The "Form" in Form + Function

You can think of the design of a website as the overall visual look and feel; it is the "form" in the ideal of form + function. The design of the websites is the first thing viewers encounter when they visit a website; it is the first impression. As such, it must be, well, impressive. It is of the utmost importance to have a visually impactful, memorable website that actually sticks in the minds of its viewers. The ultimate goal is to have viewers come back to the website and to share it with others, and the visual appeal helps facilitate that process. Visual impact can also be a deciding factor when a viewer is comparing a website against its competitors. A professional, visually appealing website says to the viewer that this company or individual cares about reputation and quality... values that are likely passed on to their customers. This is the "form" parameter in the "form + function" equation.

When we design our websites, we don't skimp where visual appeal is concerned. We treat the design of our websites with as much importance as the actual functionality and purpose of the website. First impressions are extremely important when competing online.

Web Standards & Valid Coding

Web standards are commonly agreed upon guidelines for HTML, XHTML, HTML5, CSS, and other technologies used to code and develop websites. Adhering to these universal rules ensures our websites are accessible across the wide range of user-end browsers and platforms.

Our custom websites are hand-coded to the W3 standard, adhering to the rules of "valid" coding practices. This ensures our websites conform to the highest integrity of development. In addition, valid coding practices are favored by search engines, giving our websites a little edge over the competition.

The "Function" in Form + Function

It's vital for a web designer to stay current with the latest web technologies, such as XHTML, HTML5, CSS, Flash, XML, jQuery, etc. These are the languages used to code a website, giving life to the design. This is the "function" parameter in the "form + function" equation.

Since the advent of the world wide web, web technologies have transformed innumerous times, and continue to morph as new methods are created, become obsolete, or simply evolve into something different. One might wonder how to know what's current, what's been outdated, and what technologies are acceptable in today's web development environment. That's where "web standards" come in.

We develop our websites to the W3 standard, ensuring the highest level of development integrity. Web Standards set guidelines for developers to create websites that are functional across the many browsers and computers being used to view the web. We base our development methodology on current and future design standards, ensuring maximum viewer compatibility, and extending the life and validity of our websites.

The Basics of Our Custom Websites

We have formulated a design and development recipe that maximizes form and function, as well as networking and SEO in every project. We include all of the vital elements to necessary to launch a purposeful website, whether it's a brand new endeavor or a revamp of an existing site. By combining award-winning design with social networking, search engine optimization, and streamlined development techniques, our websites not just pretty faces; they're effective marketing tools. Check out our base features below.

Design & Development

  • Custom Site Design

    Includes color palette, graphic art, page layout, global navigation, content organization, and imagery. Can be based on corporate branding or identity, or completely new and original.

  • Identity Integration

    If applicable, we'll integrate your corporate branding, including colors, logo, slogan, etc.

  • 12+ Informational Pages

    Our base price includes up to 12 informational pages. Examples would be "Home", "About", "Services", "Gallery", "People", "Contact" etc.

  • Custom Email Forms with Optional Anti-Spam CAPTCHA
    Forms are useful for gathering important information from your viewers. They can be used for applications, quote requests, general contact, and more.

    Our email forms include optional CAPTCHA (anti-spam verification code), form validation, database storage, branded autoresponder, custom error page, and custom confirmation page.

  • Flash-XML or jQuery Slideshow
    Slideshows, or image rotators, are a great way to liven up a standard CSS website. A little motion animation to the homepage is an easy way to add interactivity and freshness.

  • jQuery / Ajax Widgets
    These widgets and plugins add a little more functionality and interactivity. Examples are popup form calendars, tool tips, image rollover transitions, transitional drop down menus, "lightbox" photo galleries and much more.

  • Professional Stock Photography
    Professional photography adds another layer of integrity and credibility in the eyes of your viewers. Royalty-free photography work great for flash headers, and general purpose imagery where professional photography is otherwise unavailable.

Social Networking

  • WordPress Blog

    Our base web design package includes a custom designed WordPress Blog that integrates seamlessly into the site. WordPress Blogs are one of the best search engine marketing tools in existence, and they're 100% free! Not sure if you need a blog? Visit our WordPress Blogs page to see how a Blog can benefit your business. You might be surprised.

  • Embedded Social Network Links

    Every blog post will have quick links to a user-defined list of social network sites. This lets your viewers share your blog posts across dozens of social sites with a click of a button.

  • Blog Feed on Homepage

    We set up your blog to automatically update your homepage with your latest blog entries. Not only does this add fresh content for your viewers, it also increases your search engine ranking. Sites that are updated frequently are ranked higher by Google than those that are not. And every time your blog feed updates your homepage, it registers as an update to Google.

  • Blog-to-Twitter Feed

    As everyone knows, Twitter is one of the most used social networking sites around. Even so, not everyone has the time to blog, tweet, and update their Facebook all day. That's where the Blog-to-Twitter Feed comes in. Your blog can be setup so that it automatically updates your Twitter account for you. Every time you publish a new blog post, it is copied as a new Tweet. It's the perfect way for busy people to maintain or enhance steady activity on Twitter.

  • Twitter-to-Website Feed

    If you're already active on Twitter, we can have your recent Tweets displayed on your homepage. Like the Blog-to-Twitter Feed, the Twitter-to-Website Feed registers as activity to Google, increasing your search engine visibility.

  • Global Social Network Links
    Quick links to the most popular social network sites allow your visitors to easily follow or join you on the social networks that you use. These generally consist of links to your Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn accounts, as well as your blog RSS feed. However, they are not limited to just these.

SEO & Marketing

  • SEO (search engine optimization)

    We optimize every website for search engine recognition using all "organic" methods. This includes effective meta tag creation, priority HTML tags, file names, keyword filtering, valid code and more. We use tried-and-true methods of attaining search engine optimization, primarily where keyword association is concerned.

  • Mobile Ready Content
    We design within the constraints of the common smart phones, including iPhone, Android, and Blackberry. Mobile-specific alternative websites are an additional option.

  • Search Engine-Friendly Navigation
    We create search engine-friendly global navigation in the form of pure CSS or jQuery coding. This ensures that your sites navigation links are recognized by search engines, increasing your search engine visibility.

  • Preferred Coding & Formatting
    We develop every site with clean, un-bloated, CSS-formatted code, which is favored among search engines. We also use global headers/footers to allow for easy expansion of the site.

  • Custom Server Error Pages
    We deign your error pages to match the website for cohesive, complete design. Custom error pages are also favored among search engines.

  • Design Awards & Showcases
    We submit all qualifying websites to 50+ design award and showcase galleries. Award-winning sites and those accepted into showcase galleries are viewed by thousands of people across the nation, creating a surge in traffic to your site and exposing your site to potential clientele. In addition, every win or entry gets a link back to the site, which can potentially build dozens of backlinks to your site. Among other aspects, Google ranks websites based on how many backlinks they have. Building backlinks is one of the most important aspects of search engine marketing.