February 11, 2008

We are excited to announce that MAS is now partners with CRC Information Systems, Inc.. This means that MAS will now be working together with CRC to create custom solutions that integrate with CRC's THE System. MAS is uniquely qualified to create these solutions, as I was once a senior developer at CRC and have in-depth knowledge of THE System and its modules. Since there is no learning curve, development and communication are fast and precise. In addition, CRC customers have consent to contact MAS without having to first obtain written consent directly from CRC.

Needless to say we are very excited about this partnership, and the new opportunities it offers. There is also great potential for deja-vu: I recently started a project with a CRC customer, and when they sent me a PO I immediately recognized it as one that I created for them years ago. You can read more about the CRC Partnership Program here and see our company information here.

MAS has also developed a partnership with award-winning graphic design studio Landam Design Works, Inc. and their award-winning creative director, Celia Stratton. Ms. Stratton has provided smashing design for the Federal Trade Commission, U.S. Department of Transportation, Met Life Real Estate, MCI, Sprint, and many others. Should any of our customers require her creative expertise, MAS now has Ms. Stratton's considerable skills at our disposal.

January 6, 2008

In preparation to launch the MAS website, I did a lot of thinking about the aesthetic that I wanted to present. I wanted it representative of the company and the services that we offer. I'm not a person who responds to busy, fussy graphics. Just the opposite: The sites I find most engaging and informative tend to be minimalist, clean, and accessible. The details are professional and subtle. I want the same for the applications my company creates - to be crisp, engaging, and extremely user-friendly. Likewise, I wanted the website to be easily updatable, not married to or mired in design decisions that become quickly outmoded, tedious, or boring, especially as technology races ahead at lightning speed.

The current colors are inspired by a papaya. The idea originated with this post. I liked the contest, but what struck me was a comment that suggested that gleaning colors from nature will almost always result in a nice palette. Running with the idea, I chose fruit and made myself a few color palettes based on some of the more colorful and exotic varieties (see image below - and for an amazing implementation of a similar concept using photographs, check out what Dave Shea has done). My wife nixed several - too bright, too boring, etc., and we narrowed it down to two: papaya and kiwi. Papaya had great contrasts that offered a lot of interesting variety. Of course, the 'solutions' part of the name had to be green. As my four-year-old says, green means go!

color palette image

I owe my awesome logo to Celia Stratton at Landam Design Works. It took very little explaining on my part ("I'd like it simple, clean - nothing sparkly or splashy or flashy or cute") for her to come up with three different takes on branding our name. Loved them all, but I was kinda leaning toward one. She ran with it and gave me two more variations. Agonizing decision. She is mind-blowingly brilliant. Worth every penny, and honestly, had I known how ecstatic I'd be, I probably would have paid them more.

And there you have it.