Fusebox

Author: Laura Michaels

Fusebox Honored in the 18th Annual Webby Awards

Posted on April 11, 2014 by Laura Michaels

GE Capital Bank Website

New York — April 11, 2014 – Fusebox was proud to announce today that the agency has been honored for its work on the GE Capital Bank Website (https://www.gecapitalbank.com) in the “Financial Services/Banking Websites” category in the 18th Annual Webby Awards. Hailed as the “Internet’s highest honor” by The New York Times, The Webby Awards, presented by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences (IADAS), is the leading international award recognizing excellence on the Internet. The IADAS, which nominates and selects The Webby Award Winners, comprises web industry experts, including media mogul Arianna Huffington, Skype CEO Tony Bates, Mozilla CEO and Chair Mitchell Baker, Instagram co-founder Kevin Systrom, mobile-phone inventor Martin Cooper, and the Creator of the GIF Steve Wilhite.

“Honorees like Fusebox are setting the standard for innovation and creativity on the Internet,” said David-Michel Davies, Executive Director of The Webby Awards. “It is an incredible achievement to be selected among the best from the 12,000 entries we received this year.”

The 18th Annual Webby Awards received 12,000 entries from over 60 countries and all 50 states. Among the 12,000 entries submitted, fewer than 15% experienced the privilege of being deemed an Official Honoree.

Fusebox
Fusebox is an independent agency focused on the digital customer experience. Founded in 1999, and located in New York City, Fusebox specializes in Retail Banking and Financial Services, delivering expertise in business strategy, user experience design, marketing, programming and mobile development.

About The Webby Awards
Hailed as the “Internet’s highest honor” by The New York Times, The Webby Awards is the leading international award dedicated to honoring excellence on the Internet, including Websites, Interactive Advertising & Media, Online Film & Video, Mobile & Apps, and Social. Established in 1996, The Webby Awards received nearly 12,000 entries from all 50 states and over 60 countries worldwide this year. The Webby Awards is presented by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences (IADAS). Sponsors and Partners of The Webby Awards include: Microsoft, Dell, Vitamin T, MailChimp, Engine Yard, Funny or Die, AdAge, Percolate, Mashable, Business Insider, Internet Week New York and Guardian News and Media. (more…)

Abraham Lincoln

Posted on October 26, 2012 by Laura Michaels

Krzysztof Wodiczko, Abraham Lincoln: War Veteran Projection, 2012 from More Art on Vimeo.

Abraham Lincoln is experiencing a bit of a renaissance this year, due in no small part to Steven Spielberg’s upcoming film, “Lincoln” — a labor of love for the director that is already generating Oscar buzz. And as Veteran’s Day approaches, an important new exhibit will put the 16th president in the spotlight yet again… literally!

At dusk on November 9th, in collaboration with Krzysztof Wodiczko and 14 veterans of the U.S. wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, More Art is launching a public exhibit at the Abraham Lincoln statue in Union Square Park entitled, “Abraham Lincoln: War Veteran Projection.”

The bronze statue has stood silently in the park since 1870, commissioned in the years following the close of the Civil War. Wodiczko’s aim is to bring Lincoln’s figure to life through three-dimensional projections, featuring the until-now-unheard stories of those who have fought bravely on our behalf.

Wodiczko spent months speaking to dozens of veterans and their families about the toll of duty and service on their lives, and ultimately filmed conversations with 14 of them. For the next 31 days, these conversations will be projected via sound and light onto the statue, allowing each person’s own words, voice, and gestures to convey their experiences in an unforgettable way.

As our troops begin to return from Afghanistan, there is a tremendous opportunity to start a dialogue about the impact of war on our nation, and on those individuals who serve in our stead. “Abraham Lincoln: War Veteran Projection” provides a powerful glimpse into the hearts, minds, and lives at the core of that conversation — and compels a response.

As a More Art board member for over 6 years, I am thrilled to be a part of this special exhibit launching Friday, November 9 at dusk in Union Square Park, New York City.

Video produced by Fusebox.

Fusebox launches Chardan Capital Markets redesign and new positioning

Posted on September 9, 2010 by Laura Michaels

Chardan Capital Markets provides a full suite of global investment banking services designed for micro, small and mid cap emerging growth companies. Chardan is also an industry leader in SPAC transactions and became one of the first firms to establish a presence in China.

Fusebox was retained to reposition, rebrand and redesign their website to better serve their customers and provide them with a competitive edge in the industry.

Fusebox helped streamline their business process by creating a website that could be self managed. Built on the Drupal open source platform we provided Chardan with a robust content management system. The new website features a custom “tombstone generator”, providing their team with tools to generate tombstones on the fly to display as deals are completed.  A “How can Chardan help you?” wizard was developed to assist clients in determining which division would be most appropriate to contact for assistance. A robust user management system was developed that allows Chardan to publish their proprietary research content to existing clients and collect registration information from potential clients looking to retain Chardan for their expertise.

BET Foundation gets a fresh, new website

Posted on May 25, 2010 by Laura Michaels

Together with BET Foundation, Fusebox is delighted to announce the launch of the redesigned BET Foundation Web site, the result of several months of close collaboration between these two organizations.

Fusebox’s design team created a fresh, light look and feel for the new Web site, incorporating appealing imagery reflective of the BET Foundation’s health focus and target audience. Our writers revised the site copy to establish a consistent tone and style and enhanced on-screen legibility. To help site visitors quickly locate the information they need, we reorganized all site content and introduced a new navigation scheme.

Our development team implemented the site in Drupal CMS to enable BET Foundation’s busy staff members to quickly update content with minimal training and no prior technical experience. The new site also features online registration and evaluation, complete with user management capabilities to allow BET’s staff to quickly and easily administer programs and events.

More Art, More Happiness. Now Available Online.

Posted on May 24, 2010 by Laura Michaels

Fusebox and More Art are pleased to announce the launch of More Art’s new iPad and mobile device compatible Web site. A New York-based nonprofit organization, More Art is dedicated to forging links between contemporary art, artists, and the community at large.

A member of More Art’s executive board, Fusebox Partner and Executive Creative Director Laura Michaels has helped facilitate a close and productive working relationship between the two organizations. The Web site redesign is a natural extension of the collaboration between More Art and Fusebox.

More Art owes so much to the talent of Laura Michaels and her creative team at Fusebox for the exciting makeover they’ve given our Web site. Previously cumbersome and difficult to navigate, the new site presents our achievements and mission in a fresh, user-friendly light. Laura and her team have a natural feel for design and the innate ability to understand their clients’ needs and goals. “Visually-riveting, forward-thinking, sophisticated and cool” – that’s how we describe the new site Fusebox has designed for More Art. – Michaela Martegani, More Art Founder & Director

To ensure that the art serves as the focal point of the site, Fusebox’s design team created a contemporary, minimalist look and feel. The new site structure addresses More Art’s three main audiences – artists, supporters, and organization members. Through the use of social media applications, including a blog and both Facebook and Twitter integration, the site also looks to establish stronger connections with a broader audience.

More Art Web Site screenthot

E-commerce functionality has been incorporated to enable More Art to receive online donations and allow users to purchase “Multiples” – limited edition art objects created by renowned artists for the exclusive benefit of More Art. Fusebox’s development team opted to implement the site in WordPress to allow More Art’s small staff to quickly and efficiently update site content.

The site adheres to HTML 5 standards to eliminate the need for proprietary plugins and to facilitate the viewing of all site content, including animations, on iPad and mobile devices.

Marina Abramovic Hosts a Benefit Dinner for More Art

Posted on February 12, 2010 by Laura Michaels

Tuesday night, my loft served as the venue for a small, private dinner party to benefit More Art, a not-for-profit organization that connects groundbreaking artists with local communities by bringing dynamic works to the public. Hosted by artist Marina Abramovic, whose highly anticipated retrospective at MOMA opens 3/14—a must see, the event was the first in a series of private fundraisers that reflect More ART’s desire to create intimate art experiences as a means of promoting creative efforts.

Marina Abromovic, Laura Michaels

Marina Abramovic, Laura Michaels

Guests (who consisted of curators, collectors, writers and artists) were asked to wear white lab coats and feasted on a sumptuous menu of food (pork, specifically, and fish for the vegetarians) and wines prepared by Chef and Artist Keil Borrman who is pictured in the painting behind the cutting board in a pretty compromising position (LOL). The painting served as the menu and Keil would appear as each course was served to talk about energy transformation as it related to each course, which was the theme for the evening.

More ART Benefit dinner, February 9, 2010

Marina Abramovic hosts a benefit dinner for More Art

Before dessert, Marina had us drink 24 carat gold water from beautiful glassware and meditate for 3 minutes, which was a wonderful experience.

More ART Benefit Dinner

Guests at the More Art benefit dinner

Everyone received a special, pre-edition copy of Marina Abramovic’s Energy Blanket. Made in collaboration with More Art, the Energy Blanket is a unique art object that depicts the artist’s body and energy lines, and contains magnets carefully situated to improve circulation. It is designed to instill a profound feeling of wellness, and judging from how well I slept last night, it succeeds in doing just that. It will be available for sale at the MOMA next month.

2010 promises to be an exciting year for More ART. Upcoming projects include collaborations by Kimsooja with the Hudson Guild Senior Center, Paul Pfeiffer with Liberty HS, Andrea Galvani with NYC welders, and Joan Jonas with Clinton MS. Plus, the new moreart.org web site will be launching in the next few weeks – as I write this, the designers and developers at Fusebox are hard at work on its redesign!

Tonight: Fusebox sponsoring fundraiser to benefit poor and homeless

Posted on November 19, 2009 by Laura Michaels

With social media – Facebook, Twitter, YouTube – now nearly as ubiquitous as cell phones, as a digital agency, we spend a lot of time thinking about how to monetize these new platforms for our clients. We are, after all, a for-profit business. But that doesn’t mean we’re just about profit. Using our skills to try to make the world a little bit better has always been a key part of our philosophy at Fusebox.

One of the ways we’re currently doing that is by sponsoring the Social Media for Social Change (SM4SC) fundraiser for Camillus House, being held tonight at Club 50 at the Viceroy, in Miami. SM4SC connects people actively involved in the social media arena – technologists, PR professionals, bloggers, etc. – with non-profit organizations to help them use these new tools and platforms to maximize their fundraising efforts. Camillus House, serves poor and homeless men, women and children living in South Florida.

We’re inspired by the amazing work that both of these organizations are doing, and we’re proud to have the opportunity to support them.

Fusebox speaks at NYU on social media & non-profits

Posted on October 22, 2009 by Laura Michaels

Bryan and I spoke at New York University to a group of MBA students enrolled in “Development for the Visual Arts,” a course which examines fundraising opportunities for not-for-profit organization. Our talk focused on Social Media and its applications for fundraising in the not-for-profit world. We discussed everything from brand building to execution and how social media, when used well, can open real dialogue between organizations and the community or, in other words, to “Stop marketing and start talking.”

The talk is best summarized in the letters we received from a number of students thanking us for our time. Below is one of my favorites.

“Thank you so much for coming in to speak with our class last night. It was fascinating to hear you both talk about the importance of social networking for organizations. You made an interesting point that doing this is not necessarily to sell the audience, but rather to get your name out and connect with your audience. It was inspirational, to say the least, to see that your work comes from a genuine desire to be innovative, be honest, and connect people. Like you said: Make a promise to your audience, and then keep that promise.

Not only was it fantastic to hear you two speak, but I must admit, I was a bit star struck when I discovered that I was in the presence of two people behind one of my favorite childhood memories, “Natalie’s Backseat Traveling Webshow.” I was nine years old, and insisted that my father show me how to start a “webshow” of my own…on Microsoft Word. My offline writing about my travels around my living room may have only lasted a week, but here I am, fourteen years later, with a blog.

So, again, thank you so much for coming to speak to our class. It was truly a privilege to receive advice from such sincere and successful people.”

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