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!

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.

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.

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!

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.

http://www.papsweden.se/

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.

http://lawineagency.com/

“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!

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.

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.

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!