Big Catch Website
February 12, 2009 by Duncan · 2 Comments
Well the Big Catch Fish and Chips Family Restaurant website is complete and was launched this afternoon. The web site was the last part of the huge project which included logo and full branding, 10 30 x 40” poster, vinyl wall netting installations, takeout menus, a 13 x 5 foot menu board and storefront signage.
This is only the second time I have had the pleasure to design a full package project from the ground up and I have to say as challenging as it was I really enjoyed it. Anyways on to the Big Catch web page.
I would like to start off by saying that once again I have programmed and coded a web site which validates with strict compliance. It has been tested in all browsers even that old piece of crap ie6 and works flawlessly across the board.
When I first started researching fish and chip shop websites all over the world I quickly noticed that most never had a site and those that did never really put any effort in to them. So right off the bat I not only wanted to outdo all the competition but I wanted to annihilate them all.
I began drawing some mockups and decided that this website was going to have a lot of character and I also wanted to have an animation of the sea. After playing around and figuring out how I was going to execute the effect the rest of the site kind of just fell into place.
The web site has a few other little interesting tidbits and graphics that I will leave as a surprise. Not only did I have a blast working on the website but I really enjoyed the whole project, it challenged me and allowed me to use a lot of skills that I haven’t used in a while and it taught me a few new ones.
Visit the website
ElectroGuy Website
December 10, 2008 by Duncan · Leave a Comment
Electroguy Website
Just completed another o2ecs web project for the ElectroGuy which launched today. The ElectroGuy is a technology specialist who provides the installation and service for many different technologies such as security, computers, internet, satellites and electronics.
The site was designed in Photoshop then sliced up and programmed with some XHTML 1.0 strict compliant code. The main idea behind the side is to show the audience that the ElectroGuy services all sorts of clients from the city to the country and everyone in between.
To get this point across we literally created a landscape graphic of the big city (in this case Toronto) morphing into the countryside. A silhouette of a satellite dish pointing to the company logo was added to give the eye a more interesting course to follow.
And speaking of the company logo it wouldn’t be much of a Digital Deceptions creation if I didn’t add a little animation to really give it a personality. When you mouse over the ElectroGuy logo it electrifies and right below that I have placed a wind turbine which produces electricity (are you getting the theme here?) giving the landscape graphic that element of the third dimension.
All in all this project isn’t the most complex I’ve worked on but just like the ElectroGuy I to work with clients of many different sizes and I’m able to provide them with solutions to their problems no matter how large or small they are.
Visit the website
Website 101 – Why You Need a Web Site
October 19, 2008 by Duncan · Leave a Comment
Why does your company need a website? We could quote statistics that show the Internet has become the main method people use to find information on products, services and companies they do business with.
The truth of the matter is that without a web site potential clients question your professionalism, commitment to customer service, and long-term stability of your company.
The Internet is the Search Tool Consumers Use
The popularity of the web means that when potential clients find out you don’t have a website, the reaction is similar to how they would feel if you didn’t have a place of business. They either wonder why and you lose credibility or you can attract a very undesirable type of customer.
A professional website says that you are on top of your game, you have a sound business plan for the future, and that you want to make the customer’s experience with your company as positive as possible.
My Business Doesn’t Need a Website
I have spoken to business owners in many different industries and have discovered that in some markets there is a feeling that a website is just not useful for “their type of products or services”, and that no one could possibly buy their “product x” or “service y” online, so why even bother with a website?
Well a website is about more than just selling products and services. It is a tool that can give your latest news and contact information. It announces expansions and new products or services. It can boast about your good reputation, a long standing presence in the industry, or positive client testimonials.
It can also find you employees buy accepting resumes or be an information resource for customers, a way for potential clients to take a look at your facilities or equipment.
At the very least a website should be there to assist your prospective clients and existing customers with your location, mailing address, hours of operations and what holidays your company is closed.
When phoning around, many consumers will look elsewhere the instant they call and get a busy signal, voicemail, or are put on hold for too long. But your website is always on, and always there working for you.
Graphics and Web Design in Durham Region
September 24, 2008 by Duncan · Leave a Comment
Digital Deceptions Logo
Well let me digress for a minute as I have to admit that this topic has been eating away at me for quite a few years now and I finally have to say something about it. As we all know most websites we surf worldwide, corporate and local are usually riddled with complications and issues which affect you, the end user.
These problems range in size from minor to major and the usual suspects are web standards and compliancy which pretty much means that websites function well in one browser but differently or maybe not even at all in others. Another huge issue is usability, if you don’t understand how the website works how are you ever going to navigate to the information you are looking for?
So let’s say a website passes all these hurdles, it adheres to web standards and functions properly in Firefox, Safari, Opera, the new Google Chrome, Internet Explorer 7 and even the dreaded IE6. It is so simple to use even your granny or your mouth breathing nephew can use it, but does it look good?
Not only do you have to work within a strict set of rules to impact the largest amount of users you have to present it graphically in away the is very pleasing to the eye and simultaneously compliments the content that is being examined.
Unfortunately Most Websites Just Plain Suck
You would expect when any of these vulnerabilities are overlooked it is either very small companies, nonprofits or just an amateur’s personal space but unfortunately that is not the case because these practices are rampant. When I’m surfing the web I come across the very same problems in all industry websites almost on a daily basis.
Now I know that my perception of the web is skewed because of my trained eye and it may sound like I am complaining about the state of the web but really I am not. I am fully aware that from a business stand point it is much better for me that most websites are subpar which finally brings me to the very point of this blog entry, bad graphic and web designers.
Specifically the graphic and web designers in the Regional Municipality of Durham where I live, my competition who rate from very poor to really good as in most places. Fortunately there is only a hand full of us good designers in the Durham Region (notice I said us? …lol) so you would think that most business owners and groups commissioning websites would stay away from all the riffraff but they haven’t.
Many Clients Distrust Designers Because of Past Experiences
What I have found is that clients have almost always had a bad experience from their first website and usually that is why they are looking to get a second one done. This is the proverbial double edged sword, on one hand you are talking shop and networking with potential clients and on the other hand they come with baggage and distrust from the bad experience they had with the last design studio or freelancer they worked with.
A couple of tell tale signs of bad design habits to look out for when you are in need of graphic or web design work are no website or portfolio, website doesn’t function properly or a date on the site is a year or two old. Of course there are many others but that is for a later blog entry you get the idea.
An indicator of a good designer or Design Company is how thorough they are and if they have some sort of process that they use to get the job done. Using a design process is key no matter what size or type of project is being commissioned and you will quickly find that there will most likely be issues in a project that were otherwise unforeseen by the client but by having a design process in place these issues are recognized and addressed before they become a problem.
Good Work Ethic
As much as I would like to out some of the major local culprits in the Ajax, Pickering, Whitby and Oshawa graphic and web design industry I feel that it would do more damage than good as I have set some strict business and moral standards for myself and Digital Deceptions and reframe from bad mouthing anyone specifically and let the work both theirs an mine speak for itself.
So if you are a business owner, have a unique product or idea and are in need of hiring a local graphic or web designer from the Durham Region area, have a look at my portfolio before you make your decision, Digital Deceptions creates all types of graphics from logos to print layouts and I specialize in web design and animation.
Getting Caught in the Web of Technologies
September 8, 2008 by Duncan · Leave a Comment
Well the redesigned site has been up for a week now and I have been looking through and comparing the old site statistics and have been pretty impressed with the amount of unique visitors and the length of time they have been staying on the Free Lance site.
The last five Digital Deceptions sites have either been full Flash sites or hybrids (using both Flash and HTML) which as with most technologies have their pros and cons.
Back in early 2000 when I was in college Flash was quite new and everyone wanted to use it. I’m sure you all remember those huge Flash intros; you could literally wait a couple of minutes just to see a company’s logo spin and they probably paid a fortune for it as well.
After finishing school and coming from a multimedia program I naturally used Flash to create most of my websites. I would be lying if I said that Flash wasn’t always my first choice because I definitely felt more comfortable with it as opposed to other web platforms, but if a clients website didn’t need to be animated, flashy (for lack of a better word), contain music, video or their target audience was much older I used Flash very sparingly if at all.
Most of the work I did was a reflection of my own website Digital Deceptions, clients would say “I loved what you did on this or that project” and usually to achieve what they wanted the only option was Flash, that’s why they came to me. So I guess what has made me stand out from the crowd has also kind of painted me into a corner in some respects.
To Flash or Not to Flash
I have never liked being pinned down or labeled a one trick pony and to me being the go to Flash guy was just that. Way back in college one of my teachers noticed I started all of my designs on a black background and he told me to get out of that kind of habit right away and use colours that I am not comfortable with or he would choose the colour palette for me which happened to be one of the final assignments that I already had plenty of practice at.
So once again I have come out of my comfort zone by making the latest Digital Deceptions website The Free Lance which is PHP and database driven. Just because it much more search engine friendly the traffic to my site has almost tripled and the average time visitors stay on the site has multiplied tenfold which is one of the major goals I wanted to accomplish with the latest build.
Don’t get me wrong I still love to use Flash and I’m very aware of its uses both good and bad believing it has a time and a place in certain projects, for instance I have used it for the search box in my website because I could customize the look of it much more closely to resemble the look and feel of the site’s design.
Is the Medium the Message?
In the end as with any project it is about the message and the information you are trying to get across to your audience, whatever technologies you use are just tools to support those ideas and shouldn’t in any way dictate anything different.
Being your own boss we as freelance designers sometimes get caught up in all these technologies and get lost forgetting the fundamentals, so as with any business model it is a good idea to evaluate your game plan. It is also a good idea to reevaluate your skills, equipment, what technologies you use and make any necessary adjustments before they become major changes.
