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June 17, 2008

what Lisa's been up to, May edition

My favorite project just launched--the Web site for The Swell Season. Maybe you know Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova for their music. Or maybe you saw (and loved!) the movie Once. Or perhaps you saw them on the Oscars when they won the award for best song. (Eat that, Enchanted.) We are very lucky to have this talented duo as clients. A true group effort, this site came together with Shawn's design, Kim Flournoy's programming, and Quentin Fountain's Flash programming.

This site looks pretty straightforward, but there were lots of little details that helped it come together perfectly. The client wanted a content management system, so we set up Wordpress as the backend to facilitate easy updates. To manage ever-changing tour date information, we used the Gig Press plug in, which allowed easy date entry and automatic archival and updates for passed dates. And to allow the users to experience both the music and video on the site, we commissioned a custom built media player that plays both music and video, integrated seamlessly into Shawn's design. You can also launch this player to take the music and video with you even when you leave the site. This was such an exciting project--we were thrilled to work on it.

The most recent issue of HOW features an article I wrote on Von Glitschka, a Salem, OR-based designer who specializes in what he terms "Illustrative Design." He outlines a method that encourages designers to step away from their computer and pick up their notebook, returning to the roots of design. He argues that taking a pen to paper will help designers restore their creativity and enhance their craft. You can download and read the entire article here.

I also designed another email newsletter for Pilates-Pro.com. I love creating email newsletters for clients because there is so much strategy involved. It's necessary to not only think about the content and how recipients read newsletters, but also how to subvert spam filters and stand out among the millions of other messages. Also, knowing how to design around the various email clients makes troubleshooting Web browser issues seem easy.

I have two major site launches coming up next month, so stay tuned!


Posted by lisa at June 17, 2008 07:28 AM

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