Happy Thanksgiving to all of our clients and friends – here’s a little holiday cheer, with plenty of pumpkin pie! Gobble, gobble.
Archive for November, 2010
Noted :: What Are You Thankful For?
Amy :: I’m so grateful for my loving family. You give me purpose and the capacity to love more than I could have ever imagined. The above note is from my six-year old son. I’ll translate: “I love you mom more than ice-cream with hot fudge and some sprinkles and M&M’s and ice-cream in a cone and I love you 10 times 100. From Cole to Mom.” That’s a whole lot of love right there. And I love my daughter and son “times infinity and without end”.
I’m thankful to have had such a wonderful Dad who was my role model, my teacher, my coach, my mentor and my very best friend. I’m filled with gratitude for every day we had each other. There was not enough time, but what time we did have, we spent it well. I love you Dad. You’re gone, but will never be forgotten.
You’re turn. What are you thankful for?
Happy Thanksgiving!
Ben :: I am so thankful for so many things—the sea and wind, coffee on rainy Sunday mornings, Checkov’s prose, the silent second right before Art Tatum starts to play the piano or the ablity to stand on Cape Cod—but more than anything I am ever indebted to my family and friends and the people I love who inspire me and make me smile every single day.
Noted :: QR Codes – The Wave of the Future?
QR (short for “quick response”) codes are popping up everywhere from coupon inserts to magazine pages. Have you seen them yet? Or better yet, used them? QR codes are matrix bar codes that, when scanned with a mobile device, can link to a particular website offer, dial a phone number, download contact information or receive a message, among other things. (See the last image in this post, bottom right for an example.) To scan a QR code, you need only be armed with a mobile phone with a camera or smartphone and a QR code reader application – many options are available and can be downloaded for free.
I have an iPhone, and the scanner I use is Microsoft Tag.
Simply open up the application:
Center the barcode in the viewfinder…
And – voila – you’re off and running to the linked content.
There are so many possibilities for using QR codes to provide audiences with additional, enhanced content. It links real life and technology in a way that hasn’t been done before. Sure, you can list your web address on a print ad – but they have to wait until they’re at a computer or type in your address on their mobile device’s tiny keypad or screen. Now, what if users could, just by opening up an application on their phone, be linked directly to a review, an article, shopping cart or other useful content immediately, while they’re out shopping, for example? That’s the power of QR codes.
In the coupon insert below, Blackstone Winery uses QR codes in a very creative and, might I add the personal anecdote, USEFUL way. Who among us hasn’t found ourselves in the liquor store, faced with the task of selecting just the right wine for an important dinner? Well, snap a shot of the QR code and you’re immediately linked to helpful food and wine pairing suggestions. Why not take it a step further and incorporate an app that users can keep on their mobile device and reference again and again to select the right wines well into the future? Now you’re talking!
Au Revoir Simone
See what I did there? It’s the name of a band AND it’s my very last post as an Elements employee. I’m so clever.
I’m now sitting at my desk, stuffed to the brim with some of Branford’s finest food, reminiscing about the last 10 months I’ve had here at Elements. See, I started out as an intern and then they realized that they just couldn’t live without me, so they brought me back as a part time designer. I wonder if they were regretting that decision when I started showing them ridiculous cat videos all the time. Like this one…
But I digress.
Working at Elements has taught me so much and I’m so thankful for all the experiences I’ve had here. Even though we’re hardcore graphic designers, we like to have fun and interesting things were always happening here. Like the time we chased a rooster around the parking lot with our Iphones trying to get a video of it or when Chelsea and I got sibling kittens (we’re now bonded for life). Not to mention the food, OH the food. Let’s just say we use any excuse to go out to lunch or eat cake. I know years from now I will still have dreams about Amy’s chocolate chip cookies.
So to Amy, Chelsea, and Ben, I will miss you all terribly. Don’t worry though, I’ll make sure to visit whenever I know there will be baked goods!
Love,
Simone
3 Questions :: with Ed Bartlett of CT Out and About
Recently, we sat down with our friend Ed Bartlett of CT Out and About – the ultimate guide to everything happening in Connecticut. Ed and Amy chatted about all things social media and collaboration – including some new initiatives we’re very excited about. Enjoy!