In celebration of Movember, the Skybox Creative management team stages a rediculous photoshoot full of mustaches, monkeys and monsters!

We are clearly committed to Core Value #6: “Never Act Your Age” … How else could we produce ground breaking creative results!

Check out the photos below – click to view full size! Donate to Movember here.

“During November each year, Movember is responsible for the sprouting of moustaches on thousands of men’s faces, in the US and around the world. With their Mo’s, these men raise vital awareness and funds for men’s health issues, specifically prostate and testicular cancer initiatives.” Donate to the cause here!

If you enjoyed this photo gallery, please like, tweet or share!

by Angelina Sereno

We are proud to announce that Skybox Creative President, Angelina Sereno, is a finalist in the 19th Annual San Diego Business Journal Women Who Mean Business Awards 2012.

One of the largest SDBJ events of the year, over 900 are expected in attendance to mingle and watch as San Diego business leaders receive recognition for their hard work and influence. This years’ awards ceremony luncheon will take place on Tuesday, November 6, 2012 from 11:30am-2:00pm at the Town & Country Resort in Mission Valley. This prestigious event was created 19 years ago to honor women who have contributed significantly to the local business community and has become a San Diego tradition, growing in scale and notariety.

Sereno stands among some of the brightest and most courageous business women in San Diego, from companies such as Jack in the Box, San Diego Chargers, Digitaria, UCSD and more.

Angelina Sereno started things small in 2006. What began as a Web Design and Branding studio out of her home, has become a team of twelve with an office in the heart of San Diego. The Skybox name has since expanded to include Skybox Ink, a Green Printing division and Skybox SEO, a Search Engine Marketing division. Skybox quickly found itself providing creative services to a wide variety of industries and clients including Warner Bros., CBS, PETCO, Red Bull, LA Fitness and US Bank.

Angelina has won the highest honors at every phase of her development and proven her metal in today’s fast-paced, rapidly changing, media-based world. An all-star graduate of the Art Institute of CA-SD, her design work and leadership influence have won her numerous awards and nominations nationwide.

Angelina had plans for Skybox to become more than just a successful creative agency, but for it to fuel her larger vision. A philanthropist and environmentalist at heart, she is an ongoing sponsor of numerous charitable organizations, including Urban Angels, GreenPeace, Sierra Club, CleanPB, Feed the Children and more.

“I’m honored to be listed among such amazing women in San Diego.” said Sereno, “I’m so excited for this year’s event… for the opportunity to connect with fellow nominees who embrace their leadership and greatness.”

Leading event sponsors include Union Bank, ESET Internet Security, Kaiser Permanente, Active Network, Fashion Valley Mall and Town & Country Resort.

Learn more about this event, here.

To order tickets for this years event, click here.

Skybox Creative
2878 Camino Del Rio S., Ste 101
San Diego, CA 92108

(619) 381-3825
info@skyboxcreative.com

It’s awards season and while most of you are thinking about the Academy Awards and those fabulous or maybe not-so fabulous red carpet wears, awards season isn’t just for Hollywood, it’s also for the creative design and advertising community. So, without further ado, let’s roll out the red carpet for the 2012 International Creativity Awards! Ok – so maybe there isn’t an actual red carpet but hey, we’re leading-edge designers, and awards fabulousness can exist sans the Dolce & Gabana gown or form-fitting Gucci tux.

The International Creativity Awards is a prestigious competition that has been handing out awards in print, web, and advertising design for over 40 years. First established in 1970 as a traveling exhibit in conjunction with Art Direction Magazine, this independent annual awards competition grew in scope and size very quickly into a showcase for the most innovative and talented artists around the globe. Top works in each category are reproduced into what is now known as the 400-page Creativity Awards Annual – the leading book on where the future of design is headed. And the future of design is not only an arena for the professional aesthetic, students are also encouraged to submit their work – because as we know, creativity knows no limits…it just needs to get a nod by an esteemed panel of judges.

Not unlike the Academy voters, the Creativity Awards judges have a very difficult job of reviewing a multitude of submissions in various categories. But what’s refreshing about the judges chosen is that each design professional volunteers their time with the hopes of finding “the next new thing” — without bias or personal agenda. Every year new judges are selected for fresh perspectives and we’re excited to announce that this year Skybox Creative’s Angelina Sereno will be joining the international panel to judge the Media and Interactive Competition. Applause! Sereno has over 12 years of experience with web technology and emerging media. For the competition, her focus is in the interactive division where categories such as Email Design, Online Advertising, Web Gaming, and Website Design (whether Consumer, Catalog, or for Self-Promotion) will all be judged by her award-winning sensibility. It’s effective communication, creativity, and innovation that Sereno hopes to find in the submissions she reviews – so make sure you refine that work to the next level! And, the good news is, you still have time to do it. The 42^nd Annual Media & Interactive Deadline is April 6, 2012. So, sleek up that logo, streamline that game, simplify that website. It’s awards season. Let the Creativity Awards start buzzing about YOU.

For eligibility, fees, and other must-knows please visit: Creativity Awards Eligibility

CleanPB is a movement built around the idea of CLEAN; Community Litter Education and Awareness Network. They have a strong emphasis on education and awareness.

The Pacific Beach Town Council Safe and Beautiful Committee host monthly cleanups on the first Saturday of every month at the Lifeguard tower on Grand Ave in Pacific Beach from 9am – noon. Volunteers can work from 1 to 4 hours, depending on their preference.

Angelina, President of Skybox Creative and Skybox Ink, brought a couple of friends to help out for the October Clean Up. CleanPB captured them on camera to share a few words. Check back soon to watch the video!

For more info, click: www.cleanpb.com or email: cleanpb.contact@gmail.com

The Art Institute InSite Interviews Skybox Creative on how designers can effectively use social media to promote themselves. Read the Q&A below.

1.   Why do you use social media platforms?

We utilize social media to build relationships online that we further strengthen offline and vice versa. Say we go to a networking event and meet a few people, we usually try to add them as a friend on our company Facebook or LinkedIn, this allows us to stay in front of them and open up ongoing dialogue. We also search social media sites for companies/people with similar interests, for example being eco-friendly. We will add them as a friend and then post specials for our green printing company, this way the message is more targeted.

2.   What is the best way for an artist or designer to use these outlets?

Well, a lot of the sites are interwoven now, so it’s important to do a little research and make a list of things to do/profiles to set up/link together. For example, Behance.net allows you to display your portfolio on LinkedIn.com, that’s huge. LinkedIn is still the top Professional social media site, so to be able to have your portfolio displayed on your profile is huge. LinkedIn also offers the option to share your updates on Twitter, we linked this feature, now we primarily use LinkedIn and it will automatically keep our Twitter up-to-date. There are a ton of portfolio sites, like CarbonMade.com, Behance.net, Coroflot.com, etc. I think a designer looking for work should be on all of the top portfolio sites and actively add friends, get involved in discussions, join groups, etc.

Another smart thing to remember is that “to give is to receive”, its a good idea to give recommendations to people you know on LinkedIn, then you can ask for the same in return. Or help a friend get introduced to someone via LinkedIn, these kind of selfless actions can really help in building relationships and helping you get more recognition for yourself. Also when posting updates and links on Facebook for example, try to offer an idea or resource that will help others instead of only being focused on your work.

3.   How has Facebook and other social media outlets affected your business?

It has helped keep us in the forefront of people’s minds. Whether they are a potential client or not, if they are thinking about us, they tend to refer their friends and clients to us when they mention “web design” or “cost effective printing”. We host a lot of networking mixers and this has been a great way to promote the events as well.

4.   Are there certain social media musts for artists and designers or does it depend on the individual?

I think you should pick a few and focus on them. It’s very easy to become overwhelmed with social media because it can really be a full time job. As technology moves, more and more sites will pop up too, so it’s important to try to watch the trends. Sites like Mashable.com help keep you up on the latest trends. There are sites like Ping.fm that allow you to update several profiles at once and other applications like Tweetdeck.com that allow you to streamline the Twitter process, schedule tweets and sort your contacts into groups. One thing we’ve done several times is submit our designs to the Designer Spotlight on iStock. If you used an image from their site in a design, you can submit the artwork. If they accept the design, you get free iStock credit, but more importantly it is a form of recognition you can use to help promote yourself (as profile updates, blog posts, etc.)

5.   Any tips and tricks for successfully using social media for art/design work?

Networking is key to success online and offline. Sites like Meetup.com have great niche groups like “Web Design San Diego”, I would recommend finding groups that have similar interests and attend an event or two each month. Even if you are surrounded by your peers, you might be surprised by how many clients you can get from it. We’ve gotten quite a few clients from web design meetups. Not only can you learn from your peers but since people typically have a specialty, they often need good referral sources for everything they don’t do (and are asked for all the time).

Hope you found this information helpful! Feel free to add us on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn!

The president of Skybox Creative, San Diego’s award-winning web design and branding studio, was recently nominated for San Diego Magazine’s Woman of the Year 2010 Award. Angelina Sereno has won the highest honors at every phase of her development and proven her metal in today’s fast-paced, rapidly changing, media-based world. She is now up for the momentous accomplishment of San Diego Magazine Woman of the Year!

The winner will be announced at the Women Who Move the City Event on September 15 at the Scripps Seaside Forum, where women will be honored in different categories, with the Woman of the Year being selected by past winners and the San Diego Magazine president. A portion of the funds raised will be donated to the Susan G. Komen Foundation.

The September issue of San Diego Magazine will also be featuring a Women Who Move the City section, where there will be a short bio on all of the women honored with the nomination.

Skybox Creative is currently in the process of making a promotional video about our company and what we do here on a daily basis (which is a whole lot of varied design, from branding and print, to web and user interface). We thought it was high time this award-winning San Diego branding and web design firm put ourselves, but mostly our work, out in front of the camera in a creative, docu-style video. Our production team – R&R Productions, have been incredibly professional and helpful in achieving our story board vision. The video will be posted here LIVE in few weeks, so definitely check back for the final product!

For now, we’ll wet your appetite with a few BEHIND THE SCENES photos…

Skybox Creative, Skybox Ink and GreenNetworkingSanDiego.com president Angelina Sereno has been nominated for the BRAVO! Green Community Award. Congratulations Angelina!

Sereno will be featured in a PowerPoint presentation including all nominees at the BRAVO! Awards event on May 19. BRAVO! is an amazing evening headed by keynote speaker Lisa Nichols, who was one of the featured teachers of The Secret and is the author of “No Matter What.” Lisa’s powerful message of personal empowerment has helped thousands of people make significant, positive changes in their lives.

Sereno’s nomination comes off the heels of another successful green networking event in March, and the consistent growth of Skybox Ink, a full-service green printing website, which features commercial print products that utilize recycled stock and soy and vegetable based inks.

NEW YORK As the economy begins its turnaround, the global advertising market is showing signs of improvement. According to Nielsen’s Global AdView Pulse, which tracks advertising across 27 markets in Asia, North America, Europe and Africa, overall media expenditures decreased 6.8 percent for the first half of the year compared to the first half of 2008.

However, the second quarter closed with a more contained decline of 5.8 percent compared to a 7.9 percent decline in the first quarter (vs. the same periods of the previous year). The Asia-Pacific region is driving the improvements, with 6.5 percent ad expenditure growth in Q2, while Europe and North America are still facing challenges posed by the economic crisis.

All media types have suffered from general cutbacks by advertisers throughout the first half of the year. Magazines and newspapers took the biggest hits, losing 18.5 and 7.5 percent, respectively, with negative growth in all regions. Radio has emerged in many markets as the media type with the most contained percentage decline (down 3.1 percent globally) — and it even registered an increase in the Asia-Pacific realm (up 3.1 percent).

Television, too, delivered mixed results depending on the region, with North America (down 14.9 percent) and Europe (down 8.0 percent) showing drops in spending, while Asia-Pacific showed growth compared to the first half of 2008.

As with the half-year results, television and radio are the media types showing the smallest percentage decreases in the second quarter and they are still showing growth in Asia-Pacific and losing revenue in both Europe and North America.

Read Entire Article

As noted by AdWeek , Oct. 1, 2009

Clients, guests, industry friends and influential San Diego business associates celebrated 3 years of Skybox Creative last night at downtown’s hottest new venue, S√® San Diego Hotel’s Siren Pool and Uber Lounge.

Close to 200 guests attended the award-winning web design firm’s milestone mixer and enjoyed a balmy summer evening on the luxurious pool deck. Newly made acquaintances toasted upcoming and exciting business ideas during the networking themed event.

An expansive raffle included an array of products and services, including a logo giveaway from Skybox and printing services from their latest venture – Skybox Ink – a full-service green printing website offering wholesale prices to the public. Guest Patty Mallory already shared her good fortune and experience at the event on her blog: click here!

Check back soon for event photos and contact info@skyboxcreative.com for all of your web design and branding needs!