I have been shuffling this idea around my head for a while and even managed to convince some of the guys around the office that I, in fact, may have something here. Computer displays today are following the widescreen trend, you see less and less 4:3 aspect ratio and see more and more of 16:9. This is great for movie watching, but let’s be honest how often do you sit in front of your computer screen and watch an entire movie? This is why I am introducing the concept of “tallscreen,” that is, an aspect ratio of 9:16. It can be easily achieved by taking that existing widescreen LCD and flipping it on its side (then tweaking your display settings ever so slightly).

Personally, my everyday use of the computer consists of word processing, Internet browsing, e-mail/instant messaging, and listening to music, all of which are enhanced or unchanged by tallscreen. Websites are constructed to have only a vertical scrollbar; word processing is bounded by the width of a page, but not by the number of pages. All of this computer content is arranged vertically, so should it not make more sense if our screens were to accommodate more vertical space? Tallscreen does just that. Plus, with more advanced graphics card outputting higher screen resolutions, you are not giving up that much horizontal space. A very standard screen resolution is 1024×768, nearly all websites are designed for users of this resolution. My new, widescreen, laptop outputs at 1440×900. By switching to tallscreen, I am only 124 pixels off of this standard width, but I am nearly doubling its height.

Check out the screenshots below. Notice all of the dead space on the sides of when in widescreen mode. This dead space becomes usable when we convert to tallscreen.

Next time you setup an new LCD display, think tall.

Dynamit was honored as one of the “Best Places to Work” in 2010 & 2011 by Columbus Business First newspaper and Interactive Agency of the Year. Times are even better in 2012 and we’re hiring a Web/Graphic Designer for our aggressively growing team.

This is an exciting opportunity to work on cutting edge projects for well-known brands in a dynamic, entrepreneurial and highly creative environment. Please email resumes/cover letters and portfolio information (documents or links to online examples) to Gary Moneysmith via gmoney@dynamit.us.

A web/graphic designer on the Dynamit team will:

• Be well versed with Adobe Creative Suite: Strong knowledge of Photoshop, experience with Illustrator and InDesign.
• Have a strong understanding of Usability & Web Trends: Experience with user interface design, knowledge of best practices & examples of this in a portfolio or live site/application design. They will also be up-to-date on web trends and design tactics with examples.
• Have experience in user experience design (UXD) designing application and system interfaces. This experience is crucial for this position.
• Have Basic Programming Knowledge: We’re not looking for a developer here, but the designer should have the ability to design for web with a knowledge of the boundaries and how to design for execution by a programmer.
• Have a Strong Portfolio: We’d like to see much more web work than print.
• Be eager to learn, with a passion for design & the web. The designer should have a strong internal drive for industry knowledge and be committed to furthering the craft.

Experience is important, but personality is key. Our culture is what drives us, and we’re looking to build our team with someone who both fits and contributes to it.

The position is full time at our office in the Arena District in Columbus, Ohio. We offer a competitive salary and benefits package as well as a fun, high-energy, intellectually-stimulating work environment.

Benefits Include

• Competitive salary (compensation will be based on skills and experience)
• Fully paid medical/dental insurance for employees
• Paid parking
• Unlimited vacation time (within reason)
• Office bar + climbing wall — not recommended together

Don’t sit back. If you want to work in a fast paced work environment with great people who love what they do, apply today.

About Dynamit
Dynamit is a digital agency based in the Arena District in Columbus, Ohio. We work with clients and brands on digital initiatives that include strategy, design, user experience and development. We influence communication and commerce. Client work includes Hilton Worldwide, Charley's Grilled Subs, McGraw-Hill, British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), E-Z-GO, American Electric Power (AEP), Columbus College of Art & Design and the Ohio State Medical Center (OSUMC) to name but a few.