Chic Meets Geek just went live. Check it out; http://chicmeetsgeek.com.
There is an event coming up February 4th in San Francisco that should be a smash.

Chic Meets Geek just went live. Check it out; http://chicmeetsgeek.com.
There is an event coming up February 4th in San Francisco that should be a smash.


The hardest part of part of developing a website is inevitably the question of “How much does it cost?” Seems like such a simple question, and it is to someone who doesn’t have their head in a computer most of a 24 hour day. Before talking price I think it is important to discuss the client’s needs, goals and ideas. Then from there try to explain in the simplest terms what goes into a site. There is a misconception that you get a domain name, throw up some graphics, and boom your set to go and should be #1 on Google in no time (yea this may be a bit of an exaggeration, but you get the idea). Websites and the online world are far more complicated than they look. As developers we strive for simplicity and functionality, but to achieve simplicity and functionality it takes a lot more work than it might seem. When asked “How much does a website cost?,” I try to put it in terms that most everyone is familiar with. I reflect with how much does a house cost? The answer: “It all depends.” The same goes for the internet. Anyway I found some helpful articles posted about “How much a website costs?” I think as designers, computer nerds, developers, programmers, and so forth we haven’t done a very good job of portraying the importance of comprehensive web development and all that it entails. Hopefully you will find this helpful. Any questions, please contact me. Cheers!
http://www.digitalsurvivors.com/archives/000457.php
http://www.howmuchdoesawebsitecost.com/
http://www.atilus.com/webpost/what_does_a_website_cost//?what-does-a-website-cost/
Typography has always been key in any print design and graphic design, but in the world of the web, in the past, we’ve been harnessed to only a few usable fonts that are supported across most platforms. If we wanted to step out of these limited fonts we had to use images to replace fonts and then to make those images translate to search engines in the same fashion as actual text was a real pain and resulted in extra time and $$. Well it seems that times are a changing and more fonts are becoming available for use across the internet and within browsers, enter @font-face CSS property. Font suppliers are now beginning to license fonts primarily for web use. It’s a major step forward for us as web designers and allows us to create the flare we are looking for while still complying with SEO standards. Don’t get me wrong it’s not full proof as of yet and there are licensing costs, but it’s a foot in the door and a step forward. A List Apart published a great article on the @font-face movement; http://www.alistapart.com/articles/on-web-typography/ .
Beyond this movement there are still only a select number of fonts that work across all platforms and are packaged with most operating systems. (why do we care about operating systems (Windows, Mac OS) because we can only use fonts that are packaged with the operating system that the user has, if they don’t have the font installed on their computer then it won’t show up in their browser) Below is a list of supported fonts that work on nearly every browser. If one of the below doesn’t work on your computer than you can see why this is such a pesky issue.
Just completed the LGM project’s new closing to videos. See below…
Link building is a huge booster to any site. There are a number of ways to go about this and the limits are literally infinite. It’s not every site that I work on or build that I get nitty gritty with Linkage but when the opportunity presents itself I ofter refer to the famous “Link Building 101″ pdf. I have had this taped above my computer for more than a year and it shines down upon me every single day reminding me the importance of Link Building and always when designing to think SEO. The poster comes from Dave Conklin from ProspectM. Enjoy!
First off let me make clear that I am in no way affiliated with Cube Scripts or being compensated by Cube Scripts. That being said, I recently stumbled across Cube Scripts’ Instant Update Content Management System and used it on www.playforjoy.com as an experimental run. Instead of using templates and integrating the CMS into the template, Instant Update allows you to put tokens throughout the site using PHP where you want content that can be updated via WYSIWYG editor. Then each of these tokens is display clearly and concisely within your admin panel. You can control any type of content too, not just text. For smaller sites this is a perfect solution, as it is cheaper to implement and easy to build around. The cost for a license is $49.95, which to the client is cheaper than building a CMS from scratch and has the full support for instant updates of the software. Best part the installation was painless and smooth– upload the files, create a database on your server, walk quickly through the setup steps, and then place the tokens where you like throughout your site and bam your up and running. The best part is the admin is simple and easy for the client to navigate. I see this is a great solution for smaller sites/smaller budgets, but for clients that still want to manage and update their own content without diving into the code of the site. There’s no reason to re-invent the wheel on this one. Only drawback was that the license key didn’t work the first round, but support quickly solved the issue within 24 hours.
recently added a photo stream. looking for a way to display recent photos that are not necessarily connected to any clients or projects–a place to showcase some of the experimental photography that spawns from everyday witnessings and is inspired by the simple things that surround us. enjoy!
check it out at photo.maxwellrowe.com
Well Fall is here and quickly upon us. We’ve had a pretty remarkable summer jumping on board with some large scale projects that are still in the works. Hydroponics Unlimited officially opened in June, and has seen a steady increase in traffic and sales. We’ve incorporated a number of marketing strategies; paid advertising, promotions, social media, article submission, optimization, email lists and so forth. Lean Green Machine became “the LGM project,” and has grown in numbers with 9 contributors and covered some major events and connected with some of the biggest names in fashion and music. The LGM project too has seen a steady increase in traffic and continues to thrive–the next step for the lgm crew is figuring out a way to make a little $$. We began production with Tandalay, an online PE curriculum looking to change the way kids are taught PE, but most importantly changing physical activity attitude. Beyond that we worked on a few small sites, knocked out a few graphic designs and survived the summer in style. We have big aspirations for this fall and looking into the new year. Both looking to expand and exposing more excellent talent. So here’s to Fall and thank you to everyone who has supported us and helped us get where we are. We never forget. Thanks!
On another note, I wanted to show some screen shots of a project that we have been working on for the summer and are continuing through the Fall. The site is called “True North Leaders.” It’s going to be a powerful platform for emerging global leaders to connect and achieve their highest goals. This site is for the motivated, the elite and the movers and shakers of today and tomorrow. We have an internal Beta launched and will be launching the public Beta sooner than later. I will keep you posted.
a project of maxwell rowe in collaboration with lgm creative lab and alike, have launched The LGM Project formerly Lean Green Machine. the site got a bit of a graphical facelift as well as a redirection of sorts. we are inspired by the site and we hope our viewers are as well. check it out at http://thelgmproject.com.
All content © Copyright 2010 by maxwell rowe |:| creativeLab.
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