Art Works Studio - Web Design

When it comes to web design, the key word is design! All the bells and whistles in the world won't save a poorly designed site. It takes innovative, intelligent design to fully realize the marketing power of the web.

You hire a design studio for the rest of your advertising graphics, why not your website? When you're ready to make that important leap onto the Internet, Art Works Studio will be there!


What Makes a Great Website?
	Functionality Above all, a website has to function correctly. The HTML, graphics, JavaScript, CGI, forms, etc. must be seamlessly integrated and display properly on a wide range of computer systems and browser software. Designing for the web requires expert knowledge of several programming languages and an ongoing commitment to education in order to stay current in this exploding field. True interactivity requires both client-side and server-side technology. All forms, search functions, e-commerce services, etc. must be backed up by extensive CGI scripting and database integration. Content A website must contain relevant and useful information. This requires careful consideration of your target market and the specific goals you wish to accomplish. Through careful content planning throughout the site development process, we can avoid the costly re-design that so many sites go through. Design Exciting and effective graphic design is the element most often missing from today's websites. It takes a strong foundation in traditional design, combined with a firm grasp of emerging technologies, to produce the powerful marketing tool that a well designed website can be. While it is true that many of the page layout techniques used in print design are difficult or even impossible to re-create in a web page, the principles involved are still entirely valid and relevant. Marketing design has been evolving for hundreds of years, it would be a mistake to disregard that established history when designing for this new medium. Preparing high-quality, fast-loading graphics for the web involves a combination of experience, talent and the very latest software tools. Promotion Search engines are responsible for the vast majority of all Internet traffic. A comprehensive program of submissions and updates is required to achieve and maintain a high profile for your new website on all of the major search engines. Other promotional strategies include the coordination of your website with other printed materials, link exchange programs, and industry-related professional organizations.

We now offer complete, fully customizable e-commerce solutions for your on-line store! Including database driven catalog, shopping cart, and secured transactions. For more information see our E-commerce Solutions white paper.

For our answers to some Frequently Asked Questions about website design and management, see our Website Design FAQ.

Web Design Portfolio
Platt College For this outstanding computer graphic design school we developed several high-end photo-composite illustrations and utilized several advanced web design techniques.		Tomken Machine Here's an example of a well-developed e-commerce site for a manufacturer of Jeep parts and accessories. This site features a database driven catalog and custom shopping cart system.

Serenities This beautiful site was designed to reflect the high quality of the products offered in their on-line catalog and the art and science of feng shui. The website incorporates a database driven catalog and a custom, secured shopping cart system.		RIAL Solutions Inc. This information systems engineering and consulting firm deals with large Fortune 500 companies. In order to appeal to this sophisticated audience, we blended well-written copy with highly developed illustrations to create an attractive and informative site.

African Safaris by Ismail A small pro-bono site for a friend in Kenya who's nearest computer is a day's hike away.		War Eagles Air Museum This truly outstanding air museum in Santa Teresa, NM offers one of the finest WWII and Korean Conflict era warbird collections in the country. After visiting them in October of 2000, we offered to donate our services to them in developing what we feel is one of the finest aviation websites in the world! For this site we developed a rather extensive "backend" which allows the museum staff to update their exhibits and manage the guestbook and links pages without our help. We are also in the process of developing a custom Photo Search function that will allow scale modellers, researchers and general aviation enthusiasts to find specific photos of aircraft, automobiles, motorcycles, etc.

BayGate, Inc. This Internet software company in the bay area wanted a very high-end, graphically intensive site to promote their services. Be forewarned, the home page weighs in at 150K and is not compatible with version 3 browsers.		eBudget We designed the logo and website for this Internet-based budgeting software company. This site needed to be both fast and very high-tech.


Blackhawk Equipment Corp. We used technical drawings and compressor imagery for this company that specializes in air compressors and air powered tools.		Grand Visuals, Inc. We designed the logo and website for this large format digital printing specialist.


Spa Centre, Inc. This Denver company offers the finest in new and reconditioned spas and hot tubs. We designed their website with bright, friendly colors and an original illustration that represents the relaxing and therapeutic benefits of their product line. Due to the constantly changing inventory, we developed a database-driven "back end" to their site which allows them to update their catalog pages themselves.		Obermeyer Asset Management Co. This Aspen financial management company needed a website that reflected their commitment to excellence and service. Phase two will include an entire "Clients Only" section where clients can access their accounts.

FreeWave Technologies, Inc. FreeWave Technologies, based in Boulder, Colorado, is an innovative designer and manufacturer of spread spectrum radios. They required a high-tech, cutting edge look for their website that would reflect the nature of their company and products and help them to solidify their position at the top of this highly competitive field. We designed this website to be fast and intuitive and be easily maintained and updated as FreeWave introduces new radios and technologies.		Rocky Mountain Valuation Specialists RMVS is a full service valuation services firm offering a broad range of services throughout the front range and mountain areas. We designed their new, multi-domain website and their three new logos to represent both the traditional and respectable qualities of the real estate valuation industry as well as the modern, web-based aspects of today's online marketing and product delivery methods.

by Bruce Quackenbush

In this column I will be discussing issues related to web design and development.

Some topics I have in mind include Web Design, Oxymoron?, The Difference Between Design and Development and Fluid Page Design. I will have a response form at the end of the column where I hope to generate some lively dialog with others who have an interest in the web.

12/15/1999 - "Text Size in Web Pages"

Tutorials and Demonstrations
	We have put together a few demo pages in response to questions raised on the Adobe Forums. Remote Rollovers With a few minor changes to ImageStyler generated code, the "distant rollover" effect can be achieved. Fluid Page Layout Here's a couple of techniques to simulate expandable graphic elements on a web page. Adding Sounds The necessary JavaScript code to add sounds to HTML pages. Here is a Perl script that will convert a page with colored backgrounds to white with black text for easy printing. Zipped (2K) Text (4K) RGB-Hex “Web Safe” Color Chart HTML version (20K) GIF version (45K) We also have a lot of great web design reference sites in our Link List Bruce Quackenbush has launched his new website dedicated to offering both stock and custom CGI scripting for all of your website needs. Visit DuckBytes.com now!

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