Studioblog (n): a blog by Studiobanks about design, marketing, internet, business, Charlotte and more. 

AAF D3 Leadership Conference: Social Media Mystery Game

Banks 2 Comments

Each summer, District 3 (D3) of the American Advertising Federation (AAF), comprised of AAF clubs in Asheville, NC, Charlotte, NC, Greensboro, NC, Raleigh, NC, Charleston, SC, Greenville, SC, Midlands, SC, Hampton Roads, VA and Roanoke, VA, holds a leadership conference to engage and prepare incoming board members for the new club year. These annual leadership conferences typically draw between 75 to 100 attendees, and AAF Charlotte had the pleasure of hosting this year’s conference in early August.

The first night of each conference features a large-scale, icebreaker game that allows attendees to mingle with other clubs. The responsibility of planning and executing this game falls on the conference’s hosting club, which in turn was my responsibility as an AAF Charlotte board member. I quickly recruited talented copywriter Katie Fisher of Balfour Beatty and Studiobanks' newest designer Joe Bauldoff to help out.

D3 asked us to create a game that incorporated the conference theme, “Social Uprising” in which attendees learned to integrate social media tools into all aspects of club management. During initial planning, we were a little stumped by incorporating social media tools, which are primarily used on an individual basis, into a game that needed to be interactive for a live, in-person group of people. Ultimately we decided on a concept that was a mix between the style of the scripted “dinner and a murder” mystery game and the classic board game, Clue. The twist was that our game would utilize Twitter to support the social media theme of the conference.

Read More

(Press Release) Studiobanks to elevate marketing of SAFER® Barrier

Studiobanks 0 Comments

New dynamic website will promote NASCAR and IRL SAFER® Barrier soft wall technology to other racing leagues in U.S. and international markets.

Charlotte-based digital agency, Studiobanks recently launched RacingMadeSafer.com, a robust website for Motorsports Safety Technology (MST), an alliance between NASCAR and the Indy Racing League (IRL), to promote the SAFER® Barrier soft wall technology to racing leagues and new construction projects around the world.

The technology, known as the Steel and Foam Energy Reduction (SAFER®) Barrier, is an energy absorbing soft wall system that has been installed on all NASCAR and IRL racetrack walls to help reduce crash severity and decrease driver injuries due to racing. The SAFER® Barrier consists of a high-strength, tubular steel skin that distributes impact load to energy-absorbing foam cartridges in order to reduce crash severity and provide additional protection for drivers.

The user experience of the Flash-based website captures the Barrier’s positive effects on racing safety, which will ultimately support MST’s efforts to market the technology’s license to other racing leagues throughout the U.S. and international markets.

We were impressed by Studiobanks’ abilities to really understand, showcase and promote the benefits of this amazing life saving technology that we call the SAFER® Barrier in such a cutting-edge manner,” said Shawn Rogers, NASCAR’s Managing Director of Business Operations for Competition and an MST Representative.

“We are committed to supporting ongoing research for new uses of the technology, and we mandate it on all of our tracks because safety for our drivers is our top priority. The new website will help educate other race tracks about the Barrier’s tremendous impact on driver safety, as well as other benefits such as increased track marketability for various forms of motorsports."

Read More

Listen to Learn

Chris 2 Comments

You may have read that listening to music while you work can improve productivity and the work you produce. But sometimes you might want to change it up a bit and learn a little something while you're at it. Listening to quality podcasts about the industry you work in can provide tips, techniques or insight that will help you in day-to-day business or when a tricky situation raises its head.

Read More

Studiobanks goes to Carowinds!

Banks 0 Comments

Studiobanks took a well-deserved day off this past Friday and headed down to Carowinds amusement park. We intended to take a day trip to the park last summer but became too busy with projects so we never actually got the chance. While we are equally busy with client work this summer, we decided if we didn’t just pick a date and put it on our studio calendar we would end up missing the trip again. Truth be told, there is never really a good day for the entire studio to take off, making the idea of waiting for such an opportunity kind of pointless. So we circled June 18th, took a break from our designing, developing and other tasks and enjoyed a day in the sun.

Read More

(New Project) Cornerstone Community Bank

Alexis 0 Comments

We’d like to take a moment to welcome new client Cornerstone Community Bank to the Studiobanks team! Charlotte Observer Reporter Eric Frazier shares the funny story behind our new partnership with this Florida-based bank:

Search leads a bank to a Banks

Businesses spend gobs of money trying to make sure their name and Web links show up prominently in Google search results for the products or services they offer.

But for Studiobanks, a Charlotte digital marketing agency, it didn't take a sophisticated search engine optimization campaign to catch the eye of one Google-searching prospective client.

Instead, a quirky coincidence of the Studiobanks name - and its president's name - did the trick.

It all came about when the Cornerstone Community Bank in St. Petersburg, Fla., decided to hire an agency to redesign its website. Someone at the bank was running Google searches for bank website designers and stumbled across Studiobanks.

The firm hadn't actually done any bank websites, but did have the luck of being a website design firm run by one Banks Wilson. (When he founded the company eight years ago, Wilson thought it'd be cool to make the firm's name a play on his own).

Studiobanks got a chance to make its pitch, and Cornerstone officials hired the firm - none of which would have happened without Wilson's parents and the fortuitous name they picked.

Shouldn't he offer Mom and Dad some sort of commission?

"I probably should," Wilson said, chuckling. "When they named me Banks I don't think they ever thought it would have paid off quite like that. It's just funny and random.”

Now Hiring: Interactive Art Director

Studiobanks 1 Comments

Studiobanks is a digital agency specializing in online marketing and web development. We combine big-idea creative, award-winning design and leading-edge technology to consistently deliver exceptional results for our clients.

We’ve built a collaborative, open, creative studio environment over the past 8 years and are seeking an Interactive Art Director with a strong design portfolio and the ability to make a difference.

Candidate should have 5+ years industry experience with 3 years interactive art direction. Should be strong conceptually with proficiency in translating and extending concepts across multiple online platforms. Knows how to work from a strategy, contribute within a team, present with confidence and champion work that transcends digital tactics and leads brands. Gets the difference between good and great and is prepared to go beyond to raise the bar.

Read More

Over Half of Your Website’s Mobile Viewers are on an Apple product, does your website know that?

Michael 2 Comments

It’s very easy to forget about how many devices may view your website on a daily basis, simply because when you factor in mobile internet, the options can become overwhelming. It’s important to consider the popularity of these devices when planning your website strategy because most budgets will not allow for a site that both looks and works great in every mobile device in the market.

Read More

(Press Release) Studiobanks Launches New Website for Imex Management

Studiobanks 0 Comments

Charlotte-based digital agency, Studiobanks, recently designed a new website for Imex Management, a company connecting North American companies to international trade shows. The new website showcases Imex Management’s dedication to providing seamless, stress-free trade event experiences, and also serves as an event management portal allowing Imex to conveniently manage complex show logistics.

The primary goal for launching a new site for Imex was to streamline communication between its clients and international trade show organizers," said Banks Wilson, Studiobanks’ president and creative director. “There’s a lot of planning, paperwork and attention to detail that goes into international trade events, so we implemented a flexible online form solution that now lets Imex process everything digitally.”

Known for producing memorable, high quality work that creates buzz and delivers exceptional results for its clients, Studiobanks is an award-winning digital agency specializing in interactive web development, online marketing and mobile applications for ambitious and progressive companies. For more information, please visit www.studiobanks.com.

Copy Paste Character: Now for the iPhone.

Mike 0 Comments

A few years ago I came across the site Copy Paste Character, which allows you to simply click and copy symbols from a library. It is an incredible resource for me as a designer because it allows me to access symbols that normally would take some time to figure out the keyboard shortcuts.

Well now this resource is available for your iPhone for $0.99. It offers the same simple touch to copy and paste feature as the original website. So now you can add fun symbols to your status updates, text messages, or emails.

If $0.99 is out of your budget, there is a free version of a similar application here.

Enjoy ✌

(Press Release) Studiobanks Creates Touch Screen Experience for New Discovery Place Exhibition

Studiobanks 1 Comments

Charlotte-based digital agency, Studiobanks, was hired by Discovery Place to create a unique, interactive touch screen experience for its new exhibition, Think It Up. The exhibition, which opened to the public on May 1, 2010, includes ”thought studios” that facilitate engagement in the process of innovation.

This digital technology allows participants to experiment with stop motion animation as well as digitally document their innovative creations. Sharing is also a large component of the experience so we created separate viewing stations within the exhibition and a mini-site to showcase the inventive work produced by participants, and to provide inspiration to newcomers.

We wanted to be able to collect and view all the great innovative ideas that will be created in this new exhibition, which is part of the largest renovation in Discovery Place’s history,” said Sarah Macey, director of exhibition design for Discovery Place.

“We selected Studiobanks as our partner for this project because of their expertise in creating great interactive designs and user-friendly interfaces – an essential component for a tool that will have a high volume of use."

Read More