Before and After
If your website is three years old or even older, chances are you aren’t taking advantage of all the changes in the internet now available. Social networking buttons, forms, built in seo, clean formats, non-flash banner sliders and slide shows are just some of the new features you can get included in your revised website for much less investment than before.
My new client was ready to learn content management. He called me on a recommendati0n from a developer who was getting out of the web design business. His site needed substantial reorganization and redesign. Look at the old site and see if it looks like a site you’ve seen recently.
It is obvious to most people who know my client, that he does not look like the picture on this page. It was elongated to match the image on the right. Centered text, lines around boxes and a hidden menu are just a few of the glaring problems we identified and changed in the new site design.
Now take a look at the next image at right. There are a lot of improvements that you won’t be able to detect from this still image. The new site features a sliding banner of six images and text, a top position menu with drop downs, three featured post pages (below the crop), select testimonials, blog posts and more. Go to http://www.compasshomesolutions.com to see the entire front page. I think you’ll agree it is a lot better than the old site.
Read MoreTop Notch WordPress Security
WordPress is a wonderful content managed system that solves many requirements for web site owners all over the world. But it is not full-proof when it comes to viruses and malware. I found this out personally this week. Yes, perugi.com was hacked! Although my site wasn’t outwardly symptomatic, a possible client in Florida got an “Alert!” when she went to look at my portfolio. The last thing I need is to scare away potential customers. It’s also the last thing you need.
In my research on Mashable, I learned that you should NOT save your password on your browser, where the malware can get in the back door. Mashable also recommended I uninstall WordPress and reinstall it, then rebuild the site. That’s a drastic step, which is why I called Bluehost. My trusted buddies ran a test that didn’t turn up anything too malicious. But they couldn’t be sure it was clean either.
Read MoreClient offers volunteer opportunity
My friend and client Fredia Woolf of Woolf Consulting just sent me a letter inviting us all to participate in a innovative social venture. Read her proposal about generosity and how we can continue to give it all year long.
“Dear Friends,
We’re off to India in a couple of hours, but didn’t want to leave before sending you my best wishes. At this time of year, a spirit of generosity pervades. Malls and online shopping carts are filled with gift-buyers, cards and good wishes are sent, food is prepared and shared, and, both religious and secular people generally partake of the good cheer. And yet it is hard not to think of the gap betwen the haves and the have nots in our world today. Not only those who lack money and a job, or education and clean water, but even those among us who are “privileged” and materially comfortable, who are have nots when it comes to time, personal relationships, or peace of mind.
Read MoreBartleby’s New Site Design
One of my colleagues at Business Networking International (BNI) wanted to update his website: Bartleby Scriveners. Bob helps people with the written word. Many of my clients need his help, as content and words are important elements in web design and marketing. But, while Bob is very good at writing, he needed help in organizing and creating a new look for his brand. It also has to be done within a budget.
I recommended using a WordPress template or theme from WordPress.org. Choosing the right theme out of the thousand or so is a critical first task. Not only do I look for layout, but I look for good typography and flexibility within the theme. The themes come prepackaged and may look exciting on the whole, but the nuts and bolts don’t fit.
Read MoreFramingham Foundation Gets Help from Perugi Design
Bonnie Biocchi of the MetroWest Chamber of Commerce asked Perugi Design to give the good people of the Framingham Library Foundation a call. The group needed to raise funds to help offset the cost of building a new McAuliffe Branch Library. Its long-term goal is to create an endowment fund that will supplement, but not replace, funds received from the Town of Framingham. Perugi Design met with trustees Jo-Anne Thompson and Ruth Winett to map out a plan to create a new website for that purpose.
Some History
The website states that “Christa Corrigan McAuliffe and six other astronauts perished on January 28, 1986, during the takeoff of the Challenger. Her legacy lives around the world and especially in Framingham, her home town. Christa grew up in Framingham and attended Marian High School. As a child, Christa was intrigued with space exploration and the Apollo Project. She received a BA degree from Framingham State College and an MEd from Bowie State College. She was a regular patron of the Saxonville Library, which was renamed in her honor in 1987.”
Printmaking in Newton and Boston
As a printmaking major in college, and a lover of paper, ink and the printing craft, the art of Printmaking will always remain an interest. Over the past year, I’ve been taking a workshop with master printmaker Julia Talcott in her studio in Newton. (See her print “Touch” in the featured image) Carving into wood or linoleum plates can be a challenge as is the process which requires designing backwards, but the result is always surprising and rewarding. Carving, mixing paint, rolling, printing, more carving and printing. With ten pieces of Rives paper and four or five color combinations, you build over each color to produce the image, and each print is different.
Read MoreGuest Blogging with Green Park Mortgage in Framingham
Always take the opportunity to be a guest writer on an associate’s blog, even if his business has little cross-over with yours. Guest blogging is a great opportunity for increased exposure, especially when you’re new to town as I was last year. Dave Gaffin of Green Park Mortgage in Framingham is an avid user and believer in social media. He is a senior loan officer with Green Park Mortgage Corporation and from I hear is an excellent advisor and administrator of loans in this area and around the state. His blog, “The Massachusetts Mortgage Blog” (great name!) is growing in popularity. So read on what I had to say and be thinking where you can add your two cents!
Read MoreNewsletter Services for Newton Client
New client “Vitality Personal Fitness” in Newton asked Perugi Design to create a Constant Contact email template for an outgoing newsletter announcing their Open House. Constant Contact is a very popular way to reach your customers via email marketing. If you ever wondered how some businesses send nice looking emails with links, this is the reason.
Anyone can learn to send out an email through this service, but the tricky part is to have it reflect your brand and website. That takes a designers eye, knowledge of web color and typography, use of photographs and a little html. We were able to do that for Vitality. Owner and trainer Shayleen Pastick loves her newsletter and will use it for forthcoming announcements.
Share Read MoreNew Moo Rounded Business cards
Moo cards has a new product, rounded corner, distinctive business cards that make a impression! Double sided business cards on high quality 16pt thick paper stock with great print quality and a smooth satin feel cost $22 for 50 cards. Upload your own images or choose from Moo’s designs. Add your details and select rounded or square corners. You can even buy a cool holder for your cards for $10.
Remember I talked about Moo cards in previous posts. The best part, besides the price, is that you can upload your entire portfolio for no extra fee. 100 different cards will really show your creativity. But I uploaded just 5 different designs, so I’ll get 20 of each. I added in the cool holder and am now waiting for my cards to be delivered in the mail. Fast turnaround too, all the way from the UK!
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Laura Harrington of Gloucester Publishes Book
Laura and I worked together a few years ago to launch her first website, Laura Harrington Playwright. It is a comprehensive collection of her award winning writings for tv/radio shows, plays, opera and musicals. This prolific author won the 2008 Kleban Award for most promising librettist.
Alice Bliss, a novel, is being published by Pamela Dorman Books, Penguin/ Viking, and will be on sale soon! She is currently writing a new novel,“A Catalogue of Birds,” as well as a song cycle with composer Elena Ruehr, and a series of choral works with composer Roger Ames. Ms. Harrington teaches playwriting at M.I.T and is a frequent guest artist at Tufts, Harvard (where she was a visiting Briggs Copeland Lecturer), Wellesley, University of Iowa, and other campuses.
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Testimonials
“I am delighted to refer Deb Perugi of Perugi Design for website production, graphic design and creation. She is great to work with and did a wonderful job developing the MetroWest Tourism and Visitors Bureau website. Working on a very tight schedule, Perugi Design completed the work in the time frame requested and in a professional manner. I highly recommend Deb for website design.”
President, MetroWest Chamber of Commerce
“Deb Perugi worked well with so many personalities trying to come to a single decision over the logo for our program. She provided creative and appropriate design, prompt service and was helpful throughout the process with her professionalism.”
Director National Ocean Economics Program
“I think it’s a real strength to be flexible and willing to modify original ideas. The ability to continue to “play” is to me one of real hallmarks of a creative person and a creative mind. Deb Perugi is both skilled and talented. She is extremely creative, flexible and organized. She is a problem solver. She is a wonderful collaborator. Together we created a site that is highly effective and that we are both very proud of.”
Laura Harrington Playwright
“I am happy to recommend Deb, above others, as I have worked with her for over twenty years. She has been and continues to be a consistently solid, creative and up-to-date designer. We go directly to Deb because she brings sophisticated web design, informational clarity and technological 'where with all' to the table.”
Fox Turnbull Architects
“I wanted to pull together clips, photos, and family scrapbook material for someone whose father had been a first-rate athlete. Deb took my research, all the materials, and my loose concept and pulled it together into a book that is a real keepsake. Her creativity, discerning eye for color, clever design motifs, and a real perfectionist attitude all contributed to something that this family and their friends will enjoy for generations.“
Tom Palmer Communication
“I have relied on Deb for more than four years to help produce our online web publication HMI World. Throughout this time Deb has been a valued collaborator, not only because of the technical know-how she possesses, Deb is conscientious and pleasant to work with, and diligent when it comes to helping us meet our objectives.”
Director of Communications at Partners Harvard Medical International
“Deb Perugi designed the website for my consulting business. She listened well to my needs, asked good questions, and sought my feedback at each stage of the design process. Her combination of creative flair, pragmatism, and orientation to detail led to a successful web design that reflects my personality and the nature of my business. I would warmly recommend her to others.”
Owner, JRQ Research