We recently had a tragic hard drive crash that, of course, caused its own workflow issues but it also needed to be replaced. A basic part of the installation required actually opening the body of the iMAC. We’ve been MAC DIYers forever and have taken apart many machines, but this was a challenge. After some research, we discovered that the actual glass screen needs to be removed to access the hard drive. The problem is that the screen is attached to the body of the computer magnetically. We guessed that there was either a special tool or special suction cups to lift and remove the screen. Lacking these service components, we used the next best thing—a common toilet plunger! It worked like a charm, the drive was replaced, and we are up and running again. Many important files were lost but at least we didn’t have to invest in a whole new computer.

Lately, we’ve been seeing increasing interest in cross-media (integrated) marketing tactics. Though this seems like the newest trend in marketing, the individual pieces have been part of our company portfolio for many years. Simply stated, cross-media takes the best of traditional marketing, like printed direct mail, newsletters and print advertising, and adds Internet and mobile media to round out a complete, full-coverage campaign. With the addition of data analysis and reporting, marketers can now see what is working and what is not at a glance. Campaign strategies can be revised on the fly and messaging is far more focused than ever before.

Street Level Studio is primarily a creative shop, but as in many other industries, our post-recession strategies needed to adapt to a new way of approaching marketing. It makes great sense to be able to determine how much a prime sales lead costs, how well marketing messages are performing and which media is the best for reaching your goals. It is very exciting for us to be able to provide strategic direction with total accountability and to offer great creative – all in-house. One stop shopping, so to speak.

To get an idea of how all media can now work together and be fully trackable just click on our Integrated Marketing Services presentation above.

Launched earlier this year, Google’s Art Project website (www.googleartproject.com) features seventeen of the world’s finest art museums and showcases an impressive collection of over a thousand pieces of art from more than four hundred artists.

The Art Project website, using the same technology that drives their Street View functionality on Google Maps, gives visitors the ability to take a virtual walk through many of the galleries at each of the seventeen museum locations.

Additionally, you can view individual pieces of art from each museum’s collection. Each piece of featured art has an information panel that provides details about the selected piece along with links to media files and museum information.

Some of the pieces you might recognize include Vincent van Gogh’s The Starry Night from the Museum of Modern Art in New York, Sandro Botticelli’s The Birth of Venus from the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, Italy, and Edward Hopper’s Hotel Room from the Museo Thyssen – Bornemisza in Madrid, Spain to name just a few.

And while the collection of art on display through this website is impressive, it is not what makes this site truly amazing. What really makes this a site worth visiting is the level of detail in which you can view each of the featured pieces of art.

The use of extremely high-resolution photography along with a number of powerful web technologies combine to give the user an unprecedented look at these pieces of art. When you select a piece of art for viewing, the web page containing the chosen piece of art places a view controller on the lower right corner of the page. This controller gives you the ability to navigate around a piece of art and zoom in on any part of the artwork you desire. As you zoom in, you will begin to see the individual brush strokes, then, on some of the older pieces, as you zoom in a little closer, you will start to see the cracks in the paint that have developed over time, and on many pieces you can even see the weave of the canvas.

Whether you are a casual art fan or a seasoned art connoisseur, the ability to explore such renowned museums, and the opportunity to see such incredible pieces of art up-close and personal, can be both a learning experience and a fun time of exploration.

We are thankful that turkey day is coming up soon. So much so in fact that we’ve created Thanksgiving-themed place cards and thank you cards for you to print and use next week. Download the pdfs below. Enjoy!

Thanksgiving place cards (473 KB PDF)
Thanksgiving thank you cards (757 KB PDF)

Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, blogs… social media and Internet technology have changed how we think, how we interact, and how we approach our every day routines. When the Internet originated, who would imagine that it would become what it is today and have such an impact on our lives?

The Internet archive resource, Wayback Machine, is one of our favorite online tools to see how early stages of the Internet have evolved into what they are today. Not only have there been technological advancements in the way websites are programmed, but the actual content and advertisements also speak to us in a way that they never did before (want a new iPad or Kindle anyone?).

Here’s just a small compilation of popular before and after homepages we found on Wayback Machine—some spanning back to as far as 1996. As a visual and marketing communications company, the gang here at Street Level Studio can appreciate just how far we’ve come throughout the years and look forward to seeing how the Internet and social media technology will continue to evolve into the future.

One of our print vendors stopped by the studio this morning and dropped off an old job (circa 1989) of ours that had gathered dust in a storage drawer. It was a camera-ready art board from the golden age of graphic design; it made the hairs on my neck stand up. It was as though I was standing before an ancient torture device. It brought back memories of typesetting machines that had more codes than a national telephone directory, Rubylith masking film, and let’s not forget the dreaded wax machine. For those who never experienced it, a wax machine may sound like something used for removal of unwanted hair. However, while this machine did not remove hair, it was equally as painful, and sometimes led you to pull out your own hair. It was mess to deal with. Then there was working with Letraset® rub-on letters. This was like getting a massage from a 400 lb. gorilla, one wrong rub and it was over. Oh yes, let’s not forget the stat camera which was the size of a room and used to take pictures the size of postage stamps. If you wanted to see a comp you drew it, then colored it using Pantone® markers. The smell from the combination of markers and spray mount would invoke a euphoric trip one may have experienced at a Grateful Dead concert. As painful as it all was, it led us to a greater appreciation of the graphic design processes today. Not a day goes by that I do not worship at the altar of Apple®, thanking them for delivering me.

Creativity comes in many forms. We’ve had the pleasure of working with a talented, young Flash programmer, Ryan Wolff, for the last several years and, of course, he’s done a great job with our commercial work. His passion outside of trying to make a living, though, is film making. We’ve seen several of his works, including feature length films, animations, and TV pilots, but we were recently blown away by his latest effort—a music video. Take a look and we think you’ll agree. It’s difficult to get noticed in this world of the “next big thing” taking place every thirty seconds or so but in Ryan’s case, we hope the world gets to enjoy his talent soon and often. Let us know what you think.

We wish our clients, vendors and friends a season of love and warmth which fills our hearts and souls this time of year. So whatever holiday you celebrate, make it a happy and memorable one!

We had a happy and memorable evening this past Monday playing Bocce Ball and feasting on some of the best food this side of the Mississippi, catered by our friends over at Buffo’s in Highwood. We laughed, we rolled bocce balls and we drank wine, beer, Diet Cokes and sparkling waters all evening. Street Level Studio knows how to throw a gig!

We are all thankful to be part of a humble, very real and creatively distinct team of great people. Cheers!

With the holidays approaching we are experiencing a flurry of requests from our clients to create electronic Holiday greeting messages. Only a few years ago, this may have been considered a bit impersonal but communications today have certainly taken a turn toward digital exchange as the norm. Facebook, Twitter and company blogs are fast becoming the choice of communication media. It’s quick, direct and easily broadcast. The only problem with this is that we may all be in danger of losing our ability to write beautiful words and phrases. Hopefully “Wishing you the Best this Holiday Season” is a sentiment that still means, “We’re thinking of you, thanks for the business, and hope it keeps coming next year.” We embrace direct messaging and thanks to the flood of social media choices, it’s easier than ever. Just don’t forget the beauty of our language.