DESIGN
All of our design is born from the strategy and goals we outline in our creative brief. From a visual standpoint we start with raw ideas. You know, some good old-fashioned brainstorming to get the juices flowing. Does the brand have an established look and feel, or are we creating one from scratch? How do your customers see your brand, and how do you see yourselves? What kind of image do you want to showcase? What do you think about the color red?
This lays the groundwork for the next step, the creation of an information architecture (IA) and wireframe model of the new site (what we refer to as User Experience Design, or simply UX design). The information architecture serves as a model for the hierarchy of content and interdependency of all pages on the site, while the wireframes lay out a blueprint for design by defining navigation, user paths, and conversion points. It sounds boring, but it's really one of the most important parts of the project, and it transforms all the creative work into a usable blueprint for site building.
Maybe you've heard the phrase "Content is King"? Well, that's never been more true than on the web. We'll work with you to develop a complete content directory and assist in producing major portions of your messaging for the new site. We provide creative direction and organization of content and provide assistance in creating and gathering resources, and we work with you to ensure all site content aligns with the defined content strategy.
Once the IA and wireframes have been approved and our content road map is in place, visual design (what we refer to as User Interface Design, or simply UI design) will begin. While everything we do is visually engaging, we are especially focused on offering design that promotes interaction with the user. Whether we're designing to capitalize on your most intriguing content, building an e-commerce experience that simplifies your checkout process, or creating an intuitive mobile interface, we design for conversion and develop comps around the many touch points we outline during discovery. Point is, all that fancy design work is about driving your goals and creating a return on your investment with us, not just making the logo bigger.
MORE SPECIFICALLY...
Before we start to design, we structure a detailed information architecture and wireframe for each project to make sure all components, sections, functional requirements and business objectives are addressed prior to even beginning the process. The IA and wireframe establish the priorities and hierarchy of the navigation and overall direction of the site for both web and mobile implementation.
User Interface design can mean many things. To us, it means creating the most intuitive, engaging visual experience possible while maintaining the business and conversion goals we outline during discovery.
If you're not planning for mobile, you're not planning for the future. We design mobile optimized websites and applications for smartphone and tablet usage. Mobile is no longer a luxury, its a necessity. From the outset, we consider content delivery and interaction in a mobile setting for all of our projects.
Whether we're building functional prototypes to test your new design or simply conducting user scenario studies with your clients, we like to test early and often. While you may love our work, the only people who truly count are your users.
Whether it's the core messaging we create to drive conversion, the content we create for your blog, or the placement of keywords within your site to assist with Search Engine Optimization, (like putting "Philadelphia Branding" in just the right spot), we help to establish the tone and voice so you can effectively share with your audience.
