Four interactive design and visual communication experts shared real-life case studies of online projects that demonstrate the design communications trends shaping our digital world now and in the future:

Vincent Galante RGD, Co-founder & Principal at The Pixel Shop, introduced a mobile app and kiosk his firm created for Bonne Bay Marine Station. He explained the "take-home experience" he and his firm attempted to create in the mobile app portion of the project, because consumers want to experience their entertainment where and when they want.

Leanne Paura RGD, Associate Director of Product Design at Pivotal Labs, explained the process of creating a mobile app for Carnival Cruise Lines. Pivotal Labs worked directly with guests and staff to learn about their needs and used that research to build an experience that would connect the on-board community.

Julian Brown RGD, Designer & Entrepreneur at ON THE CHASE! motion graphics studio, explained his approach in creating the five-part animated series for Shoppers Drug Mart's new and improved Optimum loyalty program that he created. 

Katrina Bautista, Product Designer at Nascent Digital, explains how Nascent created a intuitive and consistent multi-platform app design and development for YogaGlo for iPhone, iPad, Apple TV and Apple Watch.

Takeaways: 

- If you don’t find a way to extend your brand into the consumer's home, your competitors might.

- If you don’t have a responsive website, you better make sure you have a very good support line!

- In the climate of online video popularity, where there is a lot of amature-shot iPhone photos and videos, having a polished, well-scripted and well-thought out piece helps you stand out.

- In order to provide users with the best value, you must do user research to learn what's most important to them.

- Uniformity among apps is not about sameness, but more about seamlessness across all platforms.

Watch the full presentations here:

And take a look at the Q&A period:

For more tweets and pictures from the event, search the hashtag #IABCRGD on Twitter.