2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 Pinpoint Design Offers RSS Feeds Pinpoint has started an RSS feed service for our customers' websites. Using this technology, known colloquially as Really Simple Syndication, our clients can deliver XML feeds to their interested customers and colleagues. Built into modern browsers or available as a desktop reader, RSS brings content updates automatically to the subscriber. Content from multiple websites can even be viewed in a summary list, allowing the user to skim the headlines and choose the articles in which he's interested. Although over ten years old, RSS is rapidly gaining traction in the web marketplace. All websites with quickly changing content can take advantage if this useful technology. Pinpoint To Convert Random House Continuity Random House has selected Pinpoint Design to convert an existing direct response control package into a new self-mailer format. The program is a negative option continuity for Louie L'Amour's western adventure novels. The current winner, a large 6" x 9" package with many elements, is in need of updating and will be slimmed down at the same time. Repurposing this piece into a self-mailer will cut printing and postage costs dramatically, yet should retain its high rate of response through substituting strong visuals and succinct content for the larger multi-element package. Pinpoint has worked on the L'Amour continuity for years and has all the elements in its large graphics archive. The copy will be edited down to fit the new format, pending a possible full rewrite early in 2008. Pinpoint Design moves to NY Info Tech Center Pinpoint has moved its offices out of Empire State and down to 55 Broad Street, the New York Information Technology Center. 55 Broad is the original "super-wired" building in the city, and retains its high-tech feel and sharp appearance. This location gives Pinpoint an advantage in its development efforts and ability to recruit top-flight web designers and programmers. It also gives us a fiber connection! From here we can take advantage of the renaissance that is occurring Downtown, with its old-world charm juxtaposed against the new high-tech future. We hope all our clients and colleagues will visit us in our new space. BBC America Shop Holiday catalogs ship The Holiday Preview issue of the BBC America Shop catalog arrives in homes on Tuesday, October 2nd. In addition, a rapidly produced version for BBC Canada Shop, utilizing much of the same content, arrives at homes across Canada concurrently. A third catalog, the Holiday issue, will follow shortly. These latest catalogs use the festive tones of the "holiday" color palette. This catalog features a whopping 72 new releases on DVD including The Vicar of Dibley: A Holy Wholly Happy Ending and Jeremy Brett as Sherlock Holmes: The Ultimate Collection. Also included is a very fine Christmas pudding with brandy butter and a wide array of holiday crackers — not the kind that you eat but the British kind that go "Pop!" when opened, spilling out festive holiday goodies for all! American Express direct response packages arriving in homes Several direct response packages that were designed for American Express Publishing have recently mailed. Two different Food & Wine Annual Cookbook packages dropped as well as three unique American Express Appointment Book packages. Our client will run several complex marketing programs involving different versions of each package. Performance numbers are crunched to see just how well these new versions perform against the results of the original control package. Pinpoint Design aides VISTA Design with weekly eblasts Pinpoint Design utilizes the power of its email blaster to send out thousands of gorgeous emails created by VISTA every week. These email broadcasts showcase features on the VISTA site, the hottest gallery shows on the international scene and breaking news within the design community. Here are some examples: August 7: The New Museum, Frank Stella, Dan Flavin and David Gill July 31: Zaha Hadid, Front Design and Whitney NY July 23: Herzog and De Meuron, Yves Behar and Guggenheim NY July 17: Paul Henningsen, Mario Testino and Mattia Bonetti July 10: Antonio da Motta, Galerie Patrick Seguin and XYZ Design BBC America Shop August catalogs arriving in homes The August issue of the BBC America Shop catalog will arrive in homes across the country starting today. This most recent edition sports the lush hues of the "fall" color palette. This fall edition follows the established motif with a clean layout and finely crafted typography to give the reader an experience that is more akin to reading a magazine than thumbing through a catalog. This catalog has over 42 new releases on DVD featuring the All Creatures Great and Small Complete Collection. This catalog also covers a broad range of items ranging from a Venetian Pendant with Mirror to a well crafted and finely detailed pop-up book titled Mega-Beasts that covers prehistoric animals from sky lizards to saber-toothed tigers. Pinpoint Design Launches Phillips de Pury Auction Microsite for VISTA Design Our client VISTA Design (vistadesign.com) was approached by the renowned auction house Phillips de Pury & Company in advance of their New York gallery's design auction, scheduled for May 24. VISTA needed a microsite to showcase 15 of the lots to be auctioned, including important work by Oscar Niemeyer, Le Corbusier, and Alexandre Noll. Pinpoint broadcasts an e-newsletter for VISTA towards the end of each week; to be able to announce the microsite in this week's blast, the development team hustled early and produced the site in under two days. This is a static html version of a site we have under development for an expanded Gallery and Auction section within VISTA, planned for rollout in early June. This site uses a database to display the information in various ways and includes information for numerous galleries, artists, and shows. BBC America Shop May catalogs ship The May issue of the BBC America Shop catalog has shipped. In addition, a rapidly produced version for BBC Canada Shop, utilizing much of the same content, shipped today to the large commercial printer RR Donnelly. Sporting the new design Pinpoint Design created for the January 2007 catalog, the May issue uses the "summer" color palette. Each season has its own color motif, plus a fifth one is available to the designers for winter holiday issues. Tests have shown the readers of this catalog spend time enjoying the copy — contrary to prevailing opinion that modern consumers have little time to read. Because BBC America's products lean towards the literary and culturally inclined tastes, having fairly detailed descriptions helps lift the response rate of this catalog. Not to imply that the artwork doesn't do it's job. Visually intriguing products (Monty Python figurines, anyone?) and clean layout and typography combine to make an extremely easy and fun browse through this publication. Published about six times per year, the BBC America Shop catalog adds 25% to 50% new product with each catalog. The placement is rearranged each time for freshness, and price versions may be tested. The layouts are executed in Adobe InDesign; final mechanicals are shipped as high-res PDFs for web offset printing. Pinpoint Design Launches Covance Inc. (NYSE: CVD) Food & Dietary Online Directory This part of the Covance website extends the services provided through the printed catalog onto the web. Their customers — large pharmaceutical clients with food, dietary supplement or consumer products divisions who use Covance's Nutritional Chemistry services to market their products — can now go online to: create accounts to view pricing and method details search hundreds of assays (biological tests) request a quote for routine sample analysis, stability programs, and special projects view quality control, sample accession, proficiency testing and certification procedures initiate order processes, including downloading a Sample Analysis Request Form and other ordering information Covance's full-service laboratory analyzes food, dietary supplement and biotechnology products. The service also encompasses product packaging and labeling. The microsite makes heavy use of php/mysql programming, allowing differing levels of privilege based on user level. Guests without an account may browse services and information, although some of the nav items appear with small red padlocks to denote an area restricted to registered customers. Registered users can review all pages, including pricing, method details and ordering. The microsite has an account creation and password retrieval system, as well as "memory forms" that optionally retain a user's info from visits elsewhere in the site. The site administrators can manage content, assays, pricing, document uploads, user accounts, and auto-response email message. They can set a manual prescreening and approval process for users, or allow instant registrations. Database backup and tracking of search and mail logs is built in. Most importantly, Pinpoint's integrated content management system lets the client update virtually any part of the microsite's content whenever they wish. Besides helping their customers expedite their business, the site allows Covance to dramatically expand their customer base while allowing the sales team to create more strategic relationships with target clients. It also lightens Customer Service's workload by answering most questions online. Finally, it greatly reduces printing and postage costs, eliminating many of the paper catalogs that would traditionally be mailed. The Food & Dietary Online Directory is another example of Pinpoint creating solutions for our customers in new and creative ways. 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007