design
This is the fun part where you put your imagination to work. For us, considering these creative issues is a lot of fun. If for you this is a chore, we’ll be happy to create your materials from scratch, making suggestions for your consideration and approval. For pricing, click here. Keep in mind that nobody can know your business as well as you do. Your materials and web site will meet your vision much faster (and cheaper) if you do what we suggest here.
There are two main components to your web site and marketing campaign: image and function.
Image
Do you already have an image? If so, how can that image be translated digitally? Do you have a logo, colors, photography, brochures, business cards, a slogan? Gather these things together. If not, we need to make decisions about these items so that your new materials and web site will easily integrate with your vision as you move forward. Look at other advertisements and web sites and make notes on what you like and don't like, noting the addresses of these web sites to share with us when we meet. Sketch out your vision, and for your web site, think in terms of pages. The first page, or homepage, should govern the look of your web site and will act as a portal to the rest.What message do you want to convey? We can use text from your existing marketing materials, you can write new or additional copy, or you can hire us to write text for you. Remember to organize your copy into pages and think about what images or photography you want with the copy. Your web site will function not only as a sales tool, but as a customer service tool, as well. Think about common questions your customers have and prepare answers. Include your company mission, your company policies, bios on you and your staff, photos of your products, a map to your location, and/or anything else that will help you become more efficient and successful.
If you have the graphics and text ready in digital format before we meet, you will save us time which will in turn save you money. If you want us to either create these from scratch or convert from print to digital, we will. For pricing, click here.
Function
What do you want to accomplish with your new web site? You want customers to come to you, but there is more to consider. Every web site needs an organizational structure and a way for the user to get from one page to another, which is called navigation. Once you’ve decided what pages you want, think about in what order you want them. Unlike paper, this isn’t about first, second, third. Draw a flow chart or “web site tree.” Start at your homepage and go from there, remembering that branches can have links to each other in any way you want. Think about what areas will have the most information and what areas will grow over time. Adding new pages later is always an option and will be cheaper if you’ve created an appropriate and encompassing navigational structure at the beginning.What else do you want? Do you want to be able to update the web site yourself with a daily rant or an on-line calendar? Do you want to interact through your web site with on-line reservations, customer satisfaction surveys, or a guest book? Perhaps you want some information available to the public but other information restricted with a password. To ensure that we're able to offer you an accurate price before beginning work, write down all of your ideas for your web site's functionality. Download this questionnaire to help you and us: New Customer Questionnaire (requires free Adobe Acrobat Reader). People are often surprised by which things are quick and easy for a designer and which things are time-consuming and expensive.
So again, don’t assume anything, and have your entire vision ready before we meet.