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The Aten Blog

We have things to say about design, process, and code. Read about them here, subscribe to our feed, or follow us on twitter.

Apr 12 2012

OpenAid: A Drupal Distribution for NGOs and Non-Profits

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Published by Justin

Today we published the first recommended release for OpenAid, a Drupal 7 distribution created to help non-profits, NGOs, and international development projects create program-focused websites quickly. The platform provides simple, baseline features commonly needed in the field of international development -- including home page image carousels, multi-author blogs, project profiles, mapping, image galleries, a basic responsive theme, and more. You can download the code, give feedback on OpenAid’s features, and contribute to the project at http://drupal.org/project/openaid.
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Mar 27 2012

It’s Spring in Colonial Williamsburg

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Published by Justin

In celebration of the change of seasons, last week we rolled out a spring map for Colonial Williamsburg’s Tour the Town. The map features updated colors, blooming flowers, and other features highlighting the beautiful spring weather in Williamsburg.

You should check it out at http://tour.history.org.

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Mar 26 2012

Commemorating the International Day for the Right to Truth

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Published by Justin

Last week we helped the International Center for Transitional Justice (ICTJ) launch "Can You Handle the Truth?", a multimedia presentation honoring victims' rights to know the facts about human rights violations perpetrated against them.

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Mar 12 2012

OMG IT'S FINALLY HERE!!!!!

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Published by Justin

Forgive us; it's hard to contain the excitement: DrupalCon Denver is less than a week away. That's right -- less than a week until the sessions, the BoFs, the parties, the reconnecting with old friends, the making of new friends, exploring business opportunities, seeing the next big Drupal thing... did we mention the parties? It's going to be great.

To celebrate, we're giving away a Denver-made Never Summer snowboard, and hosting a little soiree in our offices Wednesday night. Interested? Please read on...

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Feb 14 2012

Center for Investigative Reporting

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Published by Justin

Yesterday we launched cironline.org, along with the incredible team at the Center for Investigative Reporting. The website looks fantastic (if we do say so ourselves) — on your phone and tablet, as well as your computer.

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Oct 4 2011

Custom Map Tiles from Illustration

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Published by Justin

We are currently working on several mapping projects, one of which features a highly stylized tour of a well-known historic town on the East Coast. This post documents how to configure custom artwork as a map layer tile-set.

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Code
Jun 3 2011

Random Hacks of Kindness

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Published by Justin

This weekend, more than 1,500 self-proclaimed "hackers" are gathering in cities around the world to work on technology solutions for world problems, including advance warning for severe weather situations, tracking lost children in large-scale emergencies, real time climate data comparison, and more than 60 others. The "hackathon" events are part of a global initiative called Random Hacks of Kindness, founded in 2009 in a partnership between Google, Microsoft, Yahoo!, NASA and the World Bank.

We had the incredible privilege of working with the RHoK team to redesign and rebuild RHoK.org in Drupal 7.

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Mar 24 2011

Test-Driven Sitemap Design

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Published by Justin

We spend significant time and effort in the information architecture phase of projects, during which our principle goal is to create an effective sitemap. As with other steps in the process, we pitch an initial recommendation, solicit feedback, host discussions, make some changes, rinse and repeat. Also similar to other parts of the process, it is critical to establish metrics that define a particular final product as successful. With sitemaps, this has proven particularly important.

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Mar 15 2011

It's official, people: DrupalCon is coming to Denver in 2012

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Published by Justin

Last Thursday at DrupalCon Chicago, I had the honor of helping announce the much-anticipated destination for DrupalCon 2012, along with Ben Jeavons (GVS) and Kevin Bridges (Examiner.com).

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Aug 20 2010

Copenviking

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Published by Justin

Check out the latest in our series of custom illustrated Scout Books, this one commemorating DrupalCon Copenhagen, 2010. Featuring a Conan-esque viking, fire-breathing dragon, and Knarr-rowing polar bears, this is easily our favorite yet.

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About the Author

Justin Toupin

CEO, Creative Director

Justin founded Aten Design Group in early 2000 while still in college. His focus on clear, effective design solutions and his determination to achieve project goals drive the design process at Aten. Justin has a passion for working with cultural/social organizations – particularly with museums and humanitarian agencies.

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