We’ve been trying to get into Pinterest, but it’s been tough. This may explain why:

ilovecharts:

People Who Use Pinterest

I don’t want to start using Pinterest. Stop trying to make me use it, Internet!

Interactive Design Interns Needed!

We’re looking for a couple of good soldiers to join the Inphantry team. Whether you’re a recent grad or just in need of a co-op/internship next semester, we want to talk to you.

Who we are: We’re a new boutique interactive agency with a sweet studio space in downtown Boston. We have a solid base of both national and international clients. We do everything from branding and identity, to UX and motion graphics, and everything in between. We enjoy playing around with Kinect and building mobile apps.

Who you are: You’ve got design talent and want to learn more, and you don’t want to do it in a corporate environment. You don’t want to be a production artist. You want to create. You also want to work some place where, even as an intern, your opinion and ideas are valued. You want to work within a small group of creative professionals who can offer you one-on-one direction and guidance. You also have a sense of humor and have zero desire to be at work before 10am.

We’re looking for interactive designer interns who want to learn and grow, and can give us at least 24 hours a week. Since this position is unpaid, we know 40 hours may be a lot to ask. We’re entirely flexible. While we can’t pay yet, we’re hoping we can in the future. And when you join our team as an intern, we will promise you at least one paid lunch a week AND your monthly T/rail pass. And if you’re in school, you can also get internship/co-op credits.

REQUIREMENTS

Photoshop
Illustrator
Web capabilities — Knowledge of HTML/CSS/Flash

WOULD BE AWESOME BUT NOT A DEALBREAKER

After Effects
InDesign
OmniGraffle
Working knowledge of HTML5

Interested? Sweet. Now send your resume and portfolio (or relevant samples) to melinda@inphantry.com

Myth #19: You don’t need the content to design a website

Always good to have a reminder. 

uxmyths:

Many designers create wireframes and comps with “lorem ipsum” filler text. Using dummy text often results in an aesthetically pleasing but unrealistic design. What’s worse, it creates the illusion that content is secondary.

The fact is that users come for the content, not the design. Content is by far the most important element in user interface design. A webpage with a simple structure but quality content performs much better on usability tests than a nice layout with subpar text.

Read More

And at last night's DB Tech Prom... →

Always a blast hanging out with Trish from VSnap ;) (Speaking of VSnap, you should check them out.)

No back to nursing my achey head. — Melinda

vsnap:

by Trish Fontanilla, Community Manager at Vsnap

The team has been working hard between the upcoming Vthankyou campaign and our beta release in November, but we definitely know how important it is to have some fun. Last night we set up shop at the Dave Balter Tech Prom, “your second…

How many startups have you encountered that are JUST LIKE THIS?

Do you know what a designer does? No, really. Do you?

Scenes from a Wednesday

Justin just keeps doing 3D stuff. Some key frames. Or trying to replicate an iPhone or something. He won’t even leave his desk for a cupcake or Call of Duty.

Uh oh. I think we need those ornaments. 

utnereader:

Subversive art collective Dorothy re-imagine iconic toys with a mischievous, maniacal wit. Read more …

4 Reasons You Probably Need a Copywriter

Inphantry is an interactive advertising agency. A full-service boutique shop. We currently handle a variety of clients and projects, some of which fall into the production category, some of which require us to devise brand new marketing & branding strategies.

We can do everything. And we want to do everything. 

Even when you’re a firm with “everything capabilities,” and especially a new shop, not every job you get will require you to do everything. But quite often we’ll get requests on projects requiring only design & development. What? What do you mean you don’t need a writer?

We’re not just a design shop.

We get requests for websites or motion graphics/videos where the client already has “the copy taken care of.” This always makes me (Melinda) kind of sad — but not for selfish reasons! I swear.

About me. Just to provide context.

I’ve been a copywriter for over 8 years, I have an MA in Journalism, and I also write a somewhat-known blog that’s read in some circles. I’ve specialized in creating SEO content that sounds nothing like SEO content. I am currently working on my AdWords certification. On the side, I lead marketing & social media endeavors for friends, non-profits, and events just because I like to. I want to work with people who want to make good things happen. I currently volunteer for three major festivals, employing my skills as a writer, marketing & social media strategist, and media liaison, respectively. 

At Inphantry, I do all of the above. I am actively involved in every concept and creative direction. I work to develop marketing & branding strategies. I also deal with our existing clients and play the charming networker in order to get new ones. I get to talk to people! And provide creative direction. And I still get to write!

I love my job almost as much as my cat. (And I really love Oskar.) I am lucky enough not only to help build an awesome agency, but finally, for the first time in my life, I’m doing everything I’m good at as my actual job.  

1. Trust writers. We’re wicked smart. 

Copywriting isn’t the same job it was 10 years ago. Journalism? Same thing. where does marketing fit in? The lines are increasingly blurred. Creative direction. Copy. We already knew about those but what about…Social Media. SEM. SEO. Content strategy. User Experience. What else you got? The role of the “writer” is evolving and its no longer about creating a catchy little tagline. Writers have to understand how to write across multiple channels, even in the interactive world alone. 

Not every project needs each of the aforementioned components, but when you tell us you’ve already “have someone writing it,” it may often be a disservice, and depending on the scope of your project, you may have shot yourself in the foot. 

2. Unprotected collaboration leads to conception

Writers and designers should NEVER work in bubbles. At Inphantry, when our team gets a project, we brainstorm. We sometimes even yell at each other because we’re so damn passionate about these ideas running through our brains. But it always comes together in the end. Why? Ideas beget ideas. 

I don’t care how brilliant you think you are. You will never be as brilliant as you are when you engage in effective collaboration. That’s where the best ideas originate.

So when a client calls us up with a project and says they already have a script, or a deck of copy, it often prevents us from producing the best product. Often there is no collaboration with the writer. Our team is then forced to just go off a document we received via email, perhaps there is a conference call, maybe a face-to-face meeting. But right from the outset, we’re working in bubbles.

3. Save time. Reduce stress. Get the most bang for your buck.

If Kevin and Justin have a question about copy, or another idea being communicated. If they realize something doesn’t work. If the where they’re going on a layout doesn’t jive with content. If I’m going through the wireframes and something doesn’t make sense. Sometimes, you need to explain where you’re coming from even if you’re deep into the work. That’s just life. 

You see where we’re going.

it is nearly impossible to properly architect a user experience without considering written content. In the UX process, content is often much more important than art direction. 

Writers are also artists. we paint pictures with words. We’re as integral to the creative process as any art director or designer. We work together to make something awesome. Brainstorm. Collaboration. Cooperative effort. Feedback. Collective brilliance. All the glorious buzzwords peppering those blog posts you retweet from some social media maven may actually occur in reality.

If you have one team working on your project, minor issues or questions that arrise during the creative process may be addressed in real time. We do not have to wait for an email or for someone to pop back on IM. If you do not have a writer, UX specialist, and designer working together directly, some problems are not apparent until you’re into the second round of revisions, for example. You may be forced to spend out of your budget for additional rounds not covered in your contract, and you might lose days or even weeks for the final deliverable(s).

4. I have Microsoft Word and know my product better than anyone. This means I can write. I have no idea how to open Photoshop so someone needs to design what I need.

Just because you know your product better than anyone does not mean you can write about it. Just because you have a keyboard and can type does not make you a writer. 

If I’m going to help develop a creative direction and strategy, and especially when I’m going to be your “voice,” I take everything like a sponge. Inauthenticity speaks louder than any headline. If I haven’t taken the time to immerse myself in what I’m writing about, I have no business writing about it. 

I learn as much about the product, the brand, and the competition as humanly possible in the designated timeframe. I love research. I love analysis. I want to know how your average customer thinks. I extract all the benefits, often ones you may have missed. 

Words solidify the connection between the consumer and your brand. So get someone who specializes in this sort of thing when you need to say something meaningful. 

When you’re too close to something you know better than anyone, you often miss what’s standing in front of you. You need fresh eyes. And while you might know your product, you might not know marketing, or how to write what communicates what it is you’re trying to say. Every situation is different, but every situation can benefit from a copywriter or content strategist’s expertise. 

So maybe you want a new online advertising campaign or a full website redesign. Hiring a team handling only design, or only UX and design, is not the best way to do it. If you have an in-house copywriter who can devote as much time as needed with an outside agency during the project, and this feels most comfortable for you, then go for it.

But if that’s not possible, go with your agency’s writer. When its a small, tight-knit shop, they’re as instrumental to the creative unit as any designer or art director. They’re likely a big part of the reason you hired them in the first place.

Meet Danielle.

She’s our intern and she is awesome. She’s a sick artist with a love of UX and mobile apps. She loves research! (We love research) In her spare time, she likes to redesign websites of products she likes and create papercutting masterpieces. Danielle is going to be instrumental in a lot of our upcoming projects. 

She’s already kicking ass and taking names. On her first day, Danielle also posted one of the highest-ever scores on this AR demo we’ve been working on. (See above)