Making Information Make Sense
Writing • Research • Presentations • Graphics & Websites
Our website will shortly undergo a long-overdue complete overhaul.
The new site will contain a complete description and examples of all of our services. In the meantime, take a look at some of our most recent websites, all based on a new design approach, featuring:
- Modules are now being used for a number of site features (Calendar, Photo Gallery, Resource Center, and more). These can be easily replicated across sites.
- A new site architecture has been developed. This framework, built on a "model-view-controller" approach, divides code into layers and components, which makes for much more efficient and maintainable code.
- Use of DIV tags and style sheets to create "table-less" page layout, the recommended approach today. This approach also allows more complex page layouts than possible with tables (using layers to create overlapping, dynamic page elements). Menus are also handled through style sheets instead of graphics-based roll-overs.
- Visual Accessability is aided by using relative font sizes. Most sites now have a built-in "text size" adjustment feature that provides several steps of magnification, and applies to most text on the page, including menus.
- All e-mail addresses on sites are masked to reduce exposure to spam. The email address is not visible in the page code, but is assembled when needed and appears in the user's email program when a message is sent.
- As before, almost all of our sites are dynamic, database-driven, meaning that the presentation of content can be flexible and will always be up-to-date as the database is updated.
- When database entries contain addresses (news items, calendar events, etc), a link to a map and driving directions can be automatically generated. Currently, we're using Rand McNally for mapping, but we're starting to use the new Google Map API 2 to develop some custom mapping and may switch to it for all of our mapping because of its options to see a traditional map or satellite view.
| Canterbury Home of Kenosha Regent Manor of Kenosha both in Kenosha WI |
The first sites to use the new framework and modular components. Each uses a "splash" screen on entrance to the site. Regent Manor includes a Flash animation interactive tour of the floorplan and a "virutal tour" using the Photo Gallery. | ||
| Evangel Baptist Church Wheaton IL |
Good example of Calendar and News. Home page includes a digest view of the site, including a calendar for the current week and a weekly quote. Audio files of sermons were made available beginning in December 2006. They appear on the Calendar in a list of links associated with each Worship Service. | ||
| Randy Ramey, Illinois State Representative, 55th District | Page layout shows use of layers and pixel-precise positioning of elements (ie, the red line and menu overlapping the left sidebar, drop shadow of Randy's image and the state seal). Makes extensive use of Photo Gallery. | ||
| Senior Evangelism Partnership SeniorLifstyle |
These two sites are "article" based, with a number of contributors constantly feeding new material. | ||
| Wayne Township DuPage County IL |
Good example of Calendar, Resource Center, Photo Gallery. Beginning July 1, 2006 all townships in Illinois with websites were required to post agendas and minutes of meetings. We already had this set up before the new requirement took effect. | ||
| While these sites do not yet use the new architecture, they both use Flash animation "splash screens," with Laura Gwyn Interiors provided a series of animated images that serve as a gateway into the site and Genesis Orthopedics being a welcome animation. | |||
| Bodel & Associates | The site provides a basic description of this consulting firm specializing in strategic planning for the healthcare industry. The client list (like some tables on other sites) can be sorted in different ways by clicking on column headers. A good example of a starting point for a new site that can grow over time. | ||
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