Design
Art or Commerce?
Some say the web should be a showcase for ideas and creativity. Others say it should be about the bottom line.
We say: why not both?
A website must be functional, but it shouldn't just be functional. Your website must attract customers and clients, but it must also keep them coming back. Your website should put money in your pocket. It should also tell the world who you are.
The backbone of a Pacific Zen designed site — the part of the site that makes it work — is standards-compliant to maximize your exposure. It runs on PHP, XHTML, CSS and even AJAX. Anyone, anywhere, will be able to see your site. The front-end — the part of the site that people actually see — is all you. We take your ideas, your passion, your entrepreneurial spirit, and create designs that reflect everything that makes you stand apart. Guess what? That makes your website stand apart, too.
So, which is it? Art or Commerce?
Let's just call it a perfect match.
Art + Commerce, Pacific Zen Design + You.
Samples
Below are some samples of web sites we have designed. Click on the thumbnails to view a larger image. The images will load in a popup, so if you have a popup blocker, you will want to temporarily disable it.
Before we were hired to update CenterStage's website, it lacked continuity from one page to the next, both in terms of design and navigation. The biggest complaint that CenterStage had about the old site was that it was very difficult to update. In June, we launched a new website that we designed, based off of their logo colors as well as the look and feel of their iconic building. We also built a content management system that allowed the site to be updated quickly and easily.
In early April, we completed and launched a brand new website for All Wrapped Up Hooded Towels, a company that hand-makes children's bath towels, which feature hoods, appliqués, and custom names. The existing customer base was strong, but the existing site wasn't. We were hired to create a site that brought the company's online presence into the 21st century.
One of the key upgrades was the addition of a "towel builder" — a form that allowed users to build towels from the available options and get a real-time price quote.
The site has been extremely well-received by both previous customers as well as new ones. In fact, the launch went so well that All Wrapped Up was able to earn a more than 100% return on investment within the first 2 weeks of using the new website!
In 2007, we were hired to redesign the website for Southpaw Pet Sitting. The existing website had changed little since it was first created in 2001. Once we got our paws on it, we brought the design into the 21st century, and added a dynamic contact form and service area map.
The Seattle International Film Festival, the largest film festival in the United States, wanted to take the festival online in 2006. Although the basic layout was done by another company, we created the header graphics, as well as a back end for organizing and serving the various types of media (audio, video, and text). We also made changes to the initial design to accommodate the new format. www.siffcast.com
KAYU FOX 28 partnered with the Northwest Museum of Art & Culture to put a webcam in the main gallery while A T. rex Named Sue was being set up. We designed the page, installed the webcam, and built the time-lapse video that's currently on the page. When the liaison from The MAC saw the page we created, she exclaimed with delight, "that's better than the page we made for it!"
The webcam proved to be a huge success, noticeably boosting traffic to both FOX 28 and The MAC's websites. The staff at The MAC enjoyed it so much that some of them suggested installing a webcam for every exhibit!
