Over the next few weeks I will be in and out of the office for a couple family vacations and some on location client projects. My good friend and collaborator Jamie Orillion did a blog post a few months back about running your business from your phone. I thought it could be helpful to do a [...]
There is tons of buzz in the web business right now about social media. I have clients calling me about new websites asking about social media every week. They all want to have a “social media presence” on the internet. Most of them have no idea why, they just want to be on Twitter and [...]
As we noted last week with the launch of WordPress there are a few simple little interface tweaks that make it lighter and faster. We are now offering with all new projects free 30 day access to our extensive video training series (see screenshot below). The video library is kept updated automatically when versions or [...]
As we noted last week with the launch of WordPress there are a few simple little interface tweaks that make it lighter and faster.
We are now offering with all new projects free 30 day access to our extensive video training series (see screenshot below). The video library is kept updated automatically when versions or features change. We also include special video tutorials for site specific features or plugins. As an added bonus we include a written manual for the non-visual learners out there. If you are interested please send us an email and we will be happy to add the feature on to your site for a free trial period. As always with every website project we still provide our personal and in-depth training before site launch.
Thanks,
Daniel Kedinger, Owner/Lead Geek
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Not many updates to WordPress have gotten me so excited as the most recent version. WordPress 3 has really amped up the CMS factor with many new features that previously were achieved with 3rd party plugins. Most of the functionality that I added onto my client’s websites are now built directly into the core of the system. I have been working on a few new sites that are close to launch that are built from the ground up with WordPress 3. There are over 1,217 bug fixes and feature improvements, I will spare you all the geekery and only highlight a few here.
This feature expands upon the standard “post types” of posts, pages, and attachments. It gives users the ability to create a new section to categorize data. When this feature is implemented into a website it can really be tweaked to what ever dataset that needs to be displayed. The main examples used by WordPress to explain the functionality are things like a real estate listings, a podcast directory, or a book/movie database. But really you could do anything with custom post types. For instance you could use it to display store locations with address information, descriptions and more.
This is a feature that I have included in many websites with the use plugins for quite a few years now, but it is finally a part of the core system. This allows users to create and modify their menu systems on the fly. If you want to have categories in the menu as well as pages you just drag and drop and you are good to go. It also allows the ability to make links that can point to other locations. This helps free up the need to create dummy pages with redirects.
Previously this feature was known as WordPress MU, but it as well as been integrated directly into the system. WordPress 3 now lets you very easily manage multiple WordPress sites with one install. Another feature that when used correctly can be very useful. For instance a shopping complex that has one main website with multiple sub sites for each individual business, allowing individual control to all the users for their own site, but still connected and hosted in one location.
There are countless features and many security fixes, way too many to note here. But they also did many little interface tweaks that help make things less cluttered and easier to just get in and write. If you host your site yourself make sure to update, you will be happy. As always we are ready to go with WordPress 3 and have already been playing in the sandbox with it for quite a few months. You can get more information on the new features here and for the geeks amongst us more details here.
I just recently launched a project that I have been working on for Bayou Teche Brewing. This is 1 of only 3 breweries in Louisina and they are definitely set apart from the competition. The Knott Brother’s set out to create a beer that pairs with local cuisine, not an easy task I might say due to the fried, greasy, delicious nature of our dishes. Their goal was to create a beer that was unique to this area and was great for pairing with countless foods and lifestyles. I tried to translate what is in the bottle to the web with their site.
For the project I sat down with them and developed a concept that was heavy image driven and a strong emphasis on brand recognition. The goal was to develop a design that harkened to the characteristics of their beer as a golden pale ale with “hoppy” overtones. I presented a concept board (click here to view) to begin the project and knew that we would need some fantastic imagery to carry the site. We worked with Jamie Orillion Photography & Design to capture some amazing imagery of their beer, the brewery, and the brothers themselves. Check out more of his work here. I collaborated with Jamie on design and the site really shows a strong connection to their beer.
Below you will see my initial concept board as well as well as the final design and some of the imagery from Jamie. You can check out the site at www.bayoutechebrewing.com and can find their beer in a store near you here with our store locator feature.
Click here for for full concept board.
The Front Page, www.bayoutechebrewing.com
Store Locator, www.bayoutechebrewing.com
Photography by Jamie Orillion Photography & Design
Johnnie Gachassin came to us to design a web presence and ended up doing a complete branding package. She was a joy to work with and I wish I had 10 more clients like her. You can visit her site here: http://www.lafayettetraumatherapy.com.
We recently completed our first international client project for the Pontifical North American College located in Vatican City. The seminary college is charged with training and preparing the next generation of Roman Catholic priest’s and religious and stands in the shadow of St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. The site had been maintained for many years internally by individual seminarians while studying at the NAC. It had become very disjointed and the goal was to unify the various sections under one common design. We worked closely with the students to create a design that is traditional, strong, yet still fresh and modern.
Well it has been about a year since we had a site redesign so we decided to dust off the site and spruce it up. I guess I should say that we did more than “spruce” it up. We did a complete brand overhaul. New logos, colors, vision, etc!
The new vision of Crucé is centered more around the idea that “we” are a group of designers, developers, writers, and yes, geeks, that care deeply about the connection or cross between communication and design. Our goal is to provide our clients with a unified perspective about their web and graphic marketing to help speak their message to the masses.
Website: With a new focus on web development as well as print and graphic design, we wanted to launch a site that gave users bigger pictures of our work. We also added the feature of a blog to help clients get a better picture of the skills and philosophy that drives our business.
Logo: Our new logo, crafted in vision by the collaborators and illustrated by Black Sheep Studio is actually the face of owner and lead geek Daniel Kedinger. We wanted people to feel a connection with the business, to feel you know us before you ever meet us. The hair and glasses strives to impress upon our clients that we are trendy geeks.
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