Web design and development is a massively time consuming and complex process. From initial concept, to wireframes, to functional spec, to layered psd files, to database programming and population, testing, and launch. Then again, some clients just do not have the time. We did the whole project, including language translator in one weekend. Here’s how…
First of all we develop in WordPress, which streamlines the process tremendously. The client provided all art and copy. That helps. We registered the domain and set up the hosting Friday night. We designed the logo, site layout and processed the photos on Saturday. We installed the Thesis theme on to the server, customized the CSS, then installed a few essential plugins including WP Touch, which converts our pages into iPhone style navigation for mobile users. The custom CSS includes use of one of Google’s new web fonts, Cardo—which looks like Garamond. Say goodbye to Georgia and Arial. We populated the pages with text and metadata, set up Google Analytics, added photos to the NextGen Gallery plugin, built the complex application forms using Fast Secure Contact Forms plugin, and then registered with all of the major search engines. By Monday the site was tested and visible to the search engines.