I’m not sure if it’s real or imagined, but there seems to be a glut of articles in trade journals recently discussing how graphic design firms often neglect their own marketing. Imp Designs has been getting more web development work than print design work of late, and our old website didn’t reflect our abilities. All those articles seemed to be nagging at me to do something, so I decided it was time for a good old-fashioned redesign.
A complete redesign of any website can be a big undertaking. This redesign was particularly challenging because I wanted to experiment with ExpressionEngine, a content management system. Designer Brian Herring accepted the challenge of mastering the EE software and seemed willing to subject himself to my half sentence descriptions of the “look” I wanted. I’m a big fan of the neo-retro, ‘60’s pop art look (probably the result of too many Saturdays watching the Jetsons) so that’s the graphic direction Brian took.
We wanted a site that would showcase our portfolio and help potential clients learn how we work. Brian and I spent a considerable amount of time looking through website galleries like CSS Beauty, CSS Vault, and Style Gala for features we wanted to include. Two sites seemed to jump out at us; Weightshift because of how the portfolio worked, and Happy Cog because, well, it’s Jeffrey Zeldman!—and the text tells great stories.
Last of all, I wanted to add this blog. I’ve become a huge fan of Veerle Pieters’ blog; it’s entertaining, educational and inspiring. If you’ve never seen her site, I strongly recommend a visit. Veerle’s articles on CSS, her approach to color, and the tutorials have been a constant source of inspiration. I can only hope this blog can be half as “impressive” as hers!