Metropolis Creative is proud to be a part of New England’s premiere Internet business and marketing association. From the MITX Facebook page design to redesigning their membership certificates, Metropolis is happy to help. The Call for Entries is now open for MITX’s 15th Annual Interactive Awards, and Metropolis has supplied the website’s animated video montage. We’re looking forward to attending the show this Fall. If you’re thinking of entering, you can follow this link.

Charles River Web of Somerville, Massachusetts, and Metropolis Creative have been contracted to provide an overhaul of cartalk.com, the companion website to one of America’s most popular radio shows, Car Talk from National Public Radio. Hosted by brothers Tom and Ray Magliozzi, Car Talk is an hilarious, fast-paced and informative radio program focusing on the joys and woes of all things automotive.  It has been a staple of National Public Radio for over two decades and is today enjoyed weekly by over four million listeners around the world.  The cartalk.com website is similarly popular and supports an active community where forum participants discuss cars and car ownership. Nearly 7 million visitors come to the web site, annually.

Charles River Web has been charged with the task of remaking the site using a contemporary and facile content management system that will engage the community in new ways while helping to improve navigation and administration.  Both parties have agreed to use the Drupal open source CMS which is today one of the premier tools of its kind.

According to Doug Berman, producer of Car Talk, “Car Talk chose Charles River Web because of their expertise in Drupal, thoroughness of preparation, and creative approach.  We look forward to working with Charles River Web to help us modernize our site which today has ten year’s worth of content in numerous formats.”

Car Talk co-host Ray Magliozzi commented, “We can handle a clutch rebuild. We can fumble our way through a transmission rebuild. We can even figure out an engine rebuild given enough time… but a web site rebuild? We can’t even fake that!”

Tom, “Fortunately, we found Charles River Web literally around the corner from Car Talk Plaza. They work hard, they’re smart, talented, have great judgment and they’re totally cutting edge.”

“In short,” added Ray, “They’re everything we’re not.”

Charles River Web CEO, Seth Itzkan, stated, “My father turned me on to Car Talk nearly twenty years ago and I’ve been listening to it ever since.  It is an honor to be associated with this American tradition.  Their nuts-and-bolts wisdom and uproarious humor make Tom and Ray a brotherly Mark Twain of the modern era.  Charles River Web looks forward to helping to modernize Car Talk’s web presence so that their following on the Internet can be even more fully engaged and empowered.  We believe the Drupal open source content management system fits their needs perfectly and we are eager to begin the migration”.

Partnering with Charles River Web for user interface design is Metropolis Creative of the South End.  According to Michael Flint, President of Metropolis Creative, “The Car Talk website is the perfect type of project for us. They have a strong brand, and are a lot of fun. We’re already working on some creative solutions to bringing their content and their community closer together.”

Charles River Web, incorporated in Massachusetts in 2007, are specialists in open source content management solutions including Drupal CMS integration.

June is Innovation Month in New England. And  Metropolis Creative was happy to help out with a pro-bono logo design again this year.

Scott Kirsner started the month-long celebration last year to draw attention to the wide variety of innovative products, services, ideas, and people in the region. By launching this campaign socially, anyone can get involved and join in the celebration. Read more at Scott’s Boston Globe Innovation Economy Blog.

“As a designer we design things for target audiences, so my big question is, who is the target audience for these mascots? Looking at the videos online — it appears that it’s younger people, getting them excited about the Olympics. So the people who are upset about the design aren’t the target audience. . . . [The live mascots] are like these weird, fat stuffed things. But if you look at the video and some of the background on the characters they’re actually kind of cool. There’s a whole story behind them. By the time 2012 rolls around moving media will be more accessible and the target audience will be seeing this as moving media. They’ll be seeing this as clips on their phones and whatever the next iPad is and computers in schools. I think these mascots need movement to work.

In the backstory they’re saying these guys are two little drops of metal that came to life, and they did beat all odds. They became these animated creatures when they were destined to be just part of the metal of the Olympic stadium. That’s a childlike approach to the feeling that the Olympics have. But as a stand-alone visual element, they don’t work. They need that story.’’ Read the full article: Designers grade the new Olympic mascots.

MITX chose Metropolis Creative for their coveted Member Spotlight this week. “I’ve been attending MITX events since before it was cool. I remember sitting in a big room in Kendall Square many years ago when it was MIMC. MITX has a really vibrant community of both new and experienced leaders. The events are both interesting and useful, and the organization is able to get quality speakers due to its size and reputation.” said Michael Flint, President of Metropolis Creative. See the whole article here.

Metropolis Creative is proud to announce the winner for the 2010 Extreme Website Makeover Event is the Boston Center for Adult Education!

Martinis flowed and networking occured before the big announcement at District Restaurant and Lounge last night. “We selected Boston Center for Adult Education because we like what they do for our community, and they really needed some help.” said Michael Flint, President of Metropolis Creative, during the presentation.  The redesign included a new home page along with co-branded social media channels; Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter.

A Calico fashion show followed the announcement. Special thanks to The Ultimate Magazine, Makeup by Jacqueline, and Acote Salon for putting on a great show! A full writeup of the event will follow, but we wanted to announce and congratulate the Boston Center for Adult Education right away.

Come join Metropolis Creative at the District Lounge for the second annual Extreme Website Makeover contest.

Submit your website and answer a few questions about it. Metropolis Creative will choose one lucky winner. The winner will receive a new homepage design to improve their brand, increase their search engine optimization (SEO) effectiveness and incorporate social media strategy along with expert advice to gain market share and increase their website visits. All entries must be submitted by May 17, 2010.

Additionally, all entrants will receive a complimentary website consultation from Metropolis Creative!

May 26, 2010 @ 6PM
District Lounge, 180 Lincoln Street in Boston

This FREE event also features a runway fashion show. Light appetizers will be served. Other sponsors include District Lounge, Makeup by Jacquelyn and Ultimate Magazine.

Sign up for FREE here: http://extremewebsitemakeoverboston2.eventbrite.com/