One important rule we try to follow @ Pemaquid is to always have 3-4 Sharpies and tall stacks of blank paper when meeting w/a Client to review design comps.
It’s the easiest way to sketch out your design thoughts visually. It’s faster than using a whiteboard, and it’s much easier to sketch out ajax or design interactions with Clients - especially those who aren’t particularly Web-savvy - than it is to try to explain it to them verbally.
Pemaquid Communications has scored three nominations for techMaine’s annual Best of the Web Awards. Pemaquid tied for the most nominations of any Maine Web design studio. The nominees are…
The site features exquisite stationery for any occasion, along with fine art prints, calendars and something racy called Go-Go Wrap! The company manages over 200 product listings in more than a dozen categories, along with order tracking and fulfillment, through a custom version of Pemaquid’s Commerce Manager.
More about annie|catherine »
This site draws out the visually appealing nature of this part of the Maine Coast. For many Internet searchers, the site is a tourist gateway to the region and it was very important to the Chamber that the site, through its look and feel, compare favorably to similar sites for more well-known Downeast destinations.
More about MidcoastMaine.com »
The Big Easy is Portland, Maine’s premier night spot. The club wanted a new Web site that rocks as loud as they do. The Content Manager allows easy-self-publishing of upcoming events as well as multiple Photo Galleries of local bands in action on its stage. The design really makes you want to be there!
Best of the Web award winners will be announced at techMaine’s Gala, taking place May 20th @ the Eastland Park Hotel Ballroom.
Actually, it’s would be more than a little unfair to get all the credit for the Big Easy site. The absolutely amazing graphic design is the work of Walt Craven. Walt’s also the lead singer/guitarist in Lost on Liftoff, a local band that often plays at The Big Easy. Walt has done graphic design work for the club for some time.
Jennifer Ecker, Pemaquid Web Designer extraordinaire, rocked out the world-class HTML and CSS in her spare time (of which she has very little).
A simply stunning work of art!
Yours truly set up the Web hosting, plugged in the Pemaquid Content Manager, gave a little architectural guidance to Walt & Jen and showed club co-owner Ken Bell how to use said Content Manager to self-publish updates to the Calendar and Gallery.
About a year ago I had a mid-life crisis. I pulled out my bass guitar, which for years had been gathering dust under the bed in the spare room, and looked to join a blues band. Fortunately, I didn’t have to look far.
I play bass and sing backing vocals (badly) in Bluezberry Jam, a great group of folks here in Portland, Maine. My band mates are: Myra Robinson (vocals, percussion), Dave Collins (vocals, guitars), Rudy Gabrielson (keyboards, harmonica, percussion, electric dulcimer, vocals) and Rick Cormier (percussion).
They are all more musically gifted than I am, but I make it up by leading one of the most talented Web design studios in Maine.
In my spare time I recently rocked out an updated site for the band. It uses the Pemaquid Content Manager for self-publishing content. I had some fun w/creative copywriting and design, and it’s got a lot of Pemaquid’s typical interactive goodies, including accessible sliders and photo galleries.
We hope you find it musically delicious! Hope to see you at a gig soon…
The Big Easy, located at 55 Market Street in the heart of Old Port, is Portland’s premier music venue. Club owner Ken Bell was looking for a hip new look that would give folks a great way to easily look up upcoming shows. More importantly, he wanted a way to easily self-publish photos, calendar listings and links.
So, we rocked until our fingers bled onto our mouses and created a new look that we hope makes you want to head downtown. Ken says feedback has been very complimentary so far - thanks everybody!
The site uses the Pemaquid Content Manager for self-publishing of content. Ken & Co. will also be using Pemaquid’s email service for enewsletters.
Your Rockstar Design Team are:
Walt Craven - Graphic Design, guitars (Walt is also the lead vocalist for local band Lost on Liftoff)
The Elusive Dr. Jecker (that’s Dr. Jennifer Ecker, Pixel Surgeon) - Web design, lead guitars, keyboard, harmonica, ukelele
Rob Landry - (yours truly) Interaction Design, Programming, bass, drums, vocals (yes, bass & drums at the same time)
Rock on!
Cardiovascular Consultants of Maine provides state of the art heart care to patients throughout the region. Based in Scarborough and with facilities in Augusta, Waterville, Sanford and Farmington, their goal is to be known as the preeminent full-service cardiology group serving Northern New England.
They approached Pemaquid recently with a story that’s not uncommon: a staff member had set up their site several years ago, but things had evolved to the point where it was difficult to manage the information quickly and in an organized fashion.
Problem solved. Pemaquid created a design that, among other things, features an online resource library on heart health, heart disease prevention and the meaning of cardiovascular terms (think “Cardiomyopathy”, “Coumadin” or “ACE inhibitors”) that are important to people undergoing cardiac care.
Pemaquid provides ongoing content updates for CCM, as well as Web hosting services, and as with all our Clients, we focus on speed as well as design execution. April Donovan, Cardiovascular Consultants’ CEO, says we’re hitting our marks:
I find Rob Landry and his staff to be responsive, professional and reliable. They listen to our needs and offer innovative solutions through great design and quick delivery.
It’s been a pleasure working with April, Elise Plummer, Samantha Smith and all at Cardiovascular Consultants of Maine, and we look forward to working with them for a long time to come!
Wednesday I was the guest lecturer at an e-business class at the University of Southern Maine. The students will be working with us on Extreme Makeover - Web Site Edition.
I’m happy to report that no fruit was thrown, and no snores were heard.
In fact I heard a lot of great questions (”Are there any types of projects you wouldn’t take on?” Answer: yes, but not many. That’s for another post.)
One question was inevitable, I suppose: “How do you make money building Web sites in Portland, Maine?” (Remember, this is a business class.)
After being in the Web design business for more than five years, here’s my answer. It might sound corny or trite, but it’s worked for me.
Identify a problem and then solve it. Over and over. Better and better. I started as a mild-mannered (OK, maybe not so much) HTML coder, then one day a Client asked whether I could help them create a content management system. I realized that interactive programming and databases were involved, so I developed the skills to meet that need. Over time Pemaquid has developed Web hosting, e-commerce and search engine marketing services to meet other needs we’re asked about all the time.
Focus on building relationships. Take good care of people, treat them the way you want to be treated and they will take care of you and they will come back to you again and again (See? I told you it was going to sound trite). A significant percentage of our new work comes to us through existing Clients. When someone says to a business contact “You should work with XYZ Web design”, giving you that third-party endorsement, it’s much more powerful and persuasive than just about any other sales pitch you can whip up.
Do those two things, be creative and always on the lookout for new trends in your industry, and the money (knocking hard on wood here) will usually take care of itself.
Are you like me? Always late on the draw sending cards around the Holidays? We’re here to help.
Pemaquid has designed a Facebook app called Jenny’s Cards (you must have a Facebook profile to view). You can use it to send a little last minute Christmas cheer to all your friends (all of your friends are on Facebook, right?)
In addition to Holiday cards, you can send your Facebook pals Birthday cards, Thank Yous or just-plain-simple note cards. The card graphics are done by annie|catherine designer stationery, a Pemaquid Client whose site we redesigned earlier this year.
We rolled out this app after Thanksgiving for two reasons: to test how “infectious” this type of viral marketing can be, as well as to help a Client promote their products (there are links to the annie|catherine Web site in the app).
So far folks from Far East Asia to Down East Maine have used the app (Facebook has 50 Million + members worldwide) and annie|catherine is seeing traffic flow from the app to their site.
Done right, Facebook apps are an excellent way for businesses to extend their brand.
Common Good Ventures is a team of experienced business people applying their professional expertise, their networks and their passion for change to help strong nonprofits realize their potential to accomplish even more for Maine. It’s the kind of work that’s sometimes called venture philanthropy.
CGV came to Pemaquid looking to increase the level of interactivity on the site and find unique ways to enhance the non profit advisory services it provides so well offline.
The result is the Virtual Springboard, an online component to the 90-minute forums where each month a non-profit comes prepared to present a specific challenge to a group of business people and hear their “quick-hit” ideas.
Virtual Springboard allows Common Good Ventures to ‘extend the conversation’ surrounding each month’s forum, allowing panelists (folks who help advise) who aren’t able to participate in the physical space to do so online, as well as to more easily share the ideas generated at each session.
CGV staff are able to update the Virtual Springboards and many other parts of the site on demand, using the Pemaquid Content Manager, Pemaquid’s content management system.
Other features include a Photo Gallery that shows CGV staff and Springboard panelists at work (also handled through the Content Manager). It’s a great way for them to easily showcase what a Springboard - or “Volunteering your Mind” - looks like.
Common Good Ventures’ President, Kristin Majeska, says of the project:
Pemaquid has been wonderful to work with, providing us with many creative ideas.
Well, right back at cha, Kristin. It was wonderful to work with you, Diane Oberbeck, Neal Williamson and all at Common Good Ventures. You and your panelists certainly have many creative ideas of your own! We’re glad to be a part of your success.
A tip of the cap to the Dream Team: Jamie Peloquin (Design Concept), Jennifer Ecker (Web design) and Sarah Hines (Creative Services Coordinator - a.k.a. ‘Air Traffic Control’). You guys rock so loud my ears ring!
Sorry to bring up the subject of “snow” (but hey! we had flurries in Portland yesterday so I don’t feel too bad).
Pemaquid has launched a redesigned Web site for the Maine Snow and Ice Sculpting Foundation. They are best known for the frosty carvings we’ve seen in year’s past at the Maine Winterfest events in Falmouth.
In addition to a new look, MS&I wanted to be able to quickly and easily update content throughout the site. For that, we installed the Pemaquid Content Manager, our user-friendly content management system.
With it, Foundation personnel can update copy and create photo galleries as needed.
Keep an eye on this site for news about the Maine State Snow Sculpting Championship, taking place February 14-17, and stay tuned for the World’s Tallest Sandcastle.
Ladies and Gentlemen… we have Liftoff. Lost on Liftoff. (Sorry, I just couldn’t resist.)
Pemaquid Communications premiered a brand new Facebook app for Lost On Liftoff, one of Portland, Maine’s hottest local bands, @ the techMaine conference a few days ago.
Go here to add the Lost On Liftoff app if you have a Facebook profile.
The idea is pretty simple. Once you add the app, it puts a “badge” on your Facebook profile, along w/a player created in FBML (that’s “Facebook Markup Language”) that allows you to play your favorite Lost On Lifoff song from their latest album, Mixtape Blackouts. You can change the favorite song if you like and invite other friends and fans to add the app to their profiles.
For the band, it’s viral marketing at its best. Pemaquid launched (no pun intended) the app just a few days ago and - through the power of Facebook’s social graph - it already has several dozen people using it.
Lead singer Walt Craven did the amazing album artwork and is working with us to redesign the group’s Web site.
Rock on!
Pemaquid Communications recently designed and relaunched a Web site for annie|catherine, a dynamic duo that produces designer stationery and related accesories from their studio in the Dana Warp Mill in Westbrook, Maine.
Their products include cards for most important occasions - birthdays, holidays, thank yous and other note cards - as well as calendars, picture frames, wrapping paper and prints of the amazing and colorful paintings of Catherine Breer (she’s the “catherine”).
Working with Catherine and her partner, Annie Darling - graphic artists every bit as talented as our own design team - made for an interesting project. Our challenge was to translate the very clear vision they had for the look of the site into something that would be pixel perfect across all browsers.
That’s why making sure the xHTML and CSS was valid was so important. That’s also why we used a “sIFR” (Flash image replacement) javascript to render the page titles in the specific font requested by the Client.
A custom version of our Pemaquid Commerce content management system for e-commerce allows annie|catherine to easily update product images, prices and descriptions, review and process orders and update other site content including Store Locations, Reps, News and Events. They can also create custom promotional pages.
Finally, we developed an easy-to-use e-newsletter manager that allows a|c to send email promotions at will using a simple yet elegant template Pemaquid designed for them.
If you’re looking for great looking designer stationery or fun holiday cards in advance of the holiday season (Gosh! Is it that time of year already?), you definitely ought to surf on over and have a look.
annie|catherine is graciously offering readers of this blog a 20% discount if they enter the promotional code “adcb” at checkout (good through October 31).
I met with a Client today and at various points during the conversation I found myself mentioning “spiders” (the search engine, not eight-legged, variety), “feed readers“, “widgets” and “blogs“.
Finally, the Client looked at me and said, incredulously, “What a interesting world you live in!”.
Indeed.
We’re excited to announce that a Pemaquid site, MaineLobsterFestival.com, has been nominated Best e-commerce Web Site by MESDA, the Maine Software and IT Industry Association. The Maine Lobster Festival’s Web site was redesigned by Pemaquid in 2006.
The online store is a custom-built version of the Pemaquid Commerce Manager, and allows Festival organizers to self-publish product imagery and data as well as access order information for fulfillment. The Commerce Manager is just one piece of a larger CMS, the Pemaquid Content Manager, that makes it easy for non-technical people to keep the Web site up to date.
The MLF Web site is one of three finalists for the award, which will be presented on Friday at Geeks in Black, MESDA’s annual gala; it’ll be held at the Portland Marriott at Sable Oaks. (Looks like I’ll be going…)
We’re really jazzed that a Web site that was such fun for us to design is up for this award!
Fortified with wholesome nuggets of Web-ified information and 100% of the Recommended Daily Allowance of 10 essential Web Standards and Best Practices for Web Design in Maine.
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