Toolbox Studios Blog

Random Toolboxer Fact #104:

Stacy Thomas is a huge science fiction buff and has traveled to sci fi conventions in Texas and Las Vegas. She is a die hard Star Wars fan and has a collection of action figures that she keeps stored in Tupperware containers. “I liked the last Star Wars movie because of the way it tied everything together,” says Stace. “And no, I’m not a nerd.” Thankfully, she agrees that Jar Jar Binks is very annoying.

Toolbox completes Gunn Auto’s Web presence

This month the Toolbox Web development team launched the final custom dealer website for Gunn Automotive Group. In addition to a central, corporate landing site (gunnauto.com), Toolbox has created a family of websites for almost all the Gunn dealerships: gunnhonda.com, gunnchevrolet.com, gunnnissan.com, gunninfiniti.com, gunnpontiac.com and gunndodge.com. (The lone exception is gunnacura.com, which is a ‘factory-approved’ vendor.) The number of visits to these Gunn sites should exceed 600,000 in 2007. The Internet has become an important part of how Gunn does business with the public.

Toolbox hired to market Han Asian Vodka

Toolbox was hired last week by California-based beverage importer Progressive Brands, Inc. (ProBrands) to develop a sales and marketing program in Texas for its flagship label, Han Asian Vodka. During the initial phase of the project, we will establish distribution, pricing programs and initial brand awareness in key accounts throughout Texas. Once distribution is in place, Toolbox will use existing and new marketing materials to drive consumer demand.

ProBrands’ portfolio of imports from Asia and Latin America includes Han Asian Vodka, Tori Kai Distilled Sake, Kigen Premium Cold Sake, XXX Tequila, and Witch's Rock Costa Rican Rum. With a successful Texas launch of Han Asian Vodka, Toolbox will turn its attention to Witch’s Rock Costa Rican Rum.

commended reading - new media

• a great blogpost here via Ars Technica about the psychology of web banner ads.
• Is Web 2.0 neglecting good design? Good food for thought here from the Beeb.

'boxer birthday

we celebrate birthdays around here. this morning we regaled senior designer mark broderick with a plate of doughnuts.

wet weather

we've had some wet days here recently; this rough cell phone movie shows the view from Rob's office: the river shown isn't actually a river but a stairway adjacent to our studios, leading from Soledad Street down to the Riverwalk.

Random Toolboxer Fact #20:

According to Toolbox web designer/developer Derek Goins, the best pro football player around is the Philadelphia Eagle’s free safety, Brian Dawkins (#20), known for his tenacity and ferociousness on the field. “They call him ‘Wolverine’ because of the way he tackles,” says Derek. According to the Eagle’s website, the team feeds off his “rage and aggressiveness.”

Podcasting Intern starts next week

Kathryn Legendre will be reprising her role as Podcasting Intern this summer. She will be working from May 14 until August 17. Kathryn will be responsible for content-gathering, assisting with script development, organizing both audio files and the podcasting suite, and maintaining podcast myspace pages.

Web team supports Harland Corporation - Clarke American merger

Last week, the Web team launched harlandclarke.com, an informational website for both employees and the general public. Harland Clarke is the temporary name of the new company formed by the merger of Harland Corporation and Clarke American. Toolbox received congratulations from Matt Wier, VP of e-Commerce at Harland Clarke, for our technical expertise and support during this volatile time in Clarke’s history. “Toolbox helped the former Harland employees [now Harland Clarke employees] understand that we do things right,” said Wier. “From the minute the merger announcement was made, they could go to a live website to review information."

Our Web team built a complete CMS system, designed the site and trained our clients on the backend in a matter of weeks. Steve and Lewis were making client edits just moments before the site went live. “Toolbox jumped through hoops and was on stand-by to help us at a moment’s notice,” added Wier.