Polymer Studios::Web Consulting

Emptor caveat

30. October 2007

Beware the buyer. (Okay, I’m not a Latin scholar, and Latin grammar probably doesn’t work that way, but you take my meaning.) NBC Universal made a high-profile decision in August not to renew its contract to sell its video content through iTunes. Instead, they’ve chosen to join forces with News Corp. to build a new [...]

Color me amused

27. October 2007

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Festive Quechuas, by ruecian, at colourlovers.com Three fascinating links related to the color on the Web: How Pantone missed the Internet boat, according to Tim Bray at ongoing. Via xBlog. Imagine that! A social networking site for colour lovers. I think I’ve found my favorite palettes. Because not everyone sees in Technicolor, there’s Sim Daltonism, a color blindness [...]

The Brand Gap

26. October 2007

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Possibly the best 162-slide PowerPoint I’ve ever seen. By Marty Neumeier. | View | Upload your own Via Rainfall Daffinson

The only thing to fear…

26. October 2007

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When we work with clients on UI redesigns for existing sites, one of the considerations that invariably comes up is how much change current site users will tolerate. Sometimes the fear of disrupting the current experience, however flawed that experience might be, has the potential to stifle innovation and prevent breakthroughs that could really benefit [...]

Flying the horse in the direction it’s going

25. October 2007

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Burdened with an unfortunate airport code, SUX, the leaders of Sioux City, Iowa, recently decided to embrace it rather than fight it. A marketing campaign ensued. Of course, this inspiring lesson comes a little late for those of us who attended middle school with an unfortunate surname in tow. Via BoingBoing.

Banking 2.0: Core technologies (Part 1 of 3)

24. October 2007

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Web 2.0 has been gaining more and more momentum over the last year or so. Web 2.0 involves taking advantage of internet technology for creating, collaborating, communicating and sharing ideas and information. Things like blogs, podcasts, wikis and social networks are helping organizations forge stronger relationships with their customers. But should you use new technology [...]

Gaming for fun and profit, but mostly fun

24. October 2007

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It looks nothing like the games they do for Adult Swim on Cartoon Network (Viva Caligula, Bible Fight, etc.), but here’s a great demo that NYC-based Pop & Co. produced for LEGO. I’m guessing it didn’t take half the effort of one of their full-fledged games, but stylistically, it’s a gem. Makes me nostalgic [...]

Chronic social fatigue syndrome

23. October 2007

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This past couple of weeks has been one conversation after another with prospects and clients about building social Web sites for their unique customer and member audiences. Not that I’m complaining — it’s fun work to imagine how businesses can create communities where they previously had unrelated individual customers. But all this talk [...]

Social media for the corporate set

22. October 2007

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I’ve been grooving on a relatively unknown social media site for a couple months now. Well, at least it’s unknown outside the rarified world of corporate communications. The site, MyRagan.com, is the spawn of Ragan Communications, the company that has put out the weekly Ragan Report newsletter for some 35 years. I remember this yellow [...]

Web two point d’oh!

17. October 2007

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In the category of pictures speak a thousands words, I offer these charts from a recent study by the Pew Internet & American Life Project. Waves? More like Tsunamis, I’d say. Pity the victim lying on the beach. From Riding the Waves of “Web 2.0”, by Mary Madden and Susannah Fox, Pew Internet Project. Captured on [...]