Lots going on here at RDVO–new clients, new services, new people…where to begin? 2008 was our best year yet, and we’re looking forward to an awesome 2009. Some notes:

• Several new clients including Fiduciary Trust Company, AVS, VBrick
• New people–including new additions to our reasearch, IA, and technology teams
• Sister company on it’s way. We’ll soon be launching Meta(verb), our sister company focusing on innovative search marketing programs, social media, and analytics
• A couple of new internal products and projects underway (top secret stuff)\
• New marketing and PR campaigns rolling out

You can now follow RDVO @ Twitter. Get real-time updates, thoughts, and musings from the team…

http://www.twitter.com/rdvo

SOMERVILLE, MA - RDVO, one of New England’s fastest growing interactive media and user experience design firms, today announced that it has been awarded Outstanding Achievement in Website Development by the Interactive Media Awards for its work on the Gillette Young Guns Website. The honor recognizes that the project met and surpassed the basic standards of excellence that comprise the web’s most professional work. The site was honored specifically for excellence in Celebrity/Fan.

The judging consisted of various criteria, including design, usability, innovation in technical features, standards compliance and content. In order to win this award level, the site had to meet strict guidelines in each area, an achievement only a fraction of sites in the IMA competition earn each quarter.

Benjamin Zipkin, Director of RDVO, said, “It’s an honor to have our work recognized by the Interactive Media Awards. We feel strongly that our projects are world-class examples of how the Internet can be used to enhance a company’s message and branding. This accolade is further proof of this fact.”

About RDVO
Founded in 2000, RDVO has grown into one of the top user experience design agencies in the Northeast. Offering a full suite of research, strategy, and implementation services, we have provided innovative solutions for clients including Microsoft, Gillette, Hewlett-Packard, Eastman Kodak, Monster.com, the Boston Red Sox, and Fidelity Investments. Our work is defined by our user-focused design methodology and our demonstrated ability to collaborate with clients to surpass project expectations.

We found out today that our work on the Gillette Young Guns website is an official 2008 Webby Award Honoree in the Celebrity/Fan category.

The Webby is one of the most prestigious interactive and website awards and we’re pleased to be honored for the second year in a row (we won last year for the MBTA.com website).

Hailed as the “Oscars of the Internet” by the New York Times, The Webby Awards is the leading international award honoring excellence on the Internet, including Websites, Interactive Advertising, Online Film & Video, and Mobile Websites. The awards are judged by the International Academy of Digital Arts & Sciences, a global organization that includes David Bowie, Harvey Weinstein, Arianna Huffington, AKQA Global Creative Director Rei Inamoto, Matt Groening, Jamie Oliver, Internet inventor Vinton Cerf, and RealNetworks CEO Rob Glaser.

Congratulations and thanks are mostly due to our amazing clients at the Gillette who consistently challenge us and collaborate to create amazing web products!

RDVO will be hosting the monthly meet-up of Boston’s chapter of the Interaction Design Association (IxDA).

The event will feature a workshop/class on Adobe Flex for Designers, presented by Jesse Beach, a Boston IxDA group leader.

The event starts around 7:00 PM on Thursday, March 27. There will be free food and plenty of opportunities for socializing.

Click here for directions to RDVO.

The new and improved Gillette Young Guns website is now live.

Building on the framework built in 2007, RDVO worked with the Gillette Team to integrate a number of new features including design updates, new multimedia features, interactive screen savers, and the introduction of new Young Guns: Clint Bowyer and Denny Hamlin.

The website’s technology and information design have also been optimized for 2008, which hopes to be an active and successful year for Gillette’s NASCAR promotions.

The Gillette Young Guns website won for Best Entertainment/Sports website at the 2007 MITX Awards.

RDVO partner and co-founder Ben Zipkin is featured on the newly-redesigned Communication Arts Website. Ben is featured as part of the site’s “Insights” area and he gives perspective on social bookmarking applications, Edward Tufte, 80s music, and rotisserie ovens. Check it out.

You can also check out Ben’s blog at www.benzipkin.com.

RDVO was recently invited to take place in Microsoft’s Phizzpop design challenge. The challenge is held in several cities including Boston, San Francisco, Austin, and New York. The invite-only event event includes a design contest where top agencies are asked to solve a complex design solution using Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) — Microsoft’s new supercharged application platform.

Several RDVO team members will receive intensive WPF team training after which they’ll have only two days to define, design, and build a working application UI using WPF. The winning company in Boston gets a bunch of free gear and a free trip to South By Southwest.

We are pleased and proud to take advantage of opportunity. More information about the program can be found here.

RDVO was honored with three 2007 MITX Awards last night — the most by any agency at this year’s event:

• Gillette Young Guns - Best Entertainment/Sports Website
• MBTA.com - Best Government Website
• PHT Corporation - Best Technology Website

The MITX Awards is the largest and most prestigious awards competition in the country for interactive and web innovations and celebrates the best creative and technological accomplishments emerging from New England. Over one thousand creative and technology professionals attended last night’s event.

As always, we share these awards with our awesome clients whose vision, innovation, and spirit truly drives the creation of amazing products!

Communispace launched their new corporate site this week. RDVO provide information architecture, design, and development service in collaboration with the awesome Communispace marketing and technology teams. The site also features a custom-built content management system.

Check it out: www.communispace.com