy Cause
We were asked to design a print piece for a pro bono program called Project Kaisei that Cohn & Wolfe is operating worldwide. Project Kaisei is a mission to study and clean up the debris and garbage trapped in the Pacific Ocean. Cohn & Wolfe is using the piece to seek donations for Project Kaisei.
For more information about this project, click here.
Outstanding Employees at Cohn & Wolfe Receive Award & Trophy
Cohn & Wolfe, one of the world’s largest public relations companies (and a client of LJG for over ten years) asked us to create a recognition award for outstanding employees. These accomplished employees now receive a drink coaster and a full-size origami wolf to be used as a trophy. What a cool idea! Check out the coaster that we created.
Sempra LNG: New Website Coming Soon!
We’ve been working on the Sempra LNG website, an exciting project set to launch in early summer 2011! The original site was created over five years ago and it was time to rethink the objective, content, organization and interface for this very important division of Sempra Energy. We can’t wait to unveil the new site!
Pardee Homes: The New Hampton Lane Landing Page Goes Live
Pardee Homes needed a unique and more robust landing page for Hampton Lane, a new neighborhood in north San Diego county. The page needed to live within the framework of the Pardee Homes website, but offer a unique, high-end look with added video and imagery.
Pardee Homes: LivingSmart® Section Redesign
In collaboration with Greenhaus, we recently completed the new and improved LivingSmart® section of the Pardee Homes website. Sustainability has always been a valued component in the construction of every Pardee home, and they now have a site that demonstrates these environmentally-conscious values.
Creating Digital Visuals for JMB’s Newest Century City Project
JMB Realty is seeking to change the zoning of a large parcel of property that they own in Century City. Currently the site is zoned for mixed-use, residential and retail and they would like to change that zoning to office. They see the need for more upscale offices in the area and will target primarily high-end entertainment industry tenants.
LJG Partners is teaming up with Garvey Communications, JMB Realty’s communications consultant, to create a laptop presentation and website addressing the rezoning project which will be targeted to city/government officials and concerned citizens.
LBA Realty Set to Showcase Their New Online Brand
LBA Realty will launch their new online brand this June (www.lbarealty.com).
LBA Realty (LBA) is a full-service real estate investment and management company founded in 1991. With its corporate office in Irvine and regional offices in Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, Denver, Phoenix and Seattle, LBA has established itself as one of the leading real estate investment companies in the Western United States. The foundation of LBA’s success is a strong, continued commitment to its most important asset – its tenants.
LJG is Asked to Redesign Web Presence for One of Orange County’s Premier Hotel Destinations
LJG was awarded the commission to redo one of Orange County’s premier hotel destinations. The redesigned website will showcase the hotel as a AAA FIve Diamond hotel. Located in the heart of Newport Beach, CA the hotel is one of the premier business hotels in the region. It is a leisure and family getaway during the weekends and year-round, it is a place for affluent locals to come and dine, enjoy the spa and pool amenities and unique retail offerings.
One of the Nation’s Largest Commercial Real Estate Developers Awards LJG Major Online Branding Project
LJG has been awarded the job to redesign major Commercial Real Estate Developer’s website. More to follow…
Major Homebuilder Asks LJG to Create Interactive, Database-driven, Touchscreen Kiosk
LJG has been working with one of California’s largest and most respected homebuilders on a critical interactive sales tool that will help to display and sell the homes within each of their new neighborhoods. The core kiosk is designed to be a comprehensive, database-driven, hi-definition touchscreen system. The system is fully expandable to include all current and future homes and neighborhoods built by them. Real-time sales information, including pricing and availability are fed to the system from the corporate database. The new kiosks will be a tool that they can use for as long as it sells homes.
LJG Prepares Major Holiday Campaign/Website for Children’s Cancer Research Fund
The Children’s Cancer Research Fund (CCRF), founded in 1987, is a non-profit organization dedicated to two important goals: to provide support on a national level for clinical research in pediatric cancer and to improve the medical environment for all children.
In years past, CCRF held a fundraiser called “Light Up Our Nation For The Joy And Future Of Our Children” which transformed L.A. Live into a winter wonderland of trains, conductor bears, candy canes, etc. and where people and companies are encouraged to make a donation. Donors names go on ornaments, gift boxes, bears and even on the train. Then, there is a tree/menorah lighting where everyone comes and watches.
To date, the event has focused on the LA area but now, the vision is to take it to a national level by creating a website that will replicate the holiday / L.A. Live event. $50.00 donations will be accepted on the site. The donation purchases two extra plush, stuffed teddy bears; one for the donor and one for a child cancer patient.
LJG is thrilled to be part of such a wonderful cause. We are creating the website and creating and implementing an outreach campaign (including Facebook site, Facebook ads, blogging, email campaign, public relations effort) to gain awareness for the effort and to obtain as many $50 donations as possible.
LJG’s Digital Presentation Educates Community at Pepperdine University
Pepperdine University is looking to improve their Malibu campus with new and upgraded athletic, recreation, parking, and student residential facilities. This project, known as The Campus Life Project, proposes to develop and redevelop property within the existing campus to enhance the existing environment and improve the overall campus life experience for students.
LJG is creating a laptop presentation which will be targeted to county officials and concerned citizens and will include a variety of images, photos, animated diagrams and other graphics designed to tell the clearest and most compelling story behind each improvement Pepperdine is planning to undertake.
3D Renderings & Animations for the Meritage Resort & Spa
LJG has been working with Meritage Resort and Spa in Napa Valley and their ad agency, Augustine & Associates in creating a series of 3D still renderings and a virtual 3D “fly-through/around” of key areas under development at the Meritage Resort including their new lobby, conference center, ballroom and presidential suite. The 3D and hi-def video will give Resort staff an exciting and highly visually tool explain the changes that are taking place on the property.
Digital, Interactive, Online Marketing and Social Media Resources for Atlantic Station
LJG Partners, with Janis Brown & Associates, have been working on a variety of “new media, interactive and online” services to help make Atlantic Station, (located in Atlanta, Georgia) one of the industry’s most cutting-edge campaigns and the perfect backdrop for the project’s “renaissance.” Some of the projects include the creation of a touchscreen and iPad leasing APP, looping Blu-ray video, email campaigns and website. Everything will debut at this years International Council of Shopping Centers Conference in Las Vegas.
Tens of Thousands Visit the New ArchitypeReview Suite of Sites
ArchitypeReview is leading the industry in online architectural design publications. Visit the current issue “Art Museums” or browse through other “architype” issues ranging from the Shanghai World Expo to Retail, Schools, Libraries, Performing Arts Centers and more.
http://www.architypereview.com/
NOW HIRING DEVELOPERS!
We are in search of three mid to high-level developers to join our team ASAP. For a full job description or to apply, please email: holly.flakus@ljg.com
San Diegans 4 Great Schools and LJG Team to Help Kids!
San Diego public schools are failing, with less than half of students performing at grade level, and 80% of minority students failing to perform at grade level. Spending more money is not the answer. Even with significant budget cutbacks, district spending per student has increased substantially in recent years while student performance has not.
Thanks to a growing number of concerned San Diegans, this is about to change. San Diegans 4 Great Schools is working hard to implement new measures to make a difference in the way our schools perform. LJG is helping to spread the word through a new website for the organization. Anticipated launch is February, 2011.
Atlantic Station Asks LJG to Completely Rethink Its Digital DNA
Altantic Station, a landmark in Midtown Atlanta, is under new ownership and has announced a new strategic plan to enhance and evolve all of the components of the community and make it “the destination” place. North American Properties (NAP) and CB Richard Ellis (CBRE) have teamed up to re-merchandise Atlantic Station. Located at the 6th busiest interchange in the United States, Atlantic Station features a mixed-use community including national and local retailers, restaurants and entertainment venues, office space, residential units, and hotels. It has been named a creative class mecca and is one of the top three areas to live amongst Generation Y.
Working closely with NAP, CBRE and Janis Brown & Associates, LJG Partners has been asked to completely re-think the design and development of Atlantic Station’s website, the laptop/iPad leasing presentation, consult and assist in executing the social media strategy and create the email outreach campaign. The intent of the overall outreach is to utilize digital media whenever and wherever possible, ensuring that this will be one of the industry’s most cutting-edge campaigns.
ArchitypeReview, Source and Connect to Go Live February 18th. Here’s a Preview…
After nearly 18 months of strategy, design, development and testing, the new ArchitypeReview will go live tomorrow. A major redevelopment of an already successful global, online publication for architects, consultants, material suppliers and anyone interested in the international design and construction industry. Working together with RSM Design, ArchitypeReview represents one of the most significant undertakings in the online architectural/design space.
Within ArchitypeReview, subscribers will be able to view the latest architectural designs around the world based on architectural “architypes.” Architects submit their best work within an architype and ArchitypeReview reviews and showcases the best examples. Others that meet certain criteria are archived in ArchitypeSource. ArchitypeSource is an expansive database of projects, architects, consultants and material vendors. Through links that pull together the people, design and materials based on unique projects, subscribers are able to comprehensively understand the make-up of many of the world’s greatest projects.
ArchitypeConnect is a central gathering area for professionals to read the latest industry news, search for jobs and ultimately search for new design projects
Shea Launches the First Site for The Collection
The Collection at RiverPark will be a totally new shopping experience for the North Los Angeles/Santa Barbara Coastal Region. A 600,000 sq. ft. lifestyle center featuring Whole Foods, REI, Century Theaters, Target, a myriad of specialty dining and entertainment venues. There is even a public outdoor amphitheater and a public art program. Shopping has never been so NEW. LJG and Greenhaus are working with Shea Properties to create its web and social media presence. Look for more to come in 2011.
The Island Hotel’s New Website Will Be The Best Among Business Travel Sites
The owners of The Island Hotel in Newport Beach, CA, have asked LJG to rethink and redesign the website. One of the most sought-after upscale business destinations in Coastal Southern California, The Island Hotel recently went through a significant rebranding and now it’s time to take the hotel’s website to the next level. All facets of the user experience are being reviewed, including navigation, functionality, features and aesthetics. Look for the new site to launch later in 2011.
Sempra Energy and LJG Team Again to Create New Website for LNG
Sempra LNG selected LJG to redesign its website, sempralng.com. LJG created the original site over five years ago and will now be working with Sempra to completely rethink the objectives, content, organization and interface for this very important division of Sempra Energy.
Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) is natural gas that has been supercooled to minus 260 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 162 degrees Celcius). At that temperature, natural gas condenses into a liquid. When in liquid form, natural gas takes up to 600 times less space than in its gaseous state, which makes it feasible to transport over long distances. In the form of LNG, natural gas can be shipped from the parts of the world where it is abundant to where it is in demand. LNG is an energy source that has much lower air emissions than other fossil fuels, such as oil or coal.
Sempra LNG is a leader in this industry and LJG is excited to help bring their new site to the global energy market.
Meritage Resort in Napa Valley is Expanding
The Meritage Resort and Spa in Napa Valley is undergoing an expansion and, along with the Resort’s ad agency, Augustine & Associates, has asked LJG Partners to create 3D visualizations of their new lobby and conference center.
Over the past 17 years, LJG has worked with several resort, hotel and commercial property owners using 3D renderings and animation to describe the benefits of new construction and renovation. This investment has proven to be invaluable for pre-booking meetings and events to clients as well as to explain to guests why certain aspects of the property are undergoing renovation.
We’re looking forward to virtually visiting Napa Valley!
LJG’s 12 Days of Christmas
ON THE TWELFTH DAY OF CHRISTMAS,
A little birdie told me,
Record listening for Brian (Brian Lamb) keeps him turning
Give Carie (Carie James Bates) Speedball Kits for screen printing,
Evan (Evan Klein) longs for ipod blasting,
Lomography for the siblings (Tom Greer, John Greer),
G (Gina Von Der Kret) adores Star Wars anything,
Chris (Chris Lawrence) could use some stress relieving,
Jess (Jessica Huang) loves PacMan spokes a-spinning,
Conference in San Fran for Ben (Ben Brock) & Donny (Donny Hansen),
Hipstamatic app for Holly (Holly Flakus),
Kelly (Kelly Rose) likes to draw,
Pete (Pete Certain) needs a drive,
And Cam (Cameron Okamoto) wants a vacation in Waikiki.
ON THE ELEVENTH DAY OF CHRISTMAS,
A little birdie told me,
Give Carie (Carie James Bates) Speedball Kits for screen printing
Evan (Evan Klein) longs for ipod blasting,
Lomography for the siblings (Tom Greer, John Greer),
G (Gina Von Der Kret) adores Star Wars anything,
Chris (Chris Lawrence) could use some stress relieving,
Jess (Jessica Huang) loves PacMan spokes a-spinning,
Conference in San Fran for Ben (Ben Brock) & Donny (Donny Hansen),
Hipstamatic app for Holly (Holly Flakus),
Kelly (Kelly Rose) likes to draw,
Pete (Pete Certain) needs a drive,
And Cam (Cameron Okamoto) wants a vacation in Waikiki.
ON THE TENTH DAY OF CHRISTMAS,
A little birdie told me,
Evan (Evan Klein) longs for ipod blasting
Lomography for the siblings (Tom Greer, John Greer),
G (Gina Von Der Kret) adores Star Wars anything,
Chris (Chris Lawrence) could use some stress relieving,
Jess (Jessica Huang) loves PacMan spokes a-spinning,
Conference in San Fran for Ben (Ben Brock) & Donny (Donny Hansen),
Hipstamatic app for Holly (Holly Flakus),
Kelly (Kelly Rose) likes to draw,
Pete (Pete Certain) needs a drive,
And Cam (Cameron Okamoto) wants a vacation in Waikiki.
ON THE NINTH DAY OF CHRISTMAS,
A little birdie told me,
Lomography for the siblings (Tom Greer, John Greer)
G (Gina Von Der Kret) adores Star Wars anything,
Chris (Chris Lawrence) could use some stress relieving,
Jess (Jessica Huang) loves PacMan spokes a-spinning,
Conference in San Fran for Ben (Ben Brock) & Donny (Donny Hansen),
Hipstamatic app for Holly (Holly Flakus),
Kelly (Kelly Rose) likes to draw,
Pete (Pete Certain) needs a drive,
And Cam (Cameron Okamoto) wants a vacation in Waikiki.
ON THE EIGHTH DAY OF CHRISTMAS,
A little birdie told me,
G (Gina Von Der Kret) adores Star Wars anything
Chris (Chris Lawrence) could use some stress relieving,
Jess (Jessica Huang) loves PacMan spokes a-spinning,
Conference in San Fran for Ben (Ben Brock) & Donny (Donny Hansen),
Hipstamatic app for Holly (Holly Flakus),
Kelly (Kelly Rose) likes to draw,
Pete (Pete Certain) needs a drive,
And Cam (Cameron Okamoto) wants a vacation in Waikiki.
ON THE SEVENTH DAY OF CHRISTMAS,
A little birdie told me,
Chris (Chris Lawrence) could use some stress relieving,
Jess (Jessica Huang) loves PacMan spokes a-spinning,
Conference in San Fran for Ben (Ben Brock) & Donny (Donny Hansen),
Hipstamatic app for Holly (Holly Flakus),
Kelly (Kelly Rose) likes to draw,
Pete (Pete Certain) needs a drive,
And Cam (Cameron Okamoto) wants a vacation in Waikiki.
ON THE SIXTH DAY OF CHRISTMAS,
A little birdie told me,
Jess (Jessica Huang) loves PacMan spokes a-spinning,
Conference in San Fran for Ben (Ben Brock) & Donny (Donny Hansen),
Hipstamatic app for Holly (Holly Flakus),
Kelly (Kelly Rose) likes to draw,
Pete (Pete Certain) needs a drive,
And Cam (Cameron Okamoto) wants a vacation in Waikiki.
ON THE FIFTH DAY OF CHRISTMAS,
A little birdie told me,
Conference in San Fran for Ben (Ben Brock) & Donny (Donny Hansen),
Hipstamatic app for Holly (Holly Flakus),
Kelly (Kelly Rose) likes to draw,
Pete (Pete Certain) needs a drive,
And Cam (Cameron Okamoto) wants a vacation in Waikiki.
ON THE FOURTH DAY OF CHRISTMAS,
A little birdie told me,
Hipstamatic app for Holly (Holly Flakus),
Kelly (Kelly Rose) likes to draw,
Pete (Pete Certain) needs a drive,
And Cam (Cameron Okamoto) wants a vacation in Waikiki.
ON THE THIRD DAY OF CHRISTMAS,
A little birdie told me,
Kelly (Kelly Rose) likes to draw,
Pete (Pete Certain) needs a drive,
And Cam (Cameron Okamoto) wants a vacation in Waikiki.
ON THE SECOND DAY OF CHRISTMAS,
A little birdie told me,
Pete (Pete Certain) needs a drive,
And Cam (Cameron Okamoto) wants a vacation in Waikiki.
ON THE FIRST DAY OF CHRISTMAS,
A little birdie told me,
Cam (Cameron Okamoto) wants a vacation in Waikiki.
IIDA Southern California Chapter Website is now live
In September, LJG won the project to redesign the IIDA’s Southern California Chapter Website. We are pleased to announce that the site is now live at www.iida-socal.org. The IIDA (International Interior Design Association) presents the industry’s premier awards for design excellence. The Southern California Chapter is one of the largest chapters in the organization with members throughout Los Angeles, Orange County, San Diego, Santa Barbara and the Inland and Desert Empire area.
Take a moment to check out the new site.
LJG is Thrilled to Announce that the Groundwater Replenshment System Site has Launched
LJG was selected to develop the brand, logo and new website for the Orange County Groundwater Replenishment System. The GWR System is the world’s largest indirect potable water recycling facility and is a vital part of the communication process with visitors who cannot see the system in person. The intended goal of this website was to provide visitors with background and instructional information, ongoing news, and provide a method for requesting more detailed information, locating media stories, photography, technical reports and scheduling tours of the GWR System facility. The site now has global appeal and functionality and speaks to the GWR System reputation as an award-winning global water reuse project.
LJG Launches NBC Universal’s Environmental Review
LJG has been working with NBC Universal on the Evolution plan for nearly a decade. With a final completion date of 2030, NBC Universal’s planned overhaul of its Universal City complex will add residential units, a hotel, and studio and office space on the nearly 400 acre-campus. And despite other large-scale projects being placed on hold, with the help of LJG, this one looks like it’s going forward. The draft environmental impact report was released earlier this month – and it’s a whopping 39,000 pages. In conjunction with Garvey Communications, LJG was able to boil down the behemoth report to a concise and comprehensive web page and community presentation. Both the web page and presentation will serve as vital additions to the existing website and presentation that LJG launched in 2008. We’re excited to see NBCU reach this major milestone!
The World’s Best Touchscreen? Microsoft’s Surface Blows Us Away
This new multi-touch computer lets you grab digital content with your hands and move information with a simple gesture or touch. Surface also sees and interacts with real world objects placed on the screen. The orientation can either be a table-top or wall/poll mount.
Surface is helping people interact with digital content in a simple way and is being used today around the world. From hotel lobbies, to sales centers to retail merchandising environments, to television news, etc. It’s a fun and exciting computing experience.
Great News for Real Estate Developers: Finally, Real-time, 3D Fly-throughs
The recent release of Unity 3 allows real estate developers and product manufactures the ability to take existing 3D content and upload it to a real-time render engine.
Unity is the #1 game development platform on the market now available for companies seeking to create an immersive, real-time, virtual tour of its’ real estate projects. Just like moving through a scene in your favorite (or your kid’s favorite) video game, you will be able to walk around and into your building.
And the best part–Unity 3 can be viewed on an array of devices and platforms such as the web, iPhone, iPad, Wii, and XBox 360. Marketing your development will never be the same.
Retailers Love the Mobile iPad (What’s Not To Love for Every Business?)
Mobile is becoming an increasingly key focus for retailers due to tablet computers. Three million Apple iPads have been sold in less than three months on the market. The Android-based Galaxy Tab from Samsung is due out this month and a half dozen models from other manufacturers including Blackberry-maker Research in Motion are due out in the first quarter of 2011. It is predicted that the tablets will outsell notebooks by 2012 and by 2013 600 million tablets will be sold.
Research is seeing a shift away from apps toward mobile sites. Retailers seem much more focused on optimizing their web sites for mobile. The number of web retailers with mobile-specific sites has tripled in the last year but only 12% of the top 500 internet retailers had sites optimized for mobile phones.
Advertisers and retailers are already encouraged by what they’ve seen with the iPad usage. IPad owners are more receptive than owners of other connected devices to advertising, and more likely to make a purchase after seeing ads because of the larger screens.
Retailers may benefit indirectly from a few new initiatives aimed at increasing mobile commerce. Verizon Wireless, AT&T and T-Mobile are testing technology that allows mobile users to pay for products by swiping their handsets at checkout rather than a credit card. And PayPal is now allowing users to cash checks in their accounts simply by taking a photo of a check with their mobile phone.
Despite the economy, online retailers are experiencing steady growth due to convenience, selection and value.
Cool Things to Watch Out For
Do You Give Laptop Presentations?
Take a Look at Touch Projection
A go-anywhere touchscreen called Light Touch Optics. The Light Touch Optics uses a holographic light projection which no other display technology can do. This means any presenter can now interact with the projected screen.
By 2020, Tablets will be Foldable, Pocket-sized Devices
Google Goggles
The next-gen app that will actually recognize what you’re looking at. If you see one of your friends on the street, you’ll see their Facebook status, latest tweets and photos. Or if you just bought a car, this app can provide information on each part in the engine or each control on the dash as you pass the camera over it.
LJG Continues Work with the Hotel Del Coronado
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UPDATE: California Coastal Commission Approves Project
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With the Hotel Del Coronado’s successful completion of their new exclusive Beach Village residences, LJG was asked to provide additional 3D studies and hi-res graphics for the next phase in the Master Plan build-out of the historic San Diego oceanfront property.
Capturing key photographs from the pedestrian’s vantage point, LJG composited a series of before/after “photosims” to show the City of Coronado, California Coastal Commission and neighboring residents how the proposed new conference center and guestroom design will enhance current viewsheds.
This latest project marks our 10th year of working on the historic “Grand Dame” of San Diego hotels.
LJG Welcomes its Newest Developer — Donny Hansen
With seven years of web design and development experience in XHTML, CSS, PHP, MXML, Wordpress, Flash/Actionscript and Custom Logos, Donny, LJG’s newest Developer, continually astonishes and inspires others by integrating his extensive knowledge of the web environment with his artistic creativity. When Donny isn’t hard at work you can find him creating digital paintings, on the paintball field or spending time with his wife.
Meet LJG’s Newest Assistant Project Mananger — Pete Certain
Graduating from Point Loma Nazarene University with a Bachelor of Science in Information Systems, Pete works directly with clients while managing the intricate world of web content as LJG’s newest Assistant Project Manager. Exposed to every aspect of a project, Pete loves working with clients to help them achieve their business goals. When Pete isn’t at LJG you can find him hanging out with friends, watching movies and battling it out on the paintball field.
LJG Welcomes its Newest Intern — Kelly Casassa
Hitting the books to receive a Bachelor of the Arts in Art History and a minor in Business, Kelly is currently integrating her artistic and marketing skills in the office as LJG’s newest intern. When she’s not at LJG you can find her shooting photography with her Leica M5, playing beach volleyball or competing in collegiate waterski tournaments.
Paragon Opens in Monrovia’s Old Town
In the early planning stages of this urban mixed-use development, LJG provided a series of 3D photocomposites to show the city planners how the proposed architectural design would compliment the surrounding context of their historic district. These composited views helped communicate the architectural character, scale and massing of the project relative to the surrounding area more effectively than traditional artist renderings.
Shanghai World Expo Issue of ArchityeReview Goes Live
Take a look at the notable pavilions that were featured at this year’s Grand Gathering of World Cultures at Shanghai’s World Expo. These and more of the world’s greatest architectural achievements can be found at ArchitypeReview.com. LJG has been investing in the redesign and vision of Architype Review for nearly a year. One of the leading online publications for global architectural review, the new site will be launched in the fourth quarter of 2010.
Sony Annual Report Site is Launched
For the second year, Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) asked LJG to create their 2010 Annual Report to the Culver City as a uniquely designed micro-site. Visitors are able to link out to sites (i.e. the SPE Museum) and have all the necessary information at their fingertips with the option to print the report as a pdf if desired.
LJG is Working on Creating LBA Realty’s Online Brand
LBA chose LJG to review their current website and analyze how the site might be improved to better serve its users. Once LJG made their recommendations they began on the redesign of their corporate website which will convey the company’s mission and display their signature portfolio of properties while ideally displaying the most up-to-date property information concerning property availability.
LBA Realty (LBA) is a full-service real estate investment and management company founded in 1991. With its corporate office in Irvine and regional offices in Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, Denver, Phoenix and Seattle, LBA has established itself as one of the leading real estate investment companies in the Western United States. The foundation of LBA’s success is a strong, continued commitment to its most important asset – its tenants.
LJG Wins Scripps Project
Established in 1924, Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla has been one of Southern California’s premier medical centers for more than 80 years. Not resting on their laurels, Scripps is currently in the midst of a grand expansion to their hospital campus which will involve many phases of construction over an extended period of time.
In order to clearly convey their complex development plans (currently in the City’s conditional use permit approval stage), Scripps came to LJG to design and develop an interactive 3D laptop presentation highlighting each phase of the planned development. This presentation will be shown to governmental agencies and officials, community planning groups, Scripps directors and staff, and the public at large.
The 3D presentation will be timeline based, allowing for detailed visuals and accompanying detailed text callouts for each milestone of the development process. And with the use of an animated camera around the 3D model (with photorealistic texture maps and landscaping), clearer information will be conveyed by allowing the camera to fly-around to different aerial vantage points to best view a specific phase of construction.
LJG Wins IIDA Southern California Chapter Website Redesign
LJG has been chosen to work on the redesign of the IIDA (International Interior Design Association) Southern California Chapter website. The IIDA is a non-profit international networking and educational association that presents the industry’s premier awards for design excellence. The Southern California Chapter is one of the largest chapters in the organization with members throughout Los Angeles, Orange County, San Diego, Santa Barbara, and the Inland and Desert Empire area.
We are thrilled to be able to take part and work on such a fun project.
LJG Helps Westfield Market Their New Digital Spectacular Display
Westfield is preparing to promote and attract advertisers to their new digital display technology called Digital Spectacular. Digital Spectacular is a patented continuously rotating, double-sided LED screen system which will be featured in select Westfield centers across the country.
Westfield asked LJG to help with the creative concepts, design support and production for a brochure, laptop presentation and digital video treatments.
The first phase of the effort was delivered this week.
LJG is working with Greenhaus and Shea Properties to Create the Digital Brand for The Collection at Riverpark
The Collection at Riverpark is teaming up with LJG and Greenhaus to work on all of the digital branding for the new 650,000 square foot center located along Highway 101 in the heart of Ventura County. This will initially include the website for the company’s leasing efforts and initial public-facing site. Over time, a more elaborate public site, email campaigns and social networking initiatives will help to make The Collection more accessible to everyone.
The Collection, scheduled to open in the Fall of 2011, will have a variety of retail shops, restaurants, and signature entertainment venues including a public art program to make for a highly engaging and welcoming shopping destination.
Avery Dennison Comes to LJG to Assist with their 2010 Annual Shareholders’ Meeting
LJG was asked to provide creative and technical interactive multimedia design, support and direction for the Shareholders’ Annual Meeting. We provided a laptop presentation and animation sequences highlighting Avery’s latest products and services.
NBC Universal Utilizing Keynote for iPad
When NBC Universal wanted to bring a fresh approach to their studio Evolution plan they turned to LJG to revitalize the community presentation and website we created for them nearly a decade ago. Taking a multilateral approach to branding, architectural and city planning, the NBC Universal Evolution plan aims to bring state-of-art production technology to NBCU’s iconic “back lot” as well as update the ever popular Universal Studios Hollywood theme park and CityWalk attractions while also adding a mixed-used, live-work, residential component to Universal City. LJG was tasked with creating a new website and community presentation to reposition the plan in the public eye.
After over a decade in development, The Evolution plan needed a fresh new look to gain new support within the community. The community presentations that LJG has created for NBCU have proven to be an important tool to not only gain support within the community, but also to build awareness of their project and its benefits to the public. Building upon the Director Presentation LJG originally created for NBCU we updated them to the latest Keynote presentation software running on the Macintosh platform. Keynote is an intuitive, easy-to-use presentation software that supports rich multimedia and robust presentation formats that far surpasses anything else that is currently on the market. When this software became available for the iPad, LJG saw its potential immediately. NBCU saw its potential as well and requested we look into it and purchase 3 iPads on their behalf. While still not perfect for large group presentations, Keynote for the iPad is best suited for small group and one-on-one presentations. It can also be a valuable tool for engaging key members of the audience during a large group presentation with its simple touch-to-follow-along interface. We’re excited to see NBCU embracing this technology and look forward to further utilizing and enhancing this format in the future.
Wordle
We have a fun site to share with you today.
“Wordle is a toy for generating “word clouds” from text that you provide. The clouds give greater prominence to words that appear more frequently in the source text. You can tweak your clouds with different fonts, layouts, and color schemes. The images you create with Wordle are yours to use however you like. You can print them out, or save them to the Wordle gallery to share with your friends.”
Take a look at the Wordle image created from the LJG blog:
LJG Helps Community Visualize the Future of CBS Columbia Square
For the past 17 years, LJG has worked with developers and architects to create interactive presentations that show both governmental officials and concerned community groups what their proposed projects will look like, feel like and how they will live and benefit the community upon completion. This process can be especially crucial for certain high profile projects–like the historic CBS Columbia Square redevelopment in West Hollywood.
Columbia Square is the centerpiece of an exciting mixed-use development along Sunset Boulevard. LJG has been a part of the team, working closely with architect, Johnson Fain, to bring the project to life. LJG created a hi-def video paying homage to the site’s history and future, complete with 3D animations demonstrating the development’s components, stunning visual presence and synergy with the historic site.
In addition to the historical video, LJG created highly-detailed before and after 3D photosimulations to illustrate the improvements and changes to the high profile site. The photosimulations allow interested parties to see the project in its current state and how the same view of the project will look upon completion.
LJG Launches Redesigned Website for San Diego’s Centre City Development Corporation
We are thrilled to announce the relaunch of CCDC.com. Centre City Development Corporation (CCDC) plans and implements downtown revitalization programs and is a huge reason San Diego’s downtown is what it is today, and will be in the future. The most recent edition of the website launched in 2006, and CCDC recognized a need to evaluate the site design, navigation tools, functionality and redesign the site.
LJG worked closely with CCDC to create a more intuitive interface design, utilizing existing content presented in a smarter, fresher way. The most-visited area of the site, and a major component of the site redesign, is the interactive map which illustrates all current and planned development in downtown San Diego.
The linking of the website to the existing Geographic Information Systems (GIS) database of Downtown San Diego was a major concern for CCDC. LJG seamlessly integrated the two systems to create a totally accurate and interactive mapping feature of downtown San Diego.
The redesigned site conveys the Corporation’s mission while providing the most up to date information, as well as extensive archives of information. The site also has the ability to provide streaming media including audio, video, Flash animation, and integrated Webcam video feeds from project sites. The robust Content Management System created for the CCDC website offers the creative flexibility and the database muscle of high-end systems, and an easy-to-use visual interface for the end-user.
CCDC.com provides relevant and up-to-date news and information and tools to better understand downtown redevelopment and the associated planning process.
The new CCDC website is a destination for residents and visitors to learn what it is that makes downtown San Diego an ideal place to live, work and play.
The iPad presents new opportunities and exciting challenges for designers and developers alike
The ever-innovative Apple released the iPad on April 3, 2010 to much excitement and confusion. Some asked the question, “What is the iPad and what can it do?” According to Apple’s CEO, Steve Jobs, the iPad falls somewhere between a laptop and a smart phone and does certain things better than both of them; browsing the Web, reading e-books and playing video, thanks to the iPad’s 9.7-inch multi-touch screen.
This new viewing and interactive experience is what LJG’s clients are looking to take advantage of. One exciting idea in the office is the use of the iPad as a mobile kiosk for real estate sales centers. “Imagine an automated, interactive sales agent giving you a guided tour of each floor plan in a sales center – at your own pace,” explains LJG Senior Programmer, Ben Brock. “Combine the tour application with social media synchronization and immediate priority list registration all in a hand-held kiosk application on the iPad and the homebuying experience could be completely transformed.”
Beyond the possibilities in real estate, other industries are also integrating the iPad into their marketing efforts. Retailers are no longer limited to iPhone apps – which can also be accessed on the iPad – and plans to add iPads to stores are already in the works for retailers like Puma. Possible retail applications include interactive catalogs with embedded video and e-commerce tools, to the possibilities of virtual sales assistants and cashiers.
“The iPad has provided a method for non-technical individuals to tap into the power of mobile computing,” says Brock. “By leveraging this fact, industries like entertainment, retail, and real estate can further combine their online and offline presence to create a unified brand experience.”
The iPad presents a new and exciting challenge for both designers and developers. The full potential of the device is yet to be determined and LJG is looking forward to discovering how to capitalize on the technology for its clients.
Public Agencies take communication online to improve customer service, drive down costs
Public agencies are experiencing a change in the way they communicate with their customers, residents and the general public. It used to be that newsletters, brochures, construction alerts and annual reports were printed and mailed, and to see a project, you had to visit the facility for a tour. But today, more and more outreach programs online as public agencies are taking their online efforts to the next level to improve customer service and drive out costs. Interactive tours online, optimized e-blasts, and even social media are just some of the interactive tools agencies like San Diego’s Centre City Development Corporation, and the Orange County Water and Sanitation Districts are taking advantage of.
LJG has been working with public agencies since the mid-90s and has learned that the needs, challenges and approach is unique for public agencies.
Public agency websites not only have to be attractive and intuitive in design and functionality, they also need to follow specific guidelines, rules and requirements. “Being required to have massive amounts of information available to the public means public agencies can really take advantage of the Web,” commented Gina Von der Kret, Creative Director at LJG. “Creating portals for the public to login and easily access pertinent, real-time content and using social media to share time-sensitive information, alerts and meeting notices is a great way to capitalize on that medium.” Organization and flowcharting play a key role in creating a defined navigation that ensures the site looks clean and the public can find what they are looking for quickly.
While the benefits of technologies like streaming video, downloadable PDFs and GIS based interactive maps are clear, transitioning from the way things have been done for years can be a challenge. Presenting considerable amounts of technical and general information to a broad based audience can also be tricky. The key is finding the right way to present this varied information to everyone from local customers to highly trained engineering professionals and public officials, to a nearby business owner.
The most significant benefit of adopting more online communications programs is increased two-way communications. Through online inquiries, email, and social media it is now easier and more timely for customers to get the necessary information they need and communicate with agency staff. Online efforts also increase the ability for public agencies to reach a wider audience base both locally and internationally. In addition, there is a significant cost savings with the reduction or elimination of many printed materials, which is icing on the cake!
LJG invests in the future of publishing – the eZine
There is no doubt about it, the world has dramatically changed for publications. While we have seen a major paradigm shift that has seriously impacted periodical print publications, high quality, editorial content is still critical. As Steve Jobs pointed out at the June 2010 All Things Digital Conference, the world cannot be just about bloggers.
The web offers the platform for real-time knowledge sharing, collaboration and conversation that traditional publications can’t. Add to that the recent launch of the iPad with its digital viewing app that instantly allows publishers to export their magazines to readers’ iPads and it is clear that the time for change has come.
LJG’s newest project, ArchitypeReview will be the most powerful online architectural design publication in the world. The project combines the editorial eZine (ArchitypeReview), with the networking capabilities needed for architects, consultants and vendors to collaborate (ArchitypeSource), along with a place for employers and job seekers to connect and catch up on the latest architectural news (ArchitypeConnect). The three Architype sites will offer a comprehensive way for designers to look at the best architectural work in the world while connecting, sharing and learning with tens of thousands of registered members.
Senior partners of ArchitypeReview, RSM Design, bring a wealth of architectural design and academic prowess to the venture. “ArchitypeReview is advancing the discussion of design, and that is the future of the eZine,” noted LJG President, John Greer.
While the experience of physically flipping through the pages of a magazine is fading away, the idea is to use technology and interface design to create an improved reading experience. “We studied this user experience for weeks and kept coming back to the logic of the format of a typical design magazine,” said Greer. “It’s the best of both worlds – large, glossy photos plus editorial content with video interviews and user generated content, all realtime.”
LJG Senior Programmer, Ben Brock says the key to a successful eZine is, “Understanding and capitalizing on the benefits of web technology.”
If we have learned anything, we know that this is only the beginning. How the emergence of the eZine will ultimately affect the publishing industry is still unknown. Combining the high quality editorial content readers have come to expect with interactive features, and membership interaction will be the determining factor of whether the eZine will succeed or fail.
Architype Dialogue Presents: Interviews with Five Featured Architects
Architype Review announces a new series of interviews with architects based on the magazine’s current featured typology, Performing Arts Centers.
Featured architects include Craig Dykers, AIA, LEED AP of Snøhetta, Ben van Berkel of UN Studio, Craig Hodgetts of Hodgetts + Fung, Gilles Saucier of Saucier + Perrotte Architectes, Bernard Tschumi of Bernard Tschumi Architects.
Read the interviews today for a look inside these inspiring minds and to learn what it took to create their impressive projects.
Official Honoree for The 14th Annual Webby Awards
LJG Partners has been recognized as an Official Honoree for the Movie and Film category in The 14th Annual Webby Awards for our work on Sony Pictures Entertainment Museum.
Of the over 8000 entries submitted to the 14th Annual Webby Awards, fewer than 15% were distinguished as an Official Honoree.
LJG compiled Sony Pictures Entertainment history into a vibrant, one-of-a-kind site with a dynamic, database enabled back end that allows SPE to make hourly updates quickly, easily and from anywhere around the world. This unique, engaging online portal put historical assets from the studio’s article history at the fingertips of any film buff with Internet access.
The Webby Awards is the leading international award honoring excellence on the Internet. Established in 1996 during the Web’s infancy, the Webbys are presented by The International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences, which includes an Executive 750-member body of leading Web experts, business figures, luminaries, visionaries and creative celebrities, and Associate Members who are former Webby Award Winners and Nominees and other Internet professionals.
The Academy is an intellectually diverse organization that includes members such as musicians Beck and David Bowie, Internet inventor Vint Cerf, political columnist Arianna Huffington, Real Networks CEO Rob Glaser, “The Simpsons” creator Matt Groening, R/GA Founder and Chairman Robert Greenberg, Virgin Atlantic Chairman and Founder Richard Branson, and The Weinstein Company Co-Founder Harvey Weinstein. Members also include writers and editors from publications such as The New York Times, Wired, Details, Fast Company, Elle, The Los Angeles Times, Vibe, and WallPaper.
LJG Works on New Online Newsletter for Major Retail Center
LJG Takes Home Two Web Awards
LJG’s work rose to the top over thousands of top-notch creative entries and was awarded the “Best in Industry” award in the Real Estate Industry for our Prospect Email Message Campaign, as well as the “Best Intranet Website” award across all industries.
The Internet Advertising Competition (IAC) Awards are produced by the Web Marketing Association to honor excellence in online advertising, recognizing the individuals and organizations responsible for the best in online marketing. Judged by a distinct group of creative industry peers, this is one of the only competitions to recognize online-only categories of advertising.
We are thrilled to receive winning recognition from IAC alongside such prestigious companies and projects.
Prospect Email Message Campaign
My Rental-Living Resident Intranet
ArchitypeReview is Moving Full Speed Ahead
Redmond Schwartz Mark Design (RSM) and LJG, have entered into a partnership to own and completely redesign ArchitypeReview. Architype’s current, primary goal is to “honor projects that are challenging the limits and redefining the norms of a certain building type.”
The development of the site is moving along and screen designs are nearing completion. Take a look at a preview of what the new site will look like.
LJG Lands Katana Software Project
Katana Software is the first fully integrated asset management, work order management, preventative maintenance management and budgetary/reporting software in the hospitality industry. Katana’s user-base is currently expanding beyond the timeshare market and the company is now reaching out to other major industries where facility management is key.
LJG has been asked to help on a variety of online communications, sales, and marketing tools to help the company expand it’s reach and sales.
We are currently working on refining the Katana Software logo to make it more remarkable and more “product-like”. Furthermore, LJG will design and develop the Katana website so the site will highlight the software attributes and convey the firms vision and provide insight into how Katana clients benefit from using the software. Lastly, we are going to create an email and e-newlsetter template to help with the electronic communications. A weekly email template will tie into the branding components of the website – creating a professional, established and progressive look that is consistent with a leading-edge software development, deployment and implementation company. In addition to a weekly email, Katana software will distribute a quarterly newsletter that brings the branding elements into a more in-depth communique that is fun, exciting, interesting and worthy of reading.
We’ll keep you informed on how LJG helps Katana Software introduce itself as the state-of-the-art, fully integrated, enterprise Facility Management solution for HOAs, Timeshares, Country Clubs, Sports and Entertainment Venues, Hotels, Resorts, Conference Facilities, Colleges and Universities, Retail Centers, and major Property Management companies across the United States.
LJG Develops Groundbreaking Administration Tool for TRIPointe Homes
When developing the website for new homebuilder, TRIPointe Homes, LJG created administration tools that would allow all dynamic content for the site to be easily managed by the site administrator. The tools used for text editing are similar to a word processor, a non-technical user can easily find and edit the page he or she wants to work with, and convenient features make content creation quick and easy. For TRIPointe we took this standard user-friend content management system to another level with increased functionality.
Often with administration tools, it is difficult to determine how different pieces of information behave. For instance, there may be a “title” and a “name” field and it isn’t clear what content each should contain. To remove this confusion, we added popup hints (see below) that describe what effect changing certain values will have on the display of the site. These hints are displayed by mousing over and/or selecting an input box.
For TRIPointe’s site, we also created a feature for realtime, drag-and-drop reordering of items using Javascript and AJAX. Additionally, some items are displayed in sublists. As a result, drag-and-drop reordering of “lists of lists” was added to facilitate intuitive handling of this information.
Waiting for full pages to load for each small action can drastically slow down productivity. To decrease this delay, we’ve used AJAX in various sections to quickly load input forms and update the list of information once submitted,
all without having to navigate between pages.
LJG also added a few methods to facilitate straight-forward maintenance of images related to various parts of the web site. One of these is the drag-and-drop reordering, as mentioned before, to ensure images are displayed in the proper order. Another is the use of lightboxes to view images in the admin console. This allows the site administrator to easily verify images without navigating away from the current page. Additionally, where
necessary, the admin console will resize images and generate thumbnails as images are added.
On some pages of the site, images are displayed with rounded corners or drop shadows. Instead of requiring each image to be modified, we used a sophisticated technique of image overlays. This means that when a rectangular image is uploaded to the admin console via the public portal, the image appears to have rounded corners and/or a drop shadow applied. The image has remained unaltered, so the image can be used for other purposes without the altered design if needed.
Pardee Homes Takes Smart Living to a Whole New Level
What’s the one thing we all want today? Value! Value in a home is all about finding something that you really love, at a price you can feel good about. Pardee Homes is putting those two parts of the puzzle together in two very surprising neighborhoods in two very cool communities that take Value to a whole new level. The new designs are called the LivingSmart(TM) Homes.
Learn more about the idea, the latest scoop on LivingSmart(TM), where the communities are located and how you can get more information on being part of them at the LivingSmart(TM) website.
Sony Pictures Entertainment Museum Gets a Digital Remodel
The Sony Pictures Entertainment Museum website recently launched with great enthusiasm. But with all good things, there was a desire to consider possible refinements and upgrades to make the site even more engaging and effective. LJG reworked the homepage template in order to make the content more accessible and user friendly. This included a Flash messaging window to highlighted featured content and engage visitors with more calls to action. View the new and improved Sony Pictures Entertainment Museum today!
Anaheim’s State of the City Address Enhanced by LJG
On Tuesday, City of Anaheim Mayor, Curt Pringle, gave his seventh, and final, State of the City Address before a packed house at The Grove Theater in Anaheim. Among the broad spectrum of topics covered, Mayor Pringle dedicated a substantial portion of his Address to discuss the future of transportation in Anaheim. As a self-proclaimed “transportation geek,” Mayor Pringle has been largely instrumental in leading the transportation initiative ARTIC (the Anaheim Regional Transportation Intermodal Center) and making this vision a realty. The project will break ground in 2011, with a grand opening slated for 2013, making Anaheim the transportation hub of the Southland.
“ARTIC is not the only transportation investment Anaheim is making this year. In partnership with OCTA, Anaheim is working to design and develop a state of the art four-mile fixed guideway system to connect ARTIC, the Platinum Triangle, the Anaheim Resort Area, and our convention center,” said Mayor Pringle at the Address on Tuesday. LJG worked in conjunction with Hyphen8tion Studios and Garvey Communications to brand and design the announcement of Anaheim’s new fixed guideway system which will be known as the Anaheim Rapid Connection — “call it the ARC — as you will see it arcing through our city, moving people from ARTIC to the Platinum Triangle to the Resort and the convention center.”
Additionally, LJG is working to create the overall banner that all of these initiatives will come together under to be known as ACONNEXT. “By the time all these initiatives under ACONNEXT are completed by the middle of this new decade, Anaheim will have one of the most modern, most efficient, and most integrated transportation systems in any city in the nation.”
LJG created a high-energy 60 second animation to announce the project at the State of the City Address, which is also featured on the ACONNEXT splash page. The Mayor’s office is “still hearing rave reviews” about the project and its animated announcement.
LJG is excited about this project and are looking forward to its continuation and completion! The full website will be launching in Spring 2010.
Mobile Internet and SMS are Helping to Save Haiti
Nowhere on Earth is Mobile being felt more than the disaster relief in Haiti. When traditional networks fail; PCs are inaccessible; and a world-at-large wants to give–the mobile Internet is filling the information gaps and uniting the world in efforts to help those who need it most. At the writing of this article mobile and SMS efforts included:
- Ustream, an iPhone app that allows live video-streaming from iPhones over a Wi-Fi or 3G connection, allowed iPhone users to immediately upload streaming video coverage to YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter to share with family and friends.
- As of January 21st, Americans pledged more than $40 million via SMS for the Haitian relief efforts. Compared to $400,000 raised via SMS during the 2005 Hurricane Katrina disaster.
- When the call went out to use text messaging to donate to the Red Cross, millions responded from wherever they were because they had the technology and knew how to use it.
- The unprecedented use of cell phones for giving was noted by the Pew Research Center, noting that 14% gave money via text message, compared to 12% by telephone.
- The Red Cross expects that donations made through more established channels – writing a check or on the Web – will still outweigh text-message giving, but that the cellphone campaign may be reaching people who might not otherwise have made the effort to get involved.
We’re Hiring at LJG!
Junior User Interface Designer and Developer
We are currently looking for a talented, hard working, team-oriented Junior User Interface Designer and Developer with superior visual conceptual skills to join our team to concept creative Web, interactive and print work. The ideal candidate will have 2+ years experience in web/interactive and some video. Candidate must be fast, accurate, creative, and willing to lead or assist in projects from concept to delivery.
Responsibilities Include:
Creative Concepting
Work with clients effectively
Graphic Design
Website design and maintenance work
Basic website development
Skills and Requirements:
Bachelor of Arts or equivalent preferred
2+ years experience
Strong portfolio of Flash, graphics, and website work
Excellent organization, multi-tasking, time management and prioritization skills
Competence in MAC and PC platforms
Strong knowledge of Fireworks, Photoshop, Illustrator and CODA/Dreamweaver
Strong knowledge of HTML/CSS
Understanding of capabilities across different platforms/browsers
Understanding of design constraints on the web
Basic knowledge of PHP programming a plus
Flash Animation / Action Scripting a plus
iWork a plus
Think you’re the perfect fit? Email your resume: LJGResumes@gmail.com
LOVE LUNCH, Iceskating & Already missing our Heather!
Our latest edition of LOVE LUNCH brought the LJG family to Sushi Deli 2…followed by an attempt at ice skating over at Horton Plaza. It was an especially touching because it was our last day with Heather. Good luck being a big time Mortgage Lender, Heather! We’ll be missing you lots!
To view all the LOVE LUNCH/yikeskating photos, please click here.
LJG 2009 Holiday Party at Cafe Chloe
Thanks to the amazing hospitality at Cafe Chloe, LJG friends and family were able to set aside a little time to appreciate all that the year had to offer….wonderful friends, great food and the best of times.
To view more pictures from LJG’s 2009 Holiday Party, please click here.
LJG launches Signature Insurance Group’s new website
Over 40 years ago, Brakke-Schafnitz Insurance Brokers and Saddleback Valley Insurance Centers were born with a vision to provide comprehensive insurance solutions to individuals and businesses. Today, this history continues as Signature Insurance Group. Signature Insurance Group came to LJG to help with their branding and web presence. The goal was to promote the idea that while the company’s name is new, its commitment to customers and quality remains unchanged. LJG designed and developed a comprehensive site to house all of the firm’s offerings and make it easy for customers to find what they are looking for, request a quote or more information.
Visit LJG on Your iPhone, Blackberry, Droid or Nexus One SmartPhones
LJG’s new mobile site launched last year. LJG’s Creative Director, Gina Von der Kret, Lead Developer, Ben Brock and Interactive Designer, Cole Welty, worked closely together to identify which areas of the full LJG site would most likely be accessed by smartphones. A completely redesigned user interface and navigational architecture was conceived. Graphics were kept to a minimum and used only to help drive the visitor to the content areas they valued. Fast downloads, sizing, and rewriting copy to fit this new platform took place as a part of the strategy phase.
The best news–creating a mobile-friendly version of your site need not be expensive. The simplicity drives out the costs to develop. Strategy is key. Visit LJG at http://m.ljg.com/
