Neoteric Design Blog

Roundtable discussion at DePaul's Careers in Information Technology

2010-03-02T14:54:46Z

I'm looking forward to meeting up with DePaul students interested in technology careers in a program sponsored by the DePaul Career Center. I'll be volunteering time in a series of roundtable, network-style discussion sessions. I'm always interested to hear the entrepreneurial dreams of students, to share my own story, and share resources and experiences that might be helpful along the way.

What kinds of questions would you have, if you were starting out your career?

AIGA Chicago Mentor Program a great success.

2010-02-15T15:01:05Z

I spent a few hours Saturday at Gravity Tank, learning more about the AIGA Chicago Mentor Program.

Dawn Hancock at Firebelly Design is doing an amazing job, marshaling over 60? 80? people, introducing the mentor program, and breaking people out into small group discussions based on their interests.

Many of the students coming out of art and design programs in Chicago had similar questions, focused on the role of interactive design, web design, and their chosen design fields. It's quite a struggle for print or graphic design students to both master the basics in their chosen field, and also deal with a market place that seems to offer more opportunities in web or interaction design. And both of those fields require, of course, an understanding of HTML markup if not programming languages outright.

We had a great conversation on the role of Flash and Flash programming, Javascript, and ways to prepare for a career in design--regardless of the medium.

There's a Facebook group if you'd like to learn more or come to the next meetup.

Shutter Soul: Chicago based culture and lifestyle website launched

2009-12-17T19:20:55Z

Got plans for the weekend? Check out Shutter Soul to get the scoop on local art and cultural offerings from an insider's point-of-view. Photography and editorial articles shed light on Chicago's vibrant neighborhoods, spotlighting the community talents and places to a wider audience. The new website features an event calendar, blog, and image galleries of Chicago lifestyle photography. Users can purchase and license prints, send e-cards, or contribute to the forum by submitting ideas, sharing what's soulful in their neighborhood.

Merchandise Mart's Art Chicago and NEXT 2010 websites launched

2009-12-17T19:18:46Z

Nothing says Spring in Chicago like the Merchandise Mart's Art Chicago and the NEXT Art Fair. The refreshed websites offer slide shows and media from the 2009 shows with a bright new look. As exhibitors and culture curators gear up over the next few months, stay tuned for more hot news on local and international talent and culture that will be showcased in 2010!

MOCP.org featured in Communication Arts: 50 Years of Photography issue

2009-11-10T18:52:43Z

We are amped about our clients doing what they do best, and making more headlines! A big shout out goes to the Museum of Contemporary Photography for their "Web Watch" column feature in the September/October 2009 issue of Communication Arts: 50 Years of Photography. Search their entire permanent collection of visionary work since 1936 online through their easy-to-use, awesome database of great photography.

Big kudos to the LPCC for receiving two communication awards!

2009-11-10T17:30:34Z

We're happy to announce the terrific news that the Lincoln Park Chamber of Commerce (LPCC) has been selected as the top recipient in two categories of the Communication Awards program by the Illinois Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives. LPCC's website and quarterly newsletter, The Source, was honored top spots and given state-wide recognition for its excellence in marketing best practices.

LPCC's website is chock-full of valuable tools and content featuring a daily news blog, workshop and events calendar, and directory that serves to highlight business and cultural resources, build publicity for their members, and keep their neighborhood constituents up-to-date. We are proud to have provided an effective website for the LPCC, empowering them to generate more business value for the community... that gets noticed!

"With chambers across the state working diligently for their members, and producing high-quality materials to promote these efforts, we are humbled by this selection."
--Kim Schilf, LPCC President and CEO

An Event Apart 2009

2009-10-14T19:30:24Z

I had the opportunity to attend the An Event Apart conference here in Chicago at the beginning of this week and I must say–this being my first time at their event–I was truly impressed. The presenters were greatly in tune with the advancements and shifts occuring in the industry and I found their insights and expertise really enlightening.

Presenting at the two day conference were some of the big names in the web world including Eric Meyer, Dan Cederholm, Jeffrey Zeldman, and Jason Santa Maria. Eric's presentation pertained to the advancments of Javascript over the past few years in part due to the advancement of rendering engines within our browsers. With the help of toolkit sets such as JQuery (one of our favorites), Modernizr, and MooTools web developers can create all kinds of dynamic features that take almost no time to load and run at lightning speed. One prime example he cited was Google Maps. Remember how just a few years ago to move the map around on the page you would have to click an arrow on the side of the map and wait for it to reload? Thanks to the ever-increasing power of Javascript rendering engines, browsers can now do much of the work on the fly.

Dan Cederholm (from Simplebits) provided a glimpse into his book Handcrafted CSS: More Bulletproof Web Design and discussed what he coined "progressive enrichment" with CSS3. Rounded corners, drop shadows, transitions, text shadows, the capabilities of CSS3 are a big step forward and you as a developer should start to make use them of now. One key theme of the conference–and Dan's talk–was the idea that websites do NOT need to look exactly the same in all browsers (to support this idea Dan created a quick example). As long as the added CSS techniques don't impede or disrupt the user's experience in a particular browser we should feel free to reward the users who work with browsers that support them (Firefox and Safari for the most part).

And those two talks were just the tip of the proverbial iceberg. Jason Santa Maria discussed thinking small, Aaron Gustafson introduced the audience to eCSStender, and Andy Clarke talked about designing within the browser. I'm certain I'll be revisiting all the slides this weekend, as well as using them for reference in the future. To anyone thinking of taking part in a conference from An Event Apart, I highly recommend the experience.

Dan Rubin giving his talk "Designing Virtual Realism".

Aaron Gustafson explains the inner workings of eCSStender.

Jason Santa Maria fields questions from the audience.

Another successful internship story

2009-09-21T22:18:17Z

Last year's winter intern, Christine from DePaul, wrote this fall with some great news in these challenging economic times:

I am happy to let you know that I have been offered a full time position as Statistical Research Analyst at The Nielsen Company! Thank you very much for your help in providing me with a letter of recommendation. It was certainly a decisive document in the hiring process. The brief time I spent at Neoteric Design has certainly paved my career path.
Congratulations, Christine! You deserve it!

We're hiring: junior web UI developer

2009-09-21T20:41:48Z

Update: this position has been filled. Thanks.

You'll be working in a fast-moving, four-person design shop in the heart of Chicago's design district, River North. Expect to handle multiple projects throughout the day, and interact directly with designers, developers, and clients. We use an agile, iterative style of design and development; expect rapid revisions and implementation cycles using SCRUM methodologies.

Requirements.

Expert knowledge in xHTML/CSS, modern markup techniques, and the major Javascript libraries that make interactive web UI experiences possible. You'll be working with layered Photoshop mockups; all markup is hand-crafted. This position is not primarily a design position; however, you should be able to iterate over CSS design revisions easily.

We're primarily a Macintosh shop; Microsoft skills noted but not needed. PHP/Rails desirable. Experience with CMS systems--Movable Type, Expression Engine, WordPress a plus.

You must provide three examples of your own development work, two references, pay history, and a link to your portfolio site. Interested? Email your cover letter and a resume to jobs@neotericdesign.com. If interviewed, you'll be asked for an hour of your time to demonstrate your JS library chops to the team.

Note this position is on location only: contractors, recruiters, off-shore development firms, please hold your fire. Really! Don't ring us! It's going to waste your time and ours! Thanks.

The fun stuff.

We're centrally located in River North; Ed and Nick bike to work daily, and the CTA is right outside. Within blocks we have dozens of lunch options, and kick out together on the occasion to discuss work, music, the art scene, technology, what have you. Our office is on the small side, open planned, Ikea throughout. We are essentially collaborative: tossing ideas back and forth, brainstorming together, solving problems cooperatively. We iTunes DJ most of the day, or someone will lead tunes for a few hours across the shared sound system; it's a benevolent democracy until Nick plays ragas or something too minimalist or house or Holiday tunes and gets voted off the speakers. We care intensely about what we do; you'll have the opportunity to work with design and usability experts, and grow your skills through seminars, conferences, and the like.

Windy City Rails

2009-09-14T16:45:06Z

Nick and I had the opportunity to go to Windy City Rails, a one-day conference for Rails developers, over the weekend. It was a really great day, jam-packed with useful talks. We also learned a ton in the rSpec/Cucumber afternoon session (thanks to David Chelimsky and Corey Haines). And, perhaps surprisingly, the catered food was actually good!

If you’re familiar with github, I’ve posted some notes that I took during the morning sessions over at http://github.com/jgdavey/wcr-notes.

I’ll likely be writing a follow-up post about some of my conclusions, especially after some lively discussions.

Thanks to the whole Windy City Rails team for a great day. I can’t wait until next year.

New website helps users find mobile apps they'll use and love

2009-09-02T21:16:32Z

We helped to launch a new website that helps consumers easily browse and discover applications for the iPhone™ and iPod® touch. The first comprehensive website to combine social networking, editorial articles and reviews, and advanced discovery tools, this website helps users to explore and contribute to the growing landscape of mobile apps. Users can create a profile, build a library, chat with other users, and get consumer advice on the hottest apps available.

We designed the brand identity, and created the website user interface and interaction design. It organizes a wealth of content through an easy-to-read, approachable, and energetic website design. We are proud to be part of the team behind this ambitious project: big shout outs to the developers, team leaders, product owners and editorial staff who make this project a success!

Exciting Transformation for Urban Initiatives

2009-08-28T19:17:43Z

One of the first things I did upon moving to Chicago in the fall of 2005 was to start coaching/mentoring for a non-profit kids outreach program called Urban Initiatives. Since that time (hard to believe it's been almost four years) the program has grown in leaps and bounds and supports over 330 young kids in the Chicago Public Schools. The program has gathered support from all kinds of circles including Arne Duncan (President Obama's Secretary of Education), Nike, and Illinois State Senator John J. Cullerton.

In June of this year, Urban Initiatives decided it was time for a site redesign along with the integration of a content management system allowing for site updates with ease. We here at Neoteric were glad to help. With the introduction of a CMS we were able to build an easy to update gallery feature that allows program supporters to see photos from events and outings.

Once the content management system was in place, Urban Initiatives was able to publish all kinds of articles relevant to the organization. In addition to news from the program, they were able to publish testimonials from supporters such as school principals and community leaders.

We're glad to know, as the program continues to grow, the site will too. If you'd like to view the new site or find out more about the program, visit urbaninitiatives.org.

The Obama Cabinet iPhone app release

2009-08-27T21:05:34Z

Neoteric Design is proud to announce the release of The Obama Cabinet, our first iPhone app! Did you know that Arne Duncan played professional basketball before beginning his political career? Or that four of the sixteen cabinet officials are held by women? Find out who's who and what they do as Presidential advisors. This app contains biographies and job descriptions for each U.S. Cabinet member.

Learn more about the Obama Cabinet, iPhone Application.

Chicago's Urban Initiatives launches redesigned website

2009-08-18T18:19:05Z

The dedicated crew at Urban Initiatives works with local educators and parents to enrich and support the academic, physical, and character development of children from Chicago’s under-served communities. The redesigned website reflects the organization's new growth and accomplishments as a vital health and education program, helping kids reach their potential. New features include a bold and energetic style, larger photography of kids engaged in the core programs, a blog of current events containing photo galleries, a more comprehensive partnership area that recognizes their numerous advocates and relationships throughout the region, and calls-to-action for newsletter subscription, social networking, and ways support the organization.

Network Solutions 'redesigns,' crafts obscure brand labels for previously understood products, services

2009-08-04T19:50:01Z

I had to laugh when I logged into a client's Network Solutions account this morning. I was greeted with this friendly notification: customers spoke, and Network Solutions listened. Hmm, I thought. That's a good thing!

Then I read on...

So, if I understand this correctly, Network Solutions crafted branded, trademarked, meaningless terms to overlap on products and services that were previously well understood (like E-Mail) or somewhat understood (like SSL Certificates). Tell me, does "nsProtect(tm)" help this conversation at all?

I cannot wait for my first support phone call.

Customer: "My nsMail(tm) isn't working. I think it's because our nsSpace(tm) went down last night, possibly because I didn't renew my nsWebAddress(tm)."

Me: "... um, sorry?"