CRTC BBQ OTB is coming

The Chesapeake Regional Tech Council has its 6th annual BBQ on the Bay Tech Expo coming up, and I wanted to get the word out about some of the details. It's definitely an event worth checking out. It's on Wednesday, June 23, 2010 from 6-9pm at the Chesapeake Bay Foundation headquarters (6 Herndon Avenue, Annapolis, MD 21403). If you're in any way involved in technology, I highly recommend attending. Not only are there great technology discussions to be had, but there's also an open bar and some amazing food (not to mention the amazing scenery). To get more information and to register, please click HERE.

We're excited to be a Bronze sponsor of the event again, and are busy putting together a little something special to complement our sponsorship. You'll have to register and attend to see what I'm talking about, but here's a little hint:

by Garret Ohm

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Latest Work: Tandberg

We are very excited to announce that we recently launched an engaging new web-based training course for Tandberg, the leading global provider of telepresence, high-definition video conferencing and mobile video products and services. As the final touches of their acquisition by Cisco were put in place, they came to The Sutter Group seeking a solution for one of the core challenges of the acquisition: Quickly getting Cisco employees up to speed on Tandberg's products and technologies.

Given a turnaround time of just a few short weeks, The Sutter Group created a sophisticated and engaging web-based training course titled "Tandberg Product Expert, which consists of 8 individual learning modules representing the Tandberg products and underlying technologies. Working with the Tandberg project team, we first identified all functionality requirements and helped them solidify the overall architecture, outlining all content departments and the flow of the course from start to finish. The wireframes that resulted were used as a guide throughout the development and implementation of the course.

Next, taking cues from Tandberg's existing brand guidelines, we developed the design for the user interface, striving for a look and feel that would complement the high tech nature of the course content without drawing the user's attention away from the content itself. The selected design, which you can see in the screen captures we've provided, was used as a blueprint for the development of the entire Tandberg Product Expert course.

more...

by Garret Ohm

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TSG creates premium wbt for premium automaker

Audi of America recently engaged TSG to create a new version of the existing Audi Brand Orientation Web-based training (WBT) module used to familiarize new Audi employees with the brand. Working with Audi Academy staff and subject matter experts, we analyzed the existing course to determine ways to better present the content, user interface and navigation of the module. Once the strategic and basic content development was in place, we developed a design template that, when combined with the revised content and new digital assets, much more closely represented the Audi core brand values of Sporty, Progressive and Sophisticated.

Our solution incorporates advanced functionality including voiceover narration, video and Flash-based games to help users retain and recall information as well as streamlined navigation, bookmarking functionality, SCORM compliance and a post-training evaluation. The result is an effective WBT that speaks to the Audi brand and ensures that the deep knowledge of the brand is easily transferred from employee to customer. Here's a few screenshots of the final product:

We are excited to be underway with our second WBT project for Audi, creating a module for Audi TDI® and Alternative Fuels training. Stay tuned for more details.

by Garret Ohm

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Central Penn site up in an instant (almost)

Our friends at Central Penn Health & Fitness came to us recently with a challenge: Launch a website for the newly remodeled club in a week or less. Oh, and can you develop a new visual brand identity for us while you're at it?

Our team accepted the challenge and recently launched a great temporary landing page for the 40,000 square foot Harrisburg, Pennsylvania club. The site establishes a fresh, new visual brand identity reflective of the personality of the club and includes a revamped logo that preserves some of the existing equity the brand had accumulated throughout the years. While the site is simple and will be fully developed into a robust, dynamic and information-rich site in time, this temporary landing page succinctly makes the case for Central Penn as one of the area's premiere health and aquatic centers, and invites interested visitors to sign up for a free 3-day "wellness pass" by completing a form that further qualifies prospects for Central Penn membership staff.

Visit the site HERE, and stay tuned for more great work from The Sutter Group on behalf of Central Penn Health & Fitness.

by Garret Ohm

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TSG Twitter Profile: “Beautiful & Unique”

At The Sutter Group, we certainly know the importance of a properly branded social media presence, both in terms of the messages that are being communicated as well as the design aesthetic. That's why we were so pleased when while browsing an article titled "50 Beautiful & Unique Twitter Designs," we noticed that we had made the list at #11.

The list, compiled by Six Revisions, a weblog that provides practical, useful information for the modern standards-compliant web designer and developer, is billed as a "look at some impressive Twitter profile designs that stand out from the micro-blogging site's millions of users."

Feel free to browse the link and check out some of the other great designs, and check out our Twitter profile for yourself at http://www.twitter.com/suttergroup (make sure you're following us!). And as always, if you are looking for help making sure all your marketing channels are properly branded and on-message (even social media), please don't hesitate to contact me - garret[at]sutter-group[dot]com.

by Garret Ohm

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