DS Blog
Into High (Tech) Gear: Launching a New Financial Web-App
The beginning of March brought us to the end—really the beginning—of a long but satisfying journey. For nearly nine months, we have been hard at work developing a competing product with the likes of Mint and Wesabe. Both products are good at what they promise to do, but for many people who need more "personal attention" they leave much to be desired. Enter Solutions web app found at actfinancially.com. Late last summer, two women entrepreneurs approached us with a detailed concept for a new financial tracking web application. Drawing on decades of corporate and financial experience, Jo Bittof and Nancy Lowery...
Comments (0)|Posted by: Joseph Nother, 17 March 2010 at 3:38pm
DISH: A Hearty Helping of Design
Today's post comes from our beloved design intern Erin Slattery. A writer by education but now pursuing a design career, Erin elegantly captures her recent experience at the DISH Conference in Nashville. *** Last Thursday, I packed up my portfolio and headed off to the DISH conference hosted at Lipscomb University by AIGA Nashville. I figured it would be a nice opportunity to get some feedback on my work and maybe hear a few good words from industry professionals. Little did I know, I was headed for two amazing days of candid advice, industry insights and inspiring...
Comments (0)|Posted by: Joseph Nother, 15 March 2010 at 12:44pm
Way to go, Team Designsensory! As you know from my last post, all eight of our submissions received recognition at this year's Addy Awards program. The "unknown" was the color of the awards. Well, at the end of the evening this past Saturday, we proudly walked away with 4 Gold, 2 Silver and 2 Bronze Addy Awards from the 2010 competition (featuring work created in 2009). Our gold winners are entered into the regional District competition, and we have elected to also send one of our silver winning entries. Here are the details: Gold ADDYs: • Event branding and print collateral work for...
Comments (1)|Posted by: Joseph Nother, 23 February 2010 at 9:56pm
I am proud to say this blog post title has two meanings. One, we are slowly making headway with all the accumulated junk that made the trip from our old office to the new one. Of late, we had Goodwill pick up several older computers, screens and monitors for recycling. This action has restored some semblance of order to our storage closets, bringing us one small step closer to putting together an open house. The other meaning, perhaps of great blogging merit, is our sweep of the Addy Awards. Like last year, I am happy to report that all of our...
Comments (0)|Posted by: Joseph Nother, 20 February 2010 at 3:10pm
Beginning the Year with a Farewell
As we say hello to a new year we find ourselves saying farewell to a friend and colleague. After several years of service, Sara Lewis has decided to pursue an alternate career path and will be leaving the Designsensory family as a full-time employee this January. As a tribute to her service and time with us we thought we'd simply testify to her awesomeness as we wish her well in the future. "It has been excellent to work with Sara - as my very first job in a strange new country, I was especially pleased to discover a work colleague who...
Comments (1)|Posted by: Joseph Nother, 5 January 2010 at 6:06pm
Exploring New Ground. A Retrospective on The Tennessee Trails & Byways Website
Several weeks ago, Designsensory proudly and excitedly played a crucial part in the launch of a new Tennessee statewide tourism initiative: Discover Tennessee Trails & Byways. Governor Phil Bredesen, along with the Commissioner of Tourist Development, Susan Whitaker, announced an initiative that will take Tennessee Tourism to the next level. The premise is simple: most travelers visit well-known cities within a state or region. Unfortunately, this often leaves so much left to be discovered begging the question: Is there an easy way to get people to leave the tried-and-true behind and explore new things. Tennessee's new tourism initiative answers that...
Comments (0)|Posted by: Joseph Nother, 7 December 2009 at 5:41pm
Great progress has been made on the space since my last post. This pics show the progression of various architectural features at about the mid-way point of construction. One of the elements we are excited to see rendered is our entryway ceiling. Above is the framing for the circle feature. Here is the frame drywalled and integrated: The other element we are all excited to put to good use is our new conference room. Lately, we have not been able to fit our entire team into our conference room let alone larger client teams. Thankfully, that will all change with our...
Comments (0)|Posted by: Joseph Nother, 4 November 2009 at 8:33am
Making and Thinking in Memphis
Two weekends ago, I had the opportunity to attend AIGA's Make/Think national design conference. It was a great experience that was as fun as it was inspiring. The theme of the conference (Make/Think) focused on the designer's dual role of both making artifacts and solving problems with creative thinking. It also provided multiple opportunities to engage in both activities. Here are a few of the things I learned at Make/Think: You can do anything that you want. Really.As I heard Stefan Sagmeister describe the things he learned from his year-long sabatical in Bali, it occured to me that the solutions to...
Comments (0)|Posted by: Mark Schafer, 21 October 2009 at 1:28pm
Asall 12 of our readers have probably noticed,our blog posts have been far and few between for the past several months. Now, what reason could there be for this travesty? Have we run out of things to say or post? Yeah, right. That'll be the day. Have we gotten so lazy, the mere thought of having to type on a keyboard is met with the strongest dose of apathy? Not so much. I can't think of one person in our office that would fit the bill for this. Are we busy enough that finding the time to write is coming...
Comments (2)|Posted by: Joseph Nother, 25 September 2009 at 3:48pm
Demystifying Direct Mail, Part 3
This continues our series of introductory posts on designing for direct mail. Part 1 introduced your friend at the post office, the Mailpiece Design Analyst, the basic mailpiece shapes, and some helpful online resources. In Part 2, we looked more closely at the shapes and other ways that the USPS categorizes mail. Here in Part 3, we examine requirements for getting your mailpiece through the USPS's processing equipment. Nonmachinable mailA mailpiece is nonmachinable if it has any physical characteristic which prevents it from being processed by the post office’s equipment, and is subject to a surcharge. Unless you are doing something...
Comments (0)|Posted by: Alison Ashe, 24 July 2009 at 3:10pm
Demystifying Direct Mail, Part 2
This continues our series of introductory posts on designing for direct mail. Part 1 introduced your friend at the post office, the Mailpiece Design Analyst, the basic mailpiece shapes, and some helpful online resources. Here in Part 2, we'll look more closely at the shapes and other ways that the USPS categorizes mail. Factors determining the type of mailingAs a designer, unless the format of the mailpiece and the class of mail are already decided for you, you'll be basing decisions about the design of the piece on what kind of message, information, or material needs to be conveyed, weighed against...
Comments (0)|Posted by: Alison Ashe, 1 July 2009 at 12:29pm
Demystifying Direct Mail, Part 1
We recently attended a breakfast talk hosted by AIGA Knoxville on designing for direct mail. Sheila Kirton, our local USPS Mailpiece Design Analyst (did you know those existed?), gave us a great refresher on what to do and not to do when designing direct mail and alerted us to some upcoming changes in mailpiece requirements. Since we found this so helpful, we decided to put together our own introductory guide to mailing standards. Even if you’ve worked on mailpieces before, there can be many gaps in your knowledge. Mail can be pretty tricky, and it’s difficult to know where to...
Comments (3)|Posted by: Alison Ashe, 8 June 2009 at 3:28pm
The Stage is Set (again) for Designsensory
What a year 2009 has been already! Here's the latest bit of heartfelt news. I am pleased to announce Designsensory has officially been awarded a second term with the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development as their interactive agency of record. In turn, we are partnering with our peeps at Paramore|Redd on the online marketing initiatives which includes email, social and viral initiatives all driving back to the tnvacation family of sites.If you spent any time with us for the past several weeks you would know this was a more emotional win than the many we are thankful to be...
Comments (2)|Posted by: Joseph Nother, 12 March 2009 at 5:59pm
Though this news is a little late making it to our blog, I am happy to report we had a stellar showing at this year's Addy Awards. As I mentioned in an earlier post, we went 5 for 5 entries to awards. We were happy to get that notice but ecstatic when the results were finally revealed. Your favorite (I hope) design and tech peeps walked away with 3 gold, 1 silver and 1 bronze.• Tennessee Vacation Seasonal Sites - GOLD• Hunter Museum of American Art - GOLD• Designsensory Website - GOLD• Designsensory Stationery System and Identity - SILVER• Lifesaver...
Comments (0)|Posted by: Joseph Nother, 5 March 2009 at 8:14pm
Early Returns for the 44th Annual Addy Awards
Early this year we decided to submit a few projects to the Addy Awards for consideration. I am happy to report that early indications are favorable. As the letter for Exhibit A (above) states, all five of our entries have been awarded an Addy. The question now is, what color are we going to walk away with---bronze, silver or the almighty sparkly gold. Personally, we are hoping for gold---these days, it's good for a diversified portfolio. Ok, bad joke. Anyway, being a proud American Advertising Federation member we thought to not only shamelessly plug our success...
Comments (6)|Posted by: Joseph Nother, 10 February 2009 at 12:07pm
Well, what can I say? You blink an eye, the year goes by and it's Christmas once again. It used to be that we'd get a little snow, and that would help to make the season feel more like a winter wonderland. Now, what generally signals the approach of the holidays is our frantic search for what has become a Designsensory tradition---our yearly ornament gift to our new client friends. Over in design, this is coupled with designing our package label and Christmas card. For the past several years it so happens this honor has been bestowed on the newest...
Comments (1)|Posted by: Joseph Nother, 18 December 2008 at 4:50pm
Five sites on "Best of CSS Design 2008"
Once again we have had the fortune of having our work recognized over at the popular design-blog Web Designer Wall. None other than five of our websites have been selected and included on this years "The Best of CSS Design 2008." Our seasonal site series for the State of Tennessee and the website for local Knoxville favorite, Dara's Garden are included with 45 other examples of great web development. Five out of 50 ain't bad but 2009 is almost here! New year..new challenges...new inspiration. Let's see what 2009 has in store. Appreciate the nod Nick. Here are the showcased websites: Tennessee Winter Tennessee...
Comments (7)|Posted by: Joseph Nother, 17 December 2008 at 9:36am
Cut & Paste: The 2008 Greeting Card Competition, AIGA Knoxville
As many of you may know, Designsensory is a proud and active member of our local chapter of the AIGA, the professional association of design. Given that Alison and I both serve on the Knoxville AIGA board we thought we'd do our part to get the word out for this year's greeting card competition. The theme is handmade and the competition is open to everyone! Here's more info:We're encouraging you to step away from your bright computer screens this holiday season and get back to working with your hands. Create an original holiday greeting card(s) and mail it in to...
Comments (2)|Posted by: Joseph Nother, 11 November 2008 at 4:40pm
From Abingdon, Virginia with Love
Several weeks ago we had the pleasure of taking a quick trip to Abingdon, Virginia. Nestled in the Blue Ridge Highland region in Southwest Virginia and steeped in Old World tradition, Abingdon succeeds in transporting the lucky traveler to a different time and place. Rumor has it that Abingdon is also an old childhood stomping ground of a certain Technical Director here at Designsensory. Anyway, we found Abingdon a magical setting when we were there last but it is surely going to hold a special place in our hearts now. The business that brought us there weeks ago (bidding on their...
Comments (0)|Posted by: Joseph Nother, 16 October 2008 at 10:33am
Work Honored by Graphic Design USA
Just a few days ago the mailman brought a little dose of love in the form of a good ole catalog envelope. There was nothing special about the envelope except for what was inside---five awards for design excellence and a special note of congratulations. Our selections were picked out of a pool of 10,000 plus entries as part of the top 15%. A big pat on the pack to everyone who worked on these projects! Check out the certificates below. More importantly, click on the projects and see the work! Recognition for the new Tennessee Theatre ID mark (logo) | View...
Comments (7)|Posted by: Joseph Nother, 12 September 2008 at 1:39pm
A taste of our own medicine: Designing one's own Identity
Why is it so difficult todesignand develop your own identity system, print collateral and web site? Besides the time and personnel commitment, many design and web development agencies often struggle to capture the essence of their organizations when it comes time to do all things brand, identity and web site. Perhaps it is deciding on one path from a myriad of creative possibilities. Or perhaps it is a battle between aspiration versus pragmatism with respect to positioning. Be it a large, hundred-man enterprise or a small, two-person shop, it is always a decidedly difficult task. Having said that, focusing the mirror...
Comments (4)|Posted by: Joseph Nother, 5 August 2008 at 9:56am
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Authors
Alison Ashe
Alison solves visual communication problems through a process of research, concept exploration, and original thinking.
Lindsay Miller
Lindsay is dedicated to the unrelenting pursuit of delivering unique, effective media solutions that bring a company's message to life.
Joseph Nother
As co-founder and creative director for Designsensory, Joseph oversees teams that deliver award-winning and compelling design.
Brandon Rochelle
Brandon, co-founder and technical director, oversees technology development spanning interactive work through online marketing.
Mark Schafer
In his role as creative designer, he puts his passion for creating excellent, meaningful design into practice.
Susan Sewell
Susan brings a background as a writer, senior editor, promotion specialist, and project manager.