The word of the night was meaning. On August 23, Jod Kaftan from BLITZ Agency talked to the Los Angeles web design community at large about how to give meaning to a user experience. “The device should not prescribe what the experience should be,” Kaftan said. Throughout the night he discussed four main points which all related to the idea that interaction design should have meaning when implemented onto a device. “Really what this exploration is about is thinking of the device last,” he said.

“For me, meaning in terms of interaction design is about resonance,” Kaftan said, “meaning should serve as a beacon for interaction designers to push us into new, interaction paradigms.” (more…)

Posted in Articles, News & Press Releases, Los Angeles Web Design Community |

Two words: online startups. In the past decade entrepreneurs have taken their business ideas to the web and online startups have been on the rise ever since. On August 15, Jaime Russell Levy showed the LA web design community how to successfully implement a User Experience (UX) strategy into their business.

After accomplishing many feats in the field of digital media including the creation of one of the first online magazines (WORD); Jaime Russell Levy shifted her attention to working more personally with clients in the field of user experience. “I started focusing my practice on working for startups, that’s where my heart is because you get to work with ideas from the very beginning,” Levy explained to the audience.

She reexamined her UX methodology after a client recommend a book called “The Lean Startup” by Eric Ries to her. (more…)

Posted in Articles, News & Press Releases, Los Angeles Web Design Community |

Over the past couple weeks, we have see a swell in new ways to surf the web on mobile devices on apps for iPad. Before then the obvious, and most ubiquitously used has been the built-in Safari web browser. Sure, there have been other browsers, but none have looked like this new wave of mobile specific web browsers. New releases from big leaguers like Yahoo and Google have mobile users rethinking how they do their mobile browsing. Let’s take a quick look at how these new browsers and how these new apps will change the way we look at our mobile devices: (more…)

Tags: .mobi, app, app makes, atom, based app, browser wars, cloud clients, couple weeks, google, google chrome, ipads, mac os x, mobile device, mobile phone web browsers, new app, new browser, opera mini, safari, safari web browser, web browser, web browsers, yahoo, your mobile device
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Social media has made significant changes to the marketing landscape since its rise. Elias St. Elmo Lewis in 1898 pioneered the AIDA sales funnel which is still a fundamental lesson taught to marketers everywhere; social media has given new meaning to each phase’s  function during the purchasing process. Awareness, Interest, Desire and Action are the four cognitive phases consumers follow when going through a high-involvement purchase (a car as opposed to groceries). New world technology and social media have amplified these four phases to lend more influence on a buyer’s decision.

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Tags: Action, advertising, Advocating, AIDA sales funnel, Awareness, Desire, E. St. Elmo Lewis, Facebook, Interest, marketing, social media, Twitter
Posted in Articles, News & Press Releases, Online Marketing |

SilverStripe CMS and Framework 3 has been made available today to the joy of web designers everywhere. The update provides new features that make the program even more user friendly for content authors. “I’m really excited about getting our hands on SilverStripe 3’s new framework and learning how it will help us add advanced functionality to our client’s sites,” says Luke Swenson at Media Contour.
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Tags: content management system, search engine optimization, SilverStripe, SilverStripe CMS, user content, web design, web development
Posted in Articles, News & Press Releases, Web Design |

MEDIA CONTOUR
3191 Casitas Ave, Ste. 134
Los Angeles, CA 90039
CONTACT: Daniel Clauser
(323) 522-6004
e-mail: daniel@mediacontour.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Audio Equipment Manufacturer, Bittree Makes Online Ordering Simpler With New Website

Los Angeles, Calif.- Audio patch bay manufacturers, Bittree, wanted to revamp their website to better match their recently updated brand and create an easier to navigate layout. Los Angeles web design firm, Media Contour, was tasked with creating a website that not only resonates with those interested in audio recording and engineering markets, but creates the easiest shopping experience possible.
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Tags: angeles web, audio engineering, audio patch bay, bay maker, bittree, communication, design patch, electronic engineering, engineering, Los Angeles, los angeles web design, media contour, patch bay, patch panel, patches music, pitch contour, usability, web design, web design firms, website, website los
Posted in Articles, News & Press Releases |

A quick welcome and congratulations to Jinger Rubio on being accepted for the Spring internship at Media Contour. Jinger comes to us as a graphic design student from Cal State Long Beach. In her final year at school, she will be supplementing her education by assisting our creative team in designing graphic collateral, brainstorming with our marketing team to develop focused strategies for clients, and she’ll even get to take part in key creative and strategy meetings within each department. We feel that Jinger’s creative talent, bright personality and first-hand insight into the consumer mind of the 20-somethings will be a great addition to the team. We warmly welcome her insights to our creative process.

When Jinger isn’t on Photoshop or illustrator whipping up something creative, you can find her near a stove baking up something sweet or at the mall keeping up with the latest trends and fashions. We encourage everyone to take a look at some of the great work she has done so far, we think her work speaks for itself. Jinger’s portfolio may be viewed here.

Posted in Articles, News & Press Releases |

Sam Walton of Sam’s Club and Wal-Mart is noted for saying to his executives “If you need any question answered, go to a store and ask our customers.” The idea of crowdsourcing is quite similar; bringing your clients, experts and fans of your company into the fold to assist your company in creating something palatable for your target audience. Many companies have used this method to gather ideas for their marketing and branding campaigns for a few years now. Doritos has become notorious for their crowdsourcing techniques to create their Super Bowl commercials. Recently, Harley Davidson has shifted almost their entire marketing campaign to their fans who they now rely upon to create the ideas behind their marketing campaigns.

Crowdsourcing is a great way to tackle a project or problem that you may not have the talent pool or skill set to accomplish. It can also be good as a form of surveying tool to see what your target audiences or markets like and dislike. Before your company dives head first into the crowdsourcing game however, lets go over a few basic parameters on how crowdsourcing works:
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Tags: crowdsourcing, management, small business, social media
Posted in Articles, News & Press Releases, Online Marketing, Web Design |

Media Contour Launches ShinerGroup.com To Help Struggling Contractors

Los Angeles, Calif.- Contractors looking for new solutions for managing their finances and improve profitability in this sluggish economy can find help, seminars and trusted literature at The ShinerGroup’s new website, shinergroup.com. Los Angeles web design firm, Media Contour assisted The ShinerGroup with their desire to develop a site that allowed them to provide news to their clients quickly and efficiently.
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Tags: Los Angeles, web design, web development, website launch
Posted in Articles, News & Press Releases |

Today we welcome a new member to our team: meet Bryce Widelitz!

Hailing from West Los Angeles, Bryce steps onto the scene at Media Contour as our new Account Executive and brings with him a knack for detail and an entrepreneurial spirit. While studying Finance at The University of Arizona, Bryce co-founded designyourdorm.com which garnered major press attention from the press including Tech Crunch, The LA Times, Lifehacker, and The Washington Post. Bryce steps on board the team with experience in owning and running a website and knows the troughs and peaks of managing a successful website — an indispensable asset for our current and future clients. As a small business owner, Bryce fostered the success of his site by creating and maintaining a sterling rapport with his clients and a commitment to seeing things through to the end. On his off-time, you may find Bryce competing on the baseball field or DJing at one of your favorite clubs in West LA. Bryce may be reached online at bryce@mediacontour.com.

Posted in Articles, News & Press Releases |