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We’re looking to add another developer to our team.

A developer who works for dynamIt will be experienced with:

• XHTML & CSS: competence with a good deal of experience using CSS for layout (no table based layouts)
• JavaScript: A good working knowledge of JavaScript and the DOM. Experience with JS frameworks is a plus, but not required.
• PHP & SQL: experience building a wide-variety of data-driven web applications using PHP and SQL
• AJAX: Experience writing AJAX-based applications is recommended, but not an absolute necessity
• E-commerce experience is a plus, API/Web Service experience is a plus
• Good ability to learn and thirst for knowledge
• We’d rather have experience writing code than experience with jobs/in an agency, but it’s certainly a plus
• 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.

If you meet this description and are interested, please submit a resume along with portfolio to work@dynamit.us.

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 Charley’s Grilled Subs, McGraw-Hill, British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), American Electric Power (AEP), Columbus College of Art & Design and the Ohio State Medical Center (OSUMC).

We’re looking to add another designer to our team:

A designer who works for dynamIt will:

• Be well versed with Adobe Creative Suite: Strong knowledge of PhotoShop, experience in Adobe Illustrator and knowledge of 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 Basic Programming Knowledge: We’re not looking for a developer, 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 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.

If you meet this description and are interested, please submit a resume along with portfolio to work@dynamit.us.

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 Charley’s Grilled Subs, McGraw-Hill, British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), American Electric Power (AEP), Columbus College of Art & Design and the Ohio State Medical Center (OSUMC).

A few weeks ago we launched a new site for Charley’s Grilled Subs along with our friends at b&a. One of dynamIt’s many tasks in the project was building a store locator whereby you can search the database of over 350 Charley’s worldwide locations to find one near you.

We have a database of all US zip codes and a database of all the Charley’s locations, each with associated geocoordinates (longitude and latitude). Thus we’re able to calculate a distance radius around any zip code and display all of the places within at which we can get a delicious Philly cheesesteak. But, what if we want to add the ability for people to enter their city, state, country or any combination of the three and still get the benefits of GIFOY.

Suddenly we have to deal with the fact that if one just enters “Columbus” then we may display Columbus, GA results when the user really wants that radius around Columbus, OH. We’d all like to think that when you say Columbus without the state, you mean Ohio, but our database does not know that. Ok, no problem, we have a zip code database that knows the city and state to which it belongs, we can just devise an algorithm to see if multiple matches exist then display options to the user to see which one is intended. This sounds reasonable, right?

Yeah, it does….until you realize that there are 18 states in this country which contain a city named ‘Columbus.’ Eighteen?!?!?! Yes, 18. So, we could go with our first idea and list all 18 asking the user which Columbus they meant, but that isn’t too friendly is it?

Alas, we turn to our comrade-in-arms Google and let them do our thinking for us.

We’ve all used Google maps. We know its fairly simple to find what it is we want when searching the maps for place names. Luckily, Google so kindly provides a simple way to deliver us developers place data (including geocoordinates) given a simple string search query using their Geocoding API.

There it is, take the user input, run it through Google and let them figure out that Columbus, OH is more important than Columbus, GA. Sorry peach-staters, Google has spoken.

Now that dynamIt has moved to the Arena District we are surrounded by great food, entertainment, and of course design! Our office is coming together nicely, we are just missing the odds and ends, but we needed some nice black and white photos to hang on the walls. So, Steve and I took it to the brick streets and alleys with a camera to find some artistic shots to fill the frames. We stumbled upon numerous examples of found typography on our hour and a half excursion, and quickly realized that the area was a photographer’s dream. I also realized that we often overlook some great examples of typography as we go about our daily lives. Those subtle examples, like bumper stickers and posters, as well as dramatic ones, such as signs and graffiti. There is good design all around us conveying messages, holding meaning, and telling us where to park. So I wanted to showcase some of the great examples that we found right here in the Arena District. I’m sure that I overlooked some, and I’m positive that I could max out our Flickr account if I walked through downtown Columbus (that post in the future!). Below are a few quick crops of the typography in action, but you can browse the dynamIt Flickr account and see full size versions of these as well as other shots!

It has been almost a month since my inaugural post on our blog and I get the feeling you all are in need of some music news. Ready or not, here it comes.

First up (and time-sensitive) we have the Jazz & Ribs Fest starting tonight right here in Columbus. It will run all weekend. Find out more here.. and if you’re in the Columbus area, I recommend following ‘ExpCols‘ on twitter so you won’t miss things like this in the future!

Next, I will be attending New American Music Union Festival in my hometown of Pittsburgh, August 8-9. Although heavily branded and sponsored by American Eagle (kind of lame, but whatever), the weekend is shaping up to be one to remember. Headlining artists include Bob Dylan, The Raconteurs, The Black Keys, Gnarls Barkley, The Roots, and Spoon (one of my favorite rock bands touring today). They have managed to assemble quite and eclectic and well-rounded lineup partly thanks to curator Anthony Kiedis of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Kiedis said this about planning the festival:

“My experience tells me that concerts can be life changing. That is how I approached putting this lineup together. The thrill of seeing Bob Dylan next to The Raconteurs next to Gnarls Barkley next to The Roots is reason for us all to celebrate. Music is still the most inspiring creative force that I know of and this seemed like a prime opportunity to let it shine. Add to this the fact of a generously low ticket price and that it all takes place in the streets of Pittsburgh and we have the most rocking block party of the summer.”

There are also a number of college bands from across the country which will have the opportunity of playing at the same festival as many of the artists that have inspired them. Each one will be judged and the winning band will receive a full-day recording session in LA as well as lots of promotion from AE.

As of right now, all the tickets are sold out (!), but something tells me all of the South Side of Pittsburgh will be rocking regardless of admission. Feel like making a road trip? This might be just the time to do it.

In other music news, Pirate, a band featuring friend of dynamIt Nat Hagey (bass guitar), will be performing at The Basement on August 3. They are opening for We Are Scientists, a very good indie band hailing from England. I know I will be there, and I’m sure the guys of Pirate would like it if you stopped by too. Tickets are $12 and you can get them here.

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Album I’m currently digging: Evil Urges by My Morning Jacket

What would happen if 100 or so like-minded professionals gathered for a weekend in pursuit of converting an idea to a reality? If you are interested in such an experiment, you may be interested in the series of programs known as Startup Weekends. Startup Weekends are 3 day events, seeking to compress processes that usually take months into a long, sleep-deprived weekend. By the end of Friday night, the group decides on an idea to pursue, with the ultimate goal of launching the idea by Sunday night. What happens in the next hours is a mess of excitement, frustration, victories and defeats. It’s quite a process, and it’s memorable to say the least.

Sometimes there is a clear, defined product that launches from the program, but sometimes not. What is most important about these weekends is not the product, but the benefits that such a program can contribute to the community. Startup Weekend is, and always will be, a community-driven experiment that expands and enhances connections. The program first started out in entrepreneurial-minded Boulder, Colorado, and has since taken place in over a dozen cities. I was lucky enough to participate in Bloomington, Indiana Startup Weekend.

How does all of this pertain to dynamIt? Well, Startup Weekend is coming to Columbus (July 18-20), and we are incredibly excited about it. So excited, in fact, that we are helping to sponsor the program by dedicating money and time towards the promotion and execution of the event. TechColumbus, an incredibly progressive and innovative group is at the front of the Columbus weekend, and we are honored to be in partnership with them to allow such a wonderful program to happen in the Capital City. (If you are interested in the tech community in Columbus, make sure to join TechColumbus for member events, programs, and networking).

There is still a limited amount of spaces open for the weekend, and you can register and learn more by visiting the Startup Weekend Columbus Blog. It’s being updated all the time with news and notes as the program nears closer. You can also engage by following the Startup Weekend Columbus Twitter.