The design phase of your site is initiated with the Website Profile, a short form to help you (and us) better understand your site's content, personality and position in the marketplace. We combine your responses, along with the prototype's information architecture and feedback from our conversations with you, to create visual layouts. These layouts are based on pages from the prototype and display the "look and feel" that will be applied to your site.
The Revision Process
Once a visual direction is established and a layout is selected, the look and feel is continually refined until a design emerges that is both attractive and functional. The first round will include 2-3 layouts after which we plan for 2-3 rounds of revisions. Once a homepage is approved, we will present 2-3 subpage designs specific to what has been prototyped. Rather than creating a layout for every subpage, we will choose key pages that include all the styles and details needed to apply to the rest of the site.
Mood Boards
As a precursor to visual layouts, we usually implement a "mood board" stage. Mood boards are a compilation of inspirational elements, similar to interior design swatch boards, and feature sample color palettes, textures, fonts and images to create a distinctive atmosphere. Mood boards are not a replacement for visual layouts, but help to establish a direction for a site's look and feel. Think of this as visual prototyping. We will present 3 initial boards and plan for 2-3 subsequent rounds of revisions after one of the initial 3 has been chosen. Once a mood is approved, we will move into the homepage layout phase and present 1 focused layout, rather than 2-3. The revision process will remain the same at 2-3 rounds.
Design