4 AI Resources To Add To Your UX Design Toolbox

By:Morgan Plappert on 7/18/2023

These AI-powered tools can help you streamline your workflow and empower you to take your designs to the next level.

Read More »
Reel Stories: A Photography Project Exploring Inclusivity in Fishing

By: Zoe Cope on 7/14/2023

Find out how we captured diverse fishing experiences across Florida and Kentucky with a mighty team of five.

Read More »
Creating a Design System in Figma

By:Morgan Plappert on 6/12/2023

A guide to designing for scalability, flexibility, automation, cohesion, and every other positive, time-saving adjective you can think of.

Read More »
Branding Behind the Scenes

By: Ajla Bedzetovic on 1/30/2023

A well positioned company is not afraid of their competition. You understand what makes you unique in the market.

Read More »
Why Your Brand Deserves a Concept

By:Jason Clark on 10/28/2022

Find out how VIA’s brand strategy approach inspires our team to create truthful and compelling brands that last.

Read More »
Positioning Your Company for Differentiation

By:Jason Clark on 5/26/2022

A well-positioned company is not afraid of its competition because they understand what makes them unique in the market. Learn the top six ways to successfully position your company.

Read More »
Email
Email @ 50: Retrospective + The Future of Email
Email @ 50: Retrospective + The Future of Email

By:Nick Wunderlin on 11/19/2021

Welcome to the final installment of our Email @ 50 series. In this last article, Email @ 50 contributors review what they learned from writing this series and look ahead to the future of email.

Read More »
Email
Email @ 50: The Art of Email Design
Email @ 50: The Art of Email Design

By:Morgan Plappert on 8/6/2021

I remember when I first started out as a designer (professionally), having to play Photoshop Tetris with cut up image blocks to piece together a full email layout. As a UX designer, we are taught that nothing is more important than usability and utility … and let’s just say, nothing puts those things to the test quite like Photoshop Tetris. Thankfully we have more sensible solutions now, but email design still comes with its added constraints and limitations. Luckily, I’ve had enough time and practice to be able to share a bit of knowledge, tips & tricks with you fine folks. So, let’s cut it up.

Read More »
Graphic Design
The best things in life are free… Except for good type.
The best things in life are free… Except for good type.

By: Mitch Wiesen on 5/17/2021

Why you should budget for typefaces in your next creative project.

Read More »
Critique Etiquette

By: Ashley Trommler on 2/4/2021

A quick guide for giving constructive feedback.

Read More »
Video
OBS Studio Tips & Tricks: Super Cool Webcam Options
OBS Studio Tips & Tricks: Super Cool Webcam Options

By:Jason Clark on 1/5/2021

OBS Studio is an open-source, live streaming application that allows you to integrate graphics, videos, multiple camera sources, text, and more into its viewport, and more importantly, use that viewport as a webcam source.

Read More »
Looking Inward to Move Forward: The VIA Rebrand

By:Ben Wilson on 11/12/2020

A retrospective of VIA's ever-changing approach and constant commitment to partnership.

Read More »
Why Rebrand? A VIA Studio Panel Discussion

By:Ben Wilson on 10/16/2020

Often an agency will advise their client that a rebrand or a "refresh" of their current brand is in order. But why? It's an expensive, potentially disruptive journey that contains many unforeseeable obstacles.

Read More »
Design Templates

By: Ashley Trommler on 9/15/2020

Associate Creative Director Ashley Trommler provides you a structured look at how you can design templates that work for your clients, but keep the brand intact.

Read More »
How to Make Your New Photos Look Vintage

By: Mitch Wiesen on 9/1/2020

I’ve always been drawn to the warm, friendly way film captures reality. I found my first analog camera, a Canon AE-1, sitting on a blanket at a flea market at age 14, and I was enamored.

Read More »
10 essential UX best practices to keep in your tool-box

By:Morgan Plappert on 8/5/2020

"User Experience" it's more than just a buzz word. Let me tell you why ...

Read More »
The Importance of Brand Guidelines

By: Ashley Trommler on 7/14/2020

Behind every successful brand sits a strong set of guidelines.

Read More »
Wireframing vs. Prototyping and Everything In-Between

By:Morgan Plappert on 7/14/2020

Prototyping demonstrates ideas, and baking prototyping into your workflow can begin to shift the way you think and approach design problems as a whole.

Read More »
User Experience
Favorite UX Resources for Prototyping
Favorite UX Resources for Prototyping

By:Morgan Plappert on 2/24/2020

The pros and cons, ins and outs of the top prototyping tools out on the market right now.

Read More »
Handlettering

By: Mitch Wiesen on 2/11/2020

8 Hand Letterers You Should Follow, Like, Yesterday

Read More »
The Fold: Above or Below?

By:Morgan Plappert on 1/31/2020

Let's take a look at the much debated concept of "the fold" from a user experience, design and strategy perspective.

Read More »
Thoughtful Branding

By: Ashley Trommler on 12/13/2019

What inspires me? This is a loaded question with so many possible answers. For the sake of a professional blog entry for my workplace, let’s take this route: Good Branding.

Read More »
Top Web Design Trends 2019

By: Mitch Wiesen on 9/27/2019

This year we've gone off the grid, broken the rules, and all-around gotten a little more playful.

Read More »
Trustworthiness in Design

By: Emilee Dover on 7/10/2019

Establishing trust with your users is a lot like dating. If you're wanting to make a lasting connection, you must climb up the trust pyramid.

Read More »
Design Systems

By: Ann Wood on 7/5/2019

Some big take-aways on the importance of design systems

Read More »
The Role of Microinteractions in Successful UX

By:Morgan Plappert on 7/1/2019

Sometimes it's hard to put things into words. Cue micro-interactions...

Read More »
SVG Morphing

By: Nick Stewart on 6/12/2019

Although SVG morphing is awesome, it's sometimes difficult to do. Thanks to MorphSVG and GreenSock, SVG morphing can be a much smoother process!

Read More »
Graphic Design
Personal Projects
Personal Projects

By:Jason Clark on 5/6/2019

For our creative team, design doesn't stop when they leave the office. They've got some pretty awesome side projects going on that we feel are worth showing off.

Read More »
The Importance of Curiosity in Design

By:Morgan Plappert on 4/26/2019

Curiosity enables creativity. Creativity enables innovation.

Read More »
When You Need to Name Your Company

By:Jason Clark on 4/22/2019

What's in a name? Quite a bit, actually. Deciding on a name for your new business can be daunting, so here are a few things to consider when you're searching for a name that best suits your brand.

Read More »
2019 Holiday Gift

By:Jason Clark on 3/15/2019

Every year, we create a holiday gift to send out to our clients and close partners. Our gift this year was truly a team effort, and we were able to push out some of our best work through collaboration.

Read More »
CSS Animation and Shadows

By: Nick Stewart on 2/18/2019

You really shouldn't animate box-shadows if you don't have to. However, it can be done, and here's how.

Read More »
Using UX Principles to Communicate and Work Better

By:Ben Wilson on 2/11/2019

Want to have a smoother, more productive workday? If you apply these core principles of UX design to your tasks and interactions, your wish will be granted.

Read More »
Designing UI - plugins.via

By:Jason Clark on 1/11/2019

A new designer discusses the exciting process of designing a website UI for the first time. If you're new to design, this one's for you!

Read More »
Vendetta Against Words

By:Jason Clark on 1/2/2019

Historically, icons and images were the most effective way to communicate to the masses, but times are changing. We go over the good, the bad, and the ugly of icons.

Read More »
UI Animation in eCommerce, Some Do's and Don’ts

By:Morgan Plappert on 11/2/2018

Applied with intention, animation can enhance your eCommerce UI by making it fun and memorable and drawing the user where you’d like them to go. Applied haphazardly, however, UI animations can be intrusive and annoying to a user.

Read More »
SMC: Building a Partnership

By:Morgan Plappert on 11/1/2018

Stockton Mortgage Corporation (SMC), founded in 2001 by David Stockton, is a full-service, independent mortgage bank headquartered in Kentucky.

Read More »
Louisville Leopards

By:Ben Wilson on 8/3/2018

We love working with non-profits (like Kentucky Refugee Ministries, KentuckianaWorks, and Fund for the Arts to name a few) so when our new friends the Louisville Leopard Percussionists (LLP) came knocking, we leapt at the opportunity. In July 2018, we launched a refreshed louisvilleleopardpercussionists.com.

Read More »
Embrace iterative design, create better products

By:Morgan Plappert on 7/31/2018

“I nailed it!” But did you really though?

Read More »
After Effects & CSS - learn both!

By: Natalie Miller on 6/20/2018

Adobe After Effects and CSS Keyframes might seem like different worlds, but learning both can help your team bridge a big communication gap.

Read More »
Bringing animation to life

By: Ann Wood on 5/23/2018

A walk through of an animation process that can bring shapes to life.

Read More »
Creating Face Paint Peggy

By: Nick Stewart on 4/25/2018

Recently we launched Face Paint Peggy, a simple HTML/Javascript game that showcases the power of creating mobile games with web technology. The game is available on Android and iOS for free.

Read More »
Secret Message to Friends of VIA Studio

By:Jason Clark on 2/22/2018

Every year we challenge ourselves to design a gift for our friends, something we’ve never done before. It’s always a fun challenge, and we’ve got some really awesome stuff out there in the world because of it.

Read More »
Graphic Design
Found Alphabet in Nulu
Found Alphabet in Nulu

By: Ann Wood on 12/5/2017

Looking for the unexpected amongst the ordinary is a fun way to break up our work day.

Read More »
VIA Talks: Designing Content for the Web

By:Ben Wilson on 10/20/2017

In collaboration with Mayor Greg Fischer‘s office, and Louisville Metro Government, we presented a talk on how we use strategic thinking to craft content for the web. For the Metro communications professionals we spoke with, the challenge is using the sandbox that is louisvilleky.gov to effectively communicate with the people that they serve.

Read More »
An argument for and against "Above the Fold"

By: Emilee Dover on 9/27/2017

The notion of there being a box around an experience might be archaic, but there is still something about first impressions.

Read More »
The Internet's Bubble Wrap: Your 404 Page is More Important Than You Think

By:Morgan Plappert on 9/13/2017

Hand over that half-empty glass and let us show you a few examples of how to turn possible frustration into opportunity.

Read More »
Tips for creating a Canvas game for Android

By: Nick Stewart on 8/9/2017

With the help of our excellent illustrator Pat, we will soon be releasing Face Paint Peggy, an HTML Canvas game for Android mobile phones. The object of the game is to catch “drops” that are of a certain color, progressing through levels where drops move faster and more drops are on the playing field.

Read More »
Introducing our first cookbook!

By: Corinne Resch on 2/23/2017

VOILÀ: A Compilation of VIA Studio's Best Breakfasts, Desserts, and Drinks

Read More »
Art direction, mountain metaphors and baby steps

By: Kelly Scheurich on 1/17/2017

An experience in flexing art direction muscles and "using your words."

Read More »
The Sweet Spot of Image Manipulation

By: Joel Eckert on 1/11/2017

Sometimes when you work with images, it can be hard to know when to put something down and move on.

Read More »
Design Resolutions

By: Emilee Dover on 1/9/2017

Our design team did a pretty corny thing and discussed our resolutions and favorite moments of 2016. Here are some of our focuses for the next year.

Read More »
Brace for Impact

By:Jason Clark on 12/7/2016

Our newest campaign is an homage to our history and impact as an agency The message of our new campaign “Brace for Impact”, the theme of the newest VIA Studio campaign, is built around the “big bang” that happened around the time we were founded: the Internet. No one knew it at the time, but every industry changed irreversibly as the internet took hold, ours most importantly.

Read More »
Search is hard, unless you’re using Algolia.

By: Mark Biek on 11/17/2016

Search is hard Look, sometimes it’s enough to slap Google Custom Search onto a website and call it a day. For simple content sites where you just need the basics, that can be the easiest way to go about it.

Read More »
How a Classically Trained Illustrator Made Besties with an FED

By: Natalie Miller on 11/8/2016

Here at VIA we all dig each other (right guys?), but sometimes working across departments can be a challenge. Like Liam Neeson we all have a very particular set of skills; at times, blending very different skill sets can be a challenge, but when done right it is sure to pay off.

Read More »
20 Years of Design & Digital - 1996 to Today

By:Jason Clark on 11/2/2016

This year VIA Studio celebrates 20 years in business as a digital agency. That's right, we were born in 1996.

Read More »
9 Findings About The Canon 5D Mark IV's Wireless Connectivity

By: Joel Eckert on 9/20/2016

The Canon 5D Mark IV has built in wireless... but will the wireless behave as you expected?

Read More »
A Clever Mobile Image Orientation Display Trick

By: Joel Eckert on 9/7/2016

Utilizing the orientation of your mobile device as a control mechanism for a string of images can be pretty awesome.

Read More »
Escape from Project Hell

By: Pat Sheehan on 6/14/2016

“If I recall correctly, I had made a little game demo where there was a character (dude on a horse) that you could move around. Shawn saw this and was like let’s turn this into something, so he started on the graphics and I started on the game engine.” – Nick Stewart And that is how ”Escape from Project Hell” began.

Read More »
Crafting CG

By: Johanna Boone on 2/15/2016

The start of a brand new year brings a brand new service… With the addition of CG craftsman Joel Eckert to our team, we’re excited to add CG (aka computer-generated-images) to our line of creative specialties. What that means for VIA and for you, is additional expertise in 3D modeling, imagery, animation, and storytelling.

Read More »
Why Design Mobile First?

By: Josie Flynn on 7/28/2015

Balancing user & brand needs to create the ideal mobile experience.

Read More »
Building a Better WFPL with WordPress

By: Josie Flynn on 4/2/2015

Empowering writers to create rich, informative journalism.

Read More »
Bringing The New VIA To Life: Video & Navigation

By: Josie Flynn on 2/23/2015

When building the new viastudio.com, we pushed ourselves to explore ways to integrate a variety of content. We didn’t want to be held to a template.

Read More »
An Introduction to Iterative Development

By: Shawn Coots on 6/17/2014

A story in which VIA Studio decides to stop chasing waterfalls, thus altering their process yet again!

Read More »
Celebrating the Best of Louisville

By: Emilee Dover on 4/15/2014

In our office, we always make it a priority to be in the know about goings-on in our city. Whether it’s a rumored roadside attraction or a new hole-in-the-wall Mexican joint, we are ready to explore.

Read More »
Welcome to VIA Studio 2014!

By:Jason Clark on 12/31/2013

Hi! Glad you found us. I bet things look different since the last time you were here.

Read More »
Defining Single Barrel Select

By: Shawn Coots on 12/8/2013

Recently, I had the privilege of touring the Buffalo Trace Distillery in Frankfort. Have I mentioned how much I love my job?

Read More »
Web Design Firm vs. Freelance Designer

By: Brandon Clay on 9/18/2013

Choosing the right web designer is a tough task, we’ll be the first to tell you that. There is a lot to consider: their style, expertise, past clients, ability to handle workload, speed of delivery.

Read More »
Web Design and Marketing: Your Brand Your Message

By: Brandon Clay on 8/27/2013

In our field of web design and marketing, we focus on helping companies to articulate the image they see for their brand through their graphics, logo, promotional materials, and all else that displays a message. We focus on the branding of companies but personal branding is just as important.

Read More »
July 24 Event: Art, Copy, Code - Let's Understand the Process

By:Jason Clark on 7/16/2013

Mark your calendars. On July 24, I will be giving a lunchtime discussion for the American Advertising Association Louisville Chapter.

Read More »
Kickoff: Lebowski Fest

By: Leslie Daly on 6/10/2013

We were abiding in our conference room last Thursday, holding a kickoff meeting that paved the way for a new Lebowski Fest website. The fest originated in Louisville, and we actually share an employee.

Read More »
VIA Studio Wins 7 International Interactive Awards!

By:Jason Clark on 4/15/2013

The Horizon Interactive Awards, a leading international interactive media awards competition, announced the 2012 award winners to highlight this year’s “best of the best” in interactive media production. Thanks to the amazing team here at VIA Studio, we managed to win 7 awards this year in the competition.

Read More »
MilkWood Logo for Chef Edward Lee at Actors Theatre

By:Jason Clark on 1/17/2013

Today we’re happy to reveal our logo design for Chef Edward Lee‘s new restaurant MilkWood at Actors Theatre of Louisville. The design team here at VIA Studio has been working hard for the past few weeks to develop the identity, and I’m personally very proud of the work we’ve done.

Read More »
Step Up for Kids Branding

By: Emilee Dover on 11/6/2012

In our continuing partnership with Kentucky Youth Advocates, we decided to donate some branding design work to their event, the Step Up for Kids Conference. This event provides education and information to a variety of audiences from lawmakers to business owners about the ways they can help children in Kentucky grow up safe, healthy and ready to succeed.

Read More »
Nonsense in Form Design

By:Jason Clark on 10/18/2012

As a geek, I’m extremely fond of trying out new apps and purchasing weird stuff online. More and more I’m confused and annoyed by the process of clicking things that I have no choice but to click.

Read More »
South By Southwest Interactive, initial ramblings

By:Jason Clark on 3/12/2012

Some of the VIA Studio team is currently at SXSW Interactive. It’s been an inspiring few days, with one more left to go.

Read More »
New2Lou Logo Design Unveiled!

By:Jason Clark on 12/15/2011

Today we are happy to announce the unveiling of our logo design for New2Lou. We’ve been working with the organization for awhile now on their Brand Strategy, Identity, and Web Design.

Read More »
VIA Brings Home the Bronze from the LGDA

By: Kim Clark on 12/12/2011

Once again, VIA has garnered the approval of their peers. Friday 12/09/11 the Louisville Graphic Design Association held its annual 100’s Show, awarding VIA with 3 Bronze awards in the Graphic Design, Interactive Media and Print Design categories.

Read More »
Introduction to Responsive Design

By: Shawn Coots on 10/10/2011

After reading Jason's series of articles regarding Marketing for Mobile, I thought I'd add to the discussion. My favorite web geek topic as of late is Responsive Web Design. It allows you to create a mobile-ready version of your website, without needing to build separate content. With a large portion of the world now browsing the web via smart phones and post-pc tablets, it's almost a no-brainer to offer mobile viewing experiences.

Read More »
A Series of Right Turns: Using Arrows in Web Design

By: Amber Glisson on 8/5/2011

I’ve always thought that web design and wayfinding are congruous. Directing a user to easily navigate through a physical structure or the mesh of pages in your website often calls for similar tactics.

Read More »
7 Tips to Better Travel Photography

By:Jason Clark on 11/5/2010

These 7 tips to taking better travel photography can help you capture more than just moments in time.

Read More »
Turns out someone really likes our logo

By:Jason Clark on 10/26/2009

It was bad enough when Starbucks introduced their "VIA" coffee, but this one hits even closer to home.

Read More »
Web Marketing Case Study for Resonant Vibes

By:Jason Clark on 6/9/2009

Resonant Vibes is an online music store selling mp3 and wave files. Built into the site are advanced social networking features that allow DJs and music producers to upload and share their music.

Read More »
Sprite squashes their logo

By:Jason Clark on 1/30/2009

I’ve always been a fan of Sprite’s branding and graphic design. They do a good job with the light, crisp, airy feel.

Read More »