Archive for the ‘examples’ Category

For clients interested in a custom cms web design with a matching custom WordPress blog, you may want to review the Custom WordPress Theme Portfolio.

This flash gallery presentation features 10 unique and one-of-a-kind custom WordPress blog themes with graphics linked to actual blogs. The flash gallery is inserted here for reference, also.

Each example custom WordPress theme is an integrated custom blog with graphics and navigation to match the main cms content management system web design. Use your back button to return to this review of the WordPress theme portfolio. View the examples then email us from any page with questions.

The latest custom cms web design project just completed was a recruiting custom CMS and blog that went online earlier today for SynergyHire LLC of Atlanta, Georgia. The main site and matching blog allow the owner to add, edit, or delete content 24/7 without paying each time.

Here is a reduced size graphic screenshot of just one page:

Compare the main site to the matching Atlanta Recruiter custom WordPress theme used on their blog. As with all my designs, the custom integrated blog is a unique one-of-a-kind design for a consistent look moving between the main site and blog.

Other features to consider are the custom logo, clean layout, and special page with 12 audio players to demo their innovative automated candidate phone screen service. Upon review of the initial custom cms web design launch the owner commented “I give you two thumbs up… you did a GREAT job on this Jim!”.

The illustration below is a custom flyer for an insurance company in Florida with a custom map of Kissimmee, space for an address label and stamp, yet appropriate for a handout as well as mailing.

The background image of the company building is actually a collage with significant photo edits for a more attractive presentation. Not seen are utility poles and wires, background signs from nearby businesses, the original sky (replaced), and the card back which is identical except in Spanish.

View additional examples of custom post card and flyer artwork for print in the custom post card gallery, and then email or write about affordable custom flyer artwork and printing options for your small business.

As computer technology and internet browsers change, web designers should adjust their thoughts about what is right or wrong in web design. There is no standard web design page width, yet web developers often have a favorite, and I’m no different. The standard I use for new designs is fixed width at 960 pixels, so some designers would complain that “older” 800×600 pc monitors will have a horizontal scroll bar across the bottom. From checking stats, fewer than 5% of my visitors have 800×600, so that (old) objection to horizontal scrolling because of page widths wider than 800 no longer applies.

Some small business web design clients don’t realize that controlling a visitor’s experience completely is impossible. For example, in all browsers you can enlarge text size which is an option for vision impaired people. The standard in IE is “medium” text size which should look fine on all computer monitors. I test each of my web design projects in the latest version of all 5 major browsers to make sure the custom web design displays properly.

The enlarged text option can move objects around, so if you allow text resizing which is the right thing to do, you no longer control the visitor’s experience. Not discussed, and most web designers either do not know or care about this aspect of design, is accessibility. Many designers create sites with fixed font sizes, so visitors have no choice, yet mine allow disabled persons who need larger text to enjoy reading site content.

While my standard web design page width is 960 pixels, even that number has evolved with year to year changes in technology. There is no one correct answer, so being flexible and offering clients a choice based on their preferences will help keep the majority happy. Don’t like a page width standard? Ask, and most web designers will accommodate your needs.

The custom business card gallery on my main site features more than 50 designs done for clients, yet it has not been updated in at least a year. Here are two recent card designs with custom logos for a real estate company and an insurance company. Graphics are shown larger than actual size in low resolution.

Real estate card of Green Investment Group, LLC

Insurance card design for Einstein Insurance and Investment Group

Each features custom logos from sketches provided by the client, and then rendered in a unique way or color scheme in vector graphic art for print to match their corporate image. Clients needing a business card, custom ad, or print advertising yet don’t have logo artwork can email me a scanned image. As part of my small business services I can reproduce just about any logo in vector art for print or online.

I just completed custom graphic artwork of a CD cover, CD insert, and CD label for a newly released album, Back to the Basics, from Shizz Entertainment and featuring 21 songs of indie artists in the Philadelphia area. This comes less than a week after designing a one page website for them and creating posters, flyers, and other printed marketing materials.

Shizz Entertainment, a small business and Philadelphia independent artist recording studio, also does production and promotion for solo artists or groups, and specializes in gospel, r and b, jazz, and poetry whether vocal, instrumental, or both.

Below is the music album cover design and other artwork shown approximate actual size in low resolution.

Next is the cd album insert showing tracks of these independent musical artists and groups in order of their appearance: Shizz, Young Don the Don, Young Leek, Nuckles, Scrooge, Geezz, Lord Dom, Millz Banks, Black Card, Kanard, Mac Money, 12 Gage, Crazy Ink, and O.C.S.

Finally, here’s the look of the finished CD label simulated as printed and placed on a production CD. The look matches the album cover and includes all 21 track titles and the names of each artist or group for every song.

The artwork was custom designed for this promotional music CD, and free downloads of all tracks are scheduled for released on the Shizz Entertainment website later this month.

Readers interested in affordable custom web design or matching graphic artwork for print are welcome to email me from any page for a no obligation review and proposal.

I recently created a logo design that included Chinese characters for a new client in Orlando, Florida, whose core business is services to restaurants, especially Chinese restaurants. The client furnished a handwritten version of the characters for their logo which I then recreated in Xara Xtreme.

Their printed marketing materials will be in English. The top view shown above is the handwritten scanned version they provided, and below that is my finished version that was integrated into their logo for the benefit of clients who read Chinese. The phrase has meaning for the majority of their customers without being dominant, while the look is decorative rather than literal for the other restaurants.

Duplicating an existing design or sketch into a finished logo is just one of the services that I provide for custom small business artwork for print or online. This client confirmed the rendering was perfect and easy to read, so with some imagination and Xara Xtreme vector graphics software, graphic designers can achieve professional results.

Custom website design services have been expanded for clients interested in e-commerce websites, online stores, CMS Content Management Systems, and forums or message boards. Starting price for budgetary purposes for dynamic interactive sites are as follows:

$1000 to $5000  for a custom Forum or Message Board, custom CMS Content Management System, custom E-Commerce Online Store, or a custom Main Site with Online Store website design.

Price includes installation with a custom look and basic setup. The client will be given resources for learning how to load and manage their e-commerce website, content management system, or forum community message board.

These custom website packages allow customers to take over managing their website by adding or deleting content without knowing the details of HTML code. Most begin with a free open source template to save $1000′s in design fees, and each is customized for a unique look including custom graphics.

Small business owners don’t have to spend $5-10,000 or more for an online store, forum, or CMS website when affordable options are available from the Small Business Resource Center.

In addition, a custom integrated blog may be added to the package which allows easy publishing of advice and news. The benefits of adding fresh content often may be realized with any of these custom package dynamic website designs.

A consistent look in all media advertising is important for establishing branding and a familiar corporate identity.

Besides custom website design, my services include custom matching graphic artwork for print. Below is an example of a half page full color magazine ad designed for Roll Screen Solutions of Orlando, Florida. The ad will target high end homeowners next month in a home renovation magazine.

The image is smaller than actual size, and low resolution. In addition, I’ve designed client advertising including phone book and newspaper advertisements in full color, black and white, or 2-color. The design artwork in this example was half the price of the magazine’s art department rate, and matches the website, brochure, and business cards which I also created for Roll Screen Solutions.

A few years ago I created artwork for a highway billboard to match one client’s color scheme. In their case the advertising agency would have done artwork for free. After having me do their website, custom mailers, trifold brochure, newspaper ads, and business cards, the client preferred paying for billboard artwork to keep the consistent corporate identity.

When typing text content in HTML for your small business website, or any site, my advice is using the word “and” instead of the symbol “&” unless that is specifically part of the official name for your company. Certainly many attorney and other partner type company names will use ampersand.

The ampersand is a special reserved code character in HTML and must be coded as “&” to properly display on a page, and to avoid confusion. Otherwise, if you simply use the character “&” it will display on the page, however each occurence is an HTML code error.

The goal in any site should be zero, or near zero code errors. If you hand code your HTML you can eliminate each “&” error by following this advice. Using “and” instead of “&” will make your content more literal for readers and search engines, as well.