WEBSITES

Websites are a relatively new art form. Fortunately, I was there at the start, designing sites when the world wide web was just starting to emerge, back when the only way to build a website was to hand-code it. This is important, because being a good designer isn't enough when it comes to web design. Web design requires good interface planning to make the end-user's experience smooth and easy. It also requires good programming sense to aid the functionality, design, and quality of the content offered on the site.

SAMPLE #1: CASA DEL SOL

Client Profile: Casa Del Sol is a Spiritual Community & Resource Center just outside of Santa Cruz, offering religious studies and meditation classes for youth and adults alike.

Project Challenge: Casa Del Sol wanted a website that informed visitors about who they are and what they offer. They also wanted it to be very accessible across even the most basic browser platforms.

Project Solution: I made use of the organic look I created for their logo. Because it is Casa Del Sol's people that are the community's most valuable asset, I made use of Casa's photograph collection to highlight each page of the website.

SAMPLE #2: UNCLAIMED PROPERTY COMPLIANCE CONSULTING SERVICES

Project Challenge: Small but nice. Nothing extravagant. Lisa wanted just enough to give her business a place to live on the internet, without any crazy bells and whistles. The challenge was that her business didn't have a logo or design guidelines of any kind to use as a platform for the site design.

Project Solution: With a quick back and forth email brainstorming session, we decided a few documents, stock quotes, maps and a magnifying glass would produce a nice hit about what she does. Of course, there are no pictures like this just lying around, so I grabbed a few stock photography shots and "collaged" them together to form the header graphic for the site. I used tones that are scholarly and classic to create a warmer feeling than the standard icy corporate blue and white tones.

SAMPLE #3: CREATE YOUR VISION

Client Profile: Create Your Vision is a company founded by life coach Ben Saltzman.

Project Challenge: Ben Saltzman wanted to clean up his current site, as well as develop a template from which he could build several smaller "mini-sites." They needed to be designed specifically to aid his efforts in reaching high search engine rankings, while still retaining good design form.

Project Solution: For fast downloading, excellent usability, and maximum search engine placement, this site was built using the most basic html coding, combined with CSS, and with a minimum of graphics.

Project Challenge: Hawkridge needed a site that educated and informed potential clients about the value of IT services in a friendly way. They also needed a site that was adaptable and easily expandable as the business grew.

Project Solution: The tab-based navigation made expansion of the site easy and cost-effective. A dynamic news panel allowed quick updates to the entire site by changing a single page. And the playful, fish-eyed-lens photography throughout the site lends an element of fun without detracting from the professional layout.