We all know that Facebook‘s Timeline for pages was no April Fools joke. On March 30th, 2012 Facebook made the mandatory switch for all Facebook Pages from the standard layout to the new Timeline. Along with the launch came a myriad of hopes and dreams and a few dashed strategies. Gone are the days of landing pages and 100+ page tabs. The new Timeline is streamlined and story focused.
Jan, 12
2012
Graphic Design, Web Design
Last act as webmaster
My last act as Art Director and Webmaster at STYLE Advertising was the redesign and launch of their new website: styleadvertising.com.
We had three main goals with the redesign:
- New design that reflected the direction the agency is moving in
- The site needs to provide more information: from services to internship programs
- Non developers at STYLE need to be able to update the site themselves
I chose WordPress as the CMS platform. It’s easy to learn and update. The Open Source community provides infinite widgets and plugins for any need they might have – and best of all – I know, understand and LOVE WordPress.
What makes up the new STYLE website?
- Custom theme built off the Toolbox framework
- Flash on the home page – highlighting STYLE’s core services
- Expanded Portfolio showing samples for all types of media
- Content written to improve SEO
- Plugins for Contact Forms, Columns, Maps and Gallery
- An easy to use platform to encourage a site that will remain fresh for years to come
The NEW STYLE Advertising Website
Throughout the year I have been working at STYLE Advertising I have worked with many websites from start-ups to established established businesses; new sites, temporary sites, redesigns and overhauls–we have handled it all. I have worked as the developer building out the HTML and CSS of websites with other designers providing the code and on the flip side of the coin I have provided other developers my Photoshop files for them to code.
Besides web design I also worked with print advertising and marketing, maintaining running advertising campaigns for Medical Weight Loss Solutions and designing products for Bass Minder.
Building this site was my last official act at STYLE Advertising. I was offered, and accepted, a position at Infinity Auto Insurance doing solely web design. While I will miss working at an agency I am very excited to become a part of the Infinity Brand.
Now, to Infinity, and beyond!
Sep, 20
2011
Graphic Design, Healthcare, Web Design
Ready to Lose It?
The NEW Surgeons' Group Website
STYLE Advertising has been working with Dr. John Mathews since the first of the year. First we developed a direct mail piece elaborating on the benefits of baratric surgery and now on a new, and improved, website.
The brochure piece was directed to referring doctors, small, compact, to the point. The website on the other hand is for the curious client, the potential patient. It deals with everything from the procedures themselves, the risks, common fears, and even how to deal with insurance companies.
The original website is a SEO nightmare. The header was a scan of a business card, the home page text was a giant jpg, even the domain name redirected you to a “web.me” address! Currently I’m working on bringing it up from wherever poor SEO banishes websites.
My first goal, besides having index-able text, was to work on the design and site’s organization. Dr. Mathews does more than just gastric bypasses, but you don’t shop around when your gall bladder is about to rupture so you don’t need a website for those areas of the practice. The site could be expanded, to include more information on the other laparoscopic procedures he performs, but for now the main focus is on baraitrics.
Some of my favorite features is the BMI calculator and the seminar form. Patients can register for seminars online, and get reminder emails. This has probably been one of my all time favorite sites to build. The guys at REALIZE & LAPBAND gave me great content to work with, which means that I can do more design and less writing. They included figures, stats, charts and videos.
www.surgeonsgrouppc.com has transformed into a real resource for candidates of bariatric surgery and their family.
Coming soon: Surgeons’ Group’s new Facebook page!
Aug, 23
2011
Graphic Design, Web Design
Isn’t It Sweet
We have just finished a great new website. Who is “we,” you might ask? We are STYLE Advertising. I might not have mentioned it yet, but I was hired by STYLE at the beginning of 2011 to do print and web media – and, isn’t it sweet! For the past 8 months I have been working on a number of websites for lawyers, entertainers, health professionals and the newest restaurant to hit downtown Birmingham – Sweet Tea.
Sweet Tea Website
The Sweet Tea project included developing the brand: down home southern cooking, Greek flair, and an expansive 200 item menu in a restaurant suited for downtown professionals, college kids and Sunday school gatherings. The restaurant is actually a cafeteria, serving some 50 items each day. Monday you can have lasagna, Tuesday pastichio. This did present an interesting challenge when building the website, especially the not yet unveiled online order placement.We also developed 9 menus: one for breakfast, one for dinner, and seven weekday lunch menus. The online component was built so that Sweet Tea could add their own items at will, set date ranges to display seasonal items, or schedule a month’s worth of cobblers, pies and puddings.
I must say that it has been a huge success. The restaurant is getting a lunch crowd in multiple hundreds, thanks to the great PR at STYLE.
Dec, 01
2010
Graphic Design
Making Magic
As the real estate industry has continued to dwindle I’ve found it necessary to take matters into my own hands. In this down market I have a few options until the economy perks up: pursuing more freelance work, bagging groceries, or going back to school. I’ve already put in my mandatory retail time with Wal-Mart and food service time at a local sub shop, so I’ll put bagging groceries on the back burner. With my darling already in Medical School, I don’t think my bookshelf could handle any more books which leaves the freelance option.
Where does one find freelance work? So far word of mouth is working for me. Marketing research always points to a reputation being key, and I’ve spent the past 5 years building up my reputation as a graphic designer, web developer and general computer guru. Some even say I’m magical. Really they do, the agents at LAH Real Estate have renamed the Photoshop Clone Stamp Tool “Emily’s magical turn on lights, fix blemishes, restore shingles, mow the grass, trim the hedges Tool.” The liquify Tool is free Botox AND Lipo in one!
Info card for Trade Show
What kind of magic do I make these days? Technical Illustrations for patents, postcards, HTML for emails, websites both big and small.
In the final stages of development I have a website for a home builder in North Central Alabama and I just finished m work with the “Podna” project.
If you need a freelance designer, send me an email, or give me I call – I’d love to help!
Oct, 19
2010
Graphic Design
Sugar & Spice
Earlier this month I was asked to convert lagniappe-designs.com to an easy to use CMS. The site was subtle, had almost no text on it, and just a few pictures. It had been built by a friend of a friend, and hadn’t been updated in years.
The old Lagniappe Designs
I really wanted to bring it up a notch. Introduce vibrant colors, zoom in on the flowers, and add more content to the site. Lagniappe Designs is not a large scale florist operation. They are small, witty, and unique. They needed a site that represented them and would make them stand apart from all of the chain florists in town.
Being a small shop and “do it yourself” types, Lagniappe really wanted to manage their own site, so I chose WordPress as the CMS. We chose a theme and I went to work, adding color and content to their site.
The site isn’t quite done yet, and knowing the tinkering nature of this awesome florist, it might never be – but now Lagniappe Designs has the tools to control their own internet destiny.
Apr, 20
2009
Graphic Design, Web Design
Missing Manuals
I truly think that all aspects of life should have a manual. Cars have manuals, even my blender has a manual – but the web does not. By it’s very nature the world wide web is a mass of information. Sometimes this information is perfect, sometimes it is misleading, and other times you know it is out there but you just can’t find the right keywords to use to find it.
The Missing Manuel
Books are also full of information, but they are solid physical objects. You can find them easily by title and browse through to find your information.
Recently I started working on a new website – something far grander than my little “about me” websites. This website needed a front for clients, a back for managers, a database to hold the information and in general more coding than I was used to.
Always up to the challenge I found the Adobe Dreamweaver’s Developer’s Toolbox (ADDT) and figured hey – how hard could PHP be? It was different from HTML & CSS and I didn’t even know where to start. I went out to the store and got a the Dreamweaver Missing Manual. After a few days with that I did end up supplementing with Google’s results for my queries and a Training from the Source book.
Now, lets all echo(Where are the rest of the manuals?);
Dec, 27
2008
Graphic Design
Holiday Design Fun
It is that time of year again. Time for presents, time for family, and time for the Marketing Department’s grand Photoshop feat.
Last year I made light of our small department with this image:
2007 LAH Marketing Services Department
You might notice that the department is really just the three of us in front of a massive tree.
Photography by our trusty IT guy. Photoshopping by yours truly. Outfits picked out by those you see here.
There are in fact 9 Emily’s in this picture. You see, our marketing department consisted of one Linea and two Emily’s. Another reason I wanted to go with the doppelganger Christmas picture.
Onto 2008:
As last year’s photoshoped image had a great “wait, I get it now” appeal, this year I had to do something even better.
2008 LAH Marketing Services Department
This Christmas, the Marketing Department was down one gal, so we added our friend, the Frosty Kid to our annual Christmas card picture. The Frosty Kid, as I affectionatly call him, is a great stock photo of a hand made snowman. Besides the Marketing Director, and myself and the Frosty Kid, the rest is all photoshop. Photos were taken inside the office using silver and gold lame fabric as reflective surfaces to mimic snow lighting. Outfits were in our closets. The snow, bubbles, snowglobe, etc…was all photoshopped by yours truly.
Dreaming of a white Christmas in a typical Alabama winter heat wave.
