A method and a site devoted to understanding how your body moves

Have you ever heard of Moshe Feldenkrais or his Feldenkrais Method for centering your body, addressing pain and expanding fluidity in movement? It’s okay if you haven’t. We only recently were introduced to the method in January and since then have been working to perfect our pronunciation of the word (it rhymes with rice).

We owe our newfound knowledge and interest in understanding the way our bodies move to Joyce Gudger, the Guild Certified Feldenkrais Practioner who enlisted our help to craft a website that evokes a calm, peaceful vibe. Beyond the visual appearance, the site had to be built with a content management system and cost less than a pretty penny. A fairly tall order for a tight budget, but we were up for the challenge.

To begin, we offered Joyce the option of a customized template as opposed to a fully customized site. This solution allows those with budgetary constraints the opportunity to essentially have their cake and eat it too. For customized template projects, we don’t create a website from scratch, instead we do our research about a company and then venture out to find a previously designed template theme that can be modified to achieve required site goals and mirror branding. Joyce was very happy with the idea of a customized template as it provided her the opportunity to not only partner with R&R but, it meant her site would not be a financial strain and would launch in less time.

Once we found the perfect theme for Joyce’s site, we molded the template to fit her needs. For starters, she wanted to create the connection between nature and the human body, so imagery and colors needed to express that natural, organic state.  Font and graphic colors are shades of green and brown and one impactful image of a large tree is carried throughout the design. Because the site was modified from it’s original state, custom programming was also necessary in ensuring the site functioned soundly and specifically for Joyce.

The site recently launched and although its original state was a pre-packaged theme, it has very few remnants that suggest it was a template. To learn more about the Feldenkrais Method, find relaxation or to enjoy the uniqueness of a customized template, visit www.joycegudger.com.

Looking for more insight into our creative process? Check out our Pinterest branding boards today.

Pin-mania, what’s your strategy for branding on Pinterest?

As the resident social media manager at R&R, my job requires that I am up to date on all things social, which essentially means I spend a great deal of time reading about Facebook, Twitter and any new or buzz-worthy social darling. The latest platform to flirt with the masses is Pinterest. In case your job description does not include reading copious amounts of social media related material, Pinterest is a virtual pinboard that allows you to “organize and share all the beautiful things you find on the web.”

Turns out, there is much to share. In fact, Pinterest was ranked in the top 10 social networks by Hitwise in December 2011 and comScore reported 11.7 million unique users in January 2012. Yet, it appears pinning is for women, with a whopping 80% of those unique users representing the fairer sex.  Now why is it that women love it and men shun it? Perhaps it has something to do with an overwhelming number of boards devoted to fairy-tale weddings and bouncing babies. However, there are just as many boards promoting fitness and travel, both gender-neutral topics.

As a woman-owned company you could say it was only natural that we’d take up pinning. However, the opportunities to socially engage on a local or global scale and create additional touch points for potential brand advocates are far more compelling then the ratio of xx to xy chromosomes currently pinning.

Using Pinterest for professional as opposed to personal purposes does remove a bit of the romantic and wistful qualities of the site, but it does allow us to create a visual story board for our fans, followers and clients to partake in the act of design. Currently, we are experimenting with the boards for two logo projects. The projects will remain unnamed until they are completed, but with color choices, font selections and inspirational elements we are offering a peek into the typically private world of creative concepting. Our hope is that through these boards, we will gain followers who check back frequently to see the evolution of a design from start to finish as well as individuals who are drawn to our aesthetic and share it with others.

Pinterest may be female-centric now, but as with any social media platform it can change tomorrow. So don’t turn your nose up because there are more dresses than suits scouring the site. Instead, focus on creating a sound strategy that can successfully meet the marketing objectives for your business.

R&R predicts 2012

We are a little infatuated with the number 12. Perhaps it has something to do with the time of year, there are 12 days of Christmas, we count down to 12am on 31st day of the 12 month and we just rang in the 12th year of the 21st century. So in honor of the hot little number, we’ve decided to share with you our 12 predictions for 2012. Don’t worry they have nothing to do with the Mayan, Mesoamerican Long Count calendar.

1. Rhyme & Reason Design’s website will launch anew – iPhones and iPads rejoice.
2. Facebook, King of the Social Media mountain, goes public – a plethora of status updates ensue.
3. Google’s search optimization algorithm forces users to visit the ghost town that is Google+
4. The 2012 United States Presidential Election becomes a breeding ground for viral videos, SNL parodies, rogue tweets and many more pop cultural gaffes
5. Pinterest increases the craftiness of females around the globe
6. Rhyme & Reason Design wins several new clients, enabling us to hire new employees thus kick-starting the cycle of growth
7. Big Nerd Ranch is first to trend #(an)droiding, BigDroidRanch becomes a cult following
8. Moffitt Cancer Center will unveil a robust digital presence bringing them closer to their patients and closer to a cure
9. Alpha Sigma Alpha will celebrate their 47th biennial national convention with a return to their founding state of Virginia – ladybugs will be everywhere
10. Cookbook Create socializes the cookbook, Garris and Company mitigates the fear of tax season and Taste of Florida mixes up a good time, in other words Rhyme & Reason Design’s clients hit it big in 2012
11. Steve Jobs left a legacy; perhaps it’s the iPhone 5
12. Rhyme & Reason Design will celebrate it’s fourth birthday with new clients, current clients, friends, family and maybe even some bubbly.