Blue Compass Interactive

Blue Compass Video Blog: ashworthroad.com

2008-10-03T12:45:00.005-05:00

In the second episode of the Blue Compass video blog series, we take a look at our recent work on the new Ashworth Road Baptist Church rebranding and marketing. You can check out the new website at ashworthroad.com.

Blue Compass Launches HarvestInitiative.com!

2008-09-08T14:50:00.003-05:00

Can a website bring help to the poorest county in the United States? Partnering with the Harvest Initiative, our latest project launches an online presence devoted to the people of the Crow Creek reservation in South Dakota.

Business executive, Barry Griswell (former Chairman and CEO of Principal Financial Group) has taken several trips to the Crow Creek reservation to review tribal needs and resources. Since his various surveys of Crow Creek, Griswell has donated several gifts to the community, particularly to the Boys and Girls Clubs. From his own childhood experience attending a Boys & Girls Club, Griswell understands the importance of community support on young, impressionable and hopeless children.

With all that Griswell had already done for the community of Crow Creek, he still felt a higher calling. Griswell wanted to provide a solution which would enable tribal members to improve conditions on the reservation and promote sustainable economic growth for Buffalo County.

Finding other interested parties, Griswell collaborated with Dustin Miller and Jason Yates, two recent Drake University law graduates, and Michael Griswell, the research coordinator for the project, to form The Harvest Initiative - an organization that seeks to produce sustainable economic growth within the poorest county in the U.S.

After developing an economic plan to help encourage Crow Creek, The Harvest Initiative realized they would need people on the ground to help spur the plan into action. In the beginning of August 2008, Miller and Yates moved their families to South Dakota to work for The Harvest Initiative on the Crow Creek Reservation.

Looking for a low maintenance website that allows flexibility and easy updatability but provides a high-end design and a powerful online presence, Griswell, Yates, and Miller came to Blue Compass. The new website provides information about the Crow Creek reservation and The Harvest Initiatives services for the community, and accepts online donations.

Check out the website and learn more about our new partner at harvestinitiative.org

Blue Compass Launches ashworthroad.com

2008-08-29T09:57:00.003-05:00

Looking to update their brand and promote their new upcoming contemporary service, Ashworth Road Baptist Church came to us for a new church website. Featuring new information, photos, and a fresh, updated look, the site now serves as an easy way for members and visitors to stay updated on all the latest church news and upcoming events. A homepage Flash animation also serves as a great way to attract attention and call-out important news, events, and information.

Overall, the fresh, new design showcases the church's classic roots and contemporary style, giving off a professional feeling and establishing creditability. Check it out for yourself at ashworthroad.com!

Blue Compass Launches Interactive Maps

2008-08-13T11:55:00.007-05:00

Our latest Flash project uses interactive maps, photos and navigation to take viewers on a virtual tour. Blue Compass was contracted by Aquarium Digital Engagement to develop interactive campus maps for Cal Farley's Boys Ranch® and GirlsTown®. These intelligent flash applications allow for potential campus visitors to gain an overall view of the amenities offered by Cal Farley's.

Each map is equipped with the ability to zoom in and out while keeping the appropriate locations and perspectives. Ensuring a user-friendly experience, we developed each map to auto-correct the photo locations, thus allowing each box to always remain viewable.

Take a look at our map application and some of our other flash work here.

Blue Compass Video Blog: spaldingequipment.com

2008-08-04T11:22:00.005-05:00

Today we launch the first in a series of Blue Compass Video Blogs! These video blogs (or "vlogs") give you a deeper look at the process we took to create certain websites and animations.

In our first episode you'll see how we handle the goals of our client, look at our target audience, and add Flash elements to a website, as we showcase SpaldingEquipment.com

HTML vs. Flash (Why Not Both?)

2008-07-25T15:07:00.004-05:00

Being a high-end interactive design firm, we are often asked whether to develop a website in Flash or HTML. Our favorite answer is, both! Although Google has made great strides to index text within Flash files (or SWFs), your website deserves more visitors than an indexed SWF will deliver.

To preview SWF indexing at work, give this a try. Go to Google.com and type in "Blue Compass Listened" or just click here.

Similar to the results of an indexed PDF file, Google opens the actual SWF for your viewing instead of the page that SWF resides on. As you can see from this little experiment, these search results can be a waste of your time. Essentially, this means you can't rely on search engines to be the driving force behind your all-Flash website, and that's a big problem unless you're someone like Nike or Coca-Cola.

As you can see with some of our websites, a mixture of HTML with Flash elements creates an appealing style for all audiences. HTML gives stability and search engine performance, while Flash adds dynamism and energy. So for the time being, we will stay with that answer...that is until Google tells us differently.

The Best Designed State Websites

2008-07-02T10:07:00.004-05:00

A well designed website can be not just an incredibly useful tool, but a work of art. We're often asked our thoughts on the design and functionality of websites. So, this 4th of July, we decided to take a look at official state websites and decide which three are the best designed.

There are many challenges states face when trying to create a good looking website - with so much information they are required to display, avoiding clutter can be tough. However, a few states were up to the challenge. Here's the Blue Compass Interactive list of the current top state websites:

3. Utah - This site is one of the brightest, boldest state websites. Good use of photography in the header.

2. Vermont - Overall, a pretty good looking site with well organized navigation.

1. West Virginia - Currently the best looking state website! West Virginia does the best job of fighting the clutter while keeping a clean, pleasant look.

Click here for more of our thoughts on what makes a well designed website!

Why the name Blue Compass?

2008-06-13T14:18:00.007-05:00

We are frequently asked about the Blue Compass name. What's the story behind the compass?...and why blue? When starting up Blue Compass Interactive, we went through literally hundreds of names, but decided on Blue Compass for a reason.

Having worked for other Web companies around Central Iowa, we became tired of the way these older companies were doing business. Equally unexcited about the local interactive options, clients seemed anxious for a new alternative as well. We became inspired to begin a new interactive company that would actually focus on what the customer wanted and do the work to make clients happy - we wanted a company that would apply their skills and creativity to take Central Iowa Web in a fresh, new direction. Hence, the Compass - we strive to take your project in that new direction. In addition, we included Blue to illustrate the fresh, unique, and creative qualities that we possess.

So there you have it - At Blue Compass, we are unique and creative, taking interactive projects in a fresh, new direction.

Blue Compass in the Des Moines Business Record

2008-06-09T10:18:00.005-05:00

The Des Moines Business Record recently sat down with us to discuss website design, the importance of an online presence, and even the origins of Blue Compass Interactive. Check out the article in the DM Business Record being released this week, or view it online here!

Blue Compass Rebrands Tunink Murray Financial Group

2008-05-30T13:00:00.003-05:00

It's a big deal to rename and rebrand an established company. The new name means not only new logos and letterheads, but making your current and potential customers aware of your name change. We recently teamed up with Agnew Tunink and Associates to help with their name change to Tunink Murray Financial Group.

Agnew Tunink has been specializing in tax, accounting, financial planning, and consulting since 1973, and has a well established identity in Central Iowa. Working with the Tunink Murray team, we began by discussing everything that would need updating. Our first step was to concept ideas for new logos that would show the strength and stability the company was known for (click here for more info on how we create great logos). The result is a new logo incorporates a "T" and "M" into an attractive pillar image, symbolizing the already established strength and stability.

Next, we incorporated the new name and logo into business cards, letterheads, envelopes, magnets, and more. It's important to update everything for consistency and awareness. Finally, (and perhaps most importantly) we updated their old website with a clean, fresh look that utilizes the new branding. We suggested a new web address for Tunink Murray, and we helped the new site and company Email smoothly move to the new URL. Check it out the finished product at www.tuninkmurray.com!

Blue Compass Announces Flash Presentations

2008-05-16T10:33:00.005-05:00

Ruan Transport Corp recently came to Blue Compass Interactive looking for a way to help get their message out, promote their company, and make an impact with potential clients. With vast capabilities and a rich history dating back to the 1930s, Ruan had a lot to showcase. The solution was a Blue Compass Flash Presentation.

In this day of instant information, your audience isn't always willing to take the time to read paragraphs about your company, service, or product. That's why we're excited to announce Flash Presentations by Blue Compass Interactive. Our presentations use Flash animation to artistically blend text, photos, graphics, and voiceovers to create a dynamic presentation that promotes your business and spreads your message in an entertaining manner. Compared to shooting and editing a video or TV commercial, this is a much easier, flexible, and cost-effective solution that allows you to showcase what your business has to offer.

Flash Presentations are fully interactive movies. Your viewers can seamlessly pause, fast forward, rewind, or even jump to different sections of the movie. Presentations are extremely flexible - they can be put on web, used via Email, on CDs, or DVDs.

Today, Ruan is getting great results using their Flash Presentation to engage potential clients in many different ways. Their sales staff is currently armed with the Flash on CD, which is greatly enhancing their presentations to clients. Ruan also has the presentation posted on websites, and is Emailing it to potential clients.

"Recently, we partnered on a Flash Presentation for Ruan Transport Corp. We're thrilled with the outcome! I enjoy working with the Blue Compass team and highly recommend them for all interactive needs. They delivered for an amazingly competitive price."

Tara Meier
Director of Marketing, Ruan Transport Corp.

You can view their Presentation here!

Promote your business in a truly engaging way. Boost sales, get more business, and get your message out there!

Inquire about a Flash Presentation here!

Blue Compass launches SyversonStrege.com

2008-04-24T09:52:00.006-05:00

Looking to greatly enhance its online presence, Syverson Strege & Company began the search for an experienced and trustworthy web company. Award-winning and consistently rated among the top financial planning firms in the nation, Syverson Strege & Company needed a new company website that could serve current clients and inform potential clients seeking answers to their financial questions.

After looking at the possibilities, the Syverson team chose Blue Compass to create the solution to their online needs. The result is a dynamic site filled with valuable news and resources, and a fresh, rich design that reflects the warmth and personality you'll find at the firm's office. Take a look for yourself, at SyversonStrege.com!

Blue Compass Honored by Adobe

2008-04-04T09:03:00.006-05:00

Adobe.com selected SpaldingEquipment.com as an official "Adobe Site of the Day", which Blue Compass Interactive launched last week.

Spalding Equipment approached Blue Compass with a goal to create a system that would bring all of their dealers virtually together, in the way they fulfill products, market the Spalding brand and communicate with Spalding customers. Simplifying the customer experience is made possible by many advanced features maintained by Spalding through custom administration tools. The end result is a dynamic website that mixes exciting Flash and video effects with intuitive administration for the client.

"When we set out to redesign our websites, our goal was to make them user-friendly and unique to our industry. The staff at Blue Compass Interactive listened to our ideas, goals and concerns and provided creative solutions that met and exceeded our expectations. The end result is a website that we proudly associate with our brand and an enhanced online experience for our customers. We look forward to working with Blue Compass Interactive again on our next web project."

Jason Harris
Spalding - Marketing Manager

Adobe recognizes web sites based on their use of strong visual designs, superior functionalities, and innovative uses of Adobe products. SpaldingEquipment.com is featured on Adobe's web site, www.adobe.com/showcase.

How We Create the Perfect Logo

2008-03-25T13:27:00.009-05:00

Where would you start if someone asked you to make them a new logo?

Creating an image that fully characterizes a business, entity, or product is no easy task. A good logo should represent what a company or organization stands for, call out its positive attributes, and, most importantly, be attractive and memorable.

Thankfully, Blue Compass has a lot of experience when it comes to logo design. Below is a first-hand experience of our logo creation with FarmChem Corporation.

Vision & Direction
We were approached by FarmChem to update their current logo. Before our artists hit their sketch books, we met with the FarmChem team to go over their input, vision, and direction for their new logo.

Making sure we understood everything the client wanted to portray on the new logo, we sat down with the client and discussed all images, principals, attitudes, words, and feelings they would like to people to associate with their new logo.

From our discussion, the main strategies of the new logo were to display FarmChem's ability to use technology and agriculture hand-in-hand, and provide a fresh and bold design that would capture attention. Also, FarmChem didn't want the design to stray too far away from their current logo since they already have a strong identity with consumers.

Sketching Ideas
Blue Compass' artists immediately began sketching out ideas. It's important to come up with as many ideas as possible. While many of them may not be any good, it's quantity over quality at this stage. The more random sketches you have on paper, the more ideas will come to life. Quantity becomes the key in finding out what stands out amongst the crowd, as well as a tool to see what elements of the logo designs produce a reaction. From that point, the better designs are enhanced and refined to create logo that has purpose and function.

Providing Designs
For this particular project, Blue Compass provided the client with four logo designs. The four best sketches were then taken into the computer and translated into high-quality graphics. Our first logo design was very similar to the original, in case the client was more comfortable not straying far from their current identity.

The other three designs push FarmChem's identity to farther levels and incorporate more of FarmChem's relational use of technology and agriculture, as well as display their principals.

Finally, the client reviews the logos. In this case, FarmChem client decided that the 4th logo was exactly what they were looking for. FarmChem also liked that it contained elements from the original logo. The three lines had symbolized technology in the old logo and are used with the same function in the logo's new form. It's fresh, simple, and attractive, symbolizing a unity between technology and agriculture.

Blue Compass Wins American Design Award

2008-03-07T10:39:00.003-06:00

The American Design Awards were established in 2000 in San Diego, California, to recognize and reward professional designers who display outstanding abilities and potential in the field of graphic and web design. American Design Awards holds a design contest open to graphic and web designers who have designed inspiring, unique, and creative web sites. Designers from countries around the world regularly compete.

The design pieces entered into this event are graded by ADA's in-house panel of judges on the basis of originality, effectiveness, practicality, and marketability. Among 1,800+ entries, BlueCompass.com was ranked in the top ten in the international competition!

Blue Compass Designs the New Iowa Barnstormers Website

2008-02-26T11:42:00.006-06:00

Iowa's own af2 Arena Football team, the Iowa Barnstormers are back, and just launched a new website: www.theiowabarnstormers.com. Partnering with DWebware, we created a clean, high-end design which reflects the energy and excitement of the Barnstormers.

Have you noticed that most, if not every sports website is extremely cluttered and busy? Sport sites have so much information to deal with: news, dates, stats, sponsors, schedules, etc. It was our goal to make the new Barnstormers site deliver all this information while looking as clean and uncluttered as possible. The result is the rare sports team site that combines news and information, which is displayed in a clear and concise manner, with an exciting look that stays true to the branding of the Iowa Barnstormers. Check it out!!

"Don't Judge a Book by it's Cover" - Except on the Web

2008-01-16T15:15:00.000-06:00

Ever been to a lousy looking website and felt excited about the company or product? The first five seconds a visitor spends at your site are extremely critical. An opinion of not only your website, but your business, is formed within these few seconds. What kind of vibe is your homepage giving off? You can tell a lot about a business by looking at their homepage.

An attractively packaged product at the store, a beautiful house, a shiny new car - appearance drives the customer. Your homepage is the most important page on your website. Being the one page that nearly all of your visitors are guaranteed to view, a homepage that's ugly, old, or cluttered can immediately destroy the very goals your website is there to achieve.

Just a few important qualities in a homepage include:

Simplicity - There so many busy, cluttered websites out there. You've seen them. Most news and sports teams sites are guilty of this. It's bothersome to hunt all around the homepage, searching for what you're looking for. Information is great, but keep it simple enough not to confuse your visitors.

Attractiveness - Colors that don't go together, text that's hard to read, too many logos or icons...homepages that look unattractive can give off an unprofessional and unorganized feeling to the potential customer. Homepages that where designed back in 1996 look like they were designed back in 1996 and when a visitor feels like you haven't updated your website in years they're not likely to stick around.

Follow some basic web standards - Out-of-the-box homepages that are unique and crazy are great, but it's also important to follow some basic web standards so the visitor doesn't get lost or intimidated, and move on. Remember, it only takes your visitor a click to leave!

Of course, we make a business out of great homepages! We guarantee you'll have a hard time finding anyone who makes a better homepage. Check out our website portfolio to see a sample of our recent homepage designs.

Inspiring Video Marketing: Meredith Showcases Siempre Mujer

2007-11-30T15:54:00.000-06:00

Looking to promote their popular Hispanic magazine, Siempre Mujer, Meredith Corporation came to Blue Compass to produce an effective marketing video that showcases Siempre Mujer and its articles, as well as inspire its audience to inquire about the magazine.

The main objective - show off the magazine's colorful page spreads in an energetic video spot ...all in Spanish.

To produce a unique video that encompasses the liveliness of the Hispanic market while displaying the beautiful page spreads of Siempre Mujer, Blue Compass came up with a vibrant animation.

The animation features pages straight out of the magazine, showing the latest Siempre Mujer magazine cover at the end of the spot. Of course, the latest cover is constantly changing, so we set up a quick and easy process to instantaneously swap out covers - providing Meredith with the availability to have a new version of the video as soon as the latest issue is available on stands.

Today, Meredith's Siempre Mujer animation is currently being viewed all over the country at Latino events that attract anywhere between 150,000 - 500,000 people! An HD version of the video is also being played in Trofie bookstores located in several major airports around the country including Dallas, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, Phoenix, and San Francisco.

This January, Meredith will be sponsoring a Latino Networking event in Des Moines, which will spotlight 50 influential Latinos in Des Moines. As a sponsor, Meredith will be showcasing its Hispanic magazine as well as the HD animation.

Of course, the video can be viewed online as well. Check it out!