Our own Matthew White has been teaching design and app development like crazy over the last 6 months or so. His app development class at a local community college as made some major waves, and landed him an article in quarterly publication for Bunker Hill Community College.

Check out the article and photos over at the OurDesign blog – http://www.ourdesign.us/2011/07/05/course-on-designing-mobile-apps-bhcc-magazine-publication/

We are looking for students in the local Boston and or Cambridge areas that are interested in getting into iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch Applications. We have some current and future projects that require beta testing in focus groups, and let’s just say, we’re pumped!

Beta Tester Requirements

• A college student with an interest in mobile application design/development
• Have an iOS compatible device (Preferably iPhone or iPod Touch)
• Access to the T or public transportation
• Signing of a Non-Disclosure Agreement to Begin (this just says what you’re testing and it’s results are confidential and may not be shared with anyone except DW)

If you love apps, design, technology and “enjoying the sights” of Boston/Cambridge, then let us know. Send us a message on our Facebook Page or @dirkweiss on Twitter, or just plain email us. – mw [at] dirkweiss [dot] com

If you’re asking, ‘Where is Dirk+Weiss!?’, then this may satisfy your curiosity, we hope. Truth is, we are the busiest we have ever been. Maybe a clear sign of a rebounding economy? We have been busy working steadily with our clients to provide the best solutions possible.

Since May, we have broken new ground with our website client from India, and are almost ready to launch a brand new website for them. We have also been in talks for a few new Apple iOS apps with local companies here in Boston, that range from utilities to more advanced experiential applications.

On a more technical note, we have gone 100% HTML5 and JavaScript in lieu of Flash for web and mobile based projects. While we believe flash can still have appropriate applications, the ever growing sector of mobile devices and platforms has shown it’s demand for such lightweight, open programming environments. And at the end of the day, we are looking at solutions for our clients that can range from computer screens to mobile devices, maximizing return on investment, as this is the road we are all on as consumers.

As the summer continues, we are preparing for a busy fall. We have some projects in the pipeline, and are working on what seems like a million things all the time. In addition to all the new projects that we are working towards, Matthew White of DW is working hard expanding his teaching experience over at the Art Institute of Boston @ Lesley University and Bunker Hill Community College teaching marketing and design classes.

Stay tuned to dirkweiss.com for a fresh, new, fast, efficient look coming soon. While the economy is rebounding, we all still live in an environment where trimming the economic fat is a necessity. If you’re unsure who to contact about your new design or marketing project, just give us a ring.

Creator Jason Stevens asks Matthew White of Dirk+Weiss a series of questions about what and how we do, what we do. Here is our response to our questions.

Read all the responses from other designers.

“Small Talk: 3 or 4 questions to 150 designers”

[DIMT] What does an iphone app look like during development, what’s the file type and what are the major components?
[DW] In a nutshell, during the development stage, Apps are code. But, thanks to Apple’s XCode environment, iPhone Apps have two overall parts: XCode (Under The Hood) and Interface Builder (The Look). The file extension is .xcodeproj until the building stage when they are packaged into .app files.

[DIMT] How is it there are 120,000+ iphone apps, plus those for other mobile devices, are apps easy to make?
[DW] First and foremost, Apps are lucrative if you know how to make them, and sell companies on having them. At this point in the game, to make apps, you need to know the CocoaTouch (Objective C) programming language. Could be a hurdle for some, but in the reality of things, that is no excuse. I am a designer, and I continue to learn code. Its not difficult, it’s actually quite logical. There are websites and forums out there that have thousands of developers sharing code and project files for learning. If you have time, you can learn to make apps. PLEASE do not go buy a $40+ book at Barnes and Noble. Just last week I watched a YouTube tutorial on how to incorporate horizontal finger gestures into my app. We all know Apple is known for there easy to use applications like iMovie and iPhoto. I would put money on the next iLife series having an iApp program so anyone can make Apps (ugh…Apple tablet…ugh). Speculation only of course.

[DIMT] Apps are just a portion of your business under your technology focus, what else is keeping you busy these days?
[DW] Designers that need programmers, and business that need results. Like I said, I am a designer that does development. There is ample value in being able to drive on both sides of the street, and clients know it.  I would also say that clients (a.k.a the people and business of the world) expect graphic designers to be able to at least talk about current web solutions right off the bat. If this is not the case, you can appear a bit antiquated. In our case, we find clients almost never request print design. Apparently this is a trend for not just us but lots of designers. In addition to clients, we also work on new initiatives for Dirk+Weiss that include our weekly Podcast, workshops, and of course iPhone Apps. I also am an Adjunct Faculty member at the Art Institute of Boston (AIB) @ Lesley University, teaching design and marketing related courses.

photo: MacDailyNews.com

Indeed! This guy is not alone when it comes to the lure of the iPhone and its apps. We have been busy at Dirk+Weiss. Looks like the economy is starting to bounce back, as businesses seem to be coming out of the shadows once again.

This week, we had two new inquiries for iPhone Apps, finished a small business website and marketing plan, and started a new Dirk+Weiss initiative.What’s the inititiave? Well, lets just say its not about the small, but about the Huge. More to come…

Also, we have been cranking away at creating two new artist websites for one particular client. These sites are turning out quite nice, and utilize some great combinations of flash driven galleries, based on simple to use Content Management. They really showcase the works of the artists, by keeping the interface clean. These sites are in beta stage now.

If you haven’t seen our earlier post, Matt White (Dirk+Weiss) is teaching for the pre-college program over at the Art Institute of Boston (AIB) at Lesley University. So far, students have really stretched their brain muscle and come up with some great concepts. Not to mention the fact, that when asked to create and brainstorm ‘the perfect design scenario’, printed design was not the focus. The focus was on technology, smart devices, and interface. Keep in mind, these students are 16 and 17 years old. The future designers of the world! Nice! Check out the Facebook page for his class ‘Graphic Design Techniques‘.

We will keep you updated with our design adventure of course, and the development of the next great Dirk+Weiss initiative, which again, will be ‘huge’.

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Thanks!