Nola Creative - A Printeractive Design Group

In October 2010 TEDxSMU hosted their second annual conference in Dallas. The event connected 575 participants to guest speakers from around the world, presenting on topics ranging from mountain climbing to high-tech gadgetry. TEDxSMU — a full day program hosted at the Wyly Theatre — catered to creative adults and TED fanatics, while a separate but just as important program — TEDxKids — aimed at engaging middle school students. Idea Week, which proceeded the main TEDxSMU event, included at least one free event every day around the Metroplex. During the rest of the year (after the main event is over) various forums and events are held to encourage the sharing of fresh ideas.

With all of these events, speakers and resources TEDxSMU had a wealth of content needing to be marketed to the general public. In just a year, TEDxSMU had outgrown their website and required one that was more efficient and better-navigable. We helped update their WordPress-based website by customizing a new WordPress template and filling in the pieces with consistent branding. The graphic-driven home page highlights important areas of the website, and leads visitors to clearly-organized content. Archived videos are featured for quick reference; upcoming events are easy to find; and a blog is integrated to feature the latest news. Best of all, because we utilized WordPress the future maintenance of the website became very easy; any staff member is able to add or change information, upload new content or promote an event. The redesigned site opened up new marketing opportunities and became a valuable resource to the year-round TEDxSMU experience. The branding and style of the new site also carried over to the mobile Event Program we designed as a companion piece.

The 16th Annual Communicator Awards have awarded Nola Creative with two prestigious honors. We are proud to announce two Silver “Awards of Distinction”  given to interactive projects completed in 2009.

Our design work for Backbeat Music Instruction led to a win in the Website: Education division. The creative design and organized layout of backbeatmusic.net welcomed new students to the growing music school in Chicago. Throughout 2009 Nola Creative teamed up with Backbeat to provide effective marketing through online and social media forums; a holiday campaign even included custom Facebook badges and E-gift cards! In the Website: Self Promotion category our design for Stay Frank took home the prize. Stayfrank.com was designed to promote the internet marketing company in an approachable, unique format.

These awards speak to the talent, creativity and dedication of Nola Creative’s team and partners. The 2010 awards were the first interactive design awards received by our design firm, a result of the high-caliber work achieved in 2009. The “printeractive” paradigm of Nola Creative stresses the merging of both print and interactive work for a world of ever-changing media; we are excited to now have interactive design awards next to our print design award (won in 2007)!

Each year, the Communicator Awards receive thousands of entries from companies and agencies of all sizes, making it one of the largest award programs of its kind. The competition honors the best in advertising, corporate communications, public relations and identity work for print, video, interactive and audio. Visit www.communicatorawards.com for more information about the awards.

When an East Coast hotel needed a website for their new catering house, NOLA Creative designed a destination for party planners and brides-to-be. Straying from the typically traditional, old fashioned imagery we created a modern interactive destination. The design called for a simple navigation menu and clear organization. A modular layout with room to grow ensured a design that would remain relevant and current in a changing industry.

NOLA Creative recently launched the redesigned website for DK Painting & Construction. This well-established Dallas contracting company had outgrown their old site and required a more user-friendly, modern website.

The new design welcomes visitors with bright colors, rotating imagery and organized navigation. Current clients are able to log in to a secure site while potential clients find the bid request process quick and easy. The custom design shows how a modern website can become a key component in a company’s marketing strategy.

NOLA Creative recently designed the new website for Stay Frank, a media marketing company based in Chicago. NOLA Creative has built a business relationship with Stay Frank creating design and strategy for marketing campaigns.

The design of the site reflects the candid nature of the marketing site while remaining approachable and intuitive. Sliding bars reveal menus to internal information and case studies in a unique format. Take a look for yourself here.