We are proud to announce our first published magazine cover that we have had the opportunity to photograph. What started out as a photography project for Brach Design Architecture has turned into a great example of how decent photography can help exposure.

Brach Design Architecture recently completed the first Passive House in the western United States and is one of only a few in the world. For those that aren’t sure what that means, Passive House certification is hard to come by since it means that a structure was built to passively use things such as the elements (sun, angles, wind,…etc.) to passively warm and cool the house. It is roughly is about 75% more energy efficient than traditional contemporary architectural design. That is no easy task and that is why this Passive House is a big deal.

Chesapeake Home, a mid-Atlantic home magazine with a circulation of around 300,000, heard about this and wanted to write an article about it for their next publication. After submitting our photos to the magazine they informed me that, in spite of the fact that they have already shot their cover for that publication, they would like to use one of my photos instead.

What started out as a small article that may have been lost in the publication turned into the cover story with five additional photos and a two-page spread because of quality photography and open communication with the magazine.

From start to finish, the focus of Missio Dei Community’s website has been on an artistic approach to what a community looks like. With clean and simple design, we created a modern website for a church that thinks outside-the-box. The site itself has a complete content management system where they can edit and add pages at will. Within this framework, they still have a site that has been SEO constructed as well as custom made in order to fit their specific needs.

We are quite proud of how this turned out but you can check it out for yourself at missiodeislc.com. (click below)

We are excited to launch a website for Brach Design Architecture. This firm focuses an elegant, modern and authentic design while being the first Certified Passive House Consultant within Utah. This focus on green architecture allows for sustainable buildings that, through time, will save money as well as the environment. Please check out their website at brachdesign.com.

Mobile gourmet food trucks have been very successful in LA, New York and other major cities and now it is Salt Lake City’s turn. With the introduction of the Chow truck, Salt Lake City foodies can follow this truck at its host locations to pick up a coconut-lemon grass chicken taco, pineapple-ginger pork or asian spiced root chips. With great food and affordable prices, this has already proven to be popular and successful. Even with our splash webpage up for their website, they received multiple articles from the likes of Deseret News and Salt Lake Tribune.

Now we have launched their new website. This is the place to find out where they are going to be and to see the latest. Working with a local designer, Traci Overy Covey, we helped design and then construct a web presence for the Chow truck. Starting with their Twitter page, we then created an integrated blog with widgets that will allow them to update the site regularly. Check it out by clicking below.

With a modern and interesting location, Korr medical is conducting a photoshoot that we are assisting with. Here are some of the photos that i have been taking while the photographer, eric russell, sets up the premium shots. enjoy.

We are proud to say that we have launched another successful website for a client. After completing the re-branding for this church, we were then hired to re-do their website to match the new brand direction as well as give them an updated web presence. This included providing photography for the entire site as well as blogs that acted as a CMS (content management system) as well as a beautiful website to match their needs.

Please check it out by clicking below.

I recently came back from a trip to Portland and Seattle. Being in the business that produces logos, brands and signage myself, i always tend to gravitate toward interesting signs. In particular, i love classically old signs. There is something about them that seems to transcend any particular style or time.

Because i was in Seattle, i had to take a picture of the first Starbucks in existence. Notice how their logo and brand colors have changed since this design.

Enjoy the photos that i took from Portland and Seattle but don’t steal them because that just isn’t nice.

We have recently launched an updated website for a neurologist (doctor that works with movement disorders). This is an update of his previous site with a new logo, look, and the ability for him to manage his own content.

Enjoy! website link here

Like a lot of industries, the design and website development world has trends that surface practically daily. Because of new technology and seemingly new design concepts, the trends in the industry come quickly and leave even quicker. So what should be done with “the next big thing”?

With web development it is a lot easier for us to distinguish between the newest items that are good and those that we ignore. We approach this in the same way that we approach design for a client; we approach this with marketing in mind. If the latest development item goes beyond just looking cool and actually helps the client, then it is something that we would use, when appropriate. If the new development item does not perform well across platforms (Internet Explorer as the prime example), or is not read (crawled) well by the major search engines, or just is inappropriate for the audience, then the client would not benefit by using that development.

With design, sifting through trends is a little more difficult. If something is “too trendy” then there is the risk of a design becoming obsolete very quickly. If a design is “too traditional” then there is the risk of the design not effectively speaking to the intended audience.

All design should consider the 5 elements of art, line, shape, color, texture and balance. Each of the elements should be considered and followed (or purposely broken) for the design to be good. There is one more element that i would like to add to this specifically for designing for clients and that would be the purpose of the design. The purpose of the design will help determine goals, audience and the creative direction of the piece. What would work for a contemporary, young brand would probably not work for a corporate established brand. It is all about purpose for effective design.

More could be said about this but just remember this, if design or development is done for a client, then it should be done to better the client. Happy designing.
-jeremy

We recently launched a website for the Fantis Group Real Estate located in Salt Lake City. Part of the challenge with this site was to take what the MLS provides as a feed and making a search that is user-friendly and content driven. Check it out for yourself to see what we think is the most user-friendly home search in Utah. www.saltyhomes.com