About This Website
January 2021
Like most companies we left our old website up for way too long. It was built in 2014 using Drupal 7 with a Boostrap based theme. There were some updates to the layout made over time but in general we just added or deleted content as needed.
Sadly, also like most company’s we let our blog go inactive. There is hope of reactivating that with a new website. Fingers crossed.
This site is based on WordPress and a “page builder” theme named Divi. A page builder like Divi (and there are many others) provides an efficient interface to basic design elements that make up a web page. In most cases it is quicker that starting with an empty page or even an empty framework.
But for those that may think that we wimped out by using a page builder theme, please note the use of headlines declared in “vw” using the “clamp” function. The theme is not going to help you know about this form of specifying a font size. But “vw” is magical because it dynamically resizes the text as a function of the width of the window. Try making this window thinner of wider, you will see the size of the headline smoothly scaling with the width. This is why even a page builder theme is always best handled by a professional.
We will get into page builders and content managers of all sorts in the blog. Check in to see more about that topic.
The Layout
We tend to simplify design for clarity sake. In our own case, this website is mainly showing our work. Because so much of our work is abstract words come first then visual examples. This puts typography front and center.
The headlines are set in Century Old Style. This is a wonderful font to use in large settings. Modern eyes tend to see its letter too loosely spaced so we tightened the letter spacing so the serifs just about touch one another.
The body text is set in Alegreya Sans. This is a wonderfully modern font that has calligraphic flair. It looks good on screen large and small and is ideal for long runs of text.
Line Art
Whenever possible, we use SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics) for line art. SVG is a vector format that renders at the resolution of the screen where they are being displayed. This sounds very abstract but it solves the very real complaint of “the art looks fuzzy.”
Our logo and signature were created in Adobe Illustrator and saved as SVG files.
Another feature of SVG is that it can be animated. Animation of elements on the web is a thorny decision. Too much is gaudy and irritating. It is best when used for a specific purpose, or a small visual wit. That is how we used it in our headlines.