Sunshine Coast Conservation Association
The Sunshine Coast Conservation Association contacted us to redesign their site, which had
accumulated so much information that it was difficult to navigate. They wanted to be able
to maintain content themselves, so we created their site using Joomla technology. Joomla
allows clients to edit content using a text editor similar to that used to format emails.
It also allows clients to create new pages for their web site without knowing HTML or other
web development technologies. This site is still under development.
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Signboom: Your Online Print Engine
Signboom contacted us looking for a redesign of their web-based print ordering system, and
development of in-house software to further streamline their print process. We designed the
site to coordinate with their new logo, and to be cleaner and more "corporate" than their
previous design. We integrated the design with their existing powerful print calculator
and ordering system. The new design is currently being tested.
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Sunshine Coast Botanical Garden
The Sunshine Coast Botanical Garden Society had collected over 100 pages of useful information
on their original web site, and invited us to redesign the site. In their words, "the change in design
was primarily intended to improve ease of navigation, with a contemporary appearance and functions, while
featuring our new logo." We created three designs for them to choose from, and populated the new site
with all their content. We created an interactive calendar to showcase their many events, past and
present, and incorporated an online event/membership registration form. We are currently integrating
a CubeCart shopping cart into the site, so that memberships, event tickets, and eventually fundraising
products, can be sold online.
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Kensington Cabinets
Kensington Cabinets has been expanding rapidly during the past two years, and approached us about
creating a web site to showcase their new capabilities. We provided them with three designs to choose
from, and worked with them to finalize their new logo. We created an interactive door selector so that
clients can view the many doors they carry in the various available colours. (The door selector is not yet
online, pending photographs of all doors becoming available.) We also created a specialized web site
for their commercial clients.
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Rob's Home and Yard Services
Rob Kayce wanted a web site to communicate to potential clients the many services his company offers.
He had his content prepared and was ready to move quickly. With a one-week turnaround, we provided a
single design, which he approved, and we created and populated the site with his content. We also sourced
stock photos for his site, and located a stock graphic for his new logo. We have also designed
his new business card and some newspaper ads.
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Under Construction: Ascent Counselling Centre
Ascent contacted us to help them customize a Joomla template they had selected for their
web site. We have customized the template, and they are currently putting together content
for their web site.
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Under Construction: Alderspring Design
The owner of Alderspring Design had been struggling to develop a site herself using several
free online store products, which were not up to the task. Her daughter contacted us, looking
to give her mother the gift of more time to spent on other aspects of her business. We
recommended the purchase of CubeCart version 4, and installed and customized it. The owner
currently has the store offline, while she populates it with products. It will likely
be online by end of May 2008.
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Springbrooke Retreat Center
Clearmind International, whose website
we maintain, wanted to rebrand their 16-acre retreat center with a new logo and website. We worked with
Springbrooke staff and their logo designer/photographer to develop a design that communicated their vision
of the centre.
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Newman Research Services
Freelance genealogical researcher Amy Newman was looking for a simple, affordable site, that would
communicate information about genealogical research in general, and her business in particular.
We sourced stock photography and created the banner collage of the home page,
and identified a suitable font for branding her business name. Shortly after her site went
live, Amy was contacted by a new client, on the far side of the country, who had found her through
her web site.
The image on the right links to the site as we designed it. We also made two variations on the
design: variation 1 and
variation 2.
The live site is online at www.nrsfind.com.
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Coded and Maintained by UWD: Clearmind International
Clearmind International's web site was designed by Bruce E. Skipper of Radical Clarity Communications.
We recoded the complete site to move away from its table-based layout and frames, to the newer
CSS technology. Getting rid of the frames has helped the site's ranking in search engines. All code
was written by Usable Web Designs, and we maintain the site. We also create layouts for Clearmind's
quarterly publication The Ripple (PDF) and prepare their monthly HTML-formatted mailouts.
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Poppin's Quilt Parlour
Poppin's Quilt Parlour, located in Penticton B.C., had been using email to communicate
information about new products, class schedules, and sales to their clientelle, sometimes in the form
of quarterly newsletters. They wanted an online repository for this information, that would be available
to a wider audience, and wanted to maintain their site themselves, without having to learn HTML.
We designed their site based on the colour scheme from a photograph they had taken of a local lake.
We coded a client-managed site using PHP and an SQL database. Poppins maintains their inventory in
Excel spreadsheets on their PC, and then uploads those spreadsheets to the SQL database on their host.
The PHP code we provided automatically creates the web pages using data from the database. We provided
Poppins with comprehensive documentation on how to maintain their web site, and travelled to Penticton
to train several staff members. We were responsible for the design of all pages, created the logo, and
prepared some of the copy. We also sourced free limited-use copyright photos from the
Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association.
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The Mastery Workshops
The Mastery is a set of four personal development workshops which
focus on self expression. Their leadership team wanted a web page
which would give potential participants the opportunity to learn
more about the workshops, and which would communicate the values
they associate with their workshops.
The specifications were very
open ended at the beginning. We provided several designs for
them to choose from, and multiple revisions of the chosen design,
as the leadership team searched for the appropriate look. We
created the logo for them (text-based, upon their request) and
provided the graphics for the site. We also assisted in copywriting
and provided high-resolution versions of the graphics for use in
their brochures.
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Sonya MacDonald [ copywriter ]
We developed Sonya's site before she partnered with us to offer
her copywriting skills to our customers. Sonya came to us with a
very clear image of what she wanted. She pointed us to a site
with a style that she liked, faxed us a hand-drawn picture of
the layout she wanted, and emailed a photograph to be used.
We implemented her design, and provided her with examples of six
different colour schemes to choose from. We also located a
"crumbling typewriter font", which she had requested for her logo.
Sonya, of course, provided the copywriting for her site.
Recent additions to Sonya's site include a new portfolio page and a
new masthead (which uses a copyright-free photo of her choice from
stock.xchng).
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Kestrel Books
Kestrel Books wanted to redesign their web site, while retaining certain elements (their logo, a
textured paper background, and the image which runs down the left hand side). We worked with them
to retain the flavour of their site, while improving readability and navigation. This site has a
"fluid" design, which means it adjusts its width (within limits) to the width of the browser window.
The "Featured Items" page was designed to allow the client to add/remove featured items by updating and
uploading an Excel spreadsheet. Over time, this site has evolved to include more pages, so we added
a drop-down menu system. We have also customized a Wordpress blog to match their site.
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Coded and Maintained by UWD: Josephine Harrison
This site was designed by Fiona Raven. We recoded the complete site to move away from its table-based
layout to currently recommended CSS technology. We also created the interactive order form and
set up her PayPal account so that she can sell her art works over the internet. All code was written by
Usable Web Designs, and we maintain the site.
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Global Scavenger Hunt - Blog Page
Global Scavenger Hunt already had a web site, which owner Bill Chalmers
maintains himself. He contacted us to add a blog to his website. We customized
a Wordpress blog to coordinate with the banner image on his web site.
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La Brocante Books and Antiques
Bertrand Michel, owner of La Brocante, had been selling his books
and antiques through a physical store and selling his books online
at ABEbooks.com. ABEbooks only handles books, and Bertrand was
looking for a way to sell his antiques, videos, records and ephemera
online. He did not want e-commerce, but he did want to maintain
the site himself.
We designed a client-managed site using the technoglies mentioned above
for the Shipwreck Gallery site. As usual, we provided the client with
comprehensive documentation on how to maintain his web site.
We were responsible for the design of all pages, created the
logo, selected the site colours, and sourced free fonts and
copyright-free images for his site (from stock.xchng).
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Wendy Taylor, Assistant Professor, York University
Dr. Taylor is a professor in the physics department at York University in Canada.
Her web site is used to communicate her research activities to colleagues and the world at large,
and it links to course information for her students.
We were responsible for the design of all pages, selected the
site colours, and sourced free fonts and copyright-free images for this site.
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Alison and Eddy's Wedding Site
This site was created in the months before Alison Taylor and Eddy Trampus
of Usable Web Designs got married. As almost all wedding guests were travelling
here to attend (some from overseas), the site was designed to provide information on
the destination as well as the wedding itself. In coming months, wedding photographs
will be added to the site so that friends and family can view them.
We offer special design packages for wedding web sites. Please
contact us for details.
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Usable Web Designs
We have, of course, designed and implemented our own site, the site
you are viewing now. Free copyright-free photographs were sourced from the
stock.xchng.
We designed the logo and wrote the copy.
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