Honu Studios LLC Blog

The Windmill Winery

23 March 2010 by Bret

A few weeks ago we embarked on a site redesign for The Windmill Winery in Florence, Arizona. We wanted to try and bring the flavor of the local area to the look and feel of the new design.

Having never been to The Windmill or even Florence, Arizona we learned all we could from pictures and talking with the client. We got a good sense of the atmosphere and history of the property and the historic barn which is the visual cornerstone of the winery.

The Windmill is more than just a winery though. They host a number of events and weddings throughout the year. So the site needed to reflect that and be more than just about wine. We really wanted to give visitors to the site a sense of stepping onto the Windmill property and feeling the upscale rustic setting.

For the design we went with the idea of a wine label. We wanted the user to feel as if they there looking at a label on a bottle. It’s very important that the user understand that the Windmill is a winery which is perfect for their event or wedding. Rather than a place to have a wedding that also does some wine. There needed to be a clear message and brand established in the redesign.

This message distinction was especially important when it came to promoting and marketing for weddings. People want to have their wedding at someplace unique and special. To say, “We do so many weddings a year so you should check us out,” doesn’t exactly sell the property and features. Instead we changed the message to be about the winery and the location that is perfect to host a wedding.

Check out the new Windmill Winery site.

The “AT” Video Sketch

12 February 2010 by Brian

“Practice makes perfect” are words often uttered in locker rooms and on the sidelines of losing teams. However in our case, we’re uttering them in front of a computer screen and not because we’re losers. It’s just a really applicable phrase.

In any creative endeavor, especially creative ones that put food on the table and pay the bills, practice is essential, necessary, and always worth the time invested. I don’t think I’ll ever feel the sense of having “arrived” creatively. In many ways I hope I never do. There will always be something else to learn and conquer, always.

This is a Test

The below video named “AT” is a small side project aimed at practicing some 3D and post-production techniques. I took a list(current at the time) of our Twitter followers and used their usernames as textures and particles. I found Dave Trautz through The Wire and he graciously agreed to compose a score I could work with. Dave has a ton of talent and I hope to work more with him in the future.

Moving Forward

Stay tuned, more side projects in the works.

Google Buzz not Working for Us

11 February 2010 by Bret

Earlier this week Google released Buzz which to us feels like a social media API interface and Wave hybrid. Without going into all the details, Buzz allows you to share updates, photos and things of interest with your friends and/or the world. You can get real time updates that are integrated with your inbox and other social media accounts like Twitter and Flickr.

The concept behind Buzz sounds pretty cool. We looked into it, added it to our Gmail accounts and have connected with each other as “friends”. Okay, now what?

Here’s the problem for us. We both have Gmail accounts, to which we’ve tied other Google features like iGoogle, Reader, Webmaster Tools, and Analytics. Nothing new or revelatory about that. The part of the Google account that we use the least is Gmail, aside from a couple mailing lists.

We have nothing against Gmail, in fact we love Gmail. We’d even wear “I heart Gmail” t-shirts under our jackets on a cold day. The Spam protection rocks (Yes, rocks, I could have used bitchin’ but didn’t want to take you back that far in time), the mailbox size is amazing, and the IMAP access is nothing short of awesome. But, we love Gmail inside Google Apps where our email addresses use our own domain name not Gmail’s, and where we do most of our correspondence. Unfortunately, Buzz doesn’t work with Google Apps, yet. We’ve read rumors that it’s coming though.

The larger problem we see is that in order to use Buzz you have to have a Gmail account and use that account for all your correspondence be it business or personal. That’s not the case with Twitter, Facebook or even Flickr. We can, and do, have one Twitter account for business tied to a business email and then individual personal accounts tied to different addresses. With the other social media apps I can use any email account to keep up with friends and clients. With Buzz I can only communicate with my friends who happen to have Gmail addresses, forget AOL, Hotmail, Yahoo, Mobile Me, etc. Finally, the big downside is business correspondence. How many people who want to be taken seriously use a plain ol’ Gmail address for a business email?

Even if Buzz does get added to Google Apps our fear is that you’ll still be limited to only communication with other Google Apps or Gmail users. That leaves out a lot of clients especially medium to larger organizations that run their own Exchange servers for email.

Bottom line, is a social media feature or app good when tied so closely to a particular email provider? We don’t think so. But perhaps we’re over thinking it. Maybe Buzz isn’t supposed to be used in a business environment. Guess that’s where Twitter and Facebook will have to pick up the slack.