The Workflow for creating an iPad App

Here’s how it’s done at Ringier Studios, in Vietnam:

The video describes 9 steps.

Vrei un job de art director în Vietnam? Trebuie să știi să faci multe

Prietenul Stéphane Carpentier, care a pus serios umărul la designul revistelor Ringier România acum câţiva ani, îmi spune că e disponibil un job de art director new media la Ringier Studios, în Vietnam. Mai jos, detaliile tehnice, la care eu aş adăuga faptul că pot lucra cu şi învăţa de la Stéphane.

Detaliile: {Mai mult…}

The talented monsieur Carpentier goes digital

Stéphane Carpentier by Stéphane Carpentier

The gentleman in the picture is Ringier’s superstar art-director and a person with whom I’ve had the privilege to work on several projects, ranging from the “Unica” magazine relaunch, to a “Libertatea” face lift. Swiss-belgian Stéphane Carpentier has virtually touched every title at Ringier Romania – and a lot of the magazines and newspapers the company has around the world. He hasn’t come to Romania during the last several years, but his trademark still can be seen at publications such as “Unica”, “TV mania” or “Evenimentul zilei”.

During his stay in Romania, most of the people working with him became aware of his reluctancy to get involved in digital. I was happily surprised to find him at the forefront of the digital offensive of the Swiss company, as a creative director of the Vietnam-based Ringier Studios. I’ve had the opportunity to ask him some questions for The Industry, the magazine I do for Intact Media Group, and you can see the English version here (the Romanian version is here). Among the answers you can find the reason why Stéphane got very involved in tablet applications design, after his innitial reluctancy related to digital.

The end of print media? More like the end of the print crisis...

The Romanian print advertising market has decreased, since the beginning of the crisis, from roughly 80 million to a value estimated between 24 and 27 million in 2011 (Mediaedge:cia and Initiative Media for The Industry). 2011 is the first year when print spendings will go below the Internet budgets. Titles such as “Gândul” have closed their paper edition (April 2011), while “Adevărul” lost more than two thirds of its sold circulation, since the first months of 2010. The crisis stroke badly the print segment of the media market, because economic fragility became an open door for the politicians’ and political parties’ influence and tabloid content got mixed in every publication’s formula.

In other words, things appear as they could not look any worse. Both newspapers journalists and their managers are depressive, quality titles have very little prestige left and even tabloids can complain about sold circulation.

An old logoplate of the "Adevărul" newspaper

Is it the extinction then? Not really. More like the bottom point. Or, in other words, more like the end of the crisis than the end of the print media. Obviously, print will cease to exist in its traditional form. Or it already ceased. But it’s more about a change of a business model. The decrease of the advertising spendings in the segment is only roughly 10%, 2011 versus 2010. So hopefully the market has settled down to 25-30 million euros/year. Sold circulation decrease, which also brings a decrease of the revenues, is more manifest for titles deprived of aggressive marketing (books and DVD’s inserts) such as “Adevărul” than for the rest of the market. It is organic, dealing with the consumers’ interest, to a smaller extent. So these days the issue is more the discovery of a new business model/sustainability recipe than about losing even more speed.  {Mai mult…}

Now George is gonna be cool again

9 mistakes companies often make on the internet

I think it was 2001 or 2002 when I first got involved in an online communication project related to a company (it was Coca-Cola). Back then it was called e-marketing or e-presence. Now it is called interactive, direct marketing, special projects, social networking, PR 2.0 and so on. Based both on my own experience and also on others projects, which I’ve studied in order to be able to come up with good solutions for my customers, I’ve assembled a list of DON’Ts or common mistakes companies usually make online.

1. Too much control, perfectionism. Successful companies search for perfection with their their products and services, launched in a competitive climate and carefully tailored to consumers’ needs. Blogging and social platforms have a very different philosophy, consisting of spontaneity, reaction speed, lightness, tolerance for error. Unlike printed texts, blog posts can be corrected after publication and if mistakes are not brutal, there will be very little frustration and criticism because of them.  {Mai mult…}

Week 43: The Realitatea phone conversation transcripts controversy

A scandal related to some phone conversation records of Sorin Ovidiu Vîntu, Realitatea-Caţavencu’s owner, and his managers spread throughout most of the 18-26 October week in the Romanian media. Romania has slipped to no. 52 from 50 in the Freedom Press Index, and the public television is planning some savings by cancelling transmissions from some sports events and sublicensing the Olympic Games in 2012. {Mai mult…}

Week 42: Dire straits continue at Realitatea-Cațavencu

The resignations from the Realitatea-Caţavencu group continue with one of the key managers, while a Romanian entrepreneur sold an epayment platform to Naspers. A Romanian cable company started an italian operation, and two advertising adgencies have merged. iPhone 4 is to be available for Vodafone customers too, and Kanal D might be subject of a transaction between Dogan and an international group. {Mai mult…}

Week 41: 54 local titles closed down because of the crisis

Romania is the 5th most important spammer in the world; 54 local print titles have closed down because of the crisis, and Vîntu will sue three politicians for their statements. România liberă is to start a weekly free supplement, and the Romanian Cultural Institute opens an advertising exhibition. {Mai mult…}

Week 40: changes in the public television and a new manager for Realitatea TV

Organisation chart changes in the public television, a ‘law of journalist’ project criticized by commentators due to its restrictions and a new brand identity for Antena 1. Mircea Radu, a popular show host, is to get back at the public television, while Sorin Ovidiu Vîntu changed the management of his Realitatea TV. {Mai mult…}