Website-Design-Blog

Studio RTP donates a new website to Tres Dias Cleveland!

Fri, 02 Apr 2010 23:15:00 GMT

Studio RTP recently donated a new website to the folks at Tres Dias Cleveland. Tres Dias Cleveland is an active tool of church renewal that offers individual weekends that are sponsored and coordinated by local chapters which have been chartered by the national organization. By nature, Tres Dias Cleveland depends heavily on volunteers who serve the group by assisting with a broad range of activities, one of which, updating the groups website. Studio RTP offered to donate the design, content management system integration, and content transfer from their existing site to their new home using our new content management system.

In addition to making updates by volunteers easier and more manageable, Tres Dias Cleveland has taken full advantage of a new blog, secured zones using usernames/passwords, the content management system, and much more. In addition, the members at Tres Dias are forecasting a use for the eCommerce functionality that is offered as part of the standard package through our content management system. Using the new tools that are at their fingertips, the members at Tres Dias Cleveland have the funtionality of our feature-rich content management system to use for all of their member interaction, database management, content management, and much more.

To learn more about our content management system, check out our feature video!

Do you have a use for our content management system? Would you like to discuss implementing your online business using the tools provided by Studio RTP? Have any feedback that you would like to share on the design of Tres Dias Cleveland? We would love to hear it! Please comment below or contact us for more information!

Pharmadirections moves to "tableless" homepage

Fri, 02 Apr 2010 23:14:00 GMT

Studio RTP has had the privilege to work with Pharmadirections on another project to help update their website. In order to keep up with the fast pace of modern browser technology, we have worked with Pharmadirections to reduce the amount of Flash animation and html tables used to create the homepage on their website. Using "tableless" html and css, we were able to create a new look to their homepage that offers more functionality in internet browsing devices used on computers, cell phones, pda devices, and more. In addition to offering more consistent functionality, Pharmadirections can count on a more consistent and controlled display on the many different browsers and screen readers that are available to their customers.

Pharmadirections decision to move to a tableless XHTML and CSS layout will also help to improve their website's search engine optimization (SEO) by providing more relevant HTML text for today's search engines to sift through and index. In addition, users with disabilities will have more success accessing their information using screen readers and other browsing devices that make searching the web a more useful experience to those who cannot see the content on the screen.

For more information on how we can help remove tables and convert your website to a standards compliant format, contact us or post a comment here!

Bay Tree Lakes Waterfront Property | SEO and CMS

Wed, 30 Jun 2010 14:14:00 GMT

Bay Tree Lakes and Studio RTP have been working together to enhance an existing website designed to provide information regarding available waterfront property and home sites at Bay Tree Lakes in North Carolina. Having already invested a lot of time and effort into the design of the website, Bay Tree Lakes was looking to improve search engine optimization (SEO) and make the website more informative, resourceful, and efficient.

The folks at Bay Tree Lakes offer available waterfront property and home sites around North Carolina's 2.2 square mile (1,418 acre) Bay Tree Lake. Bay Tree Lakes is a unique gated lakefront community that is surrounded by Bay Tree Lake, Horsepen Lake, and more than 4 miles of interconnecting waterways. To see more about the feature-rich community of Bay Tree Lakes, click here!

Our first step in improving SEO was to go through each page and add relevant page titles, meta tags, and meta descriptions, add alt tags to all of the images, and align page titles and meta tags with headline text. Second, we added the "Bay Tree Lakes Blog" to the website. Bay Tree Lakes' new blog will work as a resource engine, offering posts about current events, news, weather, available waterfront property, resident stories, and much more. Not only will the blog offer Bay Tree Lakes better SEO results, but it will also provide a helpful resource to current residents and potential waterfront property home owners in the great community at Bay Tree Lakes.

In addition to improving search engine rankings, we have moved Bay Tree Lakes into our content management system (CMS). Through our CMS, Bay Tree Lakes is able to more efficiently update the site with little to no html experience, incorporate the new blog seamlessly using custom templates designed around the look and feel of their website, create custom web forms, and use the client management database tools. To look through the full list of features through our content management system, click here.

We look forward to our new relationship with the folks at Bay Tree Lakes. We still have a ton of ideas and work to do in our efforts to increase the search engine results of the Bay Tree Lakes website. Stay tuned for an array of additional content, including property listings, new home construction referrals, information about the community and much more!

If you are interested in our content management system, please comment here or contact us for a free estimate. We can work with you to find a solution to fit your budget. If you already have a website design, but would like to have the features of our content management system, let us know and we'll show you how easy and affordable it is to move your design straight in!

Tour Our Content Management System

Thu, 18 Mar 2010 16:07:00 GMT

Studio RTP is continuing to develop and enhance information about the new content management system we have to offer. Our recent addition provides a long list of features, tools, and options that are incorporated into our content management package. Our content management tour page offers a detailed overview of our content management system's dashboard, website management, blogging, forums, RSS, web apps, bookings, web forms, customer management, custromer case management, products and catalogues, order management, campaigns, lists, custom report creation, website reports, email marketing reports, and advanced customization. This new resource page provides an overview of the content management system and all of its features. The information is displayed using a series of screenshots so you can see exactly how each feature functions, and all of the customization options that are available to you.

In addition to our content management system tour page, you can also check out our content management system information page and our content management features page. Each of these resource pages offers a bunch of information on what our content management system offers. In addition, our content management system information page has a video that walks you through some of the important aspects of the content management system. The video does an excellent job of explaining how feature-rich the system is!

We will continue to create more detailed information to provide existing and potential clients with the tools that are necessary to operate a successful online business. If there is anything that you don't see here, or if you have any questions on any of this information, please feel free to comment below, contact us, or call us at 919-285-3316!

Happy Easter!

Mon, 15 Mar 2010 20:51:00 GMT

We designed a new Easter theme for the Studio RTP website. I want to dedicate the design and watercolor illustration to my niece Arianna and my nephew Davey. I hope you both have a wonderful holiday!! My wife Jess and I love you both, miss you, and look forward to the next time we get to visit. Have a great Easter! And that goes out to everyone who celebrates Easter - Happy Easter!

Changing the theme of the website for Studio RTP was an excellent example of the power of Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) and our content management system. If you would like more information about how we can help to make a website that is customizable, easy to maintain, and powered by a state-of-the-art content management system, contact us!

Have any comments/questions/feedback abou the new Easter Theme/etc.? Please, leave some comments and feedback below!

Saparilas Law Has a New Website!!

Wed, 24 Mar 2010 17:29:00 GMT

Studio RTP had the honor to continue to work with Nick Saparilas and his law office staff to create a new website for his defense attorney firm located in downtown Raleigh, North Carolina. A few months back, Saparilas Law asked Studio RTP to develop a logo that used elements of the city of Raleigh, not only because his firm was located downtown, but also because it is where he grew up. In addition, Nick Saparilas earned his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1985. Nick Saparilas continued his education, earning his Juris Doctor from Oklahoma City University School of Law and continues to fight for the constitutional rights of his clients.

Nick Saparilas also wanted to take the elements of his logo and his practice and create a website that was clean, organized, and simple. We derived at our solution by incorporating blues and grays, similar to those found at the University of North Carolina, while incorporating the acorn (Raleigh’s symbolic representation as being known as “The City of Oaks”), and a faded skyline of the great city or Raleigh, North Carolina.

In addition to a simple and clean design that incorporates elements of the city of Raleigh, we optimized the site to provide high-quality search engine optimization (SEO) and usability on multiple browsers on multiple platforms. Using the latest in web standards, the latest coding practices using CSS/XHTML compliant code, and keyword targeting, Saparilas Law should soon begin to experience better search engine rankings and site usability.

Have comments/questions/feedback/etc. about this latest project by Studio RTP? Please leave comments below! Interested in how we can help your business with a logo design, website design, or other marketing material? Contact us!

Don't Miss IE6's Funeral Today!!

Thu, 04 Mar 2010 19:28:00 GMT

Please take an opportunity to view the funeral invitation for Internet Explorer 6. Aten Design Group is hosting a "funeral" for the developer-hated browser at 7pm on March 4th, 2010. These guys are taking it so serious that more than 100 individuals are actually going to dress in black and are going to eulogize about the incredibly frustrating past times spent hacking well-written code to perform on the non-standards-compliant web browser. Take a look at some of the hilarious comments left by those who chose to leave "memories" of the browser. We're with the rest of the web design and development world in saying good riddance! (even though we'll all reluctantly admit that we will still have to destroy our well-written code to work in IE6 as it's still proven to be a widely used browser (we have no idea why)).

New Postcard Design for Iannelli Autocars

Tue, 02 Mar 2010 14:00:00 GMT

Studio RTP recently collaborated with FastBlvd on a project for Iannelli Autocars. The folks at Iannelli were looking to send out postcards to segmented lists of drivers who may be interested in their top-notch luxury car auto service. For this project, we wanted to show Iannelli’s expertise in three different categories of luxury automobiles; Mercedes, BMW/MINI, and Audi/Saab/Volkswagen/Volvo. For a solution, we decided to customize each of the three 6” x 11” postcards to car drivers who fit into each of these categories. Each postcard was printed on 14pt. cardstock and received a high-gloss UV finish for added shine and mailing durability.

In addition to catering to each customer based on make of automobile, Iannelli wanted to inform customers that they are within close proximity to many well-known landmarks in the Cleveland, Ohio area. The addition of a map on the front with estimated minutes and miles of drive time to select location assisted in relaying how convenient the dealership really is. We also made a point to draw attention to Iannelli’s unprecedented 2-year, unlimited mile warranty. Using visual cues throughout the postcard, it’s easy to see why Iannelli is a good pick when choosing a location to have service performed on one’s vehicle!

To see more examples of past print design from Studio RTP, please visit our portfolio. As always, your feedback is much appreciated - let us know what you think by commenting below!!

Thanks for your support!

Tue, 16 Feb 2010 22:59:00 GMT

We did it! We met goal one of our Facebook page fan base - 100 fans (101 to be exact). A huge thank you to all of our current and future supporters! Your patronage to Studio RTP has provided us with the ability to participate in partnerships to improve our services, and engage in opportunities to give back to the community and make contributions to the environment.

Just last month, Studio RTP re-applied for our membership with 1% for the Planet in which we committed to donating 1% of sales to environmental organizations around the world. Last year, we made contributions to the Hawaii Wildlife Center and the Hawaii Nature Center. We are excited to start researching the organization we will contribute to this year.

In addition to our ability to contribute to the community, we have also experienced an increase in referrals from clients. Without the help of our customers, family, and friends, none of this would be possible. We appreciate all of your help and support and look forward to a strong and successful future!

~Ryan Given

How to Choose a Web Designer

Sat, 13 Feb 2010 21:27:00 GMT

Part of the excitement of being a web designer and developer is working with a client that shares the enthusiasm. To find a designer, you should carefully selecting a designer that has a strong portfolio and wants to work with you as a partner to develop a solution that meets the objectives YOU seek for YOUR company. Finding a designer isn’t always easy, especially when you are looking for one who will let the client participate in the process. Although an experienced designer will offer useful advice and suggestions, don’t let a firm dictate what you want. Decide what you would like to accomplish for your business, and then ask a designer how they can work with you to develop an innovative solution that takes advantage of the latest web technologies and design and marketing trends.

Studio RTP feeds from the energy of our clients. We are not the type of company to rush through a project, get your site online, and then move to the next client. Instead, we look to build client relationships and participate in creativity and excitement of your project. To us, following a project through does not mean signing a maintenance contract. We enjoy watching our projects convert visitors into customers so that our clients can continue to build their customer relationships.

Here are some helpful links on how to select a web designer for your company’s project:

Noobpreneur Business Blog

AllBusiness.com

Yahoo Small Business

EzineArticles.com

Studio RTP gets a new MAC!

Sat, 13 Feb 2010 21:28:00 GMT

Okay, so I couldn't resist. My Adobe CS4 software has been running shaky (at best) on Mac OSX 10.4. I guess six years out of my ole' iMac is going to have to do it. I can't complain though, it's rare that you get that kind of life out of a computer in a production environment (or any environment for that matter, especially PC!) . Though nobody enjoys the expenses of doing business, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't pumped to get the new machine! I decided on the new 27-inch iMac and I loaded her up with all of the goodies - I like to make sure I don't have to replace the machine for another 5 or 6 years!

So, here it is:

27-inch iMac
2.8 GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i7
8GB SDRAM
ATI Radeon HD 4850 graphics with 512MB
2TB Hard Drive
Magic Mouse (woo-hoo)
Wireless Keyboard (with the screen, I can use the wireless keyboard to work on the computer from across the street... just in case that's ever necessary)
Final Cut for some good video editing sweetness
8X Double-Layer SuperDrive
...and...the User's Guide (not sure what that is, but I think it will contain an Apple sticker!)

Ships in 5-7 business days... I'll be waiting IMPATIENTLY!!

My Way Tavern - Holly Springs, NC

Wed, 10 Feb 2010 01:01:00 GMT

My wife and I had the opportunity to stop over and check out the new tavern in town, My Way Tavern. My way is located off of Main Street in the Holly Springs Historical District (next to the Town Hall, behind the Four Oaks Bank). The new tavern opened Wednesday, February 3rd, 2010. We have not yet met the owner (I'm sure he or she was running around coordinating crew!), but the staff has been handling the crowd great. My Way Tavern has been packed solid every night I've driven or walked the dog by, and Superbowl Sunday was no different. My wife and I were very impressed with how well they handled customers.

First, we decided to try the Buffalo Dip from their "Teaser & Tidbit" menu. The price was right and the food was outstanding. For our meal, my wife tried The Sammy (blackened mahi mahi, lettuce & tomato on a Kaiser roll) and I tried The Duke (beef medallions, lettuce tomato & horsey sauce on a Kaiser). Typically I'm not much for red meat, but I couldn't help it when they called the beef "medallions"! Our entrees were perfect and the service was quick and friendly. There has been a need in Holly Springs for a non-chain, non-fast-food restaurants (although, don't forget Bass Lake Ale House who is also outstanding!), so it's nice to see the new neighbors in town. If you're out in Holly Springs, stop in and check them out!

Calvary Bible Church receives a new design!

Wed, 10 Feb 2010 00:59:00 GMT

Calvary Bible Church - New Website DesignStudio RTP was selected to design the new website for Calvary Bible Church. Pastor Weber and his congregation were searching for a cost effective solution that would meet the current needs and future goals of the growing church. Deprived of a full time web developer and designer, Pastor Weber was looking for a content management system (CMS) that could be managed by church staff members with little HTML and CSS language experience. Using Business Catalyst as a CMS, Calvary Bible Church maintains the ability to update their website with zero web programming knowledge. Editing the new site is as easy as operating a word processor.

Calvary Bible ChurchIn addition to simple site maintenance, Calvary Bible Church has future goals in mind of creating a blog, collecting email addresses from folks interested in receiving monthly newsletters, accepting online donations (requiring an eCommerce solution), and sending HTML emails. Rather than hiring a separate entity to handle each of these facets of a feature rich website, Business Catalyst handles it all.

Business CatalystFor more information on how Studio RTP can integrate your website into Business Catalysts CMS that includes web hosting, eCommerce, email marketing, lead management, and more, please Contact Us!

Arial or Helvetica?

Wed, 03 Feb 2010 02:18:00 GMT

Check out the Helvetica or Arial quiz here! I scored 19 out of 20. “BASF” was the one that threw me off. I won’t lie though, “MATTEL” was just a lucky guess! Big thanks to SimpleBits for the link! How did you do? Which ones did you struggle with? We want to hear about it!

Wild Game Seasonings!

Fri, 05 Feb 2010 05:53:00 GMT

Jeff Mossbruger of Silver Mountain Taxidermy has been a client of ours for over two years. In cooperation with Mr. Mossbruger’s taxidermy business, he is introducing a new line of Wild Game Seasonings to sell along with the SlabM’ Seasonings line. Back Trails Wild Game Seasoning Mixes and Adventure Dry Rubs & Marinades required two unique identities that would work

consistently with the current SlabM’ Seasonings line. Utilizing earth tones and certain graphical elements form the SlabM’ design allowed Jeff to inject these new seasonings directly into the line.

If you are interested in ordering some of Mr. Mossbruger’s seasonings, you can do so here!

Introducing a new product or a new line of products and need design and marketing assistance? Fill out the form below or contact us for a free consultation!