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Over the weekend of July 23 & 24, Shea and Matt attended WordCamp Boston 2011. This unique conference was held at George Sherman Union at Boston University. So, what is WordCamp?

“WordCamp is a conference that focuses on everything WordPress. WordCamps are informal, community-organized events that are put together by WordPress users like you. Everyone from casual users to core developers participate, share ideas, and get to know each other.” – WordCamp Central

3thought’s own website is build on the WordPress platform, and we have been building WordPress sites for others for over 2 years. We have found this user-friendly platform is a wonderful CMS for so many, especially small business websites. We wanted to attend so that we hone our skills and connect to other resources that could help our clients. But the event was so much more.

The schedule offered not only tips on the latest WordPress development tools, but also information on business, marketing, and strategies for a variety of goals.
The WordPress Community is welcoming and helpful, and extends from novice bloggers to hard-core developers. We met so many interesting people and look forward to developing those relationships in the future.

In addition to attending the event, 3thought was also invited to provide design services in the form of event signage (see above) and a unique event badge that also served as event schedule and venue map (image coming soon). It was a very fun project, and the 3thought team was happy to contribute to such a wonderful event.

If you are interested in learning more about WordCamp, we encourage you to check out the website.
The presentations are also available on Slideshare and coming soon to WordPress.tv

Thank you to all the organizers, speakers and participants!

It’s officially the year 2011 and that means it’s time to look into the 3thought crystal ball and make some predictions about the year to come. So far our attempts at predicting lottery numbers aren’t very good, but our predictions from last year aren’t so bad, and we’ll take a moment to recap our 3 predictions from last year before we dive into this years. Hopefully we’ll do as well as we did last year. So without further adieu the obligatory prediction post

Predictions from 2010: Here’s what we said…

The Apple Tablet: We predicted the Apple tablet would “change the way people use their computers” and “might not be perfect from day 1″ and I’d say we got that dead right. We also said “you’d be craving the next one this year”, and with rumors of the next iPad having a camera (or two), better audio and a thinner form factor, I’d say we’ll take 2 please.

Websites that will take off in 2010: We thought pearltrees.com and omgmetoo.com were pretty sweet sites but they didn’t quite take off the way we thought they would. Oh well… we move on.

3thought in 2010: We correctly predicted a new website, repeat projects, reconnecting with past clients, doubling the people at our Holiday party, a 3thought office and an overall better year than 2009. Put checks next to all of those and let’s move on to 2011.

Predictions for 2011:

1. Continuing the theme from last year we’ll talk Apple first. If you know us, you know we’re big fans. We use their products daily and we enjoy a good Apple rumor. In 2010 we saw a rise in iOS devices and this year we think that trend will continue. Look for these iOS devices further integrate with your television and look for Apple to drop the classic iPod and go all touchscreen devices. On the TV front, we expect to see more than just Airplay… think Apps and games for your TV. In 2011 Apple will become an even bigger competitor with Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo in the battle for your living room as consume meida and play games using your iPad, iTouch and iPhones as the controller. And speaking of phones we will finally see the iPhone on Verizon and it will be huge. Don’t expect it to come with LTE yet though. It would be truly epic if it does launch with LTE, be we think that’s a better prediction for 2012.
2. The internet, technology, marketing, entertainment and beyond… It’s true that we’re becoming a “connected” society. Just today, we read a great post about comparing 2000 to the year 2010 and the changes in the way we consume media and stay connected are amazing. It doesn’t take a genius to see how the world is evolving, but here are a few solid predictions of what’s going to be a big deal this year. The cloud. More and more devices will ship with solid state disks and more and more media will be stored on the internet and accessed via high speed internet connections. LTE will help this move forward and should be a really big deal this year, but it wont come without a lot of controversy. Net neutrality is going to be something we hear a lot more about in 2011. Now that large companies and politicians are taking sides, expect to see this on the nightly news and not just in the tech blogs. What else… How about a dramatic rise in the use of location based apps where you get rewards like facebook places and scvngr? Social networking will remain steady, but will lose it’s “cool” factor a bit. Advertising seems to do that… Look for your advertising to get smarter this year too. Advertisers have more info about you than ever, so expect more targeted ads on your TV and mobile devices.
3. And lastly a few predictions about our company for the year 2011. Considering the economy, 2010 was a really good year for us and we look to follow it up with an even better year this year. Look for 3thought to launch a redesigned website some time before end of year. We’ll eventually move into a new larger office somewhere on the South Shore, and we’ll hire our first full-time employee (other and ourselves). He or she will probably a full-time web developer. And our last prediction for 3thought is that we’ll diversify and increase our client base even further this year. It’s been our belief from day one that great work will always lead to more great work and more great clients.

With that said, we raise our glasses and toast to 2011. May it be a great year for all!

Wednesday, September 22, 2010 marks the end of summer and the beginning of fall. That means the warm sunny days are fading quickly and the dark cold months are approaching. Pretty sad if you think about it like that, so we’re going to give you 3 thoughts chock full of things to look forward to this fall.

1. Fall Television Premiers. Fall is the time all the shows you know and love reemerge after their long summer hiatus’, and shiny new shows fight their way into your TV watching rotation. We’re pretty excited about the return of some of our favorite shows and hopeful some new shows will fill the void left by LOST. Shea’s looking forward to the returns of Grey’s Anatomy, Glee and Caprica as well as a few new shows like Raising Hope, Lone Star and My Generation. Matt’s “pumped and jacked” for the return of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Storm Chasers and Conan O’Brien and the premiers of Top Gear USA, The Event and  $#*! My Dad Says. So what TV shows are you looking forward to this fall? More importantly how are you watching them? Live? DVR? iTunes? iPad? Hulu? How has technology changed your TV viewing habits if at all?
2. Fall Events: There’s also a few happenings going on this Fall that we’re pretty excited about attending. Yes, there’s the typical fall classics here in good ole Massachusetts like leaf peeping, apple picking, pumpkin carving and the King Richards Faire just up the street in Carver. We’re also looking forward to a few special events in the next few weeks/months. First up is GDGT Live in Boston. A must attend event for any true gadget geek like Matt. GDGT founders Peter Rojas and Ryan Block (Both of internet tech blog and start-up fame), will be hosting a live tech enthusiast event on Wednesday September 22 at the Royale in Boston. It’s free to the public and you can get more info and register on Facebook. There’s also the first annual FutureM conference sponsored by MITX this October. It’s a new event and shaping up to be a great new conference for anyone involved in Marketing and Media. We’re hoping to get to a few events over the course of the week. You can get more info on their website and register through eventbrite. With a company name like 3thought, we’re especially looking forward to the AIGA’s presentation that week called “Design 2014: Harnessing the Power of Design Thinking Now”. If you’re going to be attending any events make sure to let us know!
3. Football: That crisp cool fall air can only mean 1 thing… Football. Wether you’re a huge fan, or just an innocent bystander, it’s difficult to ignore Football’s grasp on our country. It’s the number 1 sport here in America and avoiding it’s collateral damage is nearly impossible. It’s played by little kids on the pee wee fields all week. By High schoolers and college kids on Friday nights and Saturdays, and every Sunday, Monday and some Thursdays by the big guys in the pros. With over 30 million players, you might even be in a fantasy football league with family, college buddies or colleagues? Maybe you have a child in a league? Maybe you’re a big fan with season tickets, or you don’t miss a game of your alma mater? At the very least, you probably have family members hogging the TV on Thanksgiving, or attend a Superbowl party yourself. Football is HUGE business and there’s no doubt, it affects everyone. Advertisers understand this and you probably even associate brands with football. When I say Football, what do you think of? Coors Light? Doritos? Pepsi? Gatorade? Pizza Hut? Ford? Are you ready for some football? Advertisers hope you are.

3 of Matt’s Design inspirations

1. The Parthenon by Iktinos, Kallikrates and Phidias

It’s difficult to believe that a 2,500 year old building would change the way I design today, but it did. It was first semester of Sophomore year at KSC, and I was taking Art History 101 with Dr. Friedman. It couldn’t have been more than a few classes in, when we learned about the Parthenon and how it was created using the proportions of the golden rule. Dr Friedman is a passionate guy… More an art preacher than an art teacher in a lot of ways. I was fascinated to learn that there’s a formula for beauty. I thought “it couldn’t be possible”… and “this guy is off his rocker”… But, I kept listening and learning, and it turns out that there is a magic formula, and it occurs all the time in nature. Wouldn’t you know that some of the greatest pieces of art ever, use proportions similar to this golden ratio, golden rule, divine proportion (whatever you choose to call it). From that point forward and to this very day, I use the golden ratio in my designs. Not to say it’s the end all be all for great design, but it’s a fun element to work with.

To learn more about the golden ration check out this video on YouTube.

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2. Guernica by Pablo Picasso

In the Fall of 2001 I took another class with Dr. Friedman. This time it was 19th and 20th Century Art. On the third day of class that semester, the September 11th attacks took place. Everyone’s world changed instantly. As the semester went on, we learned about a painting by Pablo Picasso called  Guernica. It’s Picasso’s interpretation of the bombing of the small Basque town during the second World War. It’s a snapshot of his life, and how he was feeling about this tragedy. Through his artwork, we learn about the innocent people who where killed that day, and how lives of the people who survived changed in a similar way to what we had all just experienced. It really made an impact on me. Picasso used his painting to tell the story of Guernica, and the painting remains a great anti-war symbol. Great design in my opinion is always about telling a story.

Here’s a fascinating 3d interpretation of the painting with some more info again on Youtube

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3. Ogden Plumbing logo by Astuteo

Nothing much to say here except… Best use of negative space ever!!! OK, if you know me, you know I’m a sucker for “A ha” moments. I love em in books, movies and especially in graphic design. This logo for Ogden Plumbing is far and away one of my favorite logos. It’s simple. It’s complex. Dare we say… it’s “simplex”? Whatever you wanna call it, there’s no doubt it’s pretty awesome. Creating something that’s memorable like this logo is what every passionate designer strives for on every project.

For more great negative space logos, check out a great post by David Airey at logodesignlove.com

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Now that Shea and I have shared a few things that inspired and influenced us, our question to YOU OUR READER is: What inspired you? Whether you’re a pixel pusher, fry flipper, desk jockey or a social media “expert”. What inspired you to become the person you are today?

Comments are always appreciated and we’d love to hear from you.