http://www.ehousestudio.com/blog/ en bob@ehousestudio.com Copyright 2010 2010-03-10T18:53:44+00:00 http://www.ehousestudio.com/blog/view/you_think_you_know_but_you_have_no_idea http://www.ehousestudio.com/blog/view/you_think_you_know_but_you_have_no_idea When a new project is in and ready to hit the ground running, the first instinct for many designers is to dive in. Open Photoshop and start making things pretty. Let me be the first to say… fight the urge. There is a lot that needs to happen before we get to design. Strategy 2010-03-10T17:53:44+00:00 http://www.ehousestudio.com/blog/view/second_screening_of_the_documentary_running_by_sight http://www.ehousestudio.com/blog/view/second_screening_of_the_documentary_running_by_sight Missed it the first showing or need to see it again, don’t miss Running by Sight : A Visual Artist’s Journey a documentary by our close friend Adam Boozer on Tim Hussey. Culture 2010-02-25T21:17:03+00:00 http://www.ehousestudio.com/blog/view/marc_burckhardt1 http://www.ehousestudio.com/blog/view/marc_burckhardt1 Come one come all and experience the irresistible magic of Marc Burckhardt’s work.  He’s been in almost every major publication including Rolling Stone, TIME, Newsweek and the New York Times. He’s also been called upon to paint music giants like Johnny Cash, June Carter and Willie Nelson. Postcard Worthy 2010-01-08T15:02:06+00:00 http://www.ehousestudio.com/blog/view/accessibility_is_not_a_feature http://www.ehousestudio.com/blog/view/accessibility_is_not_a_feature A recent article on CNN.com, entitled ‘Web accessibility is no longer an afterthought,’ written by Tom Krazit, included a quote from Nicholas Zakas, the principal front-end developer for Yahoo’s home page: “There are a bunch of things (in web design) that are not features… performance is not a feature, internationalization is not a feature, and accessibility is not a feature.” Accessibility 2009-12-17T18:39:53+00:00 http://www.ehousestudio.com/blog/view/barcamp_presentation_on_web_standards_accessible_web_design http://www.ehousestudio.com/blog/view/barcamp_presentation_on_web_standards_accessible_web_design In keeping with the theme of Barcamp we thought we would share a few of our slides from our session on “Web Standards & Accessible Web Design”. Web Standards 2009-12-14T13:30:06+00:00 http://www.ehousestudio.com/blog/view/good_is_good_enough_-_a_website_launch_strategy http://www.ehousestudio.com/blog/view/good_is_good_enough_-_a_website_launch_strategy Having recently launched our own new web site I was reminded of what can often be hard to explain to clients and that is, “Good is Good Enough”. This post is for anyone thinking of launching a new website (or web app) or is currently working on one. Strategy 2009-12-09T21:56:23+00:00 http://www.ehousestudio.com/blog/view/pure_grips_web_design_wins_2009_inshow_award http://www.ehousestudio.com/blog/view/pure_grips_web_design_wins_2009_inshow_award The {e} team was happy to accept a 2009 InShow Award for our PURE Grips website and some serious cheese. News 2009-11-18T20:29:13+00:00 http://www.ehousestudio.com/blog/view/park_angels_website http://www.ehousestudio.com/blog/view/park_angels_website {e} recently wrapped up one of our favorite projects with the Charleston Parks Conservancy.  Featuring a searchable park directory, private messaging, a blog and member photo galleries, ParkAngels.org is a social network for the Charleston Parks Conservancy. The non-profit organization is committed to preserving and protecting the more than 120 parks in Charleston, South Carolina. News 2009-11-09T18:23:09+00:00 http://www.ehousestudio.com/blog/view/ngoc_minh_ngo http://www.ehousestudio.com/blog/view/ngoc_minh_ngo Everyone has their guilty pleasures- one of mine is spending countless hours on design blogs. And, at some point while shuffling between fuchsia throw pillows and petite salt shakers, I fell in love with Ngoc Minh Ngo’s photography. Postcard Worthy 2009-07-14T18:02:48+00:00 http://www.ehousestudio.com/blog/view/ripo http://www.ehousestudio.com/blog/view/ripo From Barcelona, Spain to Bogota, Colombia, people have enjoying Ripo’s unique and stunning work. And they’ve been doing it for free. Although he’s incredibly busy traveling around and getting into trouble, the talented artist spoke with {e} about his art, his dinner, his name and his encounter with a tattoo gun. Postcard Worthy 2009-06-29T19:44:50+00:00 http://www.ehousestudio.com/blog/view/the_new_fig_website_is_up_and_running http://www.ehousestudio.com/blog/view/the_new_fig_website_is_up_and_running As many of you Charlestonians know, FIG is one of the most popular and respected restaurants on the Peninsula, gaining national recognition in publications such as Southern Living and ForbesLife. {e} has been excited about working with Byrdhouse PR and FIG in revamping their new website! News 2009-05-07T17:46:09+00:00 http://www.ehousestudio.com/blog/view/mati_mcdonough http://www.ehousestudio.com/blog/view/mati_mcdonough Mati McDonough, a San Francisco based artist, has been making her way into the art scene for the past couple of years, using some interesting sources of inspiration along the way.  {e} spoke with the busy painter and got her take on music, San Francisco, and her own, unique path to becoming an artist. Postcard Worthy 2009-04-22T18:31:28+00:00 http://www.ehousestudio.com/blog/view/quick_and_dirty_animated_image_rollovers_with_jquery http://www.ehousestudio.com/blog/view/quick_and_dirty_animated_image_rollovers_with_jquery Here’s a recent addition to my little bag of tricks - it adds a subtle touch to the everyday image rollover effect with a minimal amount of additional code. Code 2009-04-17T18:31:57+00:00 http://www.ehousestudio.com/blog/view/site_launched_for_acclaimed_architect http://www.ehousestudio.com/blog/view/site_launched_for_acclaimed_architect {e} house recently worked with our friends over at FORMO in developing the foundation of the new website and content management system for renowned architect and interior designer Campion Platt. News 2009-03-28T17:36:43+00:00 http://www.ehousestudio.com/blog/view/e_launches_folly_beach_holiday_inn_website http://www.ehousestudio.com/blog/view/e_launches_folly_beach_holiday_inn_website On March 5, {e} house launched the Folly Beach Holiday Inn’s new website. The oceanfront hotel has been undergoing extensive renovations including an addition of the highly anticipated restaurant, Blu. The unveiling of the hotel seemed like the perfect time to create a revamped and uniquely designed website. News 2009-03-25T18:06:48+00:00 http://www.ehousestudio.com/blog/view/e_receives_an_addy http://www.ehousestudio.com/blog/view/e_receives_an_addy Our newsletter is getting some attention! {e} house proudly accepted a 2009 ADDY Award for our Houseblend email newsletter. We appreciate the recognition from the Advertising Federation and also want to thank our subscribers! You can subscribe to our newsletter in both the news and blog section of our website. News 2009-03-25T17:53:38+00:00 http://www.ehousestudio.com/blog/view/e_interviews_cynthia_waddell_executive_director_of_the_icdri http://www.ehousestudio.com/blog/view/e_interviews_cynthia_waddell_executive_director_of_the_icdri Cynthia Waddell, known globally for her tremendous achievements in the advancement of web accessibility, spoke with {e} this week. She reflects on her career path, her continuous efforts to bring civil rights to people with disabilities and clears up some common misconceptions about Section 508. Accessibility 2009-03-18T17:13:03+00:00 http://www.ehousestudio.com/blog/view/raising_standards_tips_for_creating_a_brand_style_guide http://www.ehousestudio.com/blog/view/raising_standards_tips_for_creating_a_brand_style_guide Protecting a brand’s identity can seem like a daunting task, especially when you need to communicate its importance to a client. That’s why it’s a great idea to include a Visual Standards Manual (aka brand style guide) with any logo you design for a client, so they have a reference point before making major decisions. Design 2009-02-27T19:26:32+00:00 http://www.ehousestudio.com/blog/view/getting_the_most_out_of_your_website_with_web_standards http://www.ehousestudio.com/blog/view/getting_the_most_out_of_your_website_with_web_standards So, your advertising agency or in-house marketing team presents you with a stellar, on the mark design for your new website. You’re very excited and tell them to move forward and make it live asap. But wait! You may be missing something…or someone, like a huge chunk of your target audience. What am I talking about? Your new best friend, Web Standards. Web Standards 2009-02-15T21:47:57+00:00 http://www.ehousestudio.com/blog/view/2_different_brains http://www.ehousestudio.com/blog/view/2_different_brains There has been a lot of discussion from the beginning of web design as to whether or not a designer should know how to write code and if a developer should know how to design. Should these 2 roles be filled by 1 person? Design 2009-02-06T17:01:14+00:00 http://www.ehousestudio.com/blog/view/e_house_studio_featured_on_entrepreneur.com http://www.ehousestudio.com/blog/view/e_house_studio_featured_on_entrepreneur.com We are delighted to be featured in Entrepreneur’s online article titled “Why You (Yes, You!) Need a Cool Office.” The editorial gives an in-depth explanation of why companies should consider investing in a unique workspace for their employees, focusing on {e}‘s creative environment and the benefits that have come with it. Press 2009-01-16T18:26:21+00:00 http://www.ehousestudio.com/blog/view/activeyards_site_launch http://www.ehousestudio.com/blog/view/activeyards_site_launch This past Monday, January 12, {e} house launched ActiveYards.com. Along with the public site and dealer locater, the site also includes a custom dealer management web application. News 2009-01-16T18:11:56+00:00 http://www.ehousestudio.com/blog/view/proud_mary_a_business_with_a_cause http://www.ehousestudio.com/blog/view/proud_mary_a_business_with_a_cause For those of you who have an interest in quality design, fashion, great colors, unique patterns, and a good cause, then Proud Mary ( http://www.proudmary.org ) has something for you. Harper Poe, co-owner of the company took a few minutes to let me in on the background of how the company began, what it is today and even a little bit about herself. Culture 2009-01-15T18:25:27+00:00 http://www.ehousestudio.com/blog/view/barrette_and_outdoor_living_sites_launch http://www.ehousestudio.com/blog/view/barrette_and_outdoor_living_sites_launch Last Monday {e} house launched the corporate English and French sites for Barrette as well as their consumer website, Outdoor Living. Although originally a small company located in Northern Québec, Barrette has vastly grown over the past 50 years. They’ve since become one of North America’s largest wood and vinyl product manufacturers. News 2008-12-22T18:41:20+00:00 http://www.ehousestudio.com/blog/view/how_to_sync_with_generation_y http://www.ehousestudio.com/blog/view/how_to_sync_with_generation_y As most traditional business owners have noticed, catering to the needs of Generation Y is a whole different ball game. This youthful workforce, born anywhere from 1980 to 2000, is expected to change jobs a minimum of seven times in their lifetime. Managers are coming up with new, “outside of the box” ways to attract young talent and to keep those sought after employees from jumping ship. Business 2008-12-17T17:25:05+00:00 http://www.ehousestudio.com/blog/view/were_going_to_party_like_its_1999 http://www.ehousestudio.com/blog/view/were_going_to_party_like_its_1999 When we started talking about web accessibility, my mind immediately went to the announcement that the W3C had recently published the first update to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) in almost 10 years, bringing it up to version 2.0. Only Guns & Roses took longer to issue a new release. (The argument could be made, of course, that Guns is not really Guns without Slash, but I digress.) Web Standards 2008-11-17T17:48:16+00:00 http://www.ehousestudio.com/blog/view/kevin_cornell_of_bearskinrug http://www.ehousestudio.com/blog/view/kevin_cornell_of_bearskinrug Back in 2000, when Kevin Cornell fist launched his portfolio website, Bearskinrug, he couldn’t have predicted the site’s immense popularity- or that fact that it would generate such a mammoth, devoted following. Its recognition and positive visitor responses have provided Kevin with the confidence needed to go forward exploring his love: illustration. Postcard Worthy 2008-10-17T18:38:03+00:00 http://www.ehousestudio.com/blog/view/new_team_member_samuel_king http://www.ehousestudio.com/blog/view/new_team_member_samuel_king Here at {e}, Sam will get to focus his creative energies on that which he is most passionate: his ability to write clean, semantic, accessible code and his knack for impressing people with awe-inspiring levels of nerdery. News 2008-10-16T19:18:25+00:00 http://www.ehousestudio.com/blog/view/adding_grey_boxing_to_our_web_workflow http://www.ehousestudio.com/blog/view/adding_grey_boxing_to_our_web_workflow There are many different theories about the workflow process in web design. Some people dive right into photoshop, some people draw it on paper first. Although I definitely have my preferences and know what works for me, I understand and appreciate that every designer is different. I have always started my designs on paper with a pen or a sharpie. Design 2008-10-02T16:28:48+00:00 http://www.ehousestudio.com/blog/view/designing_with_creatives_in_mind http://www.ehousestudio.com/blog/view/designing_with_creatives_in_mind Most employees would argue that workspaces can either enhance or hinder their production- especially in “creative fields” such as R&D, marketing and advertising. We here at {e} are fortunate to work in a relaxing, uniquely designed environment that encourages our creativity- and we’re not alone. Design 2008-09-24T16:49:49+00:00