If you haven’t had a chance yet, I Invite you to check out the new AgecyNet.com site. Pretty much everyone on our office touched this project in one way or another and the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive thus far. (Thanks everyone!)

I can’t express how much I love our team and the things we are able to do when we pull together. We have a fabulous balance of creativity, strategy and technology – not to mention that AgencyNet has to be one of the best companies ever to work for. And so, the new AgencyNet.com site welcomes you inside our office.

We also have some great behind the scenes posts over at anidea.com if you’re interested in seeing how the new .com came to life.

Here are a few posts from AnIdea:

• The New AgencyNet.com – We’re a modern marketing agency – always have been. For 15 years.
• Behind The Scenes: AgencyNet V2.0 – After nearly a year of development AgencyNet V2.0 is alive and online.
• Behind the Scenes: Philosophy Section Unfolded - Melanie breaks down the creative process behind AgencyNet.com’s Philosophy section.
• Behind the Scenes: Sounds of the Big City – A behind the scenes look at how we brought the soundscape of Time Square to life.
• Behind the Scenes: Mouse Gestures in a Usable Way – If you’ve visited the new AgencyNet.com, you’ve probably noticed that we have a bit of a thing for user interface. See how we built our gesture-navigated Culture section.

With 2 types of sites in our arsenal, AgencyNet has used this opportunity to explore new creative and technological ground. Check it out, play around and let me know what you think! Also, don’t forget to follow AgencyNet on Twitter.

Say Hello at AnIdea:

• Get Excited about Group Coupons!
• 10 Obscure but Useful WordPress Plugins.
• Are you Inspired by the Steampunk Movement?
• Halloween Photo Manipulation: Series 2
• Halloween Photo Manipulation: Series 1
• Hansel and Gretel: 7 Different Takes
• The Must Have Book for Creative Thinking
• Triangles in Design
• 10 Tips for Landing an Interactive Design Job
• Wallpaper: XOXO
• Senior AD, Larissa speaks at FOWD
• Larissa Meek Featured in .net/Practical Web Design Magazine

In doing so, I discovered some awesome makeup tutorials that I have to give credit to for my Geisha makeup. I took some creative liberties but without these videos I wouldn’t have been able to pull it off. (Videos below the photo.)

To see more amazing costumes you can check out my Flickr stream.

AMAZING GEISHA MAKEUP TUTORIALS

This was super helpful when putting my look togther so thank you to both video authors for the tips!

I definitely think after being brave enough to attempt this myself, I just might have to do some crazy makeup next year. It’s a great way to take your costume up a notch.

I was feeling a little inspired to create some Halloween Fun. Check out the full  post over at ANIdea.com to see some spooky Photoshop fun as I turned some AgencyNetter’s into creepy people. You can also click the images to view larger versions at ANidea.

Below are the finished results:

I remember when I would see some of my favorite bloggers slowly spend less and less time blogging…  and I would wonder why. Why would they stop when they had such a good thing going?  Well, sometimes life just gets in the way and priorities shift.  Life happens and sometimes you have to slow down and be introspective.

That said, I’m really excited about the future. I’m really blessed by everything happening in my life. I know I’m being a bit enigmatic but lets just say the future looks really bright and it’s gonna be one heck of an adventure.

I have some really exciting AgencyNet news and can’t wait to share in a few days.

I have to be honest, I was never much into MMA or any sport for that matter but once you get past the shock and awe you begin to see the strategy and technique that each fighter brings to the battle.  I find it especially interesting that Bellator features some female fighters in the non-tournament bouts.

Female fighters are a rare breed and many come from a traditional  Martial Arts background such as Muay Tai. You can’t help but stop and stare when two women get in the cage to battle it out. (The most well known female fighter is probably Gina Carano who was an American Gladiator on the re-make.)

Last weekend I watched  Kerry Vera (wife of UFC light heavyweight Brandon Vera) and  Leslie Smith take to the cage. This was the debut MMA fight for both girls.  Leslie Smith is a fighting rookie and loves being the  underdog. The more experienced Kerry Vera was the winner in what proved to be an exciting fight.

The best part, however, is the sportsmanship and respect that the fighters have for each other. At the end of the fight the two women hugged and were full of smiles proving this sport is more than what you see on the surface.

Round 1

Round 2

Round 3

More from AgencyNet at the An Idea Blog: ANidea.com.

I <3 AgencyNet!  (We have the coolest office ever.)

Follow AgencyNet on YouTube here.

OwnYourC 2.0 has been named today’s FWA S.O.T.D.  Click here to reminisce on the original OwnYourC, former FWA Site of the Month.

Earlier this year, a few of us at AgencyNet had just gotten off the phone with Cactus Marketing to discuss “Own Your C,” the award-winning public service campaign that just two years earlier had blown the doors off of the way campaigns talk to teens about choosing not to smoke. The conversation was simple and to the point.

“It’s time to give ‘Own Your C’ a serious facelift,” we all agreed.

Since the launch of the campaign in 2006, the media landscape had changed dramatically, and with it, consumer behavior indisputably had changed as well. It was time to rally around the cause that had inspired such creativity the first time around, and do it all over again.

We were thrilled at the challenge, but to be honest, the idea of completely overhauling a highly successful campaign like Own Your C was a daunting one.

How do we follow THAT, we all thought.

A COMMUNITY OF CHOICES
Knowing this, our solution was to give teens what they want most—a soapbox to express themselves.
We envisioned a rich, immersive environment that would invite users in, encouraging exploration, dialogue, and above all—debate. We knew that the same power of peer influence that might cause a teen to smoke in the first place also had the power to inspire positive change when put to constructive use.
We knew that Own Your C needed more than a campaign—it needed a community.

OWNYOURC 2.0
When all was said and done, we’d go on to build the new ownyourC.com 2.0, a rich online community allowing teens to share their opinions about the choices they face each and every day. Taking advantage of the latest technologies to provide the community with the most robust and user-friendly experience possible, we developed the front-end using Flash 9 and Papervision for the streamlined rendering of 3-D objects, and used Adobe Flex for all Action Scripting.

Teens can express themselves through text, photo, or video—and we’re even building in the ability to record yourself live on webcam directly within the site. From smoking, to fast food, to the existence of UFOs, every choice in this community matters.

A robust Content Management System, developed in ASP.NET 3.5 on a Windows Server Platform, makes the piles and piles of data parsed by the site invisible to the end user, and an elaborate filtering system allows teens to view responses in a way that is most meaningful to them.

The fully integrated and synergistic campaign also includes a series of 15-second TV spots, online rich media banners, and Live “C-Ride” events that invite teens to participate in the new ownyourC.com 2.0 community.

Storyboards, Wireframes and Prototypes: OH MY!

Everyone works differently and every project is different. How do you know when it’s time to wireframe, prototype or storyboard? What are the best practices to ensure that your design is clearly communicated before you even open up Photoshop? When is planning just a waste of time? This panel will debate the pros and cons of planning versus diving right in to design.

Vote For This One

Getting Your Designs Approved: 12 Simple Rules

Getting approval on designs can be an exasperating and time-consuming process where significant rounds of revisions can result in scope-creep. This session will offer methodologies for getting sign-off on designs with the fewest revisions, and simple tips for preparing and presenting your comps in the most efficient manner.

Vote For This One

AgencyNet – Fort Lauderdale Office, originally uploaded by chrisfullman.

We have a ton of exciting things going on at AgencyNet, including a new office in New York and doing work for one of the best brands on TV.

I look back at the past 2 years of growth and change and am so proud to be a part of it. I can’t wait to see what else is on the horizon, especially in my new role as Associate Creative Director. I have to say that every day, when I walk through the doors… I look up with awe.

I look up with admiration to everyone I work with and say a huge thank you – because I get to do what I love every day.

I get to collaborate with people whom make me smile and have a CEO who inspires us like no one else. These are the best people you could ever want to work with. We do digital and we love what we do.

Today we had AgencyNet spirit day and everyone was sporting their favorite anet “swag” and we happened to get a photo outside our office.

We sure are a fun bunch of geeks and artists and I love being inspired every day.

Just to illustrate how crazy Joshua Corliss is – I just HAD to post a Skype conversation he had with some random person. I should mention that I work with Joshua and he makes me want to throw things at him sometimes but he is a wicked talented designer. So… I GUESS he’s okay in my book.

He said this is the single most exciting thing that happened to him on Skype. So Enjoy!

Read it here

• Most Effective Online Creative Program or Campaign (OwnYourC)
• Vanguard Award: Newest and Innovative Use of Integrated Marketing (OwnYourC)
• Most Effective Online Brand Experience (BacardiDJ), Most Effective Online Brand Experience (AgencyNet Interactive)

Here’s some photos of the night.

Melanie (Designer) and I. Before the chaos.

L to R: Matias, David, Marcello and Lindsey.

Look! Glasses!

CSI Sofie Awards. Marcello wanted to sleep with all 4 trophies.

The Girls of AgencyNet.
L to R: Jaclyn, Lindsey, Me, Rachel, and Melanie.