For Studio66, the new year didn’t just bring champagne, fireworks, and resolutions; it brought the need to evolve.

Peter (the co-owner & lead developer) is relocating. His wife (a recent UC Davis Masters Graduate) was given a career opportunity she couldn’t refuse. Although, Peter is sad to be leaving the community of Davis, he is excited to see his wife embark on this exciting new chapter of her career. Peter will continue his role as co-owner and developer for Studio66 remotely from his new home.

Thankfully, in our tech savvy age we have the tools and capabilities to communicate and collaborate from — well anywhere! This has led to our decision to simplify and become mobile by leaving our brick & mortar studio space. Although we will miss the big conference room and industrial ceilings — we will not miss the overhead! As we are confident — you are clients — will appreciate our ability to offer the same creative and development services at a more affordable rate.

We believe it is our ability to adapt that will be the key to our continued success. Many of our studio processes will remain the same. Rashael (rashael@studio66design.com) will continue to be the main point of contact for studio projects. Our number, 530.792.0660 and our emails will remain the same. However, please note our new mailing address and fax number: 216 F St. #143, Davis, CA 95616 | 916.238.4381.

We don’t anticipate any disruption to current or on-going projects and we appreciate your continued support as we go through this transition. Furthermore, we will continue to keep you updated on any future changes.

National Plant a Flower Day!!
Spring is just around the corner, so in celebration, plant a flower this March 12th. Never gardened before?  Not a problem, here are a few tips on planting your first seeds:

Annual flowers such as daisies and marigolds are a great way to go when you’re new to the game; they are easy to plant and low maintenance!

Plants need food too! Go to your local supply store and pick up all-purpose fertilizer and some compost for your soil.

Plant your flowers 8-12 inches apart and give them plenty of sun. This gives them optimal conditions for growth.

Plants thrive in soil that retains moisture but is not wet, for annuals you should water your seeds 2-3 times a week.

One more tip: when choosing a spot to plant your flowers, either pick a nice place in your backyard, plant in flower pots, or find a friend who’s backyard could use some spicing up. Careful not to do any planting in a park or other public places; doing so could result in some jail time. Yikes!

Now that you have all the tips to plant your flower, grab a shovel and get your seeds, because its almost March 12!!!

Desktop Calendar Background
 Each month, Studio66 sends out a new desktop background celebrating quirky and bizarre holidays. It also functions as an easy-to-use calendar!
Click to download the calendar background for your screen size:

Widescreen 1900×1200 | Standard 1600×1200

Today’s creative lunch was at Caffé Italia!

We enjoyed a caffé combo pizza and texas toothpicks, which were so tasty!! While we ate our starters, we all drew a portrait of ourselves with our left hand (or non-dominate hand) upside-down. This exercise helps flex the right brain muscles, by not allowing you to follow typical drawing patterns. We used Crayon’s and it was actually a lot harder then we had expected!

When I went to draw my mouth as a smile I accidentally drew a frown because it was upside-down! This made my portrait look very sad, so I tried to fix it, but ended up making my face look like the Joker from Batman! Overall though, everyone’s portrait looked quite realistic — Peter with his sideburns, Rashael with her chuck tayolors, and Brianne with her one blue eye and one green eye.  haha.

This was a fun activity which allowed us to use the right side of our brains, drive creativity, and step out of our comfort zones. We had a great creative Friday and delicious food!

Your website markets 24/7 for you and is often the first impression of your company. If it’s out-of-date, it reflects poorly on your products, services and business practices…and could even drive visitors straight to your competition.

Keep your website current and it works overtime.
Up-to-date content: Update your site frequently, confirming all your information is correct, relevant and that links still work.

Simple to use: Ensure your site is easy to read and understand. Visitors should be able to navigate effortlessly through your site, finding information quickly. A site hard to navigate is easy to leave!

Tech savvy: Maintain your website to be compatible with current web standards, crucial for usability and searchability. If you want Google — and potential customers — to find your site, you need to use current web technology. Plain and simple.

Works for you: A successful website reflects the quality of your business, fitting your industry and target audiences while standing out from your competitors. With a progressive appearance, it leaves positive impressions and gains customers.

If you’re feeling outdated, give us a call; we’ll help you get up-to-date and get the most out of your website. Getting rid of that leisure suit from the 70’s is still up to you, though.

On the sixth of October we observe a holiday that celebrates getting your silly on…Mad Hatter Day!

The date of this holiday was inspired by the label found on the hat of the Mad Hatter – a nonsensical Alice in Wonderland character. The label says, “In this style 10/6″ and was in reference to the price of the hat, ten shilling and six pence. However, in our case, it just gives us extra reason to be silly, drink some tea, wear crazy hats, celebrate very, merry unbirthdays and ask crazy riddles…

…why is a raven like a writing-desk?

Download the mad hatter day desktop wallpaper
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Oh the joys of summer: BBQ’s, swimming pools and the squeals of victory when your son/daughter (or spouse) wins that last epic race in Mario Kart.

Old and young gamers rejoice because July 8th is Video Games Day — not to be confused with National Video Games Day, which occurs in September. In any case, you get two days to celebrate the art of video gaming. That’s like getting an extra life!

Studio66 is celebrating one of the most well-known and beloved video games of all time: Pac-man. This Japanese arcade game was created in 1980 by Namco. One interesting tid-bit about this addicting game is that it was known as Puck-man in Japan. It was released as “Pac-Man” in America because, well, American companies didn’t want the name being replaced with another, less-friendly word.

So gamers: sit back, relax, and get ready to give your fingers the work-out of their lives!

*Note: Studio66 is not responsible for any finger injuries or loss of game lives caused by the relaying of this information.

Download the Video Games Day desktop wallpaper!
WideScreen 1900×1200 | Standard Size 1600×1200

Studio66 attended the Printing Industries of Northern California (PINC 2009) show in San Francisco.  This year’s theme was green. Being a certified green business, it’s important to us to keep current on recycled papers and environmentally friendly printing techniques. We were able to speak to several exhibitors, gather paper samples, and expand our knowledge on FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) and other green certifications.

Another highlight — the new digital printing capabilities. As designers, we will always have a soft spot for traditional printing, however many of our clients aren’t printing the volume to make off-set cost efficient. That’s when digital steps in. Recent technology is allowing digital to mimic some of traditional printing’s great finishing techniques. Kodak boasted dimensional printing that feels like thermography/embossing. Cannon presented a machine with clear toner techniques that look like spot varnishes and AQ’s. Way Cool!

Finally —  a favorite of mine — the specialty papers were on display. Synthetic paper, made out of plastics, are super smooth and extremely wear resistant. Peter was quite surprised when he couldn’t tear through it. Neenah’s linens and classics are such well crafted beautiful papers. In addition, they have sparkly papers I am just looking for an excuse to use!

Those are the highlights from this year’s show. If you ever have questions on specialty paper or green printing techniques for your project, don’t hesitate to ask — we love sharing our knowledge!