Drawing on the Promises » In Depth http://drawingonthepromises.com FOLLOW THE PROCESS BELOW Mon, 12 Jul 2010 17:31:08 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 dotp Redesign: Temporary Site http://drawingonthepromises.com/dotp-redesign-temporary-site.htm http://drawingonthepromises.com/dotp-redesign-temporary-site.htm#comments Thu, 16 Apr 2009 15:51:28 +0000 Frank http://drawingonthepromises.com/?p=491 Temporary sites are a necessary evil if the client doesn’t have anything but a domain. If you have a long production to launch schedule, it’s important to have something temporary at the domain to bridge the gap until the new site launches. Depending on the client’s budget and business objectives, the temporary site can be anything from a simple logo with contact info to a full fledged teaser site with email sign up, sneak peaks, etc. For limited time and budget sites, I’ve found the Launching Soon script to be a great asset.

With the redesign of dotp, I decided early on to redesign the site in public. Thus, the temporary site has to serve two functions: 1) provide potential clients with access to my portfolio and contact information and 2) give me an easy to use platform to share the redesign process as I go through it. I certainly want whatever time I invest in the dotp temporary site in the way of content creation (text, images, applications, etc.) to be easily transferrable to the new site.

To meet these functional requirements, I felt a WordPress solution was in order for the entire site. WordPress has evolved from a blog platform to a very flexible CMS. Plus, I knew there are quite a few WordPress templates I could use to get things up and running quickly. I feel no shame using a template that someone else has created for my own design, as long as licenses are heeded and the designer is ...... Keep reading

]]> Temporary sites are a necessary evil if the client doesn’t have anything but a domain. If you have a long production to launch schedule, it’s important to have something temporary at the domain to bridge the gap until the new site launches. Depending on the client’s budget and business objectives, the temporary site can be anything from a simple logo with contact info to a full fledged teaser site with email sign up, sneak peaks, etc. For limited time and budget sites, I’ve found the Launching Soon script to be a great asset.

With the redesign of dotp, I decided early on to redesign the site in public. Thus, the temporary site has to serve two functions: 1) provide potential clients with access to my portfolio and contact information and 2) give me an easy to use platform to share the redesign process as I go through it. I certainly want whatever time I invest in the dotp temporary site in the way of content creation (text, images, applications, etc.) to be easily transferrable to the new site.

To meet these functional requirements, I felt a WordPress solution was in order for the entire site. WordPress has evolved from a blog platform to a very flexible CMS. Plus, I knew there are quite a few WordPress templates I could use to get things up and running quickly. I feel no shame using a template that someone else has created for my own design, as long as licenses are heeded and the designer is ...... Keep reading

]]> http://drawingonthepromises.com/dotp-redesign-temporary-site.htm/feed 0 dotp Redesign: Survey http://drawingonthepromises.com/dotp-redesign-survey.htm http://drawingonthepromises.com/dotp-redesign-survey.htm#comments Wed, 01 Apr 2009 19:44:19 +0000 Frank http://drawingonthepromises.com/?p=412 One of the first items of business is to survey the client’s current website and print materials. For clients that don’t have an existing website, I baseline their print and other media. I do this for a couple of reasons:

  • Understand the client’s current brand message.
  • Get a feel for what is and isn’t working in terms of content and functionality.
  • Capture all the current content on the site, both copy and images. You don’t want to have the client come back after the new site is up and say, “Where’s that page on such and such that was on the old site? That was our only copy.”
  • Note color schemes, logos, etc. in case there’s a requirement from the client to carry some of these over into the redesign.
  • Assess the hosting and content management situation for site’s that already exist. I strongly recommend that clients move their site over to my recommended provider, MediaTemple.net. This allows me to work more efficiently as I’m already familiar with Media Temple’s service, servers and systems and helps keep future maintenance costs down. Trying to maintain multiple client websites on multiple hosting services each with their own interface and support is a time consuming mess.

Depending on the complexity of the exisiting site, the client’s budget and the project schedule, I will create everything from a simple email outline to a full b...... Keep reading

]]> One of the first items of business is to survey the client’s current website and print materials. For clients that don’t have an existing website, I baseline their print and other media. I do this for a couple of reasons:

  • Understand the client’s current brand message.
  • Get a feel for what is and isn’t working in terms of content and functionality.
  • Capture all the current content on the site, both copy and images. You don’t want to have the client come back after the new site is up and say, “Where’s that page on such and such that was on the old site? That was our only copy.”
  • Note color schemes, logos, etc. in case there’s a requirement from the client to carry some of these over into the redesign.
  • Assess the hosting and content management situation for site’s that already exist. I strongly recommend that clients move their site over to my recommended provider, MediaTemple.net. This allows me to work more efficiently as I’m already familiar with Media Temple’s service, servers and systems and helps keep future maintenance costs down. Trying to maintain multiple client websites on multiple hosting services each with their own interface and support is a time consuming mess.

Depending on the complexity of the exisiting site, the client’s budget and the project schedule, I will create everything from a simple email outline to a full b...... Keep reading

]]> http://drawingonthepromises.com/dotp-redesign-survey.htm/feed 0 dotp Redesign: Response http://drawingonthepromises.com/redesign-the-response.htm http://drawingonthepromises.com/redesign-the-response.htm#comments Tue, 31 Mar 2009 20:33:00 +0000 Frank http://drawingonthepromises.com/?p=386 After a potential client  initial call or email, I send them the Pre-Project Questionnaire. For the dotp redesign, I’ve filled one out and included it here>.

Design Options

If a potential client sends the Questionnaire back, which often times they won’t because it’s pretty extensive, then I offer them some design options in an email. Usually these design options provide a range of solutions based on their requirements and budget.  I don’t flesh all the solutions out, I just give them a general idea of what they can expect and what a ballpark cost will be. It looks something like this:

…………………………………………………………………………………………..
DESIGN ON A DIME OPTION
MINIMUM FUNCTIONALITY | NO SOCIAL NETWORKING | LOW RISK | LEAST DEVELOPMENT TIME
LOW COST $###
……………………………………………………………………………………...... Keep reading

]]> After a potential client  initial call or email, I send them the Pre-Project Questionnaire. For the dotp redesign, I’ve filled one out and included it here>.

Design Options

If a potential client sends the Questionnaire back, which often times they won’t because it’s pretty extensive, then I offer them some design options in an email. Usually these design options provide a range of solutions based on their requirements and budget.  I don’t flesh all the solutions out, I just give them a general idea of what they can expect and what a ballpark cost will be. It looks something like this:

…………………………………………………………………………………………..
DESIGN ON A DIME OPTION
MINIMUM FUNCTIONALITY | NO SOCIAL NETWORKING | LOW RISK | LEAST DEVELOPMENT TIME
LOW COST $###
……………………………………………………………………………………...... Keep reading

]]> http://drawingonthepromises.com/redesign-the-response.htm/feed 0 dotp Redesign: Inquiry http://drawingonthepromises.com/the-redesign-the-inquiry.htm http://drawingonthepromises.com/the-redesign-the-inquiry.htm#comments Sun, 29 Mar 2009 16:33:04 +0000 Frank http://drawingonthepromises.com/?p=381 It all starts with a phone call or email or chat on the soccer field. Someone wants a website for their personal use, their business, their organization, their band, their whatever. Usually I’ll get about ten sentences of information about what they want to do and it usually looks like this:

“I want it to be like the Nike site. Really cutting edge, 2.0 type stuff. I don’t want Flash; it’s bad. I really like bold colors, maybe green and purple. Award winning too. And what’s the soonest you can have it done? I’d like to have it done in a week or as soon as possible. I’m on a tight budget but if you do a good job, I’ve got future projects.”

Notice there is no mention of a budget. I have no idea how the site fit’s into anything their trying to accomplish and their expectations for time versus quality design are unrealistic. At this point, I usually send them my Pre-Project Questionnaire (see attached below) and never hear back from them again. Not a very good business move, eh? After years of dealing with clients, this strategy has helped both the client and myself avoid disaster before we even begin. Why?

I don’t expect clients to know how to design and build websites. That’s why their coming to me. I do expect them to understand who they are and what the website is trying to achieve. More often than not, they don’t, and they want to jump right into the design and dictate content, ...... Keep reading

]]> It all starts with a phone call or email or chat on the soccer field. Someone wants a website for their personal use, their business, their organization, their band, their whatever. Usually I’ll get about ten sentences of information about what they want to do and it usually looks like this:

“I want it to be like the Nike site. Really cutting edge, 2.0 type stuff. I don’t want Flash; it’s bad. I really like bold colors, maybe green and purple. Award winning too. And what’s the soonest you can have it done? I’d like to have it done in a week or as soon as possible. I’m on a tight budget but if you do a good job, I’ve got future projects.”

Notice there is no mention of a budget. I have no idea how the site fit’s into anything their trying to accomplish and their expectations for time versus quality design are unrealistic. At this point, I usually send them my Pre-Project Questionnaire (see attached below) and never hear back from them again. Not a very good business move, eh? After years of dealing with clients, this strategy has helped both the client and myself avoid disaster before we even begin. Why?

I don’t expect clients to know how to design and build websites. That’s why their coming to me. I do expect them to understand who they are and what the website is trying to achieve. More often than not, they don’t, and they want to jump right into the design and dictate content, ...... Keep reading

]]> http://drawingonthepromises.com/the-redesign-the-inquiry.htm/feed 0 dotp Redesign: Backstory http://drawingonthepromises.com/the-redesign-backstory.htm http://drawingonthepromises.com/the-redesign-backstory.htm#comments Sun, 29 Mar 2009 15:31:22 +0000 Frank http://drawingonthepromises.com/?p=376 One of the most common challenges designers face is educating their clients about the design process. Design is not like construction, where you can drive by at any point in the process and see how the structure is made. People perceive design a bit like magic: We step behind a curtain, say some magic words and out comes a website. They have no idea what happened out of site, they only see the finished product. And designers have, by and large, liked keeping their trade a bit secretive. Unfortunately, this practice, purposeful or not, dumbs clients down and creates unrealistic expectations that design is easy, cheap and quick. Add the accessibility of design software tools to everyone and their brother, and professional designers have a real challenge on their hands keeping their trade secrets while educating clients about the value of their expertise. The basis for the value of their expertise doesn’t reside in a designer’s ability to pick the right colors or come up with the coolest concept, the value lies in their disciplined design process. So, I’m going to open the magic curtain of design and allow everyone to see my interactive design process.

For the last year, I’ve been wanting to redesign my own site. It was a temporary site to begin with, and I’ve not had the time or creative energy to readdress it. It’s not right to tell clients, “Do as I say, not as I do” with regard to my own site.  I’ll be redesigning...... Keep reading

]]> One of the most common challenges designers face is educating their clients about the design process. Design is not like construction, where you can drive by at any point in the process and see how the structure is made. People perceive design a bit like magic: We step behind a curtain, say some magic words and out comes a website. They have no idea what happened out of site, they only see the finished product. And designers have, by and large, liked keeping their trade a bit secretive. Unfortunately, this practice, purposeful or not, dumbs clients down and creates unrealistic expectations that design is easy, cheap and quick. Add the accessibility of design software tools to everyone and their brother, and professional designers have a real challenge on their hands keeping their trade secrets while educating clients about the value of their expertise. The basis for the value of their expertise doesn’t reside in a designer’s ability to pick the right colors or come up with the coolest concept, the value lies in their disciplined design process. So, I’m going to open the magic curtain of design and allow everyone to see my interactive design process.

For the last year, I’ve been wanting to redesign my own site. It was a temporary site to begin with, and I’ve not had the time or creative energy to readdress it. It’s not right to tell clients, “Do as I say, not as I do” with regard to my own site.  I’ll be redesigning...... Keep reading

]]> http://drawingonthepromises.com/the-redesign-backstory.htm/feed 0