Your Content Speakers for Big Design 2012

We added a stellar line-up of speakers in the Content track for Big Design 2012. You’ll want to stay and watch them all!

Get your tickets today!

Rahel Anne Bailie. Content as a Design Framework

Content strategy promises – or threatens, depending on one’s perspective – to upend the framework used for development projects. Content becomes the lynchpin around which the rest of the design, technology, and user experience revolve. Good content is the logical nexus of the user experience; it makes sense to start a project with the content. Content strategy in design agencies may differ from product content strategies that include documentation, training, and user assistance. Yet both of these practice areas are business-critical and depend on each other in order for the host organization to thrive.

What content is part of a content strategy?: web content, social documentation, user-generated content, web apps, social media, mobile, localized content, delivered across multiple delivery channels. In a time where organizations are looking at alternative ways of producing, managing, and publishing content that supports users, unique content strategies being demanded – from documentation being produced in wikis, content being delivered by RSS, social documentation, connection to social media, visual tutorials delivered via YouTube, and so on.

Angelos Tzelepis. Designing Documents for Translation & Localization

Historically, translation has been an afterthought to content creation. “Hey, get this brochure translated into French, we have a trade show in Montreal.” That works when necessary, but it’s not exactly a strategy.

What used to be the translation industry is now the GILT (Globalization Internationalization Localization Translation) industry. These are important distinctions, but the most important thing is to get your information and consulting up front. From a 2-page flyer to building a new corporate CMS, engage a GILT consultant/agency from the beginning.

Do you have a bank of culturally appropriate pictures? Does your corporate font work beyond romance languages? Do your designers know how to build translation-friendly files? Come see how the translation sausage is made, and how you can make it easier on yourself and your clients/employer.

Hassan Bawab. SEO Best Practices for HTML 5

HTML5 is the latest language for website and database creation. Many of these web pages are designed and programmed with the HTML 5 language.

On its own, the use of the HTML language has many advantages. One of them is that it gives a better usability of the website. It also makes SEO indexing and crawling rather effective and easy as well.

What You Will Learn

How it brings several improvements in usability and user experience
Which new tags that will help developers classify important content
Why it is awesome for sites rich in media (audio & video)
How it is an amazing alternative to Flash and Silverlight
How HTML5 is SEO-friendly when it comes to website crawling and indexing
How HTML5 is going to be heavily used for mobile apps and games

John Lloyd. Content Design in Physical Spaces

We want to be inspired by the spaces where we work, we want the digital spaces we design to be intuitive and as mobile explodes, we are increasingly more concerned about the spaces that our products are being used. When we consider content, space has is a powerful design principal.

Space crosses so many disciplines of design. Spaces tell stores, they create ambiance, they direct traffic and they provide purpose. We’ll take a step back from the technologies and the business practices of design and I’ll share some of the amazing spaces, how content is used, and the visceral reactions that inspire our work. I’ll share stories from St. Jude’s, where we fund the fight against childhood cancer. We’ll also talk about how design creates atmosphere, how physical spaces and virtual spaces coexist, and the various spaces that we design our content for, around and in-between.

Giovanni Gallucci. Social Media for Indy Filmmakers & Musicians

Most music, TV & film today is produced by semi-pros and enthusiasts on a tight budget. Since social media tools like Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter are free, it makes sense for musicians and filmmakers of all stripes to take advantage of them to develop an audience for their work. But that doesn’t mean that just anyone should be doing the outreach. You cannot be effective in social media by randomly blasting out random content to the internet. Social media tools work best when the people behind them have a genuine passion for what they’re sharing. During this presentation Giovanni will teach videographers and musicians alike how to effectively use social media to promote their work and advance their careers.

Mark Kraemer. Sketching Matters

Can’t figure out your content. Stuck in a creative rut. Don’t be afraid, start sketching early. Sketching provides a way for you to visualize your concepts, content, and creativity. When trying to solve problems, drawing is the best way to reach real understanding quickly.