February 3rd, 2011
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.
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November 4th, 2010
What’s worse than an outdated website design? Outdated content. Well, then we just killed 2 birds with one stone on our redesign of YoloFSA.org. Not only have the graphics been overhauled and technology pumped up, but it is a site that the client can edit themselves — leaving both designers and clients beaming from ear to ear.
The Yolo Family Services Agency provides professional counseling in both English and Spanish for children, families, couples, and individuals coping with issues such as marital difficulties, parent/child conflict, depression, anxiety, the effects of trauma and abuse, custody and divorce, and grief and loss. A great service that deserves to put its best foot forward.
Their new site illustrates their kindhearted, family-focus, while increasing awareness to the local area and emphasizing ways to donate. Rotating color palettes keep the content fresh, and friendly photos promote their message of well-being.
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August 2nd, 2010
And its a beauty! Yali Bair’s Website was launched recently by Studio66. Yali, like many of our clients, was starting up her own business and needed everything from the ground-up for branding. She wanted her brand to have a feminine, professional, and simple elegance. We accomplished this initially in her print branding (business card & letterhead) and then translated it into a website.
For the website, our client wanted it to be current, fresh, and easy to use. This was achieved by including an image gallery that can be updated by the client, a direct and simple site map, a clean and open design layout, and by incorporating the content management system WordPress.
We are delighted in being able to create and shape the branding for Yali Bair’s Consulting business and we look forward to watching her success.
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July 26th, 2010
Studio66 just launched a new website for Davis Scientist, Educator and Entertainer – Dr. Carl Winter. This website is quite unique in both design and content. The client wanted a modern, professional site that would be able to portray him as a serious and experienced scientist, while also conveying his fun performance style. Studio66 responded with a website design that is both professional and playful.
The primary goal of the site is to feature the client’s public speaking services, while showcasing selected songs and videos to give his potential audience-members a taste of what they can expect when hiring him. Studio66 implemented this by placing the media in a fixed column on all pages of the website. This way the user can easily access them from any spot within the site. Check it out and let us know what you think!
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March 16th, 2010
Here at Studio66 we often take advantage of open-source software and development tools, which save time and money. We’re always looking for ways to contribute back to the open-source community. One way we accomplish this is by releasing plugins we’ve developed for CMS platforms like WordPress and BuddyPress.
We recently released BuddyPress Group Documents, a plugin that allows for uploading and sharing of all types of media inside social networking groups. Immediately after its release, it became obvious that many sites across the web could use this feature. It has been downloaded over 2,500 times in just a few months; it has also been translated into 3 additional languages: French, Italian, and German. Additionally, the plugin has been highlighted on the BuddyPress Homepage, called out as a Featured Plugin for Buddypress Developers, and on March 12, Andy Peatling (the creator of BuddyPress), listed it as one of the most popular plugins.
Over the last few months, we’ve released several updates for Group Documents containing new functionality and bug fixes. It is now a robust, flexible plugin that integrates with many of BuddyPress’ features including: the activity stream, email notifications, and site widgets. There are multiple ways to sort and browse uploaded files, as well as download tracking. There are flexible display options and security settings for the site administrator as well as bulk file uploading with FTP. Our most recent release attracted over 160 downloads in one day.
Needless to say, we’ve been pleased with the success of this plugin, and the great feedback we’ve gotten from users. We’ve got more features in the pipeline, so stay tuned!
Posted in Announcements, Development, Project Spotlight | 8 Comments »
March 11th, 2010
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
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February 19th, 2010
The Tom Daves Website was Launched this week by Studio66! The client wanted to be able to make simple content changes themselves and add blogging capabilities to their site. We recommended the use of WordPress Content Management System and Blogging Software because this open-source program is very flexible with design and easy to use. Tom Daves Agency also wanted there site to me more user friendy. Studio66 achieved this by creating a clean and clear navigation menu; by moving the main navigation to the top of the page and creating a clean sub-navigation bar directly under. This type of navigation leaves no room for confusion for the user because the eye has been trained to read top to bottom and left to right.
The client wanted to increase the new and repeat visitors to their site. One way that Studio66 made the Tom Daves website more accessible was by instilling SEO (search engine optimization) strategies. This was achieved by creating effective keywords and unique titles for each page. The goal is when a user is searching for “Sacramento Real Estate” or “Homes In Roseville”, the Tom Daves site will show up in their search.
Tom Daves also wanted his new site to include a Blog, to create a resource to the community and encourage return visits. His blogs contain topics with information anywhere from how to get the best deal on a home, to increasing your homes appeal. Studio66 created a clean, well programmed, and flexible design, increasing the professionalism and user friendly characteristics of the Tom Daves site.
top: Before
bottom: Studio66 re-design
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February 5th, 2010
Today at creative Friday we played Jenga!! A game which takes both strategy and delicate hands. As designers, we regularly solve puzzles, make moves, and keep focused on the “big picture”. So Jenga was a great way to stretch our organizational & strategical muscles while putting our problem solving skills to the test. Not to mention, it was fun!
Well that was until I pulled the block which knocked over the tower… 
After which, I made a noise that sounded a lot like this.
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January 25th, 2010
This was the theme for last week’s creative Friday. Brianne, who has been with the studio since the beginning, is having a baby in just a couple of weeks! So, in celebration of her and her baby boy, we designed onesies. During lunch we stenciled, puff painted, and drew — letting our crafty creativity shine. We designed 4 new outfits and a bib! Brianne’s new baby will be set, that is until he grows too big for his new wardrobe!
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January 15th, 2010
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!
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