Philosophy

Beyond our digital production skills, we add value to our clients by thinking hard about what we do. We see work that’s technically competent, even visually pleasing, and yet the projects fail because they don’t meet the goals and expectations of their audience. Too many new media projects are driven by their underlying technologies or by their visual sensibilities rather than by consideration of the needs of their audiences.

As designers, we believe that design is much more than wallpaper. It’s about how a product works. And it’s about problem-solving. It shapes all the points of contact that a user has with a designed product or service. We outline a three step design process which we use to get a clear understanding of the audience needs, business goals, and constraints on a given project and then create an appropriate solution.

As programmers, we believe that good code has a certain geeky beauty. Software code, apart from its function, has an underlying aesthetic which separates good code from bad code. While this aesthetic is difficult to appreciate for those who haven't “sensed” the code, it directly impacts the maintainability and the forward-compatability of projects. And while Web pages may look like jazzed-up magazine pages, don’t be fooled: they’re software products and need good code.

As interface designers, we believe that the user experience is paramount. A Web site’s user, for example, has certain goals and (if consistent with the marketing purpose) the major focus of the site should be in satisfying those goals. Understanding the audience and its motivation for visiting a site shapes everything about the site including its content and its look and feel. Effectively meeting audience goals and helping visitors enjoy their experience is what good interface design is all about.

As project developers, we believe that excellence in the individual skills is not enough. A synthesis, both in the design and the execution, is important to avoid creating a project that’s more than a portfolio piece for the individual content creators. Successful projects depend on good project managers who do more than crack a whip.

As educators, we believe that students must be engaged to learn. We’ve figured out some ways to do that. We also believe that educational products have to support learners, but those supports must get out of the way as students develop expertise.

As business people, we believe that enthusiasm and talent can take a project and make it great. Within the bounds of our clients’ budgets, we strive to make every project a masterpiece. We enjoy what we do, and it shows in our work. In this page, there’s information on some business and process issues that may be of interest to a prospective client.