Working remotely has gained traction thanks to a host of technological advancements and cost-saving benefits, however, it’s not always the best way.  Yahoo made waves recently when it (somewhat abruptly) ended its telecommuting program.  In reality, we are in the midst of a shift and it’s not yet clear which way it will swing.  For some of the up-and-coming developers, we’ve noticed that the idea of coming to work in an office and having daily collaborations with colleagues and clients is a wild notion.  Early on, in our first jobs, it was considered a kind of perk or benefit if we were allowed to “work from home” which is what we called it in those days.  Now, people scratch their heads and think, “Really?  I have to come in to work?”  It’s an interesting shift.

If you’re interested in learning about our open position, take a look.  Keep in mind that the ideal candidate must live in or near CT.

They don't have palm trees in Manhattan

The above photo was sent to me by Creative Director, Jesse Case, who hopped on a plane with one of our project managers to visit a new client.  While it certainly didn’t hurt that they were very close to the number one beach in the country, the real benefit was meeting our new client face to face, touring their manufacturing facility and learning about who they are/what they offer.  This is an integral part of Skygate Media’s discovery process and it’s what enables us to be sure we hit all the right marks when designing websites.  There is  a lot that can be done via phone calls and looking at photos or video, but nothing compares with being immersed in the world that we are trying to represent in the web space.

Over the years, we’ve toured some impressive facilities, labs and corporate headquarters.  One of the most memorable being the enormous econoclaves at ASC Process Systems (Aerospace) in California.   This time, Jesse got an in-depth look at the process of creating springs.  He returned inspired and ready to create.  He also made sure to carve out an hour with a jet ski before returning home.  Good move Jesse.  Good move.

To schedule a web design and branding consultation, please contact us to set up an appointment.

This is my view of Jim.

As far as web background goes, I am completely self-taught for the last 10 years. It started as a hobby as and way to learn and familiarize myself.  I literally spent many sleepless nights teaching myself how to read/write code as well as the top current SEO strategies to help my collection of websites make it to the first page of all the major SERPs

Some of my friends started to be

come more interested in what I was doing and wanted me to help them out.  By doing so, I realized that I was beginning to delve into a very lucrative business by offering my services in web presence and SEO strategies.

When I’m not in front of a screen, I am with my family. I have a wife and 2 daughters (one almost 10 and one 6 yr old). We ride bikes, go for hikes and they even help with the yard work.  Between playing, I can always be found close to the garage either building or fixing something. Motorcycles are my passion (or anything else with a motor). I like to consider myself the proverbial “Jack of all trades, master of some”.  I am always willing to learn something new and enjoy the challenges they bring.

I was pretty impressed when I came to SGM because unlike other companies, it was very laid back yet driven. It is the kind of environment I do best in. Tava introduced me to the famous Chai Latte and now I’m absolutely hooked (when are we making more?)

We’re glad to have you on board Jim.

There is no denying the importance of SEO strategy these days and we look forward to looking at his impact on the weekly ranking reports that our team runs.  In the end, watching the web solutions we craft for our clients become  more effective is the primary goal.  It is exciting for us and has a very positive impact on our clients’ businesses.  In the end, that pointing to the direct link that boosts sales is how we quantify our worth.

3D Modeling in Action

How we did it:

Basically the need was there to set up a killer workstation as well as be on the move.  The solution we came to the table with runs from the displayport connection on the laptop using a displayport connector from the laptop to a DVI-D connected to a Bizlink external graphics card adapter (USB power sourced from the monitor) to the 2560X1600 Dell 3007WFP.

The other two monitors run similarly in that they are running off of a Sabrent USB-3DVI external graphics card USB 3.0 connection to the laptop and then DVI-D to the monitor.

All makes for a kick ass solution for our guys to run 3DS Max and full resolution as well as Photoshop not to mention gaming however it has come to our attention that we should have our eyeballs fixated on the 680MX if we really want to get hairy.

The Crazy Connection Town

2 @ 1680X1050 – Sabrent usb3.0 – USB–3DVI http://www.sabrent.com/category/display-adapters/USB-3DVI/

1 @ 2560X1600 – Bizlink – display port to DVI-D  http://www.bizlinktech.com/displayport.html

Laptop Samsung Series 7

2 USB3.0

1XDisplayport

One of Skygate Media's front-end developers takes a vacation and climbs a mountain

We have an amazing team that offers constant inspiration on both creative and personal levels.  We love what we do but

we all recognize that in order to do it well, it’s important to nurture ourselves in other ways.  Our work takes intense focus, a keen eye for detail and, let’s face it, many hours of sitting.  Ray, one of our designers, just returned from a “break” which we thought worthy of sharing.

Taking time off to climb a mountain in the Philippines may sound ambitious to non thrill-seekers but for someone who spends his days sitting and searching his creative mind for the right design/aesthetic, it is the perfect way to avoid burnout.  Mount Guiting-Guiting is located on Sibuyan Island and is known amongst climbers as an extremely challenging endeavor taking approximately 2 days to climb and 1 day to descend.  The views along the way serving as constant motivation.

Ray had this to say about his adventure, “. . .half of the journey was a path of sharp rocks and open cliffs . . .We hiked to the summit along a boulder/rock clad ridge and down the mountain for 20 hours straight. . .Overall though, it was a great test of physical and mental discipline – and the view was breath taking.”

Does feeding a sense of adventure have an impact on creativity?  We’ll have to assume that yes, it absolutely does.  Congratulations to Ray on another successful adventure.

]]> http://www.skygatemedia.com/web-design-blog/into-the-wild-ny-web-designer-climbs-a-mountain/feed/ 0 http://www.skygatemedia.com/web-design-blog/teaming-up-with-unicef/ http://www.skygatemedia.com/web-design-blog/teaming-up-with-unicef/#comments Tue, 30 Apr 2013 16:58:58 +0000 superskyadmin http://www.skygatemedia.com/?p=2193  

One of our favorite parts of the job is getting out of the office to go visit clients.  This is especially true on a beautiful day in New York City.  A lot of what we do is based on corporate website re-design and e-commerce so we are accustomed to meeting with clients in large conference rooms and immersing ourselves in their industry to gain a competitive advantage.  Working with non-profits like UNICEF, however,  involves a different sort of learning that really appeals to our hearts.  Yesterday, a couple of our team members in NYC visited the UNICEF building to discuss some of the details for a non-profit web design project.  Skygate Media is very excited to be a part of their online representation for their critical work with children’s education and peace building initiatives.

Visiting the UNICEF building

Walking through the lobby at UNICEF is an education in and of itself.  There was a lot of important data about the children of our world that was both sobering and enlightening.  Understanding the value and importance of children’s literacy is the focus of this current project and we cannot wait to dive in and put our skills towards such a worthy cause.  Channeling our talents in web design and online marketing for something our firm believes in very strongly is a great feeling.

Our goal is to have some exciting results to share in July.  In the meantime, please consider visiting the UNICEF site and learning how you might be able to play a role in the amazing work they do: www.unicef.org

the lobby at UNICE

All the research indicates that short breaks help promote focus and concentration as opposed to long periods without breaks.  As a web agency, we encourage people to pace themselves in a way that suits them best and have treated each department to foot reflexology, freshly made juices, and even a stuffed animal that has hysterical laughing fits if the mood gets too serious.  All of this was a step in the right direction but, somehow, wasn’t enough to combat the Spring Fever this year.

We have been through a tough Winter with some serious storms so these days where jackets aren’t required are bound to awaken our playful spirit.  Our Creative Director came up with a solution that scored a home run with our team.  We’d like to formally introduce The Honey Badgers, a volleyball team sponsored by Skygate Media and featuring some of our very own web developers, as well as our lead project manager.

Our art department had a great time designing the logo and this will be a fantastic way to blow off steam, increase productivity, get some exercise and have some camaraderie.  Check back for photos of the Honey Badgers in action.  Let’s hope they play well!

The finished logo for our team

The process of creating the logo

Examples:

Facebook introduced the large cover photo for both private accounts and business pages.  The rule was that it not contain overtly promotional material and many cover photos were deleted because they were, supposedly, in violation of this.

Twitter introduced a cover photo option, which surprised some because it indicated a slight shift in how people used the platform.  The cover photo is not visible in the news feed so, in theory, it would only be seen by people who click on a profile to follow a user.

The Knot subsequently developed a cover photo for its vendors to add visually rich content to sell their business.  In this case, it helps consumers to have a better experience when searching for photographers, caterers, entertainment, etc.

Youtube is rolling out its new channel format to include a cover photo.  They have added the option to embed links onto the cover photo so it prominently features a businesses website, twitter, and facebook page.  In a model more like pinterest, the video thumbnails are listed in a row by category.

We’ll have to see if Pinterest or other platforms will follow suit modify its user account options in the future.

The “pin board” module was developed in PHP with a nice coating of Ajax.  The site content is what brings visitors to the website. The iSHOWCASE platform was designed to a high level of standards and since users, nowadays, spend a considerable amount of time looking at images, posting comments, sharing their thoughts and building connections, the pin module publishes upload items seamlessly and instantly.  The upload module is connected to the iPhone camera so users can snap and upload on our mobile friendly platform, instead of the clumsy “email me the photo” era.

iSHOWCASE is just one of the iPhone case directory boards we were asked to develop.  Some of the additional ranking sites include pink iPhone cases which will be geared towards the support of breast cancer research and also the most expensive iphone cases directory which, unbelievably, can include costs up to 300k per item.  We will publish a list of the directories in the next few weeks.

For this week’s web design glossary, we will focus on three main terms front-end, back-end and Content Management System (CMS).  These terms are tossed out quite a bit during the process of creating a web site and many of our clients have a basic understanding of what they mean, but require clarification as we move along.  Again, it is our goal to have clients that are informed and educated so they can communicate better with their web developers.

Front End – This refers to the design of the site and the user interactivity.  The front end is what the user/customer sees and it is usually brand oriented.   In most professional web design firms, there are a team of front end devs (developers) who work closely with back devs.  It is helpful to have a specialized perspective in terms of how a site needs to look and function – front-end, as well as the building blocks required to support it – back-end.  If the two sides don’t work well together, the result could be a beautiful site that functions poorly or vice versa.

Back End – This refers to the management of a website including the database and administrative panel.  The backend is the engine of the front end so it holds the code and allows administrators to make updates to the content.  In the case of e-commerce web design, this would include the inventory.

CMS – For websites that contain a back end, this allows back-end users to edit and publish content.  Based on her experience working closely with web developers and coders, as well as being a liaison, our lead Project Manager, Kani Leung had this to say:

“CMS is a lifesaver, as far as long term online marketing strategy goes.   You can update your own content which saves time and money that you need to hand to your developer.  Secondly, who doesn’t like fresh content?  We know that customers and search engine do!   And, lastly, since a back-end of a website can be accessed from anywhere in the world, you can take your business with you even if you are on an island sipping a margarita.