Web Design &
Small Business Graphics
Web design
Logos and business graphics
Portraits
Simple, well-designed on-line presence
Previous customers:
To Bee Or Not To Bee
Beekeeping supplies
Irrigation Technologies
Lawn irrigation design
Do you need a website that:
- looks classy, and not like everybody else
- is easy to use
- shows your products, services, hours, and how to find you
- doesn't cost much
- stays low-maintenance
- relies on common sense, not complex programming
I'd say what you are looking for is kind of an on-line brochure or business card. There are many web designers in Denver, but they seem to do either inexpensive websites that look cheap, or elegantly designed and programmed websites for an extremely elegant price. I am trying to fill the gap inbetween, for small businesses and other users who need a classy, professional look but don't have a big budget.
Here's an example of a basic website I can do for $500 or so - this one has an Apollo command module theme. The site you're reading (minus the on-line shop) is also an example - its look is what I've developed for my graphics. My reprographics shop has its own look but the same basic structure. Contact me with your needs and let's see what I can do for you. If you're looking for something more than what I do, I will suggest other options. But let's talk - you may be surprised how much good graphics and common-sense structure will help your website. As with cars, you can pay a lot for fancy features, but style and reliability keep their value over the years.
In comparison, a display ad in the phone book can cost over $300/month. It's a one-time statement of what you do for an on-going price. I would make you an on-going, easily updated, statement for a one-time price. You could put as much information as you want on it, and change it anytime, or never. It would have your look, not the phone book's look. More and more customers are deciding that an Internet search is easier than digging out a phone book.
Here's what you get with my basic website:
- Overall page design
- Banner design
- Button design
- 5 interlinked pages (home, contact, 3 informational pages, some graphics)
You provide:
- Text
- Internet hosting (I can walk you through the process)
- Any logos/graphics you want on the site
Additional options:
- Extra pages (about $50 each)
- Text editing (about $10/page)
- Text writing (about $70/page)
- Graphics developed (depends on complexity)
- Logo developed (depends on complexity)
- On-line shop (depends on complexity)
- Ongoing site maintenance ($50/hour, $20 minimum)
- Non-standard page design (depends on complexity)
So how do you know I know what I'm doing?
If you like this site, and my sample site, well, that's what I do. You can see my experience in graphic design. My web design team includes my wife, a former technical writer, who's been using HTML, Javascript, SQL, and Java since 1999. Our basic philosophy of site programming is, keep it simple. We can format pages with tables, but prefer to use CSS, as we did on this website. Javascript and other programming toys can be fun for the web programmer, but it often distracts the viewer from the main point of the page, which is probably to buy whatever you're selling! So when you're ready for your simple, effective, and inexpensive website, give me a call at (303) 795-5369 or email me at designs@albiondesigncentre.com.
Logo, business card, and corporate identity design
A good logo represents your company, your concept, or just you, positively and gives people an idea what to expect. A logo is a special piece of art. It may be the first impression customers have of your business. It identifies and decorates your business and defines you in the marketplace. A logo costs more than other graphics, partly because it requires much more design, and partly because it is much more versatile. When you buy a logo you are buying rights to use it in a lot more ways than you would ever use another graphic. A good logo may seem ridiculously simple, but the simpler it is, the more recognizable and useful (consider the New Mexico state flag compared to the detailed pictures on many state flags). Uniquely simple is harder to make than uniquely complicated!
A good logo may be worth a thousand words, but small businesses may not have a thousand dollars to spend on it. After a decade of working in a small business, for other small businesses, I want to help them get noticed. My goal is to provide professional graphics at a price small businesses can handle. My basic logo package costs about $1000 and includes 3 mock-up logos and 3 further changes to the one you like best. Additional options include more mock-up logos, or more changes to the best one. But often I find businesses don't need that whole package; they already have a good start and just need to spruce up what they've got.
Closely related to logos and websites is business card and corporate identity design. At their best, all these things work together to give clients one clear, positive message about you that attracts them to learn more about the details. A lot of times, businesses already have most of the elements needed for a corporate identity; they just need the elements tied together and formalized for business cards, letterheads, website banners, etc. Just tell me what you already know about yourself, and I'll help you say it more clearly to your clients.
So give me a call at (303) 795-5369, or an email at designs@albiondesigncentre.com and let's see what I can put together for you.
Portraits and fine art
I do fine art too - you can make an appointment to see it, including my "Indians on the Prairie" painting where people have fun trying to figure out how many horses are in the picture. I also do graphite portraits of children caught in a cute moment, such as the ones shown here of my sons, for $150. Bring me your favorite picture of your child trying on Daddy's shoes, or peeking over the edge of the crib, and I will make you a 12" x 18" original portrait in graphite, ready for framing, to display with pride and cherish for years to come.