St. Louis, Branding, Web Strategy, Design & Ad Campaigns

4 Things I Would Add to CSS3 & HTML5 Today

admin — Sat, 03 Sep 2011 05:09:45 +0000

While CSS3 and HTML5 are making the scene (and making a scene for that matter); it’ll take a while for the general public to adopt (and adapt). While we sit around and wait for them to become “the norm”; I’d like to add in some things that can make them even better for designers and users alike. “Responsive design” is the new buzz phrase; so why do we have to go through so much crap just to design responsively? Here are 3 things we should add to CSS3 & HTML5 right now:

CSS3: Aspect Ratio
A designer should be able to add “aspect” to an image (whether it be background or a standard . Let’s say you have a background image that’s 1600x900px. This is a standard HD image (16:9). So in the CSS add something like this:

background:url(back.jpg);
aspect-width:16 9;

This would mean the width would always be 100% of the screen while height would maintain a 16:9 aspect ratio to the height. Here’s another example:

background:url(back.jpg) top center;
aspect-height:20 5;

This would mean the height would always be 100% and the width would adjust to a 20:5 ratio from there; but also the width overflow would always remain centered on the screen.

HTML5: Numbered Layers
Let’s all face it, z-indexing sucks and DHTML layers have extreme performance limitations. Let’s make this simple:

is at the bottom. above that, etc…

You could use a combo of aspect ratio and layers to create some pretty funky parallaxing!

CSS3: Depth Overflow Hidden
Why are we constantly going “left and right”, “up and down”? Why not “in and out”? There should be a way to scroll through a (previously hypothesized) html5 layer right??? Zooming would make the background of this layer bigger without changing the size of it’s area.

HTML5: Distance
I can’t explain this without putting you to sleep so let’s just look at the “make-believe” code:

In a galaxy far, far away…

This means layer3 is 10 “scrolls” from any layer atop. You would never need a bottom layer distance since the layer underneath always determines how far away the next layer can appear. But of course this means we’d have to create a 3D space from the finish to the start instead of the most logical way so…

That just means we’ll have to (unexpectedly) add one more item to this list… “negative layers”.

Until next time nerds… keep your code clean and your minds messy. Cheers!

SEO Success!!! Paradise Lawns

admin — Sat, 09 Apr 2011 03:46:21 +0000

These were the words Mike Kreher, of Paradise Lawns used in our first meeting a year ago today. He couldn’t get Google to acknowledge that they even existed outside of their home town, Freeburg, IL. Even under the results for Freeburg they were showing up between 7th and 9th.

Take a look at their latest results:

8 #1 spots and first page results for every city they serve. It was a long and complicated process that strictly followed all of Google’s rules so we know we’re there to stay. At least for a while…

If you know someone who needs this service, and they are willing to switch to WordPress, give me a call. My rates are based on the amount of success vs. the amount of competition.

Second Street: New Site & New Attitude

admin — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 04:25:43 +0000

Second Street Old Website

Second Street New Website Concept

Second Street Final Website Design

Second Street UPICKEM Product Page

Mark Green is one of my favorite collaborators. He knows exactly how to get to the meat of the matter. Generating leads and cultivating relationships. When you’re working with a guy who knows how to get things done, the sky is the limit.

Campaign Needs:

Print & Trade Show Collateral
Online Videos
New WordPress Site

Duties

Discovery of current product lines
Present an online strategy that would maximize lead generation
Design and Code a WordPress Site from scratch
Develop Custom WordPress Widgets & Shortcodes
Concept and Produce Online Videos
Create an Icon and Graphics Set

Contact Mark Green | Contact Chris Keller | Go To SecondStreet.com

Branding: Optimizing Brand Potential

admin — Mon, 17 Jan 2011 02:57:44 +0000

Branding is a science and you don’t want a bunch of interns fooling around in the lab. It could have consequences fatal to your business.

Hair Saloon For Men: Man Card Campaign

admin — Sun, 16 Jan 2011 16:38:07 +0000

HSFM Concepting

HSFM Presentation

HSFM Screentest

HSFM Video Plates

HSFM Shooting Day

HSFM Actual Shoot

Man Card Landing Page

Working with Rick Bayers at Tuva Interactive is always interesting. He has a lot of energy for his clients. In Oct 2010, Rick and I started working on the 2011 Marketing Campaign for his client, Hair Saloon For Men.

Campaign Needs:

Concept
Strategy
TV Commercials
Radio Campaign
Magazine Ads
Print & POS Collateral
Social Presence
Microsite

Duties

Concept a campaign that will garner attention without straying from the core values of Hair Saloon For Men.
Create a strategy that will maximize the budget.
Write Scripts for TV Commercials
Write Scripts for Radio.
Concept and Create POS Collateral
Develop a Social Strategy, including Facebook & Twitter, viral philosophy and potential Apps
Create a Microsite
Concept and Develop Contests that will fuel audience paticipation

Contact Rick Bayers @ Tuva Interactive | Go To Hair Saloon For Men, Man Card Website

Daniel & Henry: Sitefinity with a Flare

admin — Sun, 16 Jan 2011 04:52:30 +0000

Daniel and Henry Website

Daniel and Henry Photo Shoot

The partners at Daniel & Henry are surprisingly fun to work with. When I think risk management and insurance, I think “boring”. These guys and gals were open to ideas and had a lot of helping transforming their old site into a modern site.

Campaign Needs:

New Website
Content Management
New Photography

Duties

Discovery of current products & services
Present an online strategy
Design and Code a Sitefinity Site from scratch
Concept and Edit Professional Photography Session

Visit: Daniel & Henry

IMPACT Group: Interactive Explanation

admin — Sat, 01 Jan 2011 19:26:12 +0000

Impact Group Branding

Flash Interactive

Impact Group Wireframes

Impact Group Mapping Tool

Transitioning people in/out/around jobs is a lot of work. We created an interactive explanation of how it works. I work with my senior designer, Ken Moire and a very talented Falsh Actionscript Expert, R.C. Nelson on creating an effective interactive piece.

Campaign Needs:

New Brand
New Website
Interactive Explanation of Services
Icon Set

Duties

Discovery of current service lines
Present an online strategy that would make understanding the value of service easy.
Design a Sitefinity site
Concept and Production of Flash Interactive.
Create a New Brand.
Create an Icon and Graphics Set

Visit: IMPACT Group | Contact: Ken Moire

Dugan’s Woodworking Website

admin — Sat, 16 Oct 2010 19:48:10 +0000

Dugan's Website

Dugan's T-Shirts

Dugans Workmanship

Sean Dugan can do things with wood that would make Bob Villa cry. When I first met Sean, I was impressed with his genuine want to do superior work. My first thought was that I had to make his work stand out.

Campaign Needs:

New Brand
Premium Photograhy
New WordPress Site

Duties

Design a Simple yet Elegant Brand
Help small business client CMS technologies
Present an online strategy that would maximize a small business budget
Create a WordPress Site
Scan and Photoshop Photography

Visit: Dugan’s Woodworking

IRON Solutions: Uncomplicating the Complicated

admin — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 18:00:42 +0000

IRON Solutions Feature

IRON Search Website

IRON Search Buyers Guide

When it was first explained to me what IRON Solutions does, I have to say I was thoroughly confused. I was challenged to simplify something with so many levels of detail. It was a fun project.

Campaign Needs:

Print & Trade Show Collateral
Online Green Screen Video
2 New Websites
2 New Brands

Duties

Discovery of current product lines
Present an online strategy that would maximize lead generation
Design a Sitefinity site
Redesign an existing product search site
Concept and Produce an Online Video
Create an Icon and Graphics Set

Visit: IRON Solutions | Visit: IRON Search

Tom The Kong: Mad Genius with a Welder

admin — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 00:48:23 +0000

Kong Home Page Feature

Kong Eagle Trike

Kong Dragon Video

Kong Deer Skull Ferring

I‘ve known Tom Compton for many years. He’s he most talented creator I’ve ever met. If you need something built out of metal, fiberglass, wood, concrete, rock or any other material, call Tom. Besides helping me with my choppers, Tom has been a good friend for many years.

Stuff I do for Tom:

Built and maintain his website
Video as much as I can (one day we’ll make it into a documentary)
Design all his banners, cards and sales materials
Help him concept some of his creations

Tom is a master:

Welder
Artist
Fabricator
Engineer
Motorcycle & Trike Builder
Carpenter
Landscaper
Dog Whisperer
He’s a great MC & DJ

Contact Tom Compton @ Tom The Kong