Web Design and Maintenance

Since shutting down my boarding kennel, I have expanded in the area of web design, web maintenance and graphic design. My background in college was art, so this is right up my alley and a good creative outlet. References are available upon request.

Web Site Design

A custom web site

Unlike some web designers, I evaluate your specific needs and preferences and come up with a unique, custom design or "theme". You will not end up with a "cookie-cutter" web site, but a theme that reflects your personal taste and your business needs. This usually includes custom backgrounds, graphics, buttons and logos.

Basics to a good web site

There are some things that I believe are essential to a good web site, thus are part of every site that I design. These are the elements that encourage people to spend time exploring your web site (rather than leave in frustration), such as:

A "clean" layout that separates page elements and brings the viewer's eye to the major topics
Good "design" with attractive use of balance, color and texture
Good contrast between backgrounds and text for easy reading; appropriate fonts (viewable on any computer) and font size
Easy to navigate, with enough link buttons and "back" buttons so the viewer does not get lost on the site
Optimized graphics (small file size) so that graphics will load quickly even for viewers with dial-up connections
A design so that pages will fit on the viewer's monitor screen; they will not have to scroll back and forth to read text or see pictures
Music is optional ... some love it, some hate it!
Good source code "description" and "keywords" that will facilitate search engines finding your site

Set up with a good hosting service

I will utilize a good hosting service that will serve your needs at a reasonable monthly cost (some currently as low as $4.95/month), will be reliable and provide good customer service when needed. No pop-up ads, no long-term contracts.

Maintenance

I will provide prompt updating and maintenance if desired.

Cost

I bill at a reasonable hourly rate (much less than big web design businesses) and, once the concept and basic "theme" has been created, I can get a lot done in an hour. I do not charge a flat fee per page, or a fee limited to a set number of pictures as some designers do. Updating and maintenance is also billed at an hourly rate so (unlike some designers) you're not committed to paying me a set amount every month whether or not I do any work for you.

Obviously, the cost of the initial design and creation of your web site will depend on how big and how elaborate you want to go. Upon discussion, I can give you an estimate.

Links to some websites I've created (other than this web site):

www.turningpointlabradors.com

www.sighttosealabs.com

www.drakehaven.com

www.rushwindlabs.com

www.tealwoodservices.com

www.riverwalkkennel.com

Graphic Design

Even if you don't need a complete web site, you may want to enhance your current site with some nice custom graphics. It may be a custom logo for the heading of your pages, buttons or button panels, or attractive composite (collage) pictures and framed pictures. Or, you may want some nice heading text in a 3-D, re-sizable picture format. (Note: all graphics are designed to coordinate with your color scheme and created on your background color to retain clarity and crispness.)

Below are some examples of graphics I've designed.