Mobile Friendly Website Designs

Recently I have been working on two new website design projects.

The first website was actually a redesign-modernize project.  My client, Ilani Kopiecki of Ilani Sessions ilanisessions.com,  already had a website up and running but it was not mobile accessible.  You could view it on your smartphone, but the navigation was not easily accessible without zooming in and out.  Since the website was originally designed in WordPress I was able to select a new mobile friendly template that would display well on computers, tablets, and smartphones.  Once selected it was cleaning up the design of each page, update banners, change color palettes to Ilani's brand colors, sometimes adjust the template coding by hand to get the new desired look and feel online.  Now finished Ilani has a website that can be viewed and accessible on any device.  We also added some basic SEO keywords, alt tags, descriptions, etc. throughout her website to be more search friendly.

The second website I have had the honor of getting up and running over the past month is Master the Pause masterthepause.com for Maryon Maass.  Maryon Mass is an experienced Yoga (Himalayan Tradition and Iyengar), and Feldenkrais teacher.  Her earlier website was not working for her.  So we started from scratch with new content, a new domain name, setup her WordPress account, and began designing her new website that has all of her current contact information and listing of her classes and workshops.  

Speaking of workshops she is offering her Yoga Nidra Workshop on Sunday, June 26, 1-4pm.  You can register and pay through PayPal now through her website.  

I have also had the pleasure of creating her a Facebook Business Page www.facebook.com/masterthepause.  Feel free to like her page and keep up-to-date on whats happening.

I love assisting and working with my clients to get their marketing materials in print form or online up and running.  If you need assistance with your marketing materials I would be happy to help is any way I can.

Print Ads

Recently I have been designing on a lot of print ads for my clients.  Below are a few examples highlighting Marin Open Studios at Art Works Downtown for the Marin Open Studios catalogue ad, San Francisco Chronicle print ads, and posters designs.  One thing that we tried to do is keep a consistent look and feel to all the ads.

Marin Open Studios catalogue ad

San Francisco Chronicle print ad

posters design

Design Projects for the Arts

I love working for my clients that work in the arts.  Wether it is for an art center, galleries, theater company, or the artist, I find great joy in producing marketing materials for them.  Below are just a few samples of projects I have developed for my art clients from website with online portfolios of their artwork, exhibition postcard designs, brochures, emailers, etc.  If you know of anyone in the arts community in need of graphic design or website design assistance I would be happy to meet with them.

Website Design: The main question to ask before starting the design process

When designing a website for any client you have to go through the basic questions of what do you like, what will the content be, how do you want your website to function, what do you envision your  website to be like?   Mainly what are the clients wants, need, and ideas.

But one of the most important questions to ask before designing a website or redesigning a website is how will you maintain the website in the future? Does the client want access to make edits, are they planning on hiring a website designer to maintain the website, or does an employee need to be trained?

This is one of the main questions I ask clients when I meet with them.  Depending on their answers we can go build a custom website, work from a template site such as WordPress or Joomla, or look at a combination of the two.

With my most recent website design project for Cynthia Nowicki Moore, CFP, Wealth Management & Financial Planning we had a template program.  But her profession indicated which program-template to use.  A new template program called Forefield.  This is always the fun time for me as a designer because I get to learn a new system.

Once creating her account I looked around the system for 10–15 minutes to get my footing and then the fun part... I start to design her website with the content, images, and information we prepared ahead of time.  Overall the website was created in a few days.  After going through a couple of revisions through compliance we were ready to launch her website.  CynthiaNowickiMoore.com is now live for all to see, read and learn.

So remember when you meet with a website designer before you leave that meeting asked how will the website be used in the future so everyone is on the same page for how best to build and create the website.

10th Anniversary of Susan Searway Art & Design

I hope your year is off to a great start.

On January 1, 2016 Susan Searway Art & Design 

10 years of being in business!!!

Susan Searway Art & Design specializes in Graphic Design and Website Design services. Susan has years of experience working in the print world from designing and laying out advertisements, brochures, educational materials, exhibits, fliers, identity packages, logo design, posters, direct mailers, e-mailer campaigns, etc.

From there Susan can then convert anything into a web format for the World Wide Web. By knowing both the print and website world Susan creates effecting marketing and branding for your company that works best for you. 

It has been an honor and pleasure to work this past year 

with the following companies and individuals: 

•    Art Works Downtown

•    The Bay Institute Aquarium Foundation

•    Bay Model Visitor Center

•    Bay.org - Aquarium of the Bay

•    Beckerley Travel Consulting

•    Blackstone Technology Group

•    Clare Michael Interiors

•    Clapper Consulting

•    Cindy Mack Personal Trainer - Cindy Mackenzie

•    Continental Jewelers, Inc.

•    Dyslexia Think Tank

•    Essence of Skin Care by Stephany Baker

•    Front Porch Realty Group

•    Ilani Kopiecki - Ilani Sessions

•    Kathy Beckerley, Artist

•    Leah Reich

•    Lynn Sondag, Artist

•    Main Professional Women's Network

•    Novato Fence & Lumber

•    Nuheara - IQbuds^TM

•    Olallaberry Farm - Jody L. Whalen

•    Pragito Dove – Discover Meditation.com

•    Presbytery of the Redwoods

•    Ross Valley Wellness Center - Connie Prodromou

•    Rotary International District 5150

•    San Geronimo Valley Stewards

•    S. L. Pemberton, Inc.

•    SmartFeed

•    Susan Ticken, Artist

I love what I do and am always looking for new clients to work with.  Please keep Susan Searway Art & Design in mind for any graphic design or website design projects you or another business might have in the future. 

Thanks in advance for your referrals.

Samples of Recent Design Projects

Novato Lumber and Fence WordPress website:

www.novatofence.com

Infographic created for Blackstone Technology Group

Emailer creation of template, layout, and design for Ilani Kopecki

Postcard design for Clare Michael Interiors

Website redesign of Lynn Sondag's website

www.lynnsondag.com

Emailer creation of templates, layout, and design for SmartFeed

Introducing New Art Series - A Grapevine's Persona on Exhibit

New Works Autumn's Persona, digital art © Susan Searway-Fertig

For the past three months I have been working on a new series based on grapevines. My process for creatingA Grapevine’s Persona – Digital Art Seriesis similar to the way I create my figurativePersonaseries only instead of using drawing, paintings, or watercolors as a basis I am using photography.A Grapevine’s Personaseries is dedicated to my husband who loves and introduced me to wines and going wine tasting. As we travel around vineyards I always have my camera close at hand, literally. I shoot anything and everything to find a composition. Yet, I mostly concentrate my work on nature. The most wonderful thing about working with nature as your subject matter is that it is ever changing. Artist Robert Bateman states it best, “Everything in nature has its own personality.” You can never capture or see the same composition twice. There are always little nuances of change. When you take photographs or observe wildlife they almost never stay in that “perfect” composition you envision. Therefore you have to do a lot of improvisation and creativity to get the composition you desire.

My new series is currently on display in my art studio at Art Works Downtown, Studio #18 and at Bacchus and Venus Wine Tasting and Art Gallery, Sausalito, CA.

Bacchus and Venus 
Wine Tasting and Art Gallery

69 Bridgeway
Sausalito, CA 94965
415-331-2001
http://www.bacchusandvenus.com
On Exhibit Starting This Weekend: September 4, 2015

Wine Vine Essence, digital art and Wine Vino's Individuality II, digital art© Susan Searway-Fertig

Please feel free to see my new work in person or on my website at http://www.susansearway.com/art/digital/digital.html

Hope to see you soon.
Susan Searway-Fertig