happiness runs
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- Buckyball2
Share your experience in helping redesign your company's website.
How did you balance different departments needs/wants for the purpose of the site?
What technologies did you consider? Flash/hybrid, etc.
I think the hardest part is coming up with an overarching concept and creative strategy that fits your agency personality and business objectives.
Any advice you could give would be greatly appreciated.
thanks
- chossy0
I've never been happy when I have had the runs.
- ********0
More horror stories than anything. :X
- mg330
I directed and managed such a project for our law firm. I'm basically the main person here with real-world know-how about everything from site design, useability, content management, content writing, organizational aspects, understanding CMS as well as having great interaction with IT and technical developers for troubleshooting and dealing with all sorts of issues.
I spent more than a year evaluating law firm sites across the country, figuring out what would work best for us, and pushed and pushed for a new site. At first I was to design and develop the whole thing, but in the end we went with a consultant group who specialize in law firm sites. We got a far better product than I could produce for the level our firm is at in the legal world. Granted it cost a ton of $$$, but our CMS is outstanding and a moron could edit our site (while they could also easily destroy it)
I created a 40+ page project proposal simply for our executives and managers to review that included all my analysis, reccomendations, site mockups, lists of well design and poorly designed sites, and additional info. I'm really proud of it, I totally sold them on my abilities, and after we went with consultants they were ecstatic to receive a project plan as well put together as it was.
Working with them I posed tons of issues they'd never considered or worked with before, and they appreciated that our company had me here to understand all of their issues.
In the end we got a great site, didn't win any awards (I only say that because some real crap won from 2006 that we were included in competitions for), but awards were not really our goal. The site took our firm from looking like half-assed amateurs to 100% looking like we belong where we are in the Chicago legal world.
- canuck0
I have been truely misled my this thread.
- k0na_an0k0
I've never been happy when I have had the runs.
chossy
(Feb 23 07, 11:28)Dude I ALMOST spit out my water. It was one of those times when you choke laugh it down.
Whew. That was close.
- Buckyball20
great insight mg. Thanks.
We've avoided the obvious mistake of letting everyone in the creative take a stab at a concept/design. That can be a frankenstein scenario.
- mg330
What kind of business Buckyball?
It is a design firm, right?
If so it's got to be tough to be impartial to any final design. I hated that ours was going to be outsourced - it would have been a HUGE element in my portfolio and resume, but in the end I realize I could not have provided what the consultants did.
- grunttt0
well played mg.
good luck bb.
- Buckyball20
yes. interactive agency. mid size. we do a lot of video mixed with flash so i'm trying to find a concept that shows off our skill set. But doesn't look like everything else we've done.
oh and also makes the biz dev side of the office happy. :-)
- version30
there are 4 of us, 2 of us make decisions. we never get anything done except work.
- Buckyball20
Not to be rude but I have to draw the line at directors of client relations criticizing concepts.
Of course they are entitled to their opinion.
- jaylarson0
I highly recommend reading the following article from A List Apart by Caremon Moll:
Good Designers Redesign, Great Designers Realign
- ********0
Designed and built it in flash over about a week with litte external input.
Waited a year for the conetent to be confirmed by my boss.
It only went live a couple of months ago and I had finished it in early last year. Already looks tired and needs re-done.
- ********0
donovan quote +1