It's an assignment both exciting and terrifying: build Madonna's Web site. At Los Angeles-based Digital-Reign, they didn't even flinch. Evette Vargas, CEO and creative director for the company, chats about art, bridging the gap, and saying a thousand words without making a sound.
How did Digital-Reign get started?
My partner, Carlos Arriaga, and I both share the same work ethic and approach to creating digital media. It was a very natural evolution for us to join forces and start a company. We established Digital-Reign in 2000. Our goal with Digital-Reign is to create and produce high-impact, engaging media that speaks to people on an emotional level.
What got you personally interested in doing this work?
I've always been interested and involved with art, from drawing to writing stories. I've always worked in creative industries--fashion design, graphic design and entertainment. Carlos and I use digital media to bridge the gap between different creative facets.
Why do you feel there's a need for what you provide?
There will always be a need for what we provide. Visual mediums are the most stimulating and profound art forms. A striking, dramatic image can speak a thousand words without uttering a single sound. With the work we produce for the Internet, we brand and market intellectual properties. We do this through the use of strong imagery and motion graphics. Sound does also play a large role in telling the story--it accompanies and supports the visual imagery we produce.
What kind of challenges do you find in doing Web design now, that might not have existed when companies were first putting Web sites up?
On the day-to-day projects, most of the challenges remain the same, like user connection speeds, file sizes, and technical restraints. I think the most obvious changes in the industry today are the companies producing Web sites and online media.
At one time, there were a number of large companies creating Web sites. Now there aren't that many giants and a good deal of smaller successful companies are producing quality sites. I think this is a positive thing. In most cases, I think smaller companies have greater latitude to create outside-of-the-box than larger companies. Smaller companies tend to have more flexibility in approach and problem solving.
What have been one or two of your favorite projects?
Madonna.com and Wu-Chronicles. I am extremely proud of the final result of these two projects. They are two entirely different kind of Web sites, but both brand and market each property perfectly.
In this current economic climate, how is the company faring?
Given the budget cuts and less activity in the industry, we are doing well. We have strong relationships with our clients and I think that has made the difference. We do our best to combine high-quality creative and high-tech functionality into everything we produce. Our clients look to us for this need and that's what we deliver.
What do you like best about what you do?
The creative process. I love coming up with concepts of how a project will look, act and function. Creating motion graphic animations is equally as fulfilling. It's extremely rewarding to know you've created a visually stimulating animation that speaks to people emotionally.
do you know an Orange County company we should cover? Let us know about it. Send your local profile candidates to emillard@computeruser.com.
