POSH website: New Project!
Written by Nicole Braseth Tuesday, 13 January 2009 14:21
What? We're building a new website for POSH? But how did Victoria Beckham hear of US? Oh, she didn't? It's an acronym?
Well there goes my "celebrity client" blog. So what does POSH mean then?
Priests of the Sacred Heart.. a congregation of pastors in urban and rural parishes, as well as a religious community. Okay, that's right on their current webpage. But it doesn't look too shabby as is, how are we involved?
They like their current look but need some updates in the back-end of the website? OH- they want a content management system and increased functionality, that makes sense. POSH wants to be more user-friendly (especially towards their main audience: seniors) and integrate their website for Spanish-speakers (which right now leads to a different website).
Of course they have the usual SEO needs (who doesn't want to be more search-engine friendly?), an interest in font-size (a necessity for an older audience) and the overall concern for keeping things simple and easy to use.
Well it may not be working with the Spice Girls, but we're happy to help any organization that can appreciate CMS, SEO and acronyms in general.
Auld Lang Syne
Written by Nicole Braseth Wednesday, 31 December 2008 16:19
2008 was a memorable year in the world, and in Idea Market's culture. At least it was for me (I moved to Red Deer and started my illustrious career at Idea Market in February)... when asked to reflect on 2008 our fearless leaders had the following to say..
Carson: "I can't remember anything that happened before November."
Steve: "No comment."
Upon further pressure, I got them to spill about all the memorable things that happened in 2008*...
- revamped Point B into a resource and a podcast for tourism marketing.
- hired the most awesome print designer *ahem*
- Stevie (Stephen George Cat) the Office Cat decided to take us under his wing (paw?)
- bought a house and did a crapload of renovations in the last quarter of '08
- managed to hang onto an amazing web designer
- produced Award-Winning designs
- spoke in San Juan (Puerto Rico) and Calgary (Alberta) on website project management
- shamed each other into greening Idea Market (to our credit, both IM cars are low-emissions and one is a hybrid! Also, Steve actually uses the five to-go mugs on his desk for coffee now instead of as paper weights).
- got hooked on twitter: carson : steve ; got Idea Market on facebook
- Steve participated in the GDC Design-a-thon
- produced a little book on staying sane while creating a website
- hired our delightful project manager to keep us all on task
- discovered Delicious
- acquired Celebrity Clients
Carson and Steve promise me that they'll blog about Idea Market's New Years Resolutions for 2009. In the meantime, we wish everyone health, happiness and an equal balance of form and function in the new year- salut!
* - not in chronological orderPrefix Solutions Inc - Website Launch!
Written by Nicole Braseth Tuesday, 23 December 2008 10:42
We launched Elizabeth George's website for Prefix Solutions Inc. at the end of November. The Prefix Solutions website combines her business with her book (previously occupying its own site), and echoes the look of the Compatibility Code's book jacket, as consistency and recognition between the book and the business were important to Elizabeth.
The site features details on the book, how to book her for speaking engagements (as well as her schedule) and Elizabeth's new blog. We're super excited that Elizabeth will be able to input her own content in order to stay updated, and can take advantage of her blog to hopefully reach an audience that might not have heard about her book otherwise.
We found the challenge of this website was to choose a plan of action, stick with it and not over think it. But after it was all said and done, we think the site represents one of the best translations of this type of book into a website, AND we're so thrilled for Elizabeth that the Compatibility Code has gone to print and will be available to read in February!
Routine Busters: Christmas Edition
Written by Nicole Braseth Monday, 22 December 2008 00:00
The weather was cold, the roads were bad, but the brave and hardy managed to make their way to Idea Market's new office-house on Dec. 17 for an Ugly Christmas Sweater-themed Routine Busters. We ate (potluck!), drank (mulled wine!) and potato stamped to our heart's content. And the boys played Guitar Hero.
Due to the poor road conditions, the usual group of Routine Busters suspects were absent, but hopefully we can reschedule in the new year and get out the potatoes again! (Also, Mark has a score to settle with Nathan in Guitar Hero)
Learning & Performance Institute - New Project!
Written by Nicole Braseth Wednesday, 17 December 2008 00:00
"The Learning and Performance Institute assists organizations with the development of their workforce by providing integrated talent management consulting and training services that empowers individual and organizational performance." (taken from their website)
L&PI have contracted us to update their existing website. Phase 1 of this project includes, in addition to updating the look, focusing on the following areas:
• increasing usability (especially for first-time users)
• create a search-engine-friendly (SEF) content management system which will allow them to keep their website constantly optimized for search engines.
Phase 2 will involve adding registration for training sessions, so that users can arrange for everything online (be it registration for an individual or a group).
We'll keep you posted on our progress!
Red Deer Realty Guy: Richard Pochylko's Site Launch
Written by Nicole Braseth Tuesday, 16 December 2008 12:00
Richard Pochylko, our favourite central Alberta Realtor, has now launched the updates to Red Deer Realty Guy! You can now find on Richard's site (in addition to the home listings and the testimonials): a blog, tips on selling your house and advice on how to choose a real estate agent.What we've always appreciated about Richard's style (in his profession and as a character trait) is how straight-forward he is. We wanted to bring that same feel to the website, as well as the bold & modern colour palette we've used in Richard's branding in the past.
One of Richard's goals with a site rebuilding was to increase his search engine presence. One of our best strategies for that is adding content... so much of the information you'd receive from Richard when meeting with him, has been added to the site. There is also a blog, where Richard can post newsletters or write to his heart's content on the current housing market and all things real-estate-related in Red Deer.
Town of Coronation - Site Launch!
Written by Nicole Braseth Tuesday, 16 December 2008 00:00
The end of the year marks a bunch of new site launches.. first up is the Town of Coronation's new municipal site. We coordinated with Kimberley Dunkell (of Building Potential) on the project. While Idea Market worked behind the scenes, Kimberley met with the Town as the liaison, and was our eyes and ears on the project.
While we kept the purple branding and the crown logo, we modernized their layout by updating the purple to a darker version and using less of it (just in the header now), as well as using a reversed-out (white only) version of the logo. Above all, we wanted to keep the site consistent and have it ready for any future expansions, like blogs or galleries.
Parkland Industries Website- New Project!
Written by Nicole Braseth Monday, 15 December 2008 14:03
Parkland Industries (of Fas Gas fame) came to us to talk about creating their website: a 2-in-1. That is, two websites with one content management system. They would like the public Fas Gas website to share a CMS with their internal InFocus website for Fas Gas station owners.
The Fas Gas website has a few specific goals, but the first and most important is for the site to load quickly. Fas Gas stations are primarily rural, as will be the website audience, meaning there is a greater chance of the website being accessed with dial-up. Other objectives of the site will be to make mention of their fleet card program, to be mobile-accessible (all of our websites are, but when you're driving late at night and need to find a gas station... this becomes particularly important!) and to provide information and applications for future Fas Gas retailers. Additionally there will be a station directory (with maps!) and a photo gallery. Finally, we have to have the site done beginning of January.
The InFocus part of the website will be a way for Parkland Industries to communicate with their Fas Gas + (those with Shortstop convenience stores) retailers. An online newsletter will be available as well as information about current promotions for the stores.
The shared CMS will allow Parkland Industries a one-stop system to update both of their sites in the same place.
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