The State of Web Design in New Orelans

The State of Web Design in New Orelans

New Orleans is more and more becoming a major tech hub of the South. Through state tax credit initiatives and a mass migration of tech oriented workers, the city is experiencing a shot of life in an industry that is just now becoming associated with the Gulf Coast. Tech conferences, start-up businesses, design agencies and collaborative workspaces are driving forward in a time of recession to help create a new center of commerce in Louisiana.

The Skuba team was on hand at CTIA Wireless, the largest wireless conference in the United States, hosted this year in New Orleans. Over 40,000 tech professionals flooded into the city to see the 16,000 square foot exhibit floor and guest speakers that included:

• Former President Bill Clinton
• CEO’s of the major wireless carriers: Sprint, Verizon, ATT, T-Mobile
• CEO’s and President’s of Firefox, Visa, Mastercard, Spotify, EA, Pandora

The event covered all aspects of wireless including web specific mobile development, handheld deployment, and tablet apps. As a company that excels in building websites for mobile devices, this was a great opportunity to create new contacts and learn directly from programming teams such as the Barnes & Nobles Nook Developers. The event was a big success city wide and the Skuba team was glad to be a part of it all.

Even web specific conferences abounded this year in New Orleans. From IA Summit that covered new ways of structuring Information Architecture, to the always fun BarCampNola, to the fanatical Ruby Conf, there was something for everybody. The excellent turn out at each of these conferences show the passion of local developers, but also the draw of hosting nationwide events in a unique city like New Orleans.

From home bases and collaborative workspaces such as Launchpad and Icehouse many new start-ups have been popping up all around the city. Dan Leinenger (our Interactive Director) and his brother Eric are on the brink of launching the knowledge collection app Happy Fun Planet that has received a lot of interest from local VC investors. Other more established start-ups in the city include Neighborland and Kickboard. Through VC and great projects like Launchpad Ignition new start-ups are forming in New Orleans all the time.

The state of web design in New Orleans is incredibly bright. Dedicated people of all skill sets are working hard to connect and build tight knit communities that push the boundaries of the internet.