So we made our way down to Austin, TX a couple of weeks ago for the annual geek-fest we all know and love, called South By Southwest. Yes I do know that SXSW is more well known for the film and music festivals, but we're not cool enough for those yet. "Interactive", as they call it is a fantastic time for bonding over brews, seeing some web design superstars and learning some stuff in the process.

Most of all, I've found SXSW to be an incredible source of inspiration. This was the 4th straight year I went to the festival, and we come home overflowing with ideas and motivation to take on the world wide web each time.

Many of the panels have now been posted on the SXSW website, and if you did not have the opportunity to be there, here are 5 recommendations (in no particular order) that are definitely worth checking out:

1. Opening Remarks: Tony Hsieh

If you know us, we're BIG fans of Zappos and all the great things they are doing in the business of customer service. We even made a trip to Vegas in January just to get a tour of their offices, and it was one of the more valuable business experiences of my life.

Tony (Zappos CEO) made a big splash at SXSW last year, and was brought in for one of the keynotes this year, so he could talk about culture, service and marketing.

Listen to the podcast

2. Even Faster Web Sites

Steve Souders (Google) is one smart dude, and he is one of the foremost experts when it comes to the need for SPEED on the web. He created a great Firebug extension called YSlow while at Yahoo!, and in this panel takes a deeper dive into advanced techniques that can make your website(s) faster.

I found the panel to be incredibly informative and useful. I learned more at this one than any others. Be on the lookout for the 2nd edition of his book, High Performance Web Sites (O'Reilly) this summer.

View the slides

Listen to the podcast

3. From Freelance to Agency: Start Small, Stay Small

This panel had some very different, yet well-respected folks on it that have companies providing web services. It was moderated by who many consider the godfather of web standards, Jeffrey Zeldman of Happy Cog. Members of the panel talk about making the switch to freelance, hiring, firing, benefits of staying small and more. This is a must-listen podcast if you are thinking about doing your own thing, or if you run a small agency like we do.

Listen to the podcast

4. Oooh, That's Clever! (Unnatural Experiments in Web Design)

Paul Annett is a designer (and hobbyist magician) for a shop based in the UK called Clearleft, who does absolutely brilliant work. His presentation was well researched, well delivered, entertaining and absolutely inspiring. Anyone interested in design for the web simply must watch this presentation, and it makes sense to see the slides he has also.

Watch the live video

Hear the audio and watch the presentation slides

5. Gary Vaynerchuk

I'm sure this panel had a name, but all you need to know is that the one and only Gary Vaynerchuk took the stage at SXSW for over an hour, and it was memorable to say the least. Gary works his butt off and KNOWS social media unlike anyone else.

He is one of the loudest, most fired up people you will ever meet, and it's all real. Best of all, he knows what he's talking about, and especially knows wine. Watch his keynote and you will definitely want to go conquer the world like he is doing right now. Be advised, the language is pretty heavy. He's from Jersey.

Watch it here.

Few people know that my career as a "web guy" or self-proclaimed geek is a fallback from the REAL career I wanted to pursue: being a professional basketball player.

Long story short, my DNA had different plans for me, and I never had an opportunity to play basketball for a living. However, my love for the sport still gives me an edge over most anyone come this time of year, in filling out my NCAA tournament brackets.

I bleed blue and am a die-hard University of Kentucky fan. Since this is the first time in 17 years we won't be part of the tournament, I felt it was appropriate to share some secrets about how to win your office bracket pool and make the right picks.

I predicted 57 of the 63 games last year in the tournament. 2 of those losses were due to the faith I had in my Wildcats to pull a couple of upsets. With a little research, you can pick most of the winners this year. Here are a few keys that should be a huge help in picking this year's big winner and any "cinderellas":

1. Go with great guard play.

Guards dominate the tournament ... especially point guards. Point guards are floor leaders, they make their teammates better and they don't make many mistakes. Watch out for any team that has 2-3 really great guards, and can shoot the 3 well. They will most likely be the difference in a close game.

2. Pick teams that don't commit turnovers.

Teams that do well in the tournament simply don't make a habit of turning the ball over. Look at each team's average turnovers per game, and don't pick anyone that averages over 15 unless they are superior in nearly every other statistical category. The most successful tournament teams know how to take care of the ball for 40 minutes.

3. Can they shoot free throws?

There will be lots of close games in the tournament. With the exception of the Memphis team from last year, usually teams that do well must hit over 70% of their free throws on average. Be sure to double check each team's free throw shooting, along with the individual attempts and percentages for the biggest scorers. At some point it will be a factor, and your picks have to be able to hit clutch free throws when called upon.

4. What have they done lately?

Momentum is huge in college basketball, because so little separates each team.  Research how each team has performed over the last 10 games. This is not always full-proof, but for me if I can't decide on a team it can come down to how they performed over the last 10 games. More times than not, teams on a roll of late will be more poised to make a run.

5. Experience matters.

Especially when picking an underdog, it's important to look at the team's overall experience in the tournament and in games played. Usually the cinderella teams have 4-5 really crucial seniors that make contributions to their team and provide great leadership. If a team is over-matched in every other statistical category, senior leadership could be the only thing that gives them a chance to get a win.

Lastly, keep in mind that any team can win any game on any given night. There is no dominant one team in college basketball. Don't be afraid to go with your gut and predict upsets that make sense. That's what makes this time of year the most exciting in sports.

Best of luck to you this year in dominating the office pool!

It has been about a month since we launched the latest version of Project83.com, and I have been pleasantly surprised by all the great feedback we have been getting.

Version 3 of the website is certainly something we are proud of internally. I feel it is a great representation of who we are and what we value as a company. We have grown a lot in 3.5 years, and it is cool to look back on versions one and two of the site to see how far we have come.

I wanted to spend a little time walking you through the process that got us here, which runs over seven months. Hopefully it will encourage or challenge you in some way:

The New Logo

I never asked for or desired a new logo for Project83. However, I could not be happier with how it ended up. Lesson #1: only great things can result from giving your design team (in my case, Jared) complete creative freedom.

The typography got a well-deserved update. We moved to all caps ("J" sure is a weird letter), changed the font and gave the letters a little breathing room. The new mark is much more relevant, and the colors are much less distracting now. The website matured a great deal in version 3, and it all started with the logo.

Old Logo:

Doing Less

Leaders in our industry have mastered the "less is more" approach to web design. As our team continues to learn more each day, we get better at doing less and making the most of it. Each version of our site has been no exception; less design, less code, less content and fewer overall distractions.

Easier to Update

Thankfully, Project83.com finally runs 100% on our content management system called Springboard. Adding new portfolio items, writing blog posts and updating content has never been easier. Whew!

Especially when it's your own site, you have to do everything possible to make sure it is quick and easy to make updates. Otherwise, you simply will not get to them as often as you should. Find a content management platform you love (if you don't have one try ours!) and make sure to update content regularly.

Copy is Everything

The website copy probably went through at least 15 revisions. This is the first version of our site that I believe was truly built around the copy, which is the way it should be. The site has fewer words than previous versions, yet speaks to our target audience more clearly and persuasively than ever.

I can't overstate the value of spending time on your website copy — and the value of having a little fun with it! It's something I preach every day, but it really hit home in working on this new design. Without quality content, the best designs in the world don't work.

Keep in mind that good content takes time. You won't get it right the first or second or fifth time. Keep at it, and I believe it will prove to be absolutely worthwhile in the end.

I hope you like the new design ... we appreciate your feedback!