My last entry introduced you to Spinning Wheel Studios. I talked about the inspiration behind the name and gave a bit of insight into the symbol I am going to use in the logo. Now I am going to take things a step forward. First up, I’ve got a logo. It’s the symbol I showed you before along with the name. I have three variations. I’m not sure which will be on the final website, but each could be useful depending on the design situation.
Logo variations
I actually made the middle one first. It looks great when it is the center of attention. Like in the center of the page. The top one seems appropriate in the top left of a page. For this reason, it has a good chance of being the one I choose for the website. The bottom one seems like it would live in the bottom right of a page. I imagine it would look cool on a pamphlet cover or something. A quick note about the color. Red is my favorite color. I realized this when I was a kindergartner coloring a picture of the Cat in the Hat. But red also has a place in minimal and modern design. When it comes to the screen, red is part of the RGB color trinity. It’s an exciting color. It’s bright.
Now a little about the philosophy behind Spinning Wheel Studios. I’ve been writing content for the website. Actually, content is at least, if not more, important than my portfolio this time around. It might seem like I’m placing the talk over the walk, but that is the wrong way to think about it. It’s about education and communication. I want prospective clients to know what I’m about. I’m not saying a portfolio is not important. But, even with the portfolio, content will be important. I could easily post screenshots of websites I’ve designed, but when it comes down to it, a website can’t be evaluated properly as a static image. And since I am showcasing my work, I want visitors to know what actually went into the work. That’s why case studies are going to be an important part of my portfolio.
There are a lot of things I want out of the website. But not all of those things have to be realized at launch. I recently read “Rework,” a book by the founders of 37signals. It was an inspirational, no-BS reworking of the way we work. Perhaps I’ll write a review in the future. One of its great bits of advice was to keep things simple. To not be afraid to start small. To get started on a project instead of talking about it forever. These ideas really spoke to me. So I started out at the core of Spinning Wheel Studios. I wrote “Our philosophy.” For give the plural writing of a freelance web designer. I have good reasons for doing it that way. And if the final site is written in that style, there will be an explanation of why on my about page.
So here you go. Draft one of my philosophy.
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We build websites on good foundations. We start with your message. We obsess over creating something that real people can use and appreciate. If you are ready to break through the clutter, we are ready to help you do just that. Not by producing even more clutter, but by stripping out the unnecessary and finding your project’s true meaning.
A purpose-driven site
A lot of websites out there were created without much consideration as to their purposes or how they should go about fulfilling their purposes. When we are approached about a project, the first order of business is to figure out what the purpose of the project is. Don’t worry if you feel like you don’t have an answer to that. You probably have a good idea of why you want a website but are having trouble putting it into words. We can help you do that by defining the purpose of your site and helping you expound upon that definition.
Getting your site out of your users’ way
Good design is not always something you notice. Think about the objects that you interact with everyday. You use them, get something done, and move on with your day without putting a whole lot of thought into how or why those objects were made the way they were made. But someone actually put thought into making those objects. If something does what it is supposed to do, even if one takes it for granted (perhaps especially when one takes it for granted), that’s good design.
Same thing for web design. Think about Google. We go there, type a search, and leave. People are busy. Generally speaking, they need to get on your site, find what they are looking for or do what they need to do, and get off as quickly as possible. If your web site can do that, the folks who visit your web site will love you for it. Even if they don’t realize they do. If your site helps them keep moving, they’ll be back again and again.
Great design won’t make up for lack of substance
The point of a website is to provide information. Sometimes that means an about page describing your business. Sometimes it means keeping your audience up to date with a blog. Sometimes it means helping them be more productive. Sometimes it means helping them communicate. A website can do a lot of things, but that’s just it. It needs to actually do them. If your site has the latest and greatest effects but doesn’t actually provide the information people want, then people are going to quit coming to your site.
Don’t forget to have fun
Websites should be fun! Okay, okay, projects differ. We know. But it never hurts to put a little humanity into your website. Something that will make your users smile. At the end of the day, if you can help your users get what they’re after and pat them on the back during the process, then you’ve done your job. And we’ve done ours.