SLANTASTIC Holiday Gift Guide 2011 - Part 2

For the Aspiring New Year's Resolution Keeper

Give your favorite over-achiever something to help make their New Year's Resolution a whole lot easier. The Philips ActionFit line of sports headphones are made with sweat-proof and washable materials so even the ickiest of workouts won't ruin their great sound. And with a wide range of features from Bluetooth to in-line microphone, you're sure to find the perfect pair. www.philips.com/headphones

Then pair those fancy headphones with the ActionFit iPhone app so they can monitor, track and share their workouts (and make you feel lazy in the process). ActionFit app is available here on the iTunes store.

For the Little Lady on Your List

A favorite among the Shiloh and Suri set, Penelope Peapod dolls are a timeless classic that stay trendy even after jeggings become SO last season. The Penelope Peapod doll comes with her own little basket that goes from playtime bassinet to perfect little purse quicker than you can say "Fairy Princess". With ten patterns to choose from, the Penelope Peapod doll is the perfect accessory for your little fashionista. www.penelopepeapod.com

 

For the Serious Athlete (or, let's be honest: the serious hangover)

What do you get the serious athlete who has everything under the sun related to fitness? Simple...the gift of proper rehydration. Developed by a Charleston ER Doctor, BANa drink is like an IV in a bottle, offering quick rehydration after a long workout. Pick up a case and meet them at the finish line with a donut in hand and you'll be sure to win them over.  BANa is also a great choice for those more socially- than physically-active peeps on your list who are sporting hangovers more than running shorts. www.banadrink.com

SLANTASTIC Holiday Gift Guide 2011 - Part 1

For the Beer Snob

FACT: Beer tastes better when you can open the bottle with one hand. Lucky for you, there's Kebo, the one-handed bottle opener.  Fresh from the inventor's workshop, this unique gift is perfect to bring to a party or to stick in a stocking.  Kebo, created by Charleston architect Rush Dixon, was inspired by a vintage 1930's opener and perfected through months of experimentation (and more than a few 6 packs).  This beautifully designed stainless steel bar tool comes in a retro-styled tin designed by Rush and your favorite elves at SLANT. $24.99 www.rush3studio.com

 

For your Co-worker who's a Lowcountry Noob

Giving the gift of food without breaking the bank can go one of two ways: 1) bake a loaf of something or 2) hand out a Subway gift card.  Either way, you're going to get some fake smiles and a generic "uh..thanks."

Avoid the awkwardness with a gift certificate to one of Charleston's little-known dining secrets: 24 North Market.  Tucked away inside the Art Institute, 24 North Market (who's logo was designed by SLANT's very own Connor Lock, a graduate from the Art Institute) is the culinary school's dining room.  For only $11, diners can enjoy a fabulous 3-course meal, complete with a delightful signature beverage (of the non-adult variety).  A 24 North gift certificate is a great (and affordable) choice for a co-worker who is new to the area.  And, hey, you could always sweet talk them to invite you along. www.facebook.com/24NorthMarket

 For the App-oholic

This is the best kind of gift - it's of the FREE variety.  Do you have a loved one who suffers from chronic Dead Battery Anxiety (DBA)?  You know the kind - the otherwise wonderful person who you've seen crawling on the floor of a bar to look for an outlet?  Then this app is for them - BatterySense by Philips Consumer Lifestyle (and designed by SLANT) is a free app that recommends what settings to adjust to achieve more battery life while on the go.  http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/batterysense-by-philips-consumer/id426068946?mt=8

SLANT gets appy with BatterySense for iPhone + iPad

Booming announcer's voice: The BatterySense by Philips Consumer Lifestyle app is live in the Apple app store! Now you can be in control of your iPhone, iPod or iPad's power destiny... estiny...estiny.

OK, for real. It's totally gratifying to see this labor of love finally come to life so the rest of you can download it for free. (Please, let us know what you think!)

How did all this get started? SLANT worked with Philips Consumer Lifestyle to concept an app that would be relevant to their mobile power products. So we got to work and the result was BatterySense.

Our goal when designing Battery Sense was to reveal the most pertinent information right away and leave all the other details hidden until you need them. And since it will live on a sexy touchscreen device, we organized the interface with big, giant buttons and gorgeous graphics. That makes it easy to use and fun to look at.

But wait, there's more!

The real genius of BatterySense lies within the "What If" feature. Just slide your finger up the interactive battery meter to tell BatterySense how much more time you need for say, Internet Use, and voila... BatterySense will make some recommendations on what battery-hogging iOS settings you can turn off to help you get there.

And if you get a little greedy over how much extra time you need your battery to last? Well, Philips has some power products to help you with that power boost. (We don't want anyone running around with Dead Battery Anxiety now, do we?)

So after concepting, defining the app's feature, designing the interface, programming with our rockstar development partner Relium, and testing (and testing, and testing), BatterySense is approved and in the App store. Now go download it and cure yourself of Dead Battery Anxiety!

Breaking News: The New York Times Covers "Dead Battery Anxiety" Campaign

SLANT loves working on a great campaign (cough, DBA, cough). Recognition for it is just icing on the cake! 

Today, veteran New York Times advertising columnist Stuart Elliott covered our collaboration with Philips Electronics on the "Dead Battery Anxiety" campaign in his weekly "Campaign Spotlight" feature.

Read the article here. 

Mr. Elliott interviewed Kit Hughes, Shannon Doyle and Nico Riggio of the Philips Consumer Lifestyle division, and our own Christopher Cecil of SLANT to paint a picture of the collaboration, the campaign's reception to date and its expansion goals for 2011.

Thanks, Mr. Elliott! Enjoy, SLANTfans.

How We Spent Our Summer at SLANT

From left to right - Lauren, Will, Christopher and Megan (OK, not really. This is on-set for a shoot we did for Philips Electronics, N.A.)

Haven't heard enough about us over the summer? We understand. Let's catch up, shall we?

So...Christopher got locked up for MDA, Will found his inner marketer, Lauren furthered her clinical research on imperial brews, Megan channelled some aggression through a pair of skates & a mean elbow, and SLANT interns Duncan & Connor survived (relatively) unharmed. (A screenplay for Duncan's iPhone saga is currently in the works).

 When Will first joined SLANT, Christopher promised him "fame & fortune". He's still waiting on the fortune but enjoyed several moments in the spotlight this Summer. Via a brilliant social media campaign, he was voted as one of the AMA's top 5 Charleston marketers of the year. The Charleston chapter of Architecture for Humanities asked Will to emcee their "20on20" version of Pecha Kucha that featured 7 presentations by some of the area's most talented architects & designers. Sadly, all of this extracurricular work derailed Will's audition plans for "Dancing With the Stars".

In the area of "real work", SLANT is preparing to launch a marketing campaign for Philips Electronics, N.A. that involved, among other things, creating a series of videos shot here in Charleston. You'll hear more about this in the next few weeks.... stay tuned!

Our continued SEO/SEM work on behalf of Dolphin Architects & Builders earned SLANT an American Marketing Association Spark award in the Firecracker category.

We're also in the throes of product branding and development with Rush3 Product Design Studio - one of those fun, creative, inspiring projects that makes it fun to come to work - and drink beer during meetings. 

And, at the end of the summer we can now consider ourselves experts in catastrophic subterranean shelters, art deco styles of the 1930s, the simple elegance of the black and white ad, and the enigmatic nature of Canadian business models. Well, we're still kinda stumped on that last one, but the point is that we've learned a lot. 

So yeah - despite this miserable "economic climate", SLANT is staying busy and we are looking forward to an even more exciting and productive year-end! We'll keep you posted. 

(re)introducing DLO.com to Best Buy

 

If you have an iPod or iPhone, there's a good chance you've seen or even own an accessory made by Digital Lifestyle Outfitters (DLO). We've been working with DLO since 2005 to make sure their brand stays fresh and consistent online.

In our latest effort, we've been working closely with their creative and marketing team to reskin the 4 year old website to match their latest product packaging designs.  We launched the site Monday morning just as the new packaging was made available to customers at Best Buy stores, nationwide.

Check out the new look at www.dlo.com (and be sure to check out DLO's new packaging and products at your local Best Buy!)

Philips DLO HomeDock HD

SLANT's handywork in the realm of Graphical User Interface (GUI or "goo-eee", as fellow geeks would say) is being met with pretty impressive critiques. DLO's HomeDock HD was released to the public back in November and SLANT was responsible for designing and developing the unit's Graphical User Interface.

SLANT was asked to completely overhaul the system's GUI to make it dazzle when connected to HD televisions and to make it more user friendly in general. After about 4 months of designing, tweaking, and documentation writing, the final designs were baked into production units and on the shelves at Best Buy nationwide as of October.

Reviews are coming in from notable tech blogs and review sites complimenting "the nicest-looking on-TV menu system yet attempted by a third-party developer for the iPod." (as quoted from iLounge.com)

Lots of people don't know that User Interface/Experience design is something SLANT has been known for since it's inception back in 2002. Starting with interactive CD-ROMS (remember those?) and award winning flash websites that focus on unique user interface and navigation designs.