Portland ROCKS! LiveWorkPortland creative work/lifestyle website launches
May 7, 2010 -
LiveWorkPortland.org focuses on Portland Maine's burgeoning creative economy serving as a
resource for creative entrepreneurs considering relocating to here.
The site also provides a social networking space for the city's creative community, the centerpiece of a broad economic development campaign to promote Portland as a creative epicenter.
LiveWorkPortland is a collaborative project led by Andrew Graham, co-founder of Image Works with Dana Hutchins (in 1977!), now owner of Portland Color — portlandcolor.com. Image Works provided information architecture and strategic consulting for the project. Graphic design by Lucian Burg of LuDesign and Leslie Evans of LEDA — ledadesign.com. The site was built by Gordon Holman of Slickfish Studios — slickfishstudios.com — and Jim Craddock of Yellahoose — yellahoose.com.
At the heart of the website are multimedia interviews with nationally recognized creatives who have chosen Portland as home and workspace. Created by Willa Kammerer — twigsandstring.blogspot.com — and Tonee Harbert — toneeharbertphoto.com, six of these mini-slide movies debuted at the Live/Work Portland launch event on May 6 at the Portland Museum of Art. These personal stories capture the creativity and innovation that has exploded here in the past ten years. We want to show innovative artists, designers and entrepreneurs from "away" that it is possible to be creative, be successful, and be happy here in Portland Maine.
LiveWorkPortland is a collaborative project led by Andrew Graham, co-founder of Image Works with Dana Hutchins (in 1977!), now owner of Portland Color — portlandcolor.com. Image Works provided information architecture and strategic consulting for the project. Graphic design by Lucian Burg of LuDesign and Leslie Evans of LEDA — ledadesign.com. The site was built by Gordon Holman of Slickfish Studios — slickfishstudios.com — and Jim Craddock of Yellahoose — yellahoose.com.
At the heart of the website are multimedia interviews with nationally recognized creatives who have chosen Portland as home and workspace. Created by Willa Kammerer — twigsandstring.blogspot.com — and Tonee Harbert — toneeharbertphoto.com, six of these mini-slide movies debuted at the Live/Work Portland launch event on May 6 at the Portland Museum of Art. These personal stories capture the creativity and innovation that has exploded here in the past ten years. We want to show innovative artists, designers and entrepreneurs from "away" that it is possible to be creative, be successful, and be happy here in Portland Maine.
Image Works at DrupalCon 2010 San Francisco Conference for Drupal open-source CMS platform
April 21, 2010 -
More than 3000 web developers made this year's DrupalCon annual conference one of the fastest-growing web technology conferences in the world. More than double last year's attendance.
Image Works Senior Software Engineer and Lead Drupal Developer, Shawn Smiley, was there to share in as much of it as tired feet, fingers and voice could handle. Here's just a sampling of what Shawn has brought back to Image Works from the conference.
This year the Drupal CMS has reached a critical mass of adoption by web developers and by a huge community of contributing, expert open-source technology developers that is unlikely to be met or exceeded in the next ten years by any proprietary platform. This critical mass helps us create and deliver value directly to our clients.
Contact us now and we'll show you how to make the Web work better for you.
This year the Drupal CMS has reached a critical mass of adoption by web developers and by a huge community of contributing, expert open-source technology developers that is unlikely to be met or exceeded in the next ten years by any proprietary platform. This critical mass helps us create and deliver value directly to our clients.
Contact us now and we'll show you how to make the Web work better for you.
Vital Signs - Social media that inspires students to do real science
December 3, 2009 -
Over the past 18 months, Image Works has been developing an innovative citizen science project; a suite of web-based, data-driven software applications for the Gulf of Maine Research Institute as the core of their Vital Signs (VS) program.
Composed of custom applications, dozens of Drupal 6 modules, Google Maps and other web services, the VS project provides students, teachers, scientists, DEP personnel and volunteers with the tools to monitor environmental conditions throughout Maine. The project includes a structured central data repository, digital tools and protocols for identifying, mapping, tracking and analyzing the occurrence and spread of invasive species into and around the state. These resources and supporting programs are being installed onto the Maine student laptops for fall 2009 and will be made available to all interested parties during the next year.
Video completed for the Governor's Renewable Energy Mission to Europe
September, 2009 - Image Works recently collaborated with the Maine International Trade Center (MITC) on a pro bono project
to create a high impact video presenting the latest renewable energy developments in the State of Maine.
The video is being shown at the Governor's Renewable Energy Mission to Europe, September 19-26 in Madrid, Spain and Bremen,
Germany. The MITC-organized trade mission will provide participants with unique networking opportunities and one-on-one meetings
with potential foreign trade partners.
According to MITC, Spain and Germany are considered European leaders in both on- and offshore wind projects.
They rank first and third worldwide in installed wind power, and these markets provide excellent opportunities for
Maine's renewable energy sector.
Dana Hutchins, Image Works President, appears on Mainebiz Sunday
September 27, 2009 - Just how vital is Maine's information technology future? Image Works President, Dana Hutchins, joined a panel of other IT professionals on the Mainebiz Sunday program on WCSH 6 TV in Portland and WLBZ 2 in Bangor.
The panel discussed needs for funding, education, and infrastructure to help Maine's IT industry be more competitive. Also appearing on the program were Cynthia Smith of Angel Networks Security in Orono, Tony Paine, VP and Chief Technology Officer of Kepware Technologies in Portland and David Stone, CEO of CashStar, a fast-moving Maine startup.
View the show, as well as the web-only After Thoughts segment.
View the show, as well as the web-only After Thoughts segment.
Angus King, Maine's former Governor, speaks on offshore wind power
September, 2009 - At the May 1, 2009 meeting of the Environmental and Energy Technology Council of Maine
(E2Tech), former Governor Angus King spoke about Maine's
dangerous dependence on fossil fuels and the urgency of a national energy policy that includes the development of offshore wind.
The talk was held at the Maine Audubon Society Education Center in Falmouth, ME. Image Works' President Dana Hutchins was on
hand to capture the Governor's talk on Maine's energy policy.
Ocean Energy Institute website launch coincides with European Offshore Wind 2009 Conference
September, 2009 - The Ocean Energy Institute (OEI), founded by Matt Simmons of Simmons & Company International, is a think-tank
and venture capital fund addressing the challenges of the U.S. and global energy future. OEI is currently focused on
leveraging Maine's offshore wind energy resource.
OEI supports the collaborative efforts of researchers, project developers, and
policymakers to address global energy needs by taking a systems approach to the promising solution of renewable ocean energy.
Image Works launched the Ocean Energy Institute website to coincide with OEI's attendance at the European Offshore Wind 2009 Conference in Stockholm from September 14-16. The new site features an interactive timeline of 'future energy scenarios' conveying the urgency of finding solutions to our growing energy needs and the problem of peak oil. Up-to-date news and current content about the renewable energy industry is dynamically displayed from credible sources on the internet. Successive additions to the site will include additional content about deep water wind, how wind turbines work, Gulf of Maine wind data, and collaborative tools for connecting people who are working on ocean energy solutions.
Image Works launched the Ocean Energy Institute website to coincide with OEI's attendance at the European Offshore Wind 2009 Conference in Stockholm from September 14-16. The new site features an interactive timeline of 'future energy scenarios' conveying the urgency of finding solutions to our growing energy needs and the problem of peak oil. Up-to-date news and current content about the renewable energy industry is dynamically displayed from credible sources on the internet. Successive additions to the site will include additional content about deep water wind, how wind turbines work, Gulf of Maine wind data, and collaborative tools for connecting people who are working on ocean energy solutions.
Enhanced design for search interface
August, 2009 - An innovative new product idea will soon come to market. It'll allow
students and educational counselors to find the academic programs they're looking
for anywhere in the country.
This idea will be dramatically enhanced when Image Works designs the new web site,
creating a clean and confidence-building look/feel. But first we'll turn ideas about
the site's layout and organization into full-fledged wireframes. These are design
blueprints used by our graphic designers and our software developers. A focus on
the search and search results section—the core of the product—will guarantee
the product's success.
Council for Disability Awareness unveils new site
April, 2009 - The Council for Disability Awareness (CDA) is a non-profit group formed
in 2005 to help the American workforce become aware of the growing instances of
disability and its financial consequences. The CDA's primary communications vehicle
is their resource-rich web site.
In April, Image Works unveiled the second
generation web site for the CDA. The site features interactive Flash pieces
where visitors can estimate their probability of becoming disabled during their
working lifetime and provides tools to plan for the financial impact of a disabling
event.
Web site makeover for Maine trade organization
March, 2009 - The Maine International Trade Center has contacted Image Works to
guide them through the process of redesigning their web site. It is more than seven
years old and does not adequately reflect the trade organization's long term goals
nor its commitment to serving members.
Image Works will conduct a content audit and assist MITC in evaluating and reducing
its content so that the site's content focuses on essentials and quality information
only. Then we will rethink the site's information architecture and task our graphic
designers with updating the site's look/feel. Our developers will program online
registration and payments for MITC's active educational programs, build a custom
content management system for portions of the site, and then we will build the site
by migrating content into the new templates. The result will position MITC for its
role in promoting Maine's economy through increased international trade.
Focus on Maine's ocean energy future
February, 2009 - Working in collaboration with Maine's Dept. of Economic and Community
Development, Image Works is building an interactive multi-touch table using Google
Earth that will highlight the state's ocean energy capabilities and development
possibilities for the EnergyOcean Conference,
taking place at the Samoset Resort in June 16-18, 2009.
We also developed a complementary web site,
Maine Ocean Energy, to promote the state's energy future.
Comprehensive research and design for Unum
November, 2008 - One of the largest insurance providers in the U.S. and a Fortune
500 company, Unum had recently gone through an
extensive re-branding effort. It was important to re-launch their corporate web
site in order to express this new brand. They brought Image Works on board to guide
them through the process.
Extensive brainstorming sessions with key stakeholders generated a clear view of
site users, and the necessary content and features. Our information architects structured
the new site to allow users to quickly find what they needed, and the graphic design
transformed the look and feel. We designed a Flash animation for the site's home
page to showcase key marketing messages and brand-strengthening imagery.
Central Maine Community College's new web site highlights student accomplishments
and degree programs
October, 2008 - Central Maine Community College,
part of the University of Maine System, contracted with Image Works in the summer
of 2008 for a graphic redesign of their web site. The new site features profiles
of current students and alumni success stories.
On the back end, the site integrates with an online course registration and payment
system developed by Image Works in 2004. A custom content management system where
CMCC staff can update ongoing news and highlight items through a browser-based interface
allows staff to keep the content fresh.
Gendron Commercial redesigned site focuses on new business
October, 2008 - Gendron Commercial,
a client since 2002, approached Image Works in 2008 to redesign their logo and web
site to highlight their new focus on commercial real estate development, particularly
in the Boston area.
The site connects visitors to commercial real estate databases for immediate access
to property information.
Paraco Gas offers online payment
September, 2008 - Paraco Gas, located in
Rye Brook, New York, is the largest independent retail propane supplier in the New
York metropolitan area. Their customers had asked for the ability to pay their bills
online, and Paraco turned to Image Works to provide this capability.
Paraco wanted a simple, straightforward implementation in order to test the popularity
of online payment before undertaking further integration with their back end accounting
and customer management system. We designed a simple secure form submission that
was configured to work with Authorize.net, an online credit card processor. All
transactions were logged to a SQL Server database for auditing and diagnostic purposes.
OpenIOOS web site provides forum for scientists to research, share and publish data
May, 2008 - OpenIOOS (The Open Integrated Ocean Observing System) approached Image
Works to design a graphic interface for their demonstration portal.
OpenIOOS collects and disseminates data about the ocean and the impact of
storms on the coastal environment in an effort to make more accurate predictions.
The developers of GoMOOS (The Gulf of Maine Ocean Observing System) integrated their
prediction tools and observation methods (real time data maps, 24/7 predictions,
and historical data) with the information architecture and design created by Image
Works.
Linekin Bay Homes offers community living on the coast of Maine
May, 2008 - For decades, Linekin Bay Resort in Boothbay Harbor has been a rustic
resort destination on the coast of Maine for families from away. The owners of the
resort are now expanding the property by offering
new home construction.
To promote the awareness of the opportunity to purchase a home on the coast with
built-in amenities, the development team came to Image Works for a new web site.
The design combines elements of the rich tradition of a 100-year-old summer resort
with the unique benefits of year-round community living.
