For years Lightray has used Flash in our websites for targeted interactive experiences, and for brand reinforcement, but we have long cautioned about it’s overuse. Pure flash websites up until recently do not index well on search engines (and still don’t unless you jump through rings of fire), require users to wait forever for a site to load (bad news now that everyone has A.D.D), and generally cost a lot of money to create (bad news in a bad economy.) Flash also inspires creative people to do unnecessary “neato” things that in our opinion just get in the way.  Of course there are cool things you can do with Flash which are unique to it, but overall, it’s not our favorite.

Now it looks like Steve Jobs agrees. In an open letter on the Apple website he boldly argues his case for not supporting Flash on Apple Mobile devices. The letter points out a number of reasons, everything from the basic interactive experience of flash being incompatible with touch screens, to a more nerdy argument about Flash being a ‘closed’ proprietary platform. But the most damning thing he said in our opinion was this…

Flash was created during the PC era – for PCs and mice. Flash is a successful business for Adobe, and we can understand why they want to push it beyond PCs. But the mobile era is about low power devices, touch interfaces and open web standards – all areas where Flash falls short.

When Jobs says “PC-era-for PC’s and mice” he makes it sound as though Flash were still operating on old command line mainframes. In other words, the future is here, and Flash is not in it. Ouch!

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Contemporary Art  in the Heart of the Vibrant Culver City Art District in Los Angeles | view site

Lightray launches a new site for Taylor De Cordoba Gallery in Culver City, showcasing their artists, shows, press, and underscoring their place on the bleeding edge of the Los Angeles art scene. The new site was designed on the WordPress platform giving gallery staff an easy and efficient way to keep it up-to-date themselves. Lightray’s focus was to create a simple sleek design that would not compete with the artwork. A clean white background was selected to present a modern and restrained look.

“When we started the project our designers studied the look, feel, and structure of many other Gallery websites.” says Jessica Thompson Lightray Creative Director. “We choose to make everything but the Taylor De Cordoba brand, and the artwork, understated,  giving the site a gimmick free sophistication. From a programming side, we integrated gallery management applications into WordPress making it excessively easy for Gallerists to publish the work of new artists. So the back-end development was cost effective, and the result is a gorgeous and easy to update website”

To learn more about Taylor De Cordoba and to get on their mailing list go to www.taylordecordoba.com.

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Have Fun Storming the Castle! | view site

Lightray launches the long overdue Official Fan Site for The Princess Bride, a classic film loved by generations of fans. The new site features Photo Galleries, Discussion Board, Trivia, T-Shirts, Posters, Exclusive Content, and everything else you can dream up. Over the years a number of unofficial fan sites have sprung up, along with a healthy Facebook group, and active Twitter page. The new site hopes to bring all fans together to revel in the world of The Princess Bride.

“As huge fans of the film ourselves, we had to make sure that we captured the whimsical, witty, and fantastical nature of the film lore.” says Jessica Thompson Lightray Creative Director. “We choose to focus a lot of attention on the beloved characters and clever language that fans would immediately identify with.”

The new official fan site Princessbrideforever.com launched December 2009.

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Health Care for Those that Need it Most | view site

Lightray launches a website for The Lake Tanganyika Floating Health Clinic, floatingclinic.org, an international NGO whose mission is to address the problem of health care access for isolated communities in the Lake Tanganyika basin.

The websites’ goal is the help raise awareness and funding for the groups efforts. Award-winning documentary team Fisher Stevens and Mark Monroe, in partnership with East Pleasant Pictures, has selected The Lake Tanganyika Floating Health Clinic as the subject of its next feature-length documentary film.

“Our goal was to help the organization communicate it’s approach and the dire situation faced by 3 million people who have virtually no access to care. Says Jessica Thompson Creative Director. In Africa where much aid has poured in – its important to find the organizations that work directly on the ground and can ascertain real needs that translate to successful programs. The Floating Health Clinic is one such organization.”

view the promotional short film:

Lake Tanganyika / Floating Health Clinic from East Pleasant Pictures on Vimeo.

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Celebrating the Arts, and Self Expression | view site

LOS ANGELES – Lightray launches a new site for PS Arts’ Express Yourself 2009  event, a yearly fundraiser where PSARTS supporters can experience and enjoy the vast opportunities that the organization provides to thousands of students in Los Angeles County and the Central Valley.  P.S. ARTS students thrive in an environment that encourages self-expression and for one Sunday afternoon, supporters’ families can too!

The website serves as key component for event organizing. Psartsexpress.com serves as an invitation, ticket purchasing portal, and sponsorship driver. Each year the PSARTSexpress website is refreshed with new information and a new brand – making each years event unique and exciting.

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Where Artists, Families, and Patients Come Together |  view site

Lightray launches a new site for Arts At Hospice,  a unique non-profit dedicated to recruiting artists from around the country to volunteer their skills in Hospice Care facilities. Arts at Hospice recruits, coordinates and provides special training to volunteers so they are prepared emotionally and inspired to make a difference in peoples lives at this critical time.

“In working with Arts at Hospice we wanted balance the inspirational work of volunteers, while also portraying the delicate and highly emotional aspects of the work. says Creative Director Jessica Robins Thompson. We found that by allowing volunteers to tell their stories through videos, blog, and testimonials we could begin to capture this highly unique experience.”

The new Arts At Hospice site launched November 2009.

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Restoring Arts Education to Our Public Schools | view site

Lightray launches a new site for P.S. ARTS, a Los Angeles based non-profit dedicated to restoring arts education to public schools throughout Central and Southern California. P.S. ARTS brings year-long arts instruction to schools whose art programs have been cut due to budget constraints. P.S. ARTS provides independently evaluated curriculum, teachers, and a high standard of arts education to students who otherwise would go without. Not only does P.S. ARTS give children hands on technical skills, but they also stimulate imagination, and promote creative problem solving and critical thinking. “To imagine primary school without arts education is simply to bleak to overlook” says Lightray CEO Kimberly Brooks. “We wanted to give P.S. ARTS a site that could help raise awareness both about the problem, and the solution, which is support the kinds of programs P.S. ARTS provides. We also wanted reflect the imagination unleashed by children who benefit from the programs.” The new P.S. ARTS website launched in October 2009. ###

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Naturopathic Medicine, Women’s Health, Green Living  | view site

Lightray launches a new website for Naturopathic Doctor, Maggie Ney, ND. The site is a combination of a blog, and informational resource that Dr. Ney can use to speak out and educate visitors on healthy living practices, and discuss methods and research into health and well-being.

“Creating a site for a person is a bit different then the approach you take with company or organization.” says Jessica Thompson, Lightray Creative Director. “You have to strike a balance between promoting the individual as a brand and making sure their message takes the front seat as well. Putting the blog right up as the homepage, is a great way to give appropriate weight to the substance to the site, as well as keeping it fresh and timely.”

DrMaggieNey.com launched in October 2009.

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LA’s exclusive resource for designers and discerning shoppers | view site

LOS ANGELES – Lightray launches a new site for Hollyhock, acclaimed designer Suzanne Rheinstein’s West Hollywood store. Founded over 20 years ago, Hollyhock is at center of the worldwide design community. Located adjacent to the Pacific Design Center Hollyhocks’ influence in the design community is far reaching. Each item in the store is carefully hand selected by Suzanne including unusual pieces that cannot be found anyplace else. In keeping with Hollyhock’s commitment to supporting cultural life, the store is often the venue of a lively salon, launching book parties, lectures, and other celebrations. Lightray was selected to redesign the Hollyhock site focusing specifically on showcasing the stores broad collection, making it easy for visitors to find the pieces they love.

“Working with the Hollyhock team was really inspiring, says Jessica Thompson Lightray Creative Director. We had the opportunity to work with them in developing a look that really fit the style and aesthetic of the store, syncing our vision with theirs was exciting. It’s a real pleasure to work with a client whose eye is trained to the nuances of great design.”

The new Hollyhock site launched August 2009.

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A Sly Observant New Novel By Acclaimed Author Gigi Levangie Grazer | view site

LOS ANGELES – Lightray launches Queen Takes King booksite for acclaimed author Gigi Levangie Grazer. The new book which hits the stands this June delves into the lives of a New York City power couple in the midst of a contentious divorce. While the subject is a serious one Grazer brings her trademark satire and insight for a fast and entertaining read. Grazer is the author of three other best selling books, two of which have been turned to successful shows, The Starter Wife starring Debra Messing, and Maneater premiering this June. Lightray will also be launching a comprehensive author site for Gigi this summer that showcases all her work, in print, on tv, the big screen, and more.

“Authors are quickly embracing the Internet as a essential tool for promoting their books and building fan bases. says Jessica Thompson, Lightray Creative Director. Having a presence on facebook, and twitter as means to reach out to fans has revolutionized the tedium of building an fan list. We believe all authors should have a home base, namely their own website from which they can launch a consistent branded presence on the social networking sites. It works, and it’s just the beginning.”

Watch Gigi Discuss Her Book on the CBS Morning Show

Watch CBS Videos Online

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