In addition to these features, the plugin increases efficiency by using fewer lines of code per gallery and improves accessibility in the way it manages the listing of images.

RPS Image Gallery is the third plugin that Red Pixel Studios has published for the WordPress community, joining RPS Caption Expand and RPS Sitemap Generator in our portfolio. Each of the plugins are free to download at WordPress.org. You can learn more about them on our WordPress plugins page.

WordPress is web software used to create a website or blog. The core software is built by hundreds of community volunteers and is free to use.

As we have incorporated WordPress into our own Web development, we have come to appreciate how really fantastic the software is.  We’ve also become pretty good at making it do some really neat things, and have extended the core WordPress software in ways that we think makes it even better. So we are proud to be able to give back to the WordPress community with the hope of making the Web a nicer place for everyone.

The site can be found at ovsprinklers.com.

Based in Henderson, Ky., Ohio Valley Sprinklers is a full-service contractor that serves the fire protection needs of the tri-state and has performed work throughout the Midwest. From design and installation of new systems, to inspection and maintenance of existing systems, Ohio Valley Sprinklers has decades of experience in all types of fire protection.

Ohio Valley Sprinklers approached Red Studios because they wanted a well-designed site with easy maintenance. They wanted instant recognition of the services they offer and sought improvement in the overall message of their site.

The solution we provided meets each of those needs. By using WordPress as the basis for the site, Ohio Valley Sprinklers has a straightforward content management system that allows them nearly complete control over all aspects of the site. The minimalist design dominated with a detail view of a fire sprinkler head conveys the mission of the company.

The City of Maysville developed the City of Maysville, KY app with Red Pixel Studios of Owensboro, Ky., so that visitors can get information about the quaint river town with a few flicks of their finger using their Apple iPhone, iPad or iPod touch.

A product of Red Pixel Studio’s RPS | infoApp solution, the Maysville app enables users to find out about the area’s numerous attractions and recreational opportunities.

Travelers and residents alike can use the app to learn about the numerous options for lodging, dining and shopping. Other sections include Arts, Theatre & Entertainment; Sports & Recreation; Museums; Tours; Agritourism and Shopping, each providing users a convenient way to find the numerous family friendly activities in the area. The Calendar offers an easy way to know about upcoming performances and events around Maysville, while Events lists the numerous annual festivals in the area.

The app integrates with the City of Maysville’s Facebook page, with the option to receive updates by push notifications, so users can be sure to get the latest information and reminders of upcoming happenings. The app also includes the City’s Twitter feed so users can follow the latest tweets.

The app gives us a powerful tool to really connect visitors with Maysville County,” said Duff Giffen, Executive Director, Maysville/Mason County Convention & Visitors Bureau. “It lets us use the latest technology to promote our beautiful community with its many opportunities to explore, play and learn. It also gives the city a great way to communicate and connect with our residents and keep them informed.”

The City of Maysville selected Red Pixel Studios to develop the app because they were able to incorporate the numerous features they wanted at a very low cost. The city is also working with Red Pixel Studios to redesign the cityofmaysville.com Web site, to be launched later this year.

“We developed infoApp as a framework to produce customized, branded apps for a wide variety of customers,” said Jason Kyle, vice president of Red Pixel Studios. “It’s an extremely flexible and robust system that enables us to quickly and inexpensively develop personalized apps for tourism destinations, restaurants or nearly any organization.”

“We are excited to have had the opportunity to develop the City of Maysville, KY App for the City of Maysville,” said Jason Kyle. “We’re also proud to be able to enhance Maysville’s tourism efforts and attract visitors to such a wonderful Kentucky destination.”

The City of Maysville, KY App is available on the App Store at:

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/city-of-maysville-ky/id497721611?mt=8

Thanks,
The RPS Team

Consistency is critical to establishing a recognizable identity that connects to the other components of your brand – product quality and customer service, for example. Create and enforce guidelines for the proper use of your logo and its complimentary elements, specifying how and where your logo may be placed, the minimum space that surrounds your logo, or your official color definitions, among others. (Red Pixel Studios can develop guidelines for you, but that is not the point of this post.)

It takes time for your brand to become familiar enough to gain traction, so consistent use is critical.

All too often we see organizations change the presentation of their identity, perhaps because they are bored with the appearance of their materials or they want to express their own creativity. They become focused on standing out and take the notion that each piece has to look fresh. They mistakenly believe they are attracting more attention by making their marketing look different, when in reality they are sacrificing their brand and making it less recognizable.

It takes a significant amount of time and repetition for a visual identity to take hold, and when you’ve built equity in your appearance you don’t want to throw it away. Just because you are familiar with (or tired of) the way your materials look does not mean that consumers share your perspective. As much as you hope your message and identity will resonate and make deep, lasting impressions, the likely reality is that you’ve barely made a dent.

The strongest brands drive their marketing with consistency – you can learn from their efforts and take the same approach.

Our goal throughout the design process was to keep it simple. Fewer choices and concise copy, all inside a giant, glowing red pixel. We designed the site so that it would look good on a desktop screen and work well on an iPad or other (lesser) tablets.

We updated our portfolio so we could show off the recent work we’ve done. My favorites are the clown feet poster for ODC Drug Free, and the Brescia University Web site, and the Visit Madisonville Web site, and the Bar-B-Q festival logo and the Bluegrass, Blues and Barbecue Region Web site, and well, I could go on and on. Just see for yourself.

As we find time we will evolve the site and learn what works and what doesn’t.  We’d love to hear what you think – drop us a line.

This isn’t the first time and it won’t be that last that someone uses “backslash” when they really mean “slash.”

This is a backslash: \

This is a slash: /

A slash is sometimes referred to as a forward slash.

Noting that we read from left to right, you can see how the top part of the symbol leans back in the former and leans forward in the latter. That is how they get their names.

If you try to enter a backslash in a Web address you will likely get an error. They are rarely used in URLs. Thus they shouldn’t be used when discussing Web addresses.

Backslashes are often used in programming languages and old DOS directories, so on occasion developers and nerds might correctly use the name.

Somehow, regular people began to regularly use the term backslash, maybe because they thought they were interchangeable or they wanted to sound smarter.

They are not interchangeable. A slash is always a forward slash.

It doesn’t make you sound smart.

Drop this word from your Internet lexicon.

Brescia University approached Red Pixel Studios about creating tools for mobile devices to coincide with the launch of the school’s newly designed Web site. Brescia’s new Web site, which can be seen at www.brescia.edu, was also developed by Red Pixel Studios and launched in August. The site features new school colors and easier access to pertinent information for the target audience – prospective students.

Brescia University selected Red Pixel Studios for the digital overhaul not just because of their talent and experience in Web site design. “It was a no-brainer for us to use the team at Red Pixel Studios,” said Tina Kasey, public relations director at Brescia. “Owners Eric and Jason Kyle are both alumni, as are other members of their team. We knew we could trust them to fully understand and execute the strategic plan we developed. We are very pleased with the outcome and look forward to continuing our relationship with them.”

“The opportunity to work on this extensive project was exciting and challenging,” said Eric Kyle, president of Red Pixel Studios. “It is an honor to design and build these valuable communications tools for our alma mater. For many, the Brescia University Web site will be the first impression they get of the school. We are extremely proud to help develop that image.”

The Brescia University App for iPhone and the mobile Web site are targeted more toward current students and their parents to help enrich the Brescia experience. The two tools mirror one another so that anyone with a smart phone can access the same information. Both provide on-the-go access to a faculty/staff directory; Brescia news; school-related and athletic calendars; official Facebook and Twitter feeds; and a location map of the University.

The Brescia University App is available for free download on the App Store at http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/brescia-university/id452124132?mt=8.

Brescia’s mobile site can be found at http://m.brescia.edu.

The campaign included a Web site that promoted the numerous events celebrating Monroe’s centennial, print ads and postcards, international press releases advancing the Bill Monroe birthday celebration, plus a Bill Monroe centennial celebration ad that was placed on the CBS Spectacular electronic billboard in New York’s Times Square during the busy holiday season.

The honor is especially meaningful because Best in Show includes entries from Louisville, Lexington, Northern Kentucky and others across the state with much larger budgets, said Karen Miller, director of the Owensboro Daviess County CVB.

“This is the top award, so we are very excited about it,” said Miller. “We certainly are grateful to the talented team at Red Pixel Studios for their contributions to this campaign.”

Red Pixel Studios developed the Web site for the campaign, consulted on the electronic billboard placement and offered public relations support to increase awareness of the event.

“We are truly happy that Karen and the Owensboro Daviess County CVB earned statewide recognition from their peers,” said Jason Kyle of Red Pixel Studios. “Karen directed a tremendous campaign and we are proud to have contributed to it.”

Cuatro enables a user to query the DNS service used by the device and quickly compare the result to the DNS records as seen by Google Public DNS, OpenDNS® and a user-selectable DNS service. The App checks the A record, NS record and MX record for a domain with an option to display the raw output from the DNS lookup. It also conveniently retains the last 100 queries and results.

An innovative graphical display allows the user to quickly determine if all DNS services return the same result or, if there are variants, how those are related.

In addition, the App displays the local IP and public IP of the device.

Cuatro is perfect for Web site administrators, developers or IT professionals when evaluating or troubleshooting DNS issues. It is extremely useful when launching a new site to verify that a DNS record modification is propagating to popular DNS services. Cuatro also lets a user conveniently check LAN responses to a domain request without having to use a computer.

Cuatro – DNS Lookup works with iOS 3.1.3 or later on iPad 2, iPad, iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, iPhone 3G, the original iPhone, and iPod touch. It is available on the App Store for $0.99 at http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/id467458981?mt=8