BLUEION

Profile

THINK HARD. WORK HARD. DELIVER MORE.
Happy clients are easy to spot. They're the ones with a smile on their face and a loyal, growing, enthusiastic following at their front door.

Blue Ion, LLC. develops high performance interactive branding, sales and service applications for clients who like to smile; clients who want a little more effort, a little more experience, a little better technology, a little more focus. And, in the end a more productive and captivating interactive encounter.

At the heart of every Blue Ion, LLC. application lays the convergence of three core disciplines - strategy, design and technology. And we back it all up with a production process that keeps projects delivering on time and budget.

We approach each website, cdrom/dvd, kiosk or application project with the same mission: to uncover creative, fresh ideas that break free from the category's conventions. We are not here to be predictable. We are here to pursue great ideas and move your audience.

Process

OUR DEVELOPMENT PROCESS IS SIMPLE: TAKE THE SHORTEST ROUTE TO THE ISSUES; ARRIVE WITH LIGHTS ON, AND SLEEVES ROLLED UP.
Five steps, same ones every time, lead us surely to our goal, which is to deliver an application that is just a little better than the one you're expecting and way delightful for your web visitors.

Discover - We search to understand the issues that impact your situation, the objectives we're working to attain, and the approach opportunities we might employ.

Define - Next we develop and recommend a strategic concept that will be central to the solution; we define the scope of project, a content plan, an experiential map, project timeline, and budget.

Design - Concepts for the look and feel, as well as the technology architecture of the application are next developed and then presented for discussion and approval.

Develop - Next we build the application, piece by piece. We create, fine tune, program, and integrate the interactive experience that your audience will soon enjoy.

Deliver - Last step before going live is to test the application. Want to make sure it is everything we, together, have planned it to be. We finalize the edits and post the application to the server, and develop tracking standards and performance reporting systems. Then its get ready and hang on... here we go.

The Team

Senor Misterioso
Title: Man of Mystery
Role: Is Senor Misterioso an extremely dangerous man or just a harmless socialite in a glowing suit?
Prior Life: He has never been seen without his well-tailored linen suit and fedora.
Hometown: Caracas, Venezuela

Monika Gauthier
Title: Interactive Art Director
Role: Makes your brand stand-out online. Entertains people with a strong east european accent.
Prior Life: Graphic Editor - Playboy Magazine, Grey, FCB, Rawle Murdy.
Hometown: Bratislava, Slovakia

David Wood
Title: Partner, Creative Director
Role: Directs and designs the mix of graphics, images, motion, music and copy to create interactive brand experiences.
Prior Life: Tobin, Erdmann and Jacobsen, Kuester Group, Martin-Williams, Melk Media.
Hometown: Minneapolis, MN

Rich Yessian
Title: Partner, Technology Director
Role: Fuses strategic approach and graphic/motion design with seamless technological applications.
Prior Life: James Madison University, BBA Computer Information Systems, BBA Production Operations Management, GRC Inc., Tricor Industries, BDM, Mindglow Designs.
Hometown: Fairfax, VA

Craig Anthony
Title: Flash Director
Role: Breathe life into the exceptional designs of the creative department. Develop motion, interactive, and data driven experiences using Flash.
Prior Life: James Madison University, University of Charleston, NASA Broker/Facilitator, Reactionplus+.
Hometown: Midlothian, VA

James Plummer
Title: Interactive Producer
Role: Knowing very little about all things web (but learning quickly), James is the emotional, physical, and mental glue that holds Blue Ion together.
Prior Life: College of Charleston, BS Business Administration, Fleet Landing, Laing Middle School.
Hometown: Fairfax, VA / Charleston, SC

Nicola Walker
Title: Interactive Producer
Role: Mastering the art of interactive development. Transform energy, complexity and chaos into groundbreaking work.
Prior Life: College of Stockport, England. BTUK, Banana Republic, Protego USA, Inc.
Hometown: Manchester, England

Robert Prioleau
Title: Partner, Strategy Director
Role: Develops interactive experience plans and help make sure things get done on target, time and budget.
Prior Life: University of Texas MBA, GSD&M Advertising, Fitzgerald & Company Advertising, BellSouth Telecommunications, Rawle-Murdy.
Hometown: Houston, TX / Charleston, SC

Chris Simpson
Title: Digital Marketing Director
Role: Help clients expand their marketing to the Web and beyond via search, email, blogs, and all things digital.
Prior Life: College of Charleston, BS business administration/marketing focus. Internet Marketing Specialist, Blackbaud, Inc.
Hometown: Tampa, FL

Mike Henry
Title: Interactive Producer
Role: Inspiring awe, admiration and wonder. Creates singular client experiences and assists with phenomenal work.
Prior Life: College of Charleston, BS Business Administration.
Hometown: Bluffton, SC

Brian Dadin
Title: Lead Application Developer, Programmer
Role: Develops web based applications to create interactive, data driven web sites.
Prior Life: College of Charleston, BS Computer Science, Baker & Associates, Inc., Trio Solutions, Inc., Medical University of South Carolina.
Hometown: Charleston, SC

Josh Campbell
Title: Art Director
Role: Designs dynamic rich interface experiences through synergy of brand and experience, pixel tweaking, and some smoke and mirrors.
Prior Life: College of Charleston, BS Corporate Communications.
Hometown: Pawleys Island, SC

Featured Projects

Folbot
Launch: April 2008
URL: www.folbot.com
Folbot has been making folding kayaks since 1933. If you're not hip to the folding kayak scene, just think of it like a collapsible tent. The great thing about these boats is they break down to fit inside a bag - perfect for keeping in the trunk of your car for impromptu paddle sessions or as checked baggage when you travel. They go together in around 15 minutes and people regularly take the larger models out on weeks-long excursions. Poke around the site - we tried out a bunch of new technology on this one, and we're really pleased with how it came out.

Gil Shuler Graphic Design
Launch: April 2008
URL: www.gilshulergraphicdesign.com
For the past 8 years we've been collaborating with our colleagues and friends at Gil Shuler Graphic Design on their website, and this portfolio-based site is the 3rd generation. This time around we were looking to create a simple, yet energetic way to show off the diverse body of design work they've done. The work samples continue to build as you navigation through core categories of posters, letterhead, packaging, brochures, logos and miscellaneous items.

Bundoran Farm
Launch: December 2007
URL: www.bundoranfarm.com
Located fifteen minutes from Charlottesville, Virginia, Bundoran Farm is a preservation development where over 90 percent of the 2,300 acres are protected landscape. This distinctive model of Preservation Development in which farming operations are part of the inherited environment establishes a series of layers that connect residents to nature, to the farm, and to each other.

Garden & Gun
Launch: Setpember 2007
URL: www.gardenandgun.com
When the publishers of Garden & Gun first came to us, all they had was an innovative concept for a new magazine and some amazing imagery. Six months, one teaser site, and 3 issues later, we launched the expanded online companion to the physical magazine. Once again, photography is the star of the show, but now we have fresh content to back it up and give it strength. Archives from past issues as well as glimpses of current content are featured, and future plans call for exclusive online-only articles and media.

TBonz Restaurant Group
Launch: November 2007
URL: www.tbonz.com
TBonz Restaurant Group encompasses more than just 6 distinct restaurant concepts throughout the Carolinas - this is a group that embraces invention with a bit of chaos. TBonz came to us with a challenging task... to create separate sites for each of 6 different chains and do it in a way that was efficient but still managed to bring the feel of the actual location alive on the screen. What we came up with surprised even us. Use the link to the corporate site to access the various restaurant concept websites.

GetInspired Charleston
Launch: April 2007
URL: www.getinspiredcharleston.com
GetInspired Charleston was built to support the local, grassroots offshoot of Charleston Inspired, a collaborative marketing initiative to attract new businesses and talent to the region. We had a blast working with several partners in the area to bring this to life. Users have the option to post inspiring stories about the area, download region-specific logos, buy some inspired gear, and check out inspired events in the area. There's even an inspired blog where the team can post more detailed notes on inspired happenings and musings. Technical highlights include the ability to bookmark and link to individual sections or even individual stories (no small feat in Flash), on-the-fly image cropping, and dynamic (XML-driven) content for all sections of the site. Updates in Flash have never been easier!

Huff + Gooden Architects
Launch: June 2006
URL: www.huffgooden.com
Huff Gooden Architects is an architecture and urban design and planning practice dedicated to the design and exploration of architecture and its relationships to culture and knowledge. Established in Charleston, SC in 1997 as an outgrowth of its parent company, the firm has won numerous design awards for its innovative work and has been published nationally and internationally. The Huff Gooden and Blue Ion teams collaborated to develop a website that demonstrates how their work is ultimately about the experience of architecture to move one intellectually, spatially and spiritually.

Drayton Hall
Launch: March 2007
URL: www.draytonhall.org
This National Trust for Historic Preservation site is one of the nation's architectural/archeological treasures - the oldest surving example of Georgian Palladian architecture in the US and one of the only pre-Revolutionary houses that remain in close to original condition today. Aside from house and ground tours, Drayton runs educational programs, historical preservation efforts, membership activities and more. The Drayton and Blue Ion team leveraged everything from historical documents to cutting-edge preservation science to provide users with the full experience. Our thanks go out to those at Drayton Hall who are the stewards of this important and magical place.

Meadwestvaco
Launch: July 2005
In 2004 the MeadWestvaco Forestry Division asked Blue Ion, LLC. to develop a presentation vehicle to share their sustainable forestry program with customers, community leaders, students and other constituents. Blue Ion, LLC. created a CDROM that offers users a virtual tour into the forests of MeadWestvaco, a chance to meet actual foresters in the field through video, and an exploration of the history and practices of sound forest management.