Highlights Hidden Pictures 2012

This iPhone/iPad universal app is an iOS take on the classic hidden pictures puzzle genre Highlights made famous decades ago.

When I was a kid in the 70's, I spent hours finding the screw driver hidden in the bark of a tree or the teacup disguised as a girl's sleeve. When they approached me in the spring of 2012, I could not say no.

The client already had a version of the app, but they wanted a complete rebuild of the concept in order to create something far more flexible and extensible. The finished product features in-app purchases, a comprehensive system for handling hundreds of existing puzzles, parental controls and a system for displaying marketing and other banners based on the user's region- and all of this presented in a variety of languages.



Client: Highlights For Children
Timeframe: November 2012
Keywords: education /entertainment

Don't Open Before Christmas

Another delightful popup book project for the fine folks at Crab Hill Press.

We got the band back together! Troy, Bill, Rachel and I had a wonderful time putting this new one together: a holiday-themed romp about what happens when you open your presents too early.

Hint:


Client: Crab Hill Press
Collaborators: Bill Doyle: Author, Troy Cummings: Illustrator, Rachel Ericson: Producer
Timeframe: October 2012
Keywords: book

Denver PrideFest

Here we have an event-driven iPhone app for the 2012 Denver PrideFest, brought to us by the same agency behind the Long Island GLBT center app I made in 2010.

This one features an interactive map of the festival site along with searchable,filterable information on what's happening and where. It even allows users to vote on their favorite parade float or music act.

The app contains several tabs dedicated to the Denver Center's work, and after the festival is all done, the app transforms into something more oriented to the Center itself.



Client: Denver PrideFest
Collaborators: Sue Hoffman (indigo501) Layout & Design
Timeframe: June 2012
Keywords: community

Cash Hoppers

Cash Hoppers is a scavenger hunt app for iPhone with a twist, and as the name implies, that twist is cash. Players rack up points by searching their local communities for the designated items and uploading the photos.




Client: Big Loretta
Collaborators: Tony Fannin (BeBranded) layout & Design, Justin Bolles (ConnectThink) app coding
Timeframe: April 2012
Keywords: entertainment

My Dad Drives a Roller Coaster Car (iPad)

As the title implies, Hank's dad drives a roller coaster car. In fact, all of his relatives drive amazingly fun fairground attractions (everything from log flumes & teacups to rocket ships).

We have lots of animation in this one to have fun with the way the vehicles move.

The educational emphasis here is on onomatopoeia based on the silly sounds the different cars make. Kids can interact with the sound words themselves to trigger fun stuff.


Client: Carb Hill Press
Collaborators: Bill Doyle: Author, David Guidera: Illustrator, Rachel Ericson: Producer
Timeframe: January 2011
Keywords: book

Long Island GLBT

This is a community organizing app (iPhone & iPad) for a GLBT group in Long Island, New York.

The app features a mixed local & national news feed, an events calendar drawing from several different sources, a Twitter feed, and a business directory with interactive map.


Client: Indigo Design
Collaborators: Sue Hoffman: Design
Timeframe: December 2010
Keywords: community /marketing

Nash Smasher (iPad & iPhone)

Nash Smasher is a kids' pop-up book for the iPhone & iPad. Well, technically it's not possible for items to actually pop out of the device itself, but we were able to utilize many of the tried and true elements of the format to create something that felt both new and nostalgic at the same time - tabs, wheels, mix-and-match pictures, and rampant silliness.

It's a story of a young man who enjoys smashing things and the trouble this causes him at a friend's birthday party.

We also built Dutch & Chinese versions
for the iPhone to help capture sales in those markets.


Client: Crab Hill Press
Collaborators: Bill Doyle: Author, Troy Cummings: Illustrator, Rachel Ericson: Producer
Timeframe: August 2010
Keywords: book

O Tannenbaum

Here's a holiday treat from 2009, a holiday-themed platform-jumper created for both Flash and iPhone to celebrate the season on the company's 25th anniversary.

Players run and jump on their way to the top of various Christmas trees as employees taunt them and throw ornaments.


Client: Bennett Innovations
Collaborators: Jeremy Albert: Artwork, Greg McGuirk: Music
Timeframe: December 2009
Keywords: game

Time Tornado

In Time Tornado, the events of history have been mixed up, and it's your job to put them back in order.

Don't worry if you think your knowledge of history isn't up to snuff. You don't have to know exactly when something happened- just whether it happened before or after the other items on the list. It's easy at first but gets tougher and faster as the game progresses. How many rounds can you go?


Timeframe: October 2009
Keywords: game

Flicky Football

My first foray into the iOS world, this iPhone paper football game is fairly simple but still a lot of fun to play.

Flick the ball down the field for a touchdown and go for the extra point. First to 21 wins the game. Single player and multi-player modes available.


Timeframe: August 2009
Keywords: game