Laura Bryant, Web Producer
Bio
Laura works with Capstrat’s interactive team to produce Web projects and manage client relationships.
She gained valuable experience in both the nonprofit and for-profit sectors working with United Way of Pitt County in Greenville, NC and Littleton Advertising and Marketing in Raleigh. For United Way, Laura conducted research for future initiatives and funding sources. During her internship at Littleton, she helped coordinate projects for land development and real estate clients.
As a student at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Laura majored in communications and psychology.
Articles
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Facebook's new Facelift
Sep 17, 2008 :: Laura Bryant :: 4 CommentsOver the last couple of months, Facebook users were given the option to 'test drive' the new Facebook, with the safety net that a switch back to the old version was just a swift mouse click away. I took the bait and tried the new version in August, only to switch back to my 'safe place' five minutes later.
Tonight I had the slightly jolting experience of logging onto Facebook and seeing that I was now forced to use the 'new' Facebook, whether I liked it or not. To make sure I wasn't dreaming, I re-typed www.facebook.com in my browser and was promptly redirected to www.new.facebook.com. Yikes, get a sister a crash helmet.
Apparently, Facebook has been doing some user experience research over the last several months, which I have to applaud. Looks like this new, clean design layout with tabbed content won out. As for me? Maybe it'll grow on me but the verdict's still out on Facebook's new Facelift. -
Who do I love? Duke Corporate Education.
Jul 31, 2008 :: Laura Bryant :: 2 CommentsWho do I love? Duke Corporate Education.
You know what I love? Well, besides diet soda of course, I love the feeling you get seeing a site that you put your heart and soul into finally launch live on the Web. Dukece.com launched on Wednesday, check it out if you have a minute.
As we all know, working day in and day out on a project can cause one to get buried in the trenches of day to day project management. Stepping back from the flurry of activity post launch Wednesday night (with a Coke Zero in hand), I consulted the Blueprint to assess where we finally landed compared to where we started this project almost a year ago. Looking back on this experience, I fully realize not only the worth of pleasing our clients but also the true value in sticking to strategic objectives defined in the discovery phase.
Thanks to everyone who touched this project and to those who make it possible for us to do work that explores the avenues of imaginative navigation techniques. Each and every one of you deserve an ice cold Diet Dr. Pepper. I’m buying. -
Scandinavian Child News - Svan Bouncer on Ellen
May 15, 2008 :: Laura Bryant :: 1 CommentsToday I happened to be taking a look at Brenda's Blog on Scandinavian Child's Web site and saw that the Svan Bouncer got some air time on Ellen last week!
Let's give Erin Lane and Brenda Berg some Capstrat love for continuing to hit the big time with their exceptional products!
Svan on the same show as Jessica Alba? Not bad at all!
Check it out in Brenda's Blog!
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Capstrat culture - Sometimes it's about the unicorns
Mar 11, 2008 :: Laura Bryant :: 0 CommentsWhile riding home from work last week, I received a call from my mom. She had startling news. She had (gasp) turned on a computer for the first time and (double gasp) had no idea what to do next.For the next two hours, I explained to her over the phone how to: open, create and populate a spreadsheet document in excel, how to save and then attach it in a new email message to send off. During this conversation I also had time to: drive to taco bell, sit in the car and eat my crunch wrap supreme, get gas, drive home, put my laundry in the dryer and paint my toenails.
After receiving an estatic email from my mom yesterday (yes, she actually emails now!) thanking me for my patience in teaching her these basic functions we all take for granted, my brief moments of internal exasperation were completely worth it.
It reminded me of how fortunate I am to work at a place that not only chooses to focus everyday on client work that matters but on the smaller things in life. So thanks guys, for creating a culture where it's common to throw foam darts at/with coworkers (depending on the situation) and to find a unicorn stuffed animal on your desk for no good reason.
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Naming HTML files and folders
Mar 6, 2008 :: Laura Bryant :: 4 CommentsI'd like to share something we learned last week in our "Say Hello to HTML" class taught by the web wizard himself, John Romano. Naming HTML files appropriately is just a little something that can help out in a big way. So when you're naming your files and your folders, remember these key things.- No spaces, punctuation or special characters.
- No periods. This helps prevent broken links.
- No underscores, use hyphens instead. Google will identify separate keywords between hyphens.
- Use all lower case, people are less likely to make typos.
- No fancy naming conventions, use direct labels that reflect the content. This will help everyone identify a file's content before even opening it. Also, Google likes having a file name that is related to the content.
- Remember: save your files as close to the root directory/index as is feasible. The farther away your files live, the less visibility they get.
If you do all of this, not only are you making our developer's lives a little easier, you'll get a little Google love to boot.
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Capstrat at 2008 Addys
Mar 3, 2008 :: Laura Bryant :: 0 CommentsI sipped my glass of wine and leaned back in my chair this past Friday night at the 2008 Addys, marveling at the sheer amount of talent floating around in Bay 7 of the American Tobacco Campus. As creative professionals from all over the triangle gathered to celebrate the effort that went into their agency’s work this past year, I reflected on what it means to be a big player in this industry.
Sure the award ceremony was long and certain individuals had started playing dominos with their awards or sketching out future designs, but I found myself tuned in to one thing in particular. As each award was called for Capstrat, I observed my fellow Capstratters as our work was displayed on the big screen. I watched our team’s reactions, realizing that these awards were not about adding another plaque to the trophy case in the lobby.
These awards were a representation of Capstrat’s incessant commitment to being better every day than we were the day before. Even though we didn’t taste gold this year, anyone who walks into this crazy place knows we’re thought leaders in the industry.
Congrats fellow Capstratters, for the following awards at the 2008 ADDYS!
Silver Awards for:
Guts
Conscience
Backbone
Blizzard of Giving
Advertising Industry Self Promo, Print
Silver Award for:
The Wint’ Before Opening
Collateral Material, Special Event Card
Silver Award for:
Winners Circle Animation for GSK Glaxo
Elements of Advertising, Animation or Special Effects (Video, Film)
Silver Award for:
Quintiles Transformation
Elements of Advertising, Special Effects Film or Video
Silver Award for:
Quitline, Phone Call Away
Public Service, Print, Magazine
Bronze Award for:
Bronze Award for:
Quintiles Silver Thread Books
Collateral Material, Brochure, Campaign
USO – Freedom
Public Service, Poster
Also congrats to our very own Shane Smith for his individual gold award: Karmalaundry - Casino Night 3 for AIGA Raleigh!
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Porkchops and Web Producing: Two of a Kind
Dec 16, 2007 :: Laura Bryant :: 0 CommentsPorkchops and Web Producing: Two of a Kind
Project management is defined as "the discipline of organizing and managing resources in such a way that the project is completed within defined scope, quality, time and cost constraints." I know, I know. Sounds about as dry as your weird aunt’s pork chops, right? That’s what I thought too. Until I came to Capstrat and was thrown into the chronically evolving world of interactive and web producing.
Throughout my first two months as a web producer, you could probably find me, at any given moment, whispering a quick thank you to the Wikipedia gods. By the time two months had passed, I probably accounted for 10% of Wikipedia’s hits, before I even understood the power of web analytics! With a constant slew of words like JavaScript, Meta Tag, and "wizzywig" fluttering around the media bar and being tossed around pods without hesitation, you might find yourself seeking counsel as well! Yes, I said "wizzywig." Turns out, rather than the obscured, mythological creatures I had been imagining, WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) is actually a program which will create html for you.
I’ve learned now that similar to a WYSIWYG, so many things in the interactive world are about making difficult things look easy! However, I’m discovering more and more everyday that being in the thick of things and working with a diverse team to make things happen is what being a web producer is all about. Who needs easy when you’ve got a challenge and the strategic resources to make it happen?
Besides, when you grab a cold beer and put hot sauce on your crazy aunt’s pork chops; they’re actually pretty darn good, now aren’t they?
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