The team at Miller Designworks helped shape a Mason-Dixon/Arc Corner Identity as well as create a unified story-telling framework that connects history, heritage, landscape, science, and community across township lines.

From site analysis and 3D LIDAR scanning to interpretive design and wayfinding recommendations, we worked with a task force of contributing consultants led by the Brandywine Conservancy. The goal was to develop a strategic roadmap that will strengthen visitor experience, improve connectivity, and honor one of America’s most iconic historic boundaries.

It was exciting to get to do the site visits and see actual Mason Dixon markers along the line, including a crown marker indicating a five-mile point on the line. The science involved and the sheer force of will it took to complete this survey task was impressive to learn about, and we are fortunate to have the results of it right in our backyard.

This project isn’t just about signage and graphic panels; it’s about creating a shared identity and a cohesive heritage experience that communities can build on for generations.

We’re excited to see this vision move toward implementation in the contributing Chester County townships!
Check out the full plan and appendix here:
Mason-Dixon and Arc Corner Heritage Interpretation and Connectivity Plan

The post Coloring Outside of the Line appeared first on Miller Designworks.

It has an interactive trip planner that helps you map out a trip the is just the right length and difficulty for your paddles. Plus there are a number of preplanned itineraries that will help you find new paddling gems on this “Hidden River” (the Lenape’s name for the Schuylkill). The easy-to-use map is very detailed and provides a wealth of navigational and safety alerts to guide you on your paddle. The map also has information on the river towns that the trail passes through, as well as a number of attractions and things to see that are within walking distance of the river.

This project was a technical challenge and involved developing a custom WordPress plugin (dubbed TrailPress) to enable the Schuylkill River Greenway staff to be able to manage content within the system alongside the rest of the WordPress website. As most of the MDW staff are avid outdoor people and paddlers, this project was close to our hearts. (In fact, our office sits right adjacent to the Schuylkill River Trail, a 110-mile bike and walking trail).

Give it a try at here and maybe we’ll see you out there!

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Pitching in for Abe

The first was a special edition for our family reunion. Our grandpop A.J. “Abe” Sharadin was a teacher and coach during the early decades of the last century and even spent some years pitching in the minor leagues. When our uncle passed away we found this great pencil drawing of him and we collaborated on a label for a special magnum bottle of wine. Family lore says he could pitch righty or lefty, and I’ve inherited the gene. I seem to be able to throw them back with either hand.

Peace out

The second was on the occasion of our long-time and awesome office manager Betsy’s retirement. Her daily saying as she left for lunch was “I’m running out, I’ll be back!” So naturally, but reluctantly, we sent this child of the ’60s off with a psychedelic “I’m Running Out, and I won’t be back!” Red.

1919 was a really good year

The latest label design was for a really special place. This summer marked the centennial of the Lime Kiln Lighthouse on spectacular San Juan Island in the Pacific Northwest. We were asked to create a commemorative logo and label for F.O.L.K.S. (Friends of Limekiln Society) as a fundraiser to help support the Lighthouse restoration and upkeep. If you ever get a chance to visit, it’s a must-see location. Orcas will often cruise by right offshore, and you get the most incredible views of the sunset over Vancouver Island. Pick up a bottle of wine there to support the Lighthouse, or stop by Mike’s Cafe and Winebar in nearby Friday Harbor. Ask Mike if Abe really could pitch with either hand. That will really get the conversation going! 

The post That’s Some Fine Wine Design appeared first on Miller Designworks.

We’ve unboxed our latest “toy”, the Sony XDCAM PXW-Z190 4K camera. We’re happy because the broadcast-ready camera meets all our corporate and marketing video needs. You should be happy because as we shoot for you in 4K we help you step up in delivery options, as well as improve the look of your current media channel offerings, whether its web, social or digital signage applications. It’s all in the details, because 4K isn’t just twice as big as HD, it’s four times the information.

Plus the camera shoots in an advanced color space giving us the option of HDR recording for more detail in bright light or dark shadows.

We’ll be heading to the West Coast to shoot in the Seattle area shortly, but we’d love to get you on the schedule as well. Call or email us about any of your video needs.

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Gutenberg is the name given to WordPress’s new visual editor. The new editor allows for more flexibility and control over your content. This only changes what the site looks like where you enter content, nothing will be changed on the front-end. Gutenberg’s goal is to make adding and editing content easier.

An advantage of Gutenberg is that we now have the ability to make the back-end of your site better resemble what you see on the front-end. This will save time when creating pages and posts.

So now what?

For our clients who like the current way of doing things, fear not, nothing will change. But, if you’re interested in the additional customization and control that blocks offer, we’re happy to discuss moving you and your site into the future!

At Miller Designworks we make a lot of custom fields for our clients, if this is the case for your site, we can keep these fields and still add the bonuses of the new visual editor.

Overall, Miller Designworks is excited about this new change and all the possibilities it holds for our clients. Contact us at the studio to start your upgrade!

A Small Preview:

In Gutenberg, “blocks” make up the content; these can be moved up and down the page and have individual settings. For example, you could have an image block, a paragraph block and a quote block. Instead of these being locked into place, you can freely move them on the page.

The following are some examples of how Gutenberg looks and acts in a page. These are the basic functions that will be relevant to every site.

Here is an example of a basic Gutenberg page. Note how simple the page looks, most of the options are hidden within the relevant sections and only appear when selected.

Finding all your block options is as simple as clicking the icon:

Adding a block within a page/post and edit properties:

Move blocks easily by selecting an arrow or click-and-drag:

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Inside the information center you’ll find brochures, a large recreational map of the area, informational panels with historical photos, and the interactive touch-screen kiosk. The 32″ kiosk has walking tours, videos, and information on Marshallton and surrounding areas. Discover the history of the Marshallton area, the role it played in the Battle of Brandywine, and the significant people of the area. You can also explore things to do, places to eat, drink and shop nearby and around Chester County! This is the first kiosk in a series of proposed Chester County Information Centers.

Take a look at our project here if you’d like a preview. Although the best way to experience it is on location.

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The Schuylkill Scrub has begun, and team leaders are recording their cleanups with CleanSweep, a new app developed and designed by MDW. Every spring, the Schuylkill Scrub clean-up initiative helps to clean up the Schuylkill watershed. Help make a difference in our corner of the planet by organizing a cleanup or participating in one of the already planned events. Then, check out the app dashboard at schuylkillcleansweep.org to see a running tally of the progress made so far!

About the project:

Working with The Schuylkill Action Network and Schuylkill River Greenways, MDW designed and developed the app so that cleanup organizers can easily enter information and details about their cleanup, and then document the results into a central database along with all the other cleanups. Organizers can report in pounds or number of bags in the app with one easy switch. All the information is then uploaded to the web database, validated and displayed on the online dashboard.

The dashboard displays the number of trash bags, bags of recycling, tires and bulk items. Check in frequently and watch the numbers grow through the Scrub!  The site also shows locations and info about upcoming cleanups so potential participants can easily get involved. If you participated in a cleanup, check to see photos posted in the gallery. Having a place to show all the progress made helps validate progress, secure funding for future efforts and inspire others to get involved.

The post Celebrate Earth Day with our new app! appeared first on Miller Designworks.

About the video shoot

MDW’s longtime client CertainTeed Corporation has graciously donated siding for the restoration of the exterior of the clubhouse. Impressing even the Philadelphia Historic Commission, CertainTeed’s Cedar Impressions® Individual 5″ Sawmill Shingles will replace the rotted and insect-damaged original cedar shingles. As we’ve shot, edited and produced video for CertainTeed on their previous home makeover contests, MDW was the natural choice for them on this historic makeover.

Here is a link to Phila Mayor Jim Kenney’s press conference from CBS, Historic Boathouse Row Landmark Gets Makeover.

The post Rollin’ (video) on the River- a historic location video shoot appeared first on Miller Designworks.

Because of our work with a number of environmental organizations, and the fact that our office sits adjacent to the Schuylkill River Trail (voted best urban trail in 2015), we thought it appropriate to celebrate it with you. As spring finally gets going here, there’s no better time to get out on a trail near you. In Southeast PA and NJ, check out The Circuit Trails, a growing network of hundreds of miles of trails, including our home on the Schuylkill River Trail.

Don’t have a bike? No problem, check out the site we did for the bike sharing program BikeSchuylkill. There you can find locations that have free bikes to ride on the trail or around town. Want to ride with others? Sign up for one of the Schuylkill River Heritage Area’s Pedal and Paddle events.

Wherever you are, make this the year you “get on your Laufmaschine and ride”!

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While we pride ourselves on offering our clients cutting edge web solutions and this is just one way we continue our education in the latest web standards and practices.

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