Corvus Design Studio Blog - San Luis Obispo, California

Fix for HolasionWeb WordPress GoDaddy Virus

CDS — Sat, 22 May 2010 06:39:04 +0000

If you have a WordPress app version 2.9.2 hosted by GoDaddy, and have been experiencing issues lately, there’s a good chance you have the HolasionWeb Virus. To check, log into the WordPress admin. The first thing you might notice is that your admin panel may be all screwed up and look something like this:

If you’re seeing something like this, you probably have the virus associated with holasionweb.com (don’t go to this website, it is not safe). The virus plants a javascript from the holasionweb.com website in either the header or footer of your WordPress admin. Although the virus so far doesn’t appear to do much besides screw up your admin interface, it is still an alarming breach that should be handled immediately. Also note that if you are using a blog feed application, such as SimplePie, it will likely cause your feed to disappear completely. That is exactly what led to the discovery of this virus running on a clients website today.

How to Get Rid of holasionweb.com Infection

First thing, re-upload your wp-admin and wp-includes folders. This will fix your admin interface issues, but will not get rid of the virus. To get rid of it, I found this handy little program by http://www.sucuri.net (via http://www.dlocc.com) that effectively removes the malware.

Download the HolasionWeb Script Fix
Unzip and upload wordpress-fix.php to your WordPress directory.
Run the script by going to http://www.YourSite.com/wordpress-fix.php (note that if your blog is in a subdirectory, you would navigate to http://www.YourSite.com/subdirectory/wordpress-fix.php)
The detection and removal should take a few moments, and you will see the progress detailed on the page.

Here’s a link to the original solution: http://blog.sucuri.net/2010/05/simple-cleanup-solution-for-latest.html

Hope that works for you and Happy Blogging!

9 Unique Web Design Galleries

CDS — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 04:04:39 +0000

There are quite a few inspirational galleries and award websites out there today. We even have our own, The Design Gene. Most all of them are collections of what the moderator feels are worthy of listing in his/her gallery based on overall design. There are a few, however, that focus on specific elements of the website, such as its platform, color scheme, coding, style, etc. Below I’ve compiled a list of some of these element-centric galleries that I find especially useful when seeking very specific inspiration.

Colorgorize, http://colorgorize.com
Categorizes websites based on color scheme and provides a color chart for every website. Very useful to find ideas when selecting color schemes for projects. Users can search by adjusting a hue and saturation range, which I find especially neat.

Footer Fetish, http://footerfetish.com
Clever name and clever concept. This is a gallery of great footers. The footer is often overlooked in design, but it doesn’t have to be.

Type Inspire, http://typeinspire.com
Showcase of inspiring and unique typography in web design. Lots of awesome designs that invoke all sorts of ideas for text effects.

Blog Design Heroes, http://blogdesignheroes.com
Gallery of great blog designs. Categorized by platform, and includes Drupal, Joomla, Wordpress and even some of the newer and less commonly used platforms.

Cart Frenzy, http://cartfrenzy.com
Showcase of outstanding ecommerce websites. Categorized by shopping cart software. Great website to get ideas for shopping cart features and layouts.

Illustration Toolbox, http://illustrationtoolbox.com/category/websites
Showcase of illustrated websites. Also includes an illustration showcase, tutorials, freebies, articles and more resources.

Folio Focus, http://foliofocus.com
Gallery of portfolio websites. Mostly web designers. Good place to get some ideas for creating galleries and portfolio type websites.

Minimal Exhibit, http://minimalexhibit.com
Minimalist type websites, lots of negative space and uber clean designs.

We Love WP, http://welovewp.com
Collection of sites powered by WordPress. Not just blogs, but CMS sites as well.

Latest Project: Healthy Harvest Hydro

CDS — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 05:43:21 +0000

One of my all time favorite projects, Healthy Harvest Hydroponics and Organics‘ new website officially launched a few days ago. Located in San Luis Obispo, H3O offer high quality hydroponics equipment and organic gardening supplies. The shop is the largest on the Central Coast, and stocked full of the essentials.

H3O is a brand new business, and we were lucky enough to be chosen to create their logo, website, WordPress blog, business cards and a 3′x8′ banner displayed on the outside of their building. This is one of my favorites because not only do I have a great appreciation for natural/organic/eco-friendly enterprises, I was able to be very creative and produce an award-winning website that I’m extremely proud of. And H3O’s owners were an absolute pleasure to work with.

I’m sure that you will find the shop and staff equally positive at Healthy Harvest Hydro. So if you have the need for hydroponic gardening supplies or would just like to learn more about how it all works, I highly recommend dropping by the shop (2958 S. Higuera Street, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401, (805) 596-0430. Check out the website for updates, hours, to request products and to read a little about hydroponic too

Healthy Harvest Logo

Healthy Harvest Hydroponics and Organics Website

Healthy Harvest Business Cards - Double sided, printed on 100lb matte cardstock for a more organic look and feel

Banner at the entrance of the shop

SLO Homepage is LIVE!

CDS — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 06:44:50 +0000

We’re happy to announce the New and Enhanced SLO Homepage is now LIVE! SLO Homepage is the premiere Central Coast resource to find everything from Local Events to Non-Profit Organizations. All inclusive and expanding by the minute, SLO Homepage offers the following features:

SLO Blog – browse local oddities, local spotlight, uncommon news and more
Videos – local video community
Weather – at a glance, and complete 10 day forecast for the Central Coast and any other US city
Events Calendar – interactive and synchronous with the most commonly used personal calendar systems – viewers can add their events for free
SLO Pro’s – valuable advertising opportunities for local businesses with social networking options
HD Interactive Tours – our unique HD 360 degree tours of businesses and outdoor spots
SLO Stuff – movies, surf report, utility directory and more
Local and World News headlines

Hope you enjoy!

SLO Homepage

Please Keep the Loux Family in Your Thoughts….

CDS — Fri, 25 Dec 2009 20:38:55 +0000

On December 23, 2009, the world lost a wonderful man. On this date, a car accident tragically claimed the life of Derek Loux, of the Josiah Fund and the Loux Family Blog. Derek, along with his wife Renee, was an intercessory missionary dedicated to the restoration of special needs orphans from around the world. Derek and Renee have adopted 8 wonderful children in need from the Marshall Islands and the Ukraine. In addition to their two biological children and 8 adopted children, they recently started the Josiah Fund, an organization whose goal is to build a compound to accommodate the restoration of 30 special needs children. Renee Loux is committed to fulfil Derek’s vision for the Josiah Fund, and will continue working towards their goal. In the coming weeks, months, and years, Renee and family will need much support to attain her and Derek’s vision. Please have a look at the Josiah Fund and Loux Family Blog websites to donate and discover the story of these extraordinary people.

Thank You!

Nano Snowman

CDS — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 03:31:12 +0000

Meet the tiniest snowman ever created, measuring an amazing 0.01mm across (1/5 the width of a human hair). Although not actually made of snow, it sure is cute. In reality the tiny snowman is made from two microscopic tin beads welded together with platinum. Normally these beads are used to calibrate electron microscopes. David Cox, a nanotech expert at the National Physical Lab, used a focused ion beam to etch the smile and eyes and to deposit a bit of platinum for the nose; demonstrating the astonishing accuracy of his work. The artificial blue light really adds to the ambiance of this micro-creation.

Retro PhilcoPC

CDS — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 03:10:03 +0000

This retro artwork PC was designed and developed by SchultzeWorks, Pasadena, California. The Philco PC placed in the top three in a V-Ray sponosored design competition. Makers say the retro look was inspired by a mix of, “1954 design classic Philco Predicta [television], as well as an eclectic mixture of modern minimalism, the steampunk movement, and antiques”. Check out the SchultzeWorks website for more info.

Smashing Book Now Available

CDS — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 07:12:14 +0000

The highly anticipated Smashing Book, by the folks over at Smashing Magazine, is now available. The book covers the best practices in modern web design, including technical tips, coding, usability and optimization.

As any designer knows, Smashing Magazine is one of the best resources for web design. As such, I am looking very forward to receiving my copy!

Price: $29.90
Pages: 313

Visit the Smashing Book post for more info

Ecommerce Just Got Easier

CDS — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 06:05:46 +0000

We’re happy to announce our new streamlined ecommerce solution, based on Miva Merchant. Now our clients can have all the benefits of our Enterprise Solution, for the price of our e-Lite solution. Because we feel that Miva Merchant is one of the most robust and versatile online store applications, we are now working solely with Miva.

Have Questions? Want to open an online store? Please contact us to get started or to find out more.

Options and pricing are as follows:

Custom Shopping Cart Design
starting at $2,000

Miva Merchant Hosting
$40/mo. No setup fees, includes Miva Merchant license (a $995 value). 1 year contract required

Authorize.net Payment Gateway*
Free setup, $15/mo., .05 per transaction, and 2.25% processing fee (Visa/Mastercard/AmEx fee)

We like to say that in general you’re monthly fees to operate your store will be around $75, excluding any fees charged by your bank, and transaction fees. Design, hosting and payment gateway setup can all be done through us, making the entire process a lot simpler.

Please feel free to drop us a line to talk a little about your ecommerce needs…

* Authorize.net is not a service provided directly by Corvus Design Studio, and it only required if you plan to accept credit cards through your website. If you plan to use only paypal, you do not need the Payment Gateway at all. And if you would prefer to use another payment gateway service, most all will work with our software. Other popular payment gateways are 2Checkout and Intuit. The prices listed above for Authorize.net are subject to change without notice.

Latest Project: The Flexcraft Co.

CDS — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 20:28:38 +0000

The Flexcraft Co. in Asbury Park, New Jersey, manufactures plastic products for a wide range of industries, including medical, science, industrial, novelty and more. Flexcraft contacted us because they needed a revamp of their current website. They were unhappy with the design and process and wanted something higher quality and more flexible to reflect their manufacuring business. We revamped the site, added new features, and lots of fun, dynamic content. Flexcraft also has an online store that we’re in the process of customizing to match the new design (will be available very soon).

This was a fun website to work on because every page has a little something extra. The homepage has a mixture of dynamic content, including two flash apps and a jquery content slider. The first flash app is a rotating carousel, which I’ve never done before so that was pretty cool. The jquery slider is a simple panel slider that displays several different “panels” of information. Jquery is so great for so many reasons. It allows for dynamic content, often with animated transitions, but without sacrificing SEO. In fact, a panel slider or similar script actually adds to SEO because you can add more XHTML content to the page! But I digress…

Ben Smith, who I worked with to develop this site, is more than a pleasure to work with. I’m positive that Flexcraft shows the same courtesy and professionalism in every business endevour, so if you have the need for custom or stock plastic products, don’t hesitate to drop them a line at www.flexcraft.com.