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iChicagoWebDesigner.com. We have a new blog!

Inspired by my original  “Eye of the St Louis web designer” and now Eye of the Chicago web designer” series I have decided to launch an additional blog dedicated to my “Eye of the Chicago web designer” posts.

Chicago is a rich city full of inspiration for us web designers … my camera has hardly stopped clicking since I arrived here! I didn’t want to swamp this blog with my photos.

So without further ado click iChicagoWebDesigner.com and take a peak.

2010 © Chicago Web Designer

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Eye of the Chicago Web Designer: In the garden

My regular blog readers will know that gardening is my antidote to many hours sat in front of a computer screen designing web sites and the like. As much as I love my job I do need to get away from the technological world .

Moving to my web design company to Chicago has meant a new house and I have inherited a new garden. The garden is structurally excellent but it could do with a little color magic,  just like a web site a pop of color can make all the difference!

Chicago web design company

2010 © Chicago Web Designer

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Top 5 Reasons for Redesigning a website.

We hear ” I need my web site redesigned” quite a bit these days.  While there are many reasons here are our top picks.

  1. I need my website to look more professional.
    Looks are everything and online you have just a few seconds to make that all important first impression. A well designed fast loading web site can do wonders to encapsulate your expertise and reach and engage your target audience.
  2. We need our content reorganized.
    If your site visitors are having click through page after page to get to the information they want, you are making then work too hard. A web site with intuitive navigation and well organized content = “a don’t make me think visitor”
  3. My web site is not doing what I want it to do.
    Whether you want your site to act as a lead generation tool,  a portal of information, or a selling platform, it is important to guide or funnel the site visitors exactly where you want them to go via “call to actions”
  4. I need to add some additional functionality
    Want to add a blog, additional pages, links to your social media networks? A well thought out web site will always be able to accommodate additional functionality without a complete redesign but sometimes there comes a point  when a redesign is the best options.
  5. I want my site to perform better in the search engines.
    The structure and design of a web site  bears a huge relation on how well a site performs in the search engines and a skilled web designer will know how to optimize all elements that make up a web site, for best search engine results.

Now lets take a look at these  in action with three before and after web redesign projects.

Peter Meder and Company

We addressed all 5 reasons in the redesign of a web site for Chicago headhunter, Peter Meder and Company.  The new site has a much more professional look/feel and immediately imparts the nature of the business.   Visitors have easy access to the current position searches which is a huge time saver for both client and job hunter.


Bear Essentials

Content reorganization was the main driver behind our redesign of the Bear Essentials web site. We produced a much more appealing user friendly site with clear call to actions.


Tiger Tables

A more professional look was the order of the day for our redesign of Tiger Tables with clear call to actions.

Do you have a web site that could do with a makeover? We’d love to have an opportunity to talk with you.

Call us at 847 607 8679

2010 © Chicago Web Designer

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Chicago Web Designer: FAQ

Just over two weeks ago I announced that Indigo Image was relocating to Chicago. So, we are a new web and graphic design company in town, new to Chicago but not new to world of web design.

Looking for a Chicago web designer? Here is a quick FAQ.

What type of services do you offer?

  • Custom website design
  • Banner ad Design
  • Content management solutions
  • Email templates
  • Blog design
  • WordPress websites
  • Logos /identity design
  • Complete  corporate branding
  • Presentations
  • Brochures
  • Advertisements
  • Internet marketing
  • SEO

We strive to be  “your creative partner”

How much do you charge?

Projects are priced out on an individual basis. We can work on an hourly rate or for a set fee. Our initial consultation is always FREE!

Do you have examples of your work?

View extensive portfolio of web and graphic design projects

Where are you located?

We are located in Lincolnshire, a small suburb in the North Shore area of Chicago.

What areas do you serve?

We  concentrate our efforts in the North Shore area of Chicagoland  (Arlington Heights, Buffalo Grove, Deerfield, Evanston, Glencoe, Glenview, Highland Park, Kennilworth, Lake Bluff, Lake Forest, Libertyville, Lincolnshire, Lincolnwood, Morton Grove, Northbrook, Northfield, Skokie, Vernon Hills, Wheeling, Wilmette, and Winnetka).

However there are no geographical boundaries to our services and we are happy to work with you whatever your location. Over the years we have successfully worked with many clients with whom we have never had a face to face meeting.

How many years have you been in business

We have over 10 years experience in building web sites and general graphic design.

2010 © Chicago Web Designer

 

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Emotions of a Typeface: A set of Dreamy Fonts

Here is the next installment in my series “The emotions of a typeface”. Today’s set features dreamy fonts.

They all convey a sense of calm, quiet and restfulness, something I could really do with after the upheaval of moving my web design business to Chicago over the last two weeks!

dreamy type faces

Think “spa, pampering, bubble bath” – any one of these would work for branding elements.

Next time I’ll showcase a set of Techno font,  I’d love to hear your requests for future posts in this series

View  others in “The emotions of a typeface” series : playful fonts , Energetic Fonts

2010 © Chicago Web Designer

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Eye of the Chicago Web Designer

I have enjoyed my “eye of the St Louis web designer” entries over the years so its only natural I introduce “Eye of the Chicago Web Designer” and wow has Chicago got some amazing eye candy.  At the beginning of the summer I launched a web site for a Chicago headhunter, Peter Meder & Company , the site featured some great shots of the downtown Chicago skyline. Today I experienced first hand those  fabulous skyscrapers.

2010 © Chicago Web Designer

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A letter to Chicago from the Chicago Web Designer

Dear Chicago,

Hello! A week ago today I was packing up my St Louis web design business and today, here I am firmly planted in Chicago. It may be a while before I am fully unpacked but I am really looking forward to getting to know you, all your fabulous businesses and getting down to work as the Chicago web designer.

Here is what I do:

Web Design

  • Custom Web Site Design
  • Web Site redesign
  • Banner ad Design
  • Email templates
  • Blog Design, wordpress, blogger
  • Internet marketing ( SEO)

Graphic Design

  • Logos and corporate branding
  • Presentations
  • Brochures
  • Advertisements
  • Traditional graphic design

I have been in the web and graphic design business for over 10 years and am truly passionate about what I do.

One question, as a city you have a lot of nick names. Which one do you prefer, Chi town, ChicagoLand or the Windy City?

Yours Sincerely

The Chicago Web Designer

2010 © Chicago Web Designer

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Moving house and business: The power of the internet

For the last few months I have been seriously multi tasking. As well as running my web and graphic design business full time  I have also been coordinating our move to Chicago.

Moving is hard work!

The power of the internet has made things a lot easier than it could have been. Here are a few ways I have thanked my lucky stars that I have a connection to the world through my fingertips.

  1. Finding a new house
    My husband did all the leg work on this but sites like Realtor.com enabled us to preview so much information before we viewed and not just photographs. We could see a birds eye satellite shot and  find out information about schools.
  2. Selecting a Removal Company
    I visited a number of removal company web sites and selected three to give me estimates. I then used the Better Business web site to run a check on each of them. The company that came in with the cheapest quote had a load of complaints so that simple check was enough for me to strike them off my list.
  3. Changes of address.
    The number of address changes I have made is quite staggering but with so many companies and organizations providing online account access this has been a relatively simple process. The united states post office even has an online process to set up  mail forwarding.
  4. Setting up new services
    Gas, electric, telephone, TV, and that all important internet connection, all easily ordered and set up online. Automatic payments and paperless statements an added bonus.
  5. A BIG clearout
    One of the most liberating things about moving is the opportunity to get rid of junk. I have been in St Louis for 14 years (and in the same house) and my family has acquire our fair share of “stuff”.  Craigslist was my ultimate friend. I posted all sorts of junk (one mans treasure…right) and got rid of everything from  old filing cabinets to a kitchen sink.
  6. Company legalities
    Moving to a new state is akin to moving to a new country and getting the paper work set up so I would be up and running in the shortest possible time has been a snip with the info I got from both Missouri and Illinois state websites.

Everything is packed and being loaded today so I am looking forward to a new adventure in the land of Lincoln!

2010 © St Louis Web Designer