Please send all inquiries to jobs@tracermedia.com

PHP Developer

tracermedia is currently seeking a resource with PHP and MySQL experience to assist us on a variety of current projects. Candidates must have experience with the following areas/programs:

• PHP
• MySQL

Ideal candidates have experience developing in these programs as well:

• Front-end development
• JavaScript
• jQuery
• HTML
• CSS

Feel free to send any questions along with your resume or links to your work and portfolios.

Please send all inquiries to jobs@tracermedia.com

Network Support Engineer

Reports to: Director of Engineering
Years of Experience: 1 - 2 years

tracermedia is seeking a motivated individual to provide network and hardware support. Candidate should be familiar with mac hardware, and feel comfortable managing the company’s network infrastructure. Candidate is someone who thinks creatively, works efficiently, and enjoys working in a fast-paced, creative environment. Excellent benefits package including competitive salary, corporate matching toward your retirement account, and profit sharing.


Skills

• Excellent project team communication skills
• Great troubleshooter and problem solver
• Self-motivated
• Experience with Subversion and version control software
• Ldap and user account management
• Email and web server account management and setup

Responsibilities

• Manage hardware and networks at two office locations
• Work closely with project managers, designers, developers and production staff
• Provide IT support to team members
• Assess upcoming IT and hardware needs, plan for technology upgrades
• Procure, install and configure network hardware and peripherals
• Perform routine maintenance

Requirements

• Applicable educational background with experience working in networks
• Solid understanding of network protocols
• Ideal candidate will have detailed knowledge of Apple, Linux and Windows environments

Wishlist

• Candidate has experience with Amazon’s web services (EC2, S3 and Cloud Services)
• Candidate has experience administrating Mac OS 10 Server

Feel free to send any questions along with your resume or links to your work and portfolios.

Here are the current job descriptions. Please send all inquiries to Daren Tucker, dtucker@tracermedia.com

Designer

tracermedia is looking for a Designer or Sr. Designer,  who will be responsible for concept development, visual exploration and final execution of design directions. The candidate must be able to work successfully within a team setting that includes collaboration with other members of the team, to provide technically sound visual design solutions.
 

Essential Job Functions

• Concept development as directed by the Art Director
• Execution of production design
• Layout refinement and modification based on critical feedback
• Responsible for adhering to agreed upon asset delivery schedule
• Strong understanding of the limits and constraints of Flash and HTML
• Solid understanding of IA, usability and overall user interface issues.
• Collaborate with the team to create optimal user experiences
• Responsible for keeping current with the latest design trends and tools

 
Business Acumen

• Adept at working in a fast-paced environment
• Manage project tasks within time, budget and scope
• Assist with scoping work according to standards and client needs.
• Develop best practice documentation

 
Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree in Graphic Design or related field
• Formal training in graphic design, typography, interaction design and/or visual communications
• 3 to 5 years experience in Interactive Design and Production
• Highly conceptual and proven ability to interpret and adapt existing brands to the interactive space
• Extensive working knowledge of the latest versions of Photoshop, Illustrator, etc.
• Strong knowledge of Flash. After Effects a plus
• Strong knowledge of web production and visual asset creation
• Understanding of xHTML, CSS and browser capabilities across multiple platforms
• Strong communication and listening skills and the ability to translate feedback visually
• Demonstration of successful experience working in a team-based setting and ability to persuasively present creative concepts
• Detail oriented, highly organized and a keen eye for consistency
• Strong time management skills and accountable for meeting deadlines
• Must be team-oriented, dedicated, inquisitive, and collaborative
• Ability to work independently

Information Architect

tracermedia is looking for an Information Architect who will work closely with our designers, and developers.You must be skilled at the tools of the trade; able to multi-task and work with a wide variety of colleagues and clients; and quick to translate strategic business requirements and UX best practices into frameworks that are intuitive, efficient and engaging.
Responsibilities include the definition of the overall site structure, task flows and page-level content priorities. The candidate must possess an adequate level of business acumen and be conversant in brand communication, visual design concepts and interactive technologies. 


Essential Job Functions

• Champion the User Experience within the development process
• Collaborate with the team to create optimal user experiences
• Define and articulate the hierarchy of information on sites, pages and zones
• Specify the task-flows of applications and functional online experiences
• Gather and document site and page requirements
• Analyze client business objectives and user needs
• Create detailed, annotated wireframes and site maps
• Document user interface rules, defaults and conventions
• Facilitate collaborative meetings and deliverable reviews
• Present deliverables to the client

 
Business Acumen

• Adept at working in a fast-paced environment
• Manage project tasks within time, budget and scope
• Assist with scoping work according to standards and client needs.
• Develop best practice documentation

 
Required Qualifications

• A Bachelor’s Degree in HCI, IA, Technical Writing, Business, or other related field
• 1-3 years of information architecture, HCI, or UI Design
• Proficient use of Visio and MS Office
• Demonstrated analytical and problem-solving skills
• Strong written, interpersonal and business communication skills
• Demonstrated ability to facilitate cross-discipline work sessions

Content Editor / Writer

The candidate will be responsible for working closely with our design team to collaborate on interpreting and delivering the client needs. This candidate will work with the team to concept, write and executes on the design. The candidate must be creative with excellent writing skills.


Essential Job Functions

• Planning, collecting, organizing and tracking all content throughout entire project, including inception, creation, editing, proofing and launch
• A responsible member of the creative team
• Responsible for writing, proofreading and editing all content in a fresh and modern way for the project
• Gathering documentation, sharing best practices—internally and with clients

 
Business Acumen

• Adept at working in a fast-paced environment
• Manage project tasks within time, budget and scope
• Assist with scoping work according to standards and client needs.
• Develop best practice documentation

 
Required Qualifications

• This position requires a bachelor’s degree in English, Communications, Journalism or Public Relations or equivalent experience
• A minimum of four years experience in a web development environment (intranet and internet preferred) and/or publishing industry environment, agency preferred
• Excellent organizational and communication skills
• Self-motivated individual with demonstrated leadership skills
• Exceptional technical writing, proofing and editing skills
• Strong research and communications (written and verbal) skills, along with strong analytical skills in order to identify problems and needs and then define them for strategic and creative development
• Strong attention to detail
• Ability to work closely with the team translate strategic insights into actionable content plans
• Knowledge of best practices on the internet, especially as they relate to content issues
• Experience researching and reporting on content-related issues to stimulate learning and discussion within the organization
• Advanced understanding of appropriate software, including Microsoft Office (Word, Excel and Project) and text-based HTML editors, and an understanding of HTML and other web proofing and editing languages, tools and utilities

Feel free to send any questions along with your resume or links to your work and portfolios.

tracermedia brought home an Award of Excellence in the interactive category for Cornhole All-Stars, an iPhone game built for the local game company Jufti in addition to notable mention for Synchronous Objects in collaboration with OSU’s ACCAD program which won Best of Category and Judges Choice.

Also one of our very own, Chris Martin, current contractor at tracermedia and recent graduate from the School of Advertising Art, won an Award of Merit for his self promotion/identity set.

We were proud to have been a part of this years presentation and look forward to more creative work in 2010.

2009 CSCA Creative Best Awards:
Award of Excellence: Cornhole All-Stars

Best of Category: Synchronous Objects

Judges Choice: Synchronous Objects

The annual Adobe MAX Awards is a global awards program that recognizes the best uses of Adobe software for creating engaging experiences.

The top three finalists in each of eight categories will be invited to showcase their work at MAX 2009. Winners will be selected via online voting from September 28, 2009 to October 6, 2009. Winners will be announced live at the MAX event. Entrants are also eligible for Honorable Mention recognition that will be announced prior to the event.

Benefits

The MAX Awards program provides a unique opportunity to gain valuable exposure for innovative projects that brought success to you or your clients’ organizations. Receiving a MAX Award is a prestigious honor recognized throughout the industry.

“Its appeal is that it’s a social game,” Hootman said. “And with the game, it can be something you do to pass time or it can be a competitive thing with friends.”

Cornhole All-Stars is the first product out of JUFTi Games, Myers and Hootman’s new iPhone application-development firm. Both still have “day jobs”: Hootman is co-owner of Tip Top Kitchen and Cocktails and a bike messenger, and Myers is a founder of DOmedia, a database of alternative media opportunities.

They have the same goal for the games they create: that they are casual and can have multiple players.

The game of cornhole fits both of those to a tee.

The first documented games were in Cincinnati, according to the American Cornhole Association. It has since taken on a variety of names: beanbag toss, bags, tailgate toss and more. But whatever it’s called, the objective remains the same: Toss a beanbag into a hole on a slanted platform.

Mike Whitton, president of the association based in California, said he thinks the app will generate interest in the lawn game.

“I have no doubt that the iPhone game will appeal to both current players and people that have never played,” Whitton said. “And that will lead to new enthusiasts.”

Cornhole All-Stars isn’t the only app of its kind. There are at least three other cornhole games in the Apple store.

Although the iPhone game lacks actual bags of corn, its creators and developers took care to make the game as realistic as possible.

“We really studied the physics of the game,” Myers said.

Even the toss can feel like you have a bag in hand. Myers and Hootman took a page out of Nintendo Wii-like technology, where you hold onto the phone and simulate a toss. (Just don’t let go of your iPhone.) For the more discreet, you can also toss with a flick of your finger on the screen.

This proved to be a challenge for the developers at Tracer Media, a local design and animation firm. Developer Brian Dittmer created a test application to record the data received by the iPhone when it was miming a throw. It worked well—except for one thing.

“When we tested it out, everyone was right-handed,” Dittmer said. “So when a left-handed person finally tried it, it didn’t work.”

Myers and Hootman also played the lawn version of the game to find out where the bags landed when you missed or what it looked like if one bag hit another. John Geiger, CEO of Tracer Media, Dittmer and other developers translated these onto the iPhone screen using complex animation and design programs.

“The bags looked like flying pillows at first,” Geiger said. “But then you gradually add layers and 3-D technology to make it as realistic as possible.”

Whether you’re faux-throwing or flicking your finger, it’s the outlandish characters that make Cornhole All-Stars stand out.

There’s Sam Spittoon, an outlaw with a Yosemite Sam moustache; Bucketfoot Bill, a pirate in need of dental work; Ms. Peculiar, whose green radioactive glow makes her blend right into the graveyard; and Amazing Carl, the Everyman who looks like he never left college.

Bill Schwappacher, owner of Holi Moli Media in Rochester, N.Y., did the majority of the illustrations for the game. He said about 10 other environments and characters didn’t make the game, including a moonscape.

Hootman said the characters were developed after many “caffeine-induced brainstorm sessions.” Each character lives in a matching environment, and users can pick where and with whom they want to play.

Creating these characters was a tedious process. They went from thoughts to sketches on a storyboard to wire-frame digital outlines. Geiger said one of the more difficult parts of the process wasn’t the designing but weeding through all the ideas and making creative decisions.

“It was hard because at some you just have to shut off the tap and finish the game,” Geiger said.

All in all, the process took about five months. Once they submitted the game to Apple, it took about two weeks for approval. Developers have to pay a $100 fee to be able to submit to the Apple app store, and once their game is in the store, Apple takes 30 percent of the profit. The Cornhole All-Star game costs 99 cents.

The release of the game was celebrated with an Aug. 6 launch party, appropriately at the Santa Maria Downtown.

Myers and Hootman are close to releasing their next game, though they’re tight-lipped on what it is.

econnor@dispatch.com

Please give us a call or send us an email if you’re interested.

Contact: John Geiger
Email: john@tracermedia.com
Phone: 614-298-0774

View the Imagine It Website

You’ve heard the expression, “giving credit where credit is due,” well that’s our reason for being. Horizon honors the most talented developers of interactive media. The competition provides a level playing field to all participants regardless of company size. Often, smaller firms and individual developers produce outstanding work that never receives the recognition it deserves. Our mission is to shed the spotlight on that work and the people who made it happen.

Our Business Philosophy: Quite simply, we’re working for you. Through a very customer focused approach, we’ll do whatever it takes to help show the world how great your work is!

Twig is designed for blogs an other sites with comments and other elements that create long pages and cause readers to scroll down past the regular ad units normally on the side. The ads that appear after you click can be any of a variety of video or other interactive ads that VideoEgg specializes in. The Twig ad bar itself is similar to an increasingly common ad unit in videos: an overlay bar along the bottom that you click on to see the full ad.

I like the fact that VideoEgg is taking something that seems to be working in video ads and bringing it over to regular Websites. And the Twig ad bar is certainly preferable to those annoying ad units you see on some major news sites that pop up in the middle of the page and move down as you scroll, blocking what you are trying to read. (Note to advertisers: those floating ads do nothing but make me associate my feelings of anger with your brand). The thin bar at the top or bottom is unobtrusive enough and opt-in. And since it will be the sites themselves rather than a third party app imposing the frame, it probably won’t raise as many objections as something like the Diggbar. After all, as a pervasive ad unit it is not so bad.

The issue is not so much Twig on its own, it is the recent proliferation of frames across the Web. What happens when two or more frames collide? You get a bunch of toolbars stacked on top of one another, diminishing the available real estate on any given page. What starts out as a clean, unobtrusive toolbar can quickly become clutter. For instance, if you use the Diggbar on that Twig preview page, it looks like this:

Read the Article on TechCrunch