Big Eye Deers

…but apparently, not too many users had a kind word to say about Ping, Apple’s new music social media platform, where you “create a profile and begin following and being followed by like-minded music fans”, according to Jemima Kiss, writer of the Guardian’s PDA Digital Content Blog.

It’s a shame, because a serious social network that centres on the love of music is one platform I can get behind.

The article goes on to say: “A music-orientated social network is a great idea because Apple has a captive and very active audience among its iTunes user base. Privacy settings are simple – share everything with anyone, share a bit with people you approve or don’t share at all. Where Twitter is all things to all people, Ping could become the default network for music chatter – gig reviews, album recommendations and so on – one of those niche social networks we thought might take off a few years back.”

Sadly, most people say it’s full of bugs and difficult to use. Bummer. You can only pick three genres of music (Ms Kiss picked singer-songwriters, blues and alternative), the result of which was a recommendation to listen to Katy Perry. Yawn. I’ll guess I’ll have wait until the next version debuts.

Read the article here.

Photo taken from the Guardian website.

Atticus Black, the music division of the world-renowned clothing brand, required an online store to showcase its range of CDs, T-shirts and accessories.

We built a slick store using Magento technology – a market-leading, open-source shopping cart system that delivers Amazon-like functionality at an unbeatable price. We delivered an easy-to-manage store with a dark and gritty  look that was a design constant throughout the site.

One of the defining features is the T-shirt download mechanism, where customers who order a T-shirt from the store can input their unique code into the site and download a free mp3 track.

The store also boasts a seven-frame Flash banner, best-in-class SEO, easy-to-use functionality with best-practice e-commerce user experiences. An important aspect of the store’s functionality centred on easy-to-use (and easy to maintain!) upload and management capabilities – which Magento tackles with ease.

Visit the store here.

This Australian company wanted to extend its customer base by creating an online store that shipped to countries worldwide, including the US, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, and Europe.

Big Eye Deers used Magento technology, the market-leading open source ecommerce platform that delivers Amazon-like levels of functionality at an unbeatable price. We developed a custom store skin and homepage design, which features a gritty black and white product showcase, spotlighting the latest clothing and accessories, as well as a multi-country payment gateway and high-res photography.

The store features best in class SEO, easy-to-use functionality with best-practice e-commerce user experiences. An important aspect of the store’s functionality centred on easy-to-use (and easy to maintain!) upload and management capabilities – which Magento tackles with ease.

We’re delighted with the results – see them for yourself here.

Building on the success of social media competitor Foursquare, Facebook will now offer members based in the US a feature to share location information with their online friends.

According to an article posted on the Guardian website:

“The feature allows users to ‘check in’ at locations which will then be shared with their friends and Facebook network but it is likely to raise concerns over safety. Users will also be able to browse shops, clubs and nearby venues to see which friends are nearby, leading to concerns it could put individual’s security at risk.

‘What we see with Facebook is a massive learning curve. Every time they make a change, consumers scramble to figure out the privacy settings,’ said Rainey Reitman, spokeswoman for Privacy Rights Clearinghouse in the US. ‘Location data is tied to people’s safety – if people know where you are, they know where you’re not. Your location data is some of the most sensitive data we have. I expect we’ll see from the get-go people who don’t understand how to control the privacy settings.’

Cue the inevitable privacy backlash!

I wonder how long it’ll be before Facebook will grant British users the chance to try out this feature?

Read the Guardian article here.

The diverse company, which specialises in everything from artist management and publishing to live events management and record distribution, required an updated site that was striking, yet simple to navigate.

We answered with a site that utilises the best jQuery has to offer, complete with a bespoke music player, showcasing the current artist roster, and a Twitter feed integration.

The design is clean and compelling – we eschewed the typical drop-down navigation option and instead used jQuery to create a Flash-like animation when the site visitor hovers over each word.

See the new site here.

Whatever happened to being a bit mysterious?

The social networking site Foursquare seems to be garnering a lot of attention lately, and maybe it’s just me, but I’m pretty much against any form of technology that pinpoints my exact location and then broadcasts it for all of cyberspace to see.

I came across an interesting article on The Guardian website written by journalist Leo Hickman who managed to stalk a complete stranger who was out enjoying a few pints with her mates. Not an ideal situation, and it’s probably not the first time this sorta thing’s happened.

Although Foursquare may ward off anyone with sinister intentions, I’m still not convinced!  Maybe at 28 I’m already a cranky old lady, but there’s something about opening my life up to potential stalkers that strikes me as unpalatable.

Read the article here.

Avisco Homes, a property developer based in mid Wales, came to us wanting a brand refresh, along with a re-designed website that would reflect the quality of their traditional, yet innovative offering.

The aim was to ensure the website was more user-focused and friendly, not to mention a bit more contemporary in layout and design.

We built a custom Big Eye Deers Content Management System for ease of updating, adding in user-management controls for signups and analytics. One of the main new elements of the website was the Google Maps functionality, pinpointing the new plots for interested parties, while the dynamic jQuery photo gallery brings the interior space to the forefront of the page.

The Avisco Homes team were keen bloggers, so we integrated a Wordpress blog to allow them to post the latest internal and industry news, as and when it happens.

Last but not least, a newsletter sign-up form was added to the home page, helping to keep customers informed while enabling data capture for the internal Avisco team.

See the re-designed site here.

Clint Mansell, responsible for composing such film scores as the themes from Sahara, The Fountain, Pi and Requiem for a Dream, wanted a website to showcase full-screen videos alongside his award-winning compositions.

The site design is simplistic and elegant in nature, featuring a data capture element that prompts each visitor to enter in their name and email address in order to play the film; the first of which is an animated video for ‘Stay With Me’ from ‘The Fountain’, created by Melanie Mandl and her team.

Less was more when it came to the site functionality – the bottom right hand corner boasts only four options ‘Play film’, ‘Mute sound’, ‘Full screen’ and ‘Player options’, which opens to a thumbnail list of available films to watch.

See the site here.

Forget the dread of queuing up outside the exam hall with everyone else bragging about how much – or how little – revision they’ve done. How about taking exams in the comfort of your own room?

New technology, boasting anti-cheating software, could soon make this a possibility.

Developed by American firm Software Secure Inc, the programme operates through a stand-alone device which is plugged into a student’s computer.

The technology takes a fingerprint of the student to verify they are who they say they are before access to the exam is allowed. A webcam and microphone are also switched on to detect changes in motion, such as someone entering the room or sound, such as a phone conversation. The device also “locks down” so that the student cannot search the internet for answers or access their own files for notes.

The University of Wales Institute in Cardiff is one of the institutions evaluating the software to see if it could be viable for some of their students.

Read more here.

Lele Jackson, Kelly Jackson, and Sarah Louise Akwisombe are the Sick Kids – the Croydon-based trio are currently a fixture on the London music scene, but their talents extend beyond performing as an all-female rap group.

The Sick Kids have now ventured into the commercial fashion realm with their debut collection, featuring ‘The Horror Kids’, ‘Ghost Kids’ and the now infamous ‘Stabby Kids’ T-shirt line.

After assessing their requirements, we recommended a Magento-based solution – a market-leading, open-source shopping cart system that delivers Amazon-like functionality at an unbeatable price. We delivered an easy-to-use store with a professional look and feel which remained a design constant throughout the site.

Instantly recognisable branding combined with best practice e-commerce item display, checkout process and searchable catalogue is a proven and effective strategy that will ensure an engaging and interactive user experience.

Mixing hip-hop street wear with pop and punk, new and old, the Sick Kids store line up ranges from hoodies and sweatpants to pin badges and ‘Sick Bags’. Not only did they have a massive input on the store design and layout, each of the clothing items were modelled and photographed by the Sick Kids themselves.

The end result was an online store that accurately reflected the creativity at the heart of the trio – it’s a music and fashion mash-up that the girls and their management are delighted with!

“We’re absolutely over the moon with the work Big Eye Deers carried out. Impressive doesn’t even begin to cover it – the site perfectly narrates what The Sick Kids are all about – music, fashion, with a little bit of mischief! It raises their game immensely and further establishes them as one of the new creative forces in the industry,” said Tony Arthy, Director, Worn-Out.