Blog

May 20, 2010
Blog, Tech, Video

Farewell to Arms

I gave up TV a few years ago for the greener pastures of the Internet, so far its been a life changing experience. I’m no longer running home to watch my favorite shows or channel surfing to fall asleep. By giving-up the idea of ‘current’ in my normal diet of procedural dramas and late night punditry, the internet is a bottomless well of on-demand content. But, once and awhile I get to sit in front of a real TV signal, live people and all. Of the few times that’s happened, I realized how obvious it was that you’re really watching commercials with story interruptions. I also noticed major trends in thematic programming (vampires, sci-fi, 80s TV) and commercials, but one thing stood out in particular.
[Continue...]

May 7, 2010
Airspace Workshop, Design, Interactive, Tech, Workshop

Headline – A Free, Customizable Tumblr Theme

Introducing Headline, our second Tumblr theme. It consists of a three-column layout and a number of built-in features that may be customized directly within Tumblr’s Appearance menu, including: Custom fonts, colors, and images; Twitter integration, including hovercards via the API; Typekit for advanced typography; Disqus comment moderation; Streampad audio playlists; VigLink and Amazon Associate monetization; and Google Analytics to keep track of your metrics. Headline is elegant, easy-to-use, and best of all, free!

View the Headline Demo | Learn About its Features | Install on Tumblr

Apr 20, 2010
Print, Workshop

Coalition for a Tobacco-Free Hawaii

Non-profit organizations constantly depend on the generosity of public, private or government sources. Practical and economical solutions are always a priority for groups tasked with the long-term goal of changing public habits or opinion. The Coalition for a Tobacco-Free Hawaii is no stranger to such challenges. ASWS was asked to design their annual report, a major collateral piece for the Coalition, which was attractive and budget friendly. [Continue...]

Apr 12, 2010
Airspace Workshop, Media, Workshop

A Creative Perspective on Hawaii’s Future

Airspace Workshop is excited to announce the launch of HI 2059, a side-project that we’ve been developing during the last few months. Its modest goal is to provide a creative perspective on the future of Hawaii, voiced by creative professionals working within the state.

We invite you to join the conversation.

Apr 9, 2010
Blog, Design, Print, The Hawaii Independent

TheHI Flyer

TheHI gets a flashy new flyer. Look out for a collaborative series of infographics courtesy of ASWS and HI2059.

Apr 7, 2010
Form Partners LLC, Interactive, Workshop

formpartners.com

Airspace Workshop designs and develops a new website for Form Partners LLC, which specializes in the development, investment and operation of commercial real estate. Site performance was evaluated across both desktop and mobile platforms, and included the development of an optimized version specifically for hand-held devices. To ensure maximum utility, independent print styles were created to ensure a pleasant transition from the screen to the printed page.

Mar 5, 2010
Blog, Tech

Dropbox Comes Correct*

* DeLorean not included.

If your workflow requires shuffling files between two or more computers, then you are well aware of how difficult it can be to manage that process. It’s inevitable that one day you’ll forget to sync your work from home, only to realize your mistake when the client arrives for a design review. Even worse, you overwrite today’s work with yesterday’s file, then spend the rest of the night repeating your efforts. Yippee!

My current solution involves Chronosync and an iPod, which is very effective, but still susceptible to user error (I’ve forgotten the iPod at home, or at the office, numerous times). Recently I discovered Dropbox, which is perhaps the most elegant solution I’ve come across for syncing files on various computers. The service is web-based, but tightly integrated with the operating system, creating a seamless experience. Simply drop files onto a folder and voila, they are now available on your other Dropbox enabled computers, as well as the web.

There are numerous things that Dropbox does right. They clearly explain what they provide and the benefits of using their software. The design aesthetic reflects the product’s simplicity and elegance. They eliminate risk by providing the software free of charge. The product is truly top-notch, but it’s a marketing twist they’ve integrated into the service that got my attention.

The Dropbox business model is based on…

Mar 4, 2010
Alexander & Baldwin, Inc., Print, Workshop

Alexander & Baldwin – 2009 Annual Report

For the fourth year in a row, Airspace Workshop was selected to art direct and design the Alexander & Baldwin, Inc. annual report. The 2009 report utilizes a mixture of illustration, infographics, and photography to communicate A&B’s core methods of creating value for their shareholders. Key strategies and supply chains were examined visually, to provide further detail and clarity into the company’s operations, and create a balanced perspective of Alexander & Baldwin, as well as its subsidiaries.

View additional photos of the report.

Feb 28, 2010
Media, Tech

Tsunami Generates a Surge of Social Media

Mokapu Point Buoy - Saturday Feb 27, 2010

The Mokapu Point buoy displaying swell direction oscillation during the Hawaii tsunami

In today’s Star Bulletin, Erika Engle discusses the role of social media during Saturday’s tsunami, including a mention of Buoy Alarm, which was flooded with Twitter traffic yesterday after people discovered the Mokapu Point buoy twitter feed (@buoy51202).

While NOAA utilizes a completely different system to monitor tsunami activitiy (DART), the effects of the surge’s ebb and flow were noticeable at the Mokapu surface buoy, mainly in the oscillating swell direction between 8 a.m. and 1 p.m. HST. I suppose many chose to follow the buoy on Twitter expecting to see a dramatic spike in wave height, but when you consider the tremendous volume of water in the Pacific, to have it shift direction 9 times in approximately 5 hours is actually quite remarkable, and requires an amazing amount of energy. [Continue...]

Feb 23, 2010
Blog, Tech, Workshop

Finding Value in a Non-Monetary Economy

In October of 2009 we released a customizable Tumblr theme entitled M82. My intentions at the time were motivated by a desire to learn the Tumblr theme engine, polish my CSS skills, and rework the look of my personal blog. The theme was one of the first to integrate the then-new Appearance option tags, allowing for customizable fonts and images, as well as Twitter, Streampad, Disqus and Google Analytics integration directly from the Tumblr Dashboard.

M82 has been available in the Tumblr Theme Garden for about five months, and during that time the theme has organically grown an installation base of 5,150 users (and counting), including some popular sites with a significant number of followers. What I did not realize five months ago, was the important lesson I would learn regarding the value of social capital. [Continue...]

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