Educational Media Event – The Digital Campus

Matthew White of Dirk+Weiss will be co-presenting with Environmental Science professor Scott Benjamin at the ‘13th Annual Massachusetts Community College Conference on Teaching, Learning and Student Development‘. This conference is being held this year at Bunker Hill Community College, in Charlestown, MA.

The project to be presented is a digital lab, used in professor Scott Benjamin’s science classes at BHCC. The lab’s subject matter is understanding Evolution by Natural Selection. Matthew worked directly with Scott to translate a previously analog lab, comprised of seeds, paperclips and bits of paper, to a Flash driven, interactive experience.

The process of creating this lab involved collaborating with Scott on every step, from graphic design to Flash Actionscripting.

The results of translating the lab to digital media, has proven to be quite successful. Scott has collected statistical data from his students, including pre and post lab usage. Based on his testing, Scott sees a definite increase in concept retainment after students have used the software. Matt and Scott will split the presentation between the design and development process (Matt), and the statistical data and impact of this digital lab in the classroom (Scott).

The 13th Annual Massachusetts Community College Conference on Teaching, Learning and Student Development happens on April 9th, 2010 at Bunker Hill Community College.

Tags: analog lab, bunker hill community college, charlestown ma, definite increase, dirk, environmental science, evolution by natural selection, graphic design, interactive experience, massachusetts community, matthew white, paperclips, professor scott, retainment, science classes, science professor, scott benjamin, statistical data, subject matter, understanding evolution

No Comments | Posted in » Syndications, Technology, Workshops, coverage, development, education, events, learning objects, media, news

Boston Bridal Event Scam: Why it Worked

Monday 3/1/10 –

Are scam artists really just designers, designing a way to get paid illegally?

A giant event scam was unveiled this week in Boston Massachusetts. The event, promised to be “the biggest and most extravagant Home & Bridal show”, actually turned out to be a total scam that duped over 6,000 potential vendors and attendees. On NPR (WBUR) Boston, they reported that the head of the MCCA (people who run the venue) had no idea this site existed or the scam was happening.

So how did they do it? How did a few individuals scam hundreds of thousands of dollars out of wedding vendors and brides to be? Well, lets first take a step back and look at the evening TV lineup.

There has definitely been a huge increase in the last 2-3 years for bridal based shows on TV. Everything from the classic Bridezillas, to the ever popular Say Yes to the Dress. Here is the complete listing – http://bridestelevision.com/tv/allshows.php . Not to mention websites like The Knot, the largest wedding website community on the web.

This observation of TV and Web wedding domination is just one underlying factor. The second reason why this fake event scam worked, was the simplicity of execution and utilization of certain web services. The first service is available to anyone and allows a user to automatically create a convincing (and useful) event website in minuets. With this automated service you can sign up attendees, sell tickets and help promote your event. The only cost is a small fee on sales. Money can be sent to PayPal or GoogleCheckout with ease, or you can use the on-site service to collect payments and be paid.

Now, put on your business cap. Combine the heightened cultural saturation of Bridal TV Shows and Web Sites, with automated event planning and marketing services and spread the word virally via social networks. BAM! You have an event that people will pay money to be part of or attend.

Ok, now be smart about your scam (ha). Lets plan it around Valentines Day, the biggest wedding proposal day ever. Then, provide a phone number to call, and when people call you, answer the phone and be polite . Answer all questions, even if the question is “I do not see the event listed on the venue website, is it still happening?”.

So far, quite simple. The police even agree that the scam artists were “aware of the subject and market”. The whole operation was definitely planned out ahead of time, and most likely set up in as little as a few hours. Of course, we are not encouraging people to go out and make scam events and websites, but it is a fantastic example of how design, marketing, and cultural observation and research can make for great projects, and could even get you paid.

Design and marketing is about focusing your idea (or goal) to be the most effective. When talking in these primitive terms, ethics and legitimacy are not a factor. These scammers were aware of how to market, plan, and execute an event to a point of making hundreds of thousands of dollars. But, looks like they neglected to design how not to get caught.

So the moral of the story here is to please trust your common sense.  Weddings are fun and exciting, and take lots of planning and effort. The last thing you need is to be, as a bride-to-be, is sucked dry of funds. Not to mention getting into a fight with your Fiancee about why you bought tickets to a fake event.

Tags: anyones, attendees, automated service, boston massachusetts, bridal show, brides, bridezillas, event planning, home amp, knot, marketing services, minuets, saturation, scam artists, social networks, thousands of dollars, tv lineup, WBUR, web wedding, wedding vendors, wedding website, wmbr

No Comments | Posted in » Promotion, Research, coverage, events, media, news

‘Our Design’ – The Work of Matthew White

We are pleased to announce the new interactive website for Matthew White of Dirk+Weiss.

The site contains a collection of ideas and projects, and is loaded with lots of information and connections.

This new site is built in Flash, and contains information graphics, video, marketing, web development and graphic design.

Tags: dirk, graphic design, information graphics, interactive website, marketing web, matthew white, video marketing

No Comments | Posted in » AnyoneCanSwiss, BoNE Show, Mobile, Promotion, Technology, coverage, development, education, events, iPhone, lecture, media, news

Talking Apps and business: ‘Design Is My Thing’

Creator Jason Stevens asks Matthew White of Dirk+Weiss a series of questions about what and how we do, what we do. Here is our response to our questions.

Read all the responses from other designers.

“Small Talk: 3 or 4 questions to 150 designers”

[DIMT] What does an iphone app look like during development, what’s the file type and what are the major components?
[DW] In a nutshell, during the development stage, Apps are code. But, thanks to Apple’s XCode environment, iPhone Apps have two overall parts: XCode (Under The Hood) and Interface Builder (The Look). The file extension is .xcodeproj until the building stage when they are packaged into .app files.

[DIMT] How is it there are 120,000+ iphone apps, plus those for other mobile devices, are apps easy to make?
[DW] First and foremost, Apps are lucrative if you know how to make them, and sell companies on having them. At this point in the game, to make apps, you need to know the CocoaTouch (Objective C) programming language. Could be a hurdle for some, but in the reality of things, that is no excuse. I am a designer, and I continue to learn code. Its not difficult, it’s actually quite logical. There are websites and forums out there that have thousands of developers sharing code and project files for learning. If you have time, you can learn to make apps. PLEASE do not go buy a $40+ book at Barnes and Noble. Just last week I watched a YouTube tutorial on how to incorporate horizontal finger gestures into my app. We all know Apple is known for there easy to use applications like iMovie and iPhoto. I would put money on the next iLife series having an iApp program so anyone can make Apps (ugh…Apple tablet…ugh). Speculation only of course.

[DIMT] Apps are just a portion of your business under your technology focus, what else is keeping you busy these days?
[DW] Designers that need programmers, and business that need results. Like I said, I am a designer that does development. There is ample value in being able to drive on both sides of the street, and clients know it.  I would also say that clients (a.k.a the people and business of the world) expect graphic designers to be able to at least talk about current web solutions right off the bat. If this is not the case, you can appear a bit antiquated. In our case, we find clients almost never request print design. Apparently this is a trend for not just us but lots of designers. In addition to clients, we also work on new initiatives for Dirk+Weiss that include our weekly Podcast, workshops, and of course iPhone Apps. I also am an Adjunct Faculty member at the Art Institute of Boston (AIB) @ Lesley University, teaching design and marketing related courses.

Tags: apple tablet, apps, c programming language, development stage, dirk, file extension, gestures, hurdle, imovie, interface builder, iPhone, jason stevens, major components, matthew white, mobile devices, nutshell, objective c, talk 3, technology focus, xcode

No Comments | Posted in » Mobile, Podcast, Promotion, Technology, coverage, media, news

The new graphic design Street Cred

Forget about posters in museums, and covers of Rolling Stone(age)… Dreaming is ok, but fantases can be dangerous.

In January, Wordpress, the famous Open Source blogging and web publishing software maker, announced a new inititatve to get designers involved in improving the overall user interface and user expereice with Wordpress.

Dirk+Weiss loves Wordpress. It enables our clients to have full control over their content, thus keeping their site relevant and fresh. This is great for customers and search engines. We have seen many iterations of Wordpress over the years, and love the improvments made each time.

This initiative also points out that for designers, web publishing is not the same horse has old, static, HTML type sites. In our experience, traditional Graphic Designers always have a bit of hesitation towards the web. Part of this is due to the cumbersome thought of learning programming. In reality, its programming is quite logical. And straight HTML code is so 15 years ago. Standalone HTML has been replaced by newer, server side technologies such as PHP and MySQL. And honestly, these solutions make life easier for clients, designers and programmers, and take less time to develop.

Speaking of development time, lets chat quickly about the value of design in 2010. Remember when designers had hourly rates of $100/hr or more? Good luck getting jobs when telling a client that your rate is that pricey. We believe that value of design has shifted dramatically. Clients favor speed and efficiency over pretty graphics. Now, that does not mean ugly graphics are ok (even though they sell), it simply means that if the design of graphics is necessary, they must be smart and efficient, rather than decorative and fluffy.

So how can graphic designers, that for so long dreaded programming, step up their service offering in 2010? Simple. Offer solutions that require zero code for clients, and damn near minimal code for you, the designer. Wordpress is a great example. And when we say minimal code for the designer, we mean CSS only. Don’t know CSS, check out and learn at W3Schools. Its Free.

Designers: Please do not go out and buy a $60 book on making websites, and designing for web. Just ask Google, and watch You Tube. It’s all out there, for free.

Bounce ideas, participate in discussions and collaborations online. Make a great product better. Get Featured. Get Traffic.
http://wordpress.org/development/2010/01/2010-open-source-design/

Tags: designers web, development time, graphic designers, hesitation, hourly rates, html type, improvments, iterations, minimal code, offer solutions, pretty graphics, programming step, search engines, server side technologies, software maker, stone age, straight html code, ugly graphics, user interface, web publishing software

No Comments | Posted in » Research, Technology, clients, coverage, development, education, media, news

Everybody is a Graphic Designer – Podcast

Another Podcast from Dirk+Weiss exploring topics of design, marketing, and technology.  This episode explores the term “graphic designer” in all it’s lack-luster nuance. Highlights include tons of banter, personal stories and a phone interview with senior design student Katie Evans.

Note: The views in this podcast are strictly those of Dirk+Weiss and its Interviewees.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 21:42 — 19.9MB)

Tags: apple, banter, boston, brian durk, comedy, design, dirk weiss, explore, graphic, interview, katie evans, letterpress, marketing, matt white, personal, phone, podast, satire, senior, student, Technology

No Comments | Posted in » Podcast

Free AIGA Now! – Podcast

In this installment of the Dirk+Weiss Podcast, we make a call to Debbie Millman, president of AIGA National, to talk about a theory that could infact work to make AIGA free for its members. Also, check out an interesting article on the AIGA’s website titled “Why celebrate design during a recession?”. – http://www.aiga.org/content.cfm/why-celebrate-design

Can AIGA be free to it’s members? Lets work this out!!

Comment Below, and let us know your thoughts.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 25:01 — 23.0MB)

Tags: AIGA, dirk, recession

2 Comments | Posted in » Podcast

Dirk+Weiss Podcast: Subscribe Now on iTunes

If you have not seen or heard our podcast, then now is your chance! The Dirk+Weiss podcast is available in multiple places including the iTunes Podcast Store. And yes, its 100% free!

Our show format includes discussion about one or two topics, and then a follow up, on-the-spot phone call with a colleague to some third party insight into the topic of discussion.

Topics Surround:

• Graphic Design as Industry
• AIGA (Professional Association for Design)
• iPhone and Mobile Apps
• Web Technology
• Content Management
• Mobile Tech News
• Design World News
• Marketing and Design Events
• and More!

We have decided to release “Seasons” of podcast episodes. Each season of podcasts will contain various topics related to Graphic Design, Mobile Tech, and Marketing.

Subscribe in iTunes // Podcast RSS

Tags: colleague, design mobile, dirk, graphic design, insight, itunes, marketing, mobile tech, phone call, Podcast, third party

No Comments | Posted in » Mobile, Podcast, coverage, iPhone, media, news

Ideas to Refresh Local AIGA Events – Dirk+Weiss Podcast

What are some ideas to get your local AIGA chapter to be more job focused? How can the AIGA keep its members in the worst economic climate since the Great Depression? The ‘reverse job fair’ and ’speed dating’! Call made to  Brandon Bird, AIGA Boston Board Member.

Note: The views in this podcast are strictly those of Dirk+Weiss and its Interviewees.

Click Image To Listen Now!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (9.4MB)

Tags: AIGA, board member, boston, dirk, economic climate, great depression, job, Podcast, speed dating

3 Comments | Posted in » Podcast, Uncategorized

Dirk+Weiss Podcast: Introducing!

Yes, we are starting a weekly podcast about marketing, graphic design and mobile tech. Our goal is to increase our transparency, and give insight into our process. Stay tuned for the first full length episode soon!

Listen Now!
Subscribe in iTunes | Download

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 2:17 — 2.6MB)

Tags: dirk, full length, graphic design, insight, length episode, Podcast, transparency

No Comments | Posted in » Podcast, Uncategorized