Archive for the category Web
I was recently approached by friends & musicians We Are The City about a new website. They had a short, simple request, “We don’t want as much clutter… …we like far more simple.” I had been following their latest release, the High School EP, and had thoroughly enjoyed Andy & Aidan Knight’s take on their design for the CD/Vinyl and splash page and was pretty sure we were on the same page when they said ‘simple’. After a few sample sites, we agreed on the look for this one.
Borrowing inspiration from their release, we stuck with the bright red colour because it stood out, and we all loved it. Something I’ve always loved about the boys is their quirkyness and how often you can turn around into a pair of open arms just about anywhere in BC and it’s usually theirs. They randomly show up everywhere and I used this concept literally for their site by incorporating random stills from their music video for Happy New Year, the first single off the EP.
The boys video page needed something special. Having a close relationship with Vancouver production company Amazing Factory means the boys are always making videos. Like, always. Keeping the page updated and organized was key to deal with the large amount of content they wanted to release to their fans. They also Tumbl frequently so it was important to both incorporate their Tumbls into the News feed and for fans to see their questions to the band in a different sort of environment than many other musicians websites.
Andy also mocked up this fantastic page for displaying their full 26 minute High School continuous music video that I helped to code for the new site. A breathtaking video series containing a video for every song on High School, this was an inspired undertaking. Meant to be presented all together, much like you’d sit down to listen to a vinyl record, they belong as one collective piece.
All in all, as always, it was a complete pleasure to collaborate with We Are The City on this site, they brought so much to the table and the result is an amalgamation of ideas and a site we all came together to make.
Visit the site here
Client: CREAM Hair & Makeup Salons
I’ve known Mel & Curtis since about 2005. A year after I moved out on my own to Kelowna, I was a young 20-something with a lot to prove who wanted the hair to match. I had never been pleased with my hair growing up, mostly due to the fact that I couldn’t get it to look like “all those people on T.V.”
I was recommended to CREAM through Ryan, and for the first time I loved my hair. My short attention span has always directly correlated with my hair. It has been lots of lengths, dozens of styles, and just about every colour in the Pantone colour book. As far as a creative canvas, it always grows back so nothing was ever too permanent.
As my hair grew, so did their business. Expanding over the years from the one location on Cooper Rd in Kelowna, BC to now three over the area. And, as we found out over that time, we liked creating a lot of different things together. Over the years I’ve been in their fashion shows, helped host their annual anniversary at Habitat and design posters for it, aid them in their music selection and vibe in the salon, and most recently, have them feature in our A-OK Launch Party in a fashion segment while we worked on their website re-design.
Mel has spoken to me about turning down offers for the web design over the years because of how much CREAM is her baby. The CREAM site needed to be done by someone who understood what CREAM is, because it’s more than a salon, it’s a hair-raising experience. Being infinitely familiar with the brand and concept, including taking a very small part in it, meant Mel and I had built the trust for a step like this. For me, it was such an honor and opportunity to be able to work with some of my favorite creative individuals in a new and different way from what we had before.
Updating the look wasn’t the only thing we wanted to do, we wanted to completely overhaul everything on the previous site. We looked at every nook and cranny and asked ourselves, “How can we make this better?” Making the website as much an experience as stepping into their Hair & Makeup Lounges meant introducing online booking requests, application forms, a selection of music reflecting their playlists, social media integration, and active marketing through a rolling slideshow.
An online tour of their locations and a stylist portfolio are just some of the extras you’ll find on the new CREAM Hair & Makeup Lounge website.
Visit the site here
Client: Tiffany Desrosiers
When Tiffany’s mother Joanne came to me a month ago regarding Tiffany’s website, she had a special request, “we don’t feel that this look represents her music and is outdated.”
It was February 20th and Tiffany had a new single being released mid-March, they were hoping to tie a new website into their marketing piece that would reflect the new direction that Tiffany’s sound was taking in “High,” her latest single. Most importantly, she sweetened the deal with “we would like the option of maintaining of content once the site is finished,” which is one of my favorite things to do. Empowering a client is so important, what’s the point of them having a website they can’t use and update themselves. After a few emails back and forth, it was clear we were on the same page and both parties felt comfortable moving forward.
You can see from the initial two designs I presented that sometimes these things can take completely different directions. With some hard work, we were able to get the site built to go live Friday, March 18th. There’s nothing like a challenge to bring out the best in people, it was a complete pleasure to work with Joanne, Tiffany and her team to bring this concept to light.
Visit the site here
Client: Personal
The Awesome Okanagan concept is a community-based event, food, culture, art, fashion, drink, etc blog. Focusing on the central area of the BC interior, we look to provide a positive spin on all happenings and to raise awareness of the amazing opportunities and creative people growing in our communities.
Visit the site here
