We consider web design to be, first and foremost, a task of enabling communications. Ideally, award-winning sites would not be judged solely on the value of their content or their artistic merit, but on the entire user experience. To us this means developing a site that is user-focused, with attention paid to how visitors will reach and navigate through the site, and most importantly, what content the user will expect to find within.

The visual design of a site we develop is based on the constraints of the information architecture, maximum search engine compatibility, the requirements in the web planning brief and best practices for serving information to our target audience. With agreed-upon priorities and objectives, we begin by creating wire frames, which are the skeleton of the layout and define where the different elements of the pages will live. Next we develop a look and feel, which includes fonts, colors and images. From these two elements, we create a “flat comp,” a mockup that shows how the site will look once it is complete.

Based on client needs, the site will be created in one of three ways:

1. As a static traditional static html site, or

2. Using a content management system to enable the client’s staff to update, add and edit content easily, or

3. On a proprietary software platform integrated by the client’s IT contractor.

We begin building the site on our testing server so that it is a live build, but not live on the client’s site. The advantage to this is that we are able to present a complete and functional site before anything is moved onto the client’s server.

Finally, based on client needs, we contract hosting on a reliable, secure server and install website analytics in a way that gives client and our staff access to web reporting at any time. We integrate website analytics in our evaluation and reporting for public relations, advertising and online promotional activities.