Websites
Way back when, I started off as a print designer, but once I got tangled up in the world of web, the online domain won over my heart. Don’t get me wrong; I still love a good print piece. But there is something about the process of building a website from start to finish—creating a nice design that takes both aesthetics and usability into account, writing the code to make it work, and building out the pages to see the project in finished (and yet unfinished form; more on that in a future blog post)—that makes this type of job really satisfying for me.
Here are a few things that are always true when I design your website:
- I design for both attractiveness and for user-friendliness. This means there will never be a dancing man on your home page banging an “under construction” sign with an animated hammer. This means there will always be a logical navigation and some white space. I will never make your logo take up 50 percent of the real estate on your site (even if you ask me to). I will always organize your content in a way that makes sense to your audience.
- If you are a little newer to this whole online arena, you need not panic. I will help you along this crazy road to a brand new website with as little technological pain as possible. If I could teach my mother to use a computer mouse in 1997 and an iPhone in 2011, I know I can assist even the most technologically inept clients (their words, not mine!) in creating a website.
- I work really quickly. It’s not because I’m trying to rush through your project. It’s not because I’m trying to get paid faster. It’s mainly because I have a couple OCD tendencies, and one of them is a clean inbox. I really, really like a clean inbox. If you send me an email with feedback from a draft, I likely won’t be able to sleep until I make those revisions, send you a new link to review, and get that message the heck out of my inbox. It might also be because I drink a lot of coffee.
I offer two website packages: Basic Website Package: Static Website Design and Development and Enhanced Website Package: WordPress Website Design and Development. Both packages include:
- an architectural analysis of your current website (or whatever marketing materials you have if you don’t yet have a site)
- a pre-design wireframe document (to establish a hierarchy of elements before I get into the details of design, colors, etc.)
- content review/editing (to a certain extent; I’m not going to read your 800-page novel)
- standards-compliant HTML and CSS code (if that doesn’t mean anything to you, just know it’s what you want in a modern website)
- testing on major browsers (you know, like IE, Firefox, Safari, etc.)
- mobile-friendly version (so the site will look good on your phone, too!)
- print-friendly version (so the site won’t cut off or look funny when you print it)
- Google Analytics (well, this service is offered free by Google, but I’ll set it up for you)
- site build-out (I’ll create the pages with associated text and photos, etc.)
With the Basic Website Package, your site will be built without a back-end. This means that for the ongoing maintenance of your site, you can either hire a web designer (hey, I’m available and we already know each other!), or you can use a do-it-yourself software program like Adobe Contribute. For those clients who don’t want to touch a meta tag with a 10-foot pole, I offer retainer options (for a huge savings!) or my hourly rate for updates.
With the Enhanced Website Package, your site will be built using the WordPress platform. WordPress is an online content management system and blog publishing application. If you want a blog on your site and/or if you want easy control for updating and adding content, this is the package for you. Using WordPress also offers a whole world of plugins, which can add dynamic functionality to your website. This option is pricier (that’s why it’s called enhanced!) because it involves an experienced WordPress programmer setting up the WordPress integration, but it is worth the added cost if you can manage it.
