Services - Lucid Fusion

Services

• Design: Your Form Better Function

  Good design is about more than a pretty picture. It's the result of balancing aesthetics with purpose, about strategically reinforcing a brand and its message through a visual medium. To look cool is simply not enough; if it were, Milli Vanilli would still be together. A well-designed piece guides your eye to the most important points and intuits a flow of information that ultimately inspires you to respond to the desired call to action.

• Branding: Walking A Fine Align

  It's hard to be true to who you are when you don't know who you are (as anyone who survived middle school knows). Knowing your company's brand is crucial. Far more than just a logo or style guide, your brand is the soul of your company. It's a manifestation of your values and beliefs. To build a strong brand, every single decision from your marketing strategy, to ads, to company culture, etc. needs to align with your brand's principles. Maintaining that alignment builds trust with consumers. It's trust that breeds respect, loyalty, and an increase in your market share. Trust us.

• Media Buying & Placement: To Do Or Not To Do

  Some people like to sell their own houses and plan their own weddings. Yet it's no surprise that most people prefer to hire a professional to handle the logistics, negotiations, and contracts. Media buying has a similar level of complexity; there's a lot to know and do. What will make sense for you? Where should you run an ad? What size? What format? For how long? We could go on, but this box isn't large enough and we're confident you get the point. Let someone else take on the research, paperwork and contract negotiations. You'll save time, money, sanity, and get better results. We'll bet our spreadsheets on it.

• PR: Word on the Street

  Like shares of stock, the perception of your brand can go up or down. PR is about facilitating (through pitches) and protecting those gains (through crisis management). It's an important part of a comprehensive marketing strategy that is critical to building brand value. PR not only provides third party credibility-- which can do wonders for your brand perception, product, or service-- but also provides powerful support for your sales and marketing initiatives. Our PR specialists know how the press works, what it takes to communicate your message effectively, and have the contacts to make it happen.

• Creative Concepting: From Napkin To Marketplace

  Sometimes great ideas are born on napkins or scraps of paper. Sometimes those who think up these great ideas don't know how to make their vision a reality; that's where we come in. There's a long distance between an idea and a working concept of that idea. It involves lengthy research of the marketplace, the audience, consumer trends and best practices; and usually, design, messaging, and copywriting too. We take that on and do what it takes to transform that great idea into a tangible and market-ready campaign. It's challenging, messy, and exciting. Not unlike when Zaynab cooks our holiday dinner.

• Advertising: Truth About Advertising

  It's a fact that the average person sees about a bazillion ads in their lifetime (it's true, Wikipedia says so). The trick is to figure out what you can put down on paper, in a banner ad, or place on a billboard that will draw the right attention, evoke the right reaction and inspire the right people to do what you want them to do. As competition is fierce and budgets are tight, it's important to have professional help. It takes effective strategy and execution to cause someone to stop flipping pages, changing stations, or looking away-- either that, or very attractive people, clothing optional.

• Marketing Strategy: Sticky Situations

  Contrary to common practice, throwing everything at the wall to see what sticks is not an effective strategy. But you already know that-- otherwise you wouldn't be reading this right now. We believe that the best marketing strategies are sourced from both the left and right brain. It's important for it to be attractive, engaging, and evocative; however, there is an end result to be attained. Usually, it's associated with the need to produce a strong ROI. We see both sides and make sure that our strategies serve all parts of your business-- including your walls, which may or may not need some touch-up paint.

• Social Networking: The State of Status

  A sure sign of cultural relevancy is when a brand creates words. I "googled" it. She "friended" me on Facebook. They're "tweeting" about it. If you're confused, feel old, or have a furrowed brow, we can guide you through the world of Social Media marketing where attention is short, communications are quick, and status is paramount. It's where people communicate by answering the same question over and over. If you want to market your brand through these mediums (and eventually you'll need to) you need to be relevant and realistic. To understand this modern wilderness, you need a guide. Just call us Sacagawea.

• Software Development: Programming Linguistics

  Our programmers are multi-lingual: they write ActionScript, php, .net, and java. That's because we know that no one language will do it all. Utilizing the right language for the job is key. When we determine the functionality you require and the type of experience you wish the user to have, we can craft an intuitive interface using a modular framework. That way, future enhancements can occur seamlessly. Everything we do is built with your success in mind; we develop each application with the assumption that it will need to grow and change along with your company and customers' needs.

• Interactive: It Takes Two (Or More)

  Volleyball. Playing Hot Potato. Doing the Wave. What do these things have in common with interactive? You can't do any of them without the participation of another. Interactive requires an engaged user and a reaction to their response. The idea is to provide them incentive to partake, because you're asking them to invest their time. Even if it's only 60 seconds, most users won't commit if they can't see a benefit. That's why we build our interactive applications around the user experience. Because if it's not worthwhile for them, they'll do other things, like play solitaire.

• Web Development: If You Build It (Well), They Will Come

  Few would deny that a website is the most important marketing tool available today, which is why it's critical to have a site that skillfully fuses form and function. As masters of our craft, we build websites like contractors build custom homes; a lot of thought, planning, and tailoring is involved to make sure it meets your business needs and that the user experience is as enjoyable as it is effective. We pride ourselves on building websites that project intelligence, credibility, and style-- because if you don't look good, your bottom line won't look good.

• Motion Graphics: Sweet Motion

  Adding motion to graphics is hugely popular, and given that most people fell in love with them through cartoons, it's easy to see why so many have affection for moving visuals. Used appropriately, they can evoke certain emotions that reinforce an intended message. Used any other way, motion can simply be annoying. The purpose of the motion dictates the type of design, movement, and experience we develop. We consider too, the target audience. What might be impressive to one demographic can be overwhelming to another, a point illustrated so often on social networking sites.