They must continually inform the community that they carry the same brands as other stores, but also provide honest advice. They will actually send customers to competing businesses with specific questions for sales staff. They do this because with customer education comes trust and a lasting relationship. Nearly all of the customers return and purchase a mattress from Baer once they learn the truth about materials, prices and honest advice.

Baer’s had specific goals in mind regarding the design of their new website. They needed to:

– Effectively reach Leesburg and Frederick, Maryland customers
– Present all of the bedding products and brands offered in a clear manner
– Provide the types of services offered using clean navigation
– Inform customers of the types of materials used in mattresses
– Communicate when it is the right time to purchase new bedding, frames and more

With these goals in mind, Wicked Design began creating unique and simple website designs for this Leesburg, Virginia based company. We used clouds as a back drop to help emphasize sleep and peacefulness. We defined specific areas of the website to contain topics while leveraging enough white space to make it easy to read for all ages. Each content area is clearly titled with links provided that encourage further exploration into the website. Using only a blue and white palette, the amount of potential web clutter is minimized and content focus is channeled. Because Leesburg and Frederick folks are of all age brackets, the presented products and services that Baer’s offers needed to be clean and crisp.

In closing, this company has built a reputation upon honesty and real advise. Their customers come back year after year, and refer their friends and family. While the sales staff in the larger box stores come and go, the Baer family has not. They run their business by instilling confidence and trust. You can’t be in business for thirty years without having these types of solid principles. Good service is becoming a thing of the past. Not so much with these legacy, family owned business.

Whenever a legacy business contacts Wicked Design about new website design services, we are thrilled. Our reputation provides our clients with a level of comfort in knowing that their brand will be represented with care and integrity. Whether your business is in Leesburg or not, we’d like to hear from you. Our client list and web development projects speak for themselves. Feel free to explore our website and learn more about the creative services we offer to business and organizations just like yours. Learn more about our website design services at: https://wickedesign.com/2021/website-design/.

Dr. Michael Ceo, a notable Therapist in Leesburg, Virginia, hired Wicked Design to create a new website for the practice he and his wife Niki built over many years. Dr. Ceo had an idea of what the new website should contain and wanted to include a favorite photo of two penguins apparently kissing. As I inform all of my clients, any photo that appears on your website must be owned by you, photographed by you,  licensed by the owner or permission gained to make use of it. It is never okay to obtain photos from web searches and plunk them onto your website, it is against the law. This holds true even if you provide credit to the copyright holder.

After stepping down off my copyright soap box, I informed the doctor that I would help him to track down the copyright holder and request the terms of use, if any. Put yourself in my shoes: How would you assist a client in locating the rightful owner of a photograph? There are several ways that this can be accomplished, but finding a needle in an endless haystack of online media is a foreboding task. The trek began with lengthy searches through stock photography sites. As one would have figured, there are a few million photos of penguins. None of them came close to the doctors beloved image.

I then recalled that Google Image search allows anyone  to drag a photo from their computer into the search bar. Doing so reveals pages of images that Google feels are matches to yours. Sometimes, it finds exact copies. Upon doing this with the kissing penguins photo, page after page appeared with exact matches. A sudden rush of satisfaction was strewn across my face. Feeling rather smart at this moment, I could hardly stand my obnoxious self (the writing of this post surely is an extension of that). Clicking upon the first link revealed nothing about the author’s name. It was an article from a notable magazine that provide no credit to the photo’s owner. The second, third and fourth links were much the same. Finally, a result pointing to the National Science Foundation webpage provided credit to a research scientist, Pen Guin (not real name). A brief sentence described the man as working in the Antarctic, a place less traveled for sure (you actually can’t travel there, sorry). NOTE: The NSF site remains closed due to the ongoing government shut down.

The detective process now shifted to locating a person. Applying the use of quotes around a search phrase in Google provides only exact match results, which is always useful when looking for people. Following this rule provided no concrete results for Mr. Guin’s email address. Being that he is a researcher, I thought that this would be an easy task. Alas, it was not. In the end, I was able to locate a thin profile for him on a networking site. There was no email included in that profile. However, the briefest mention possible listed a website address. Visiting this website revealed a single page that was likely coded using Notepad with the barest of HTML code. There was no name or detailed information. I wasn’t even sure this site belonged to Pen Guin. For kicks, I used the browser feature “view source” to inspect the code of the site. Like a Wonka golden ticket shining through the wrapper of a chocolate bar, the words mailto: jumped off the page! As fast as my fingers could construct a proper introduction, the bits were whisked away to unknown parts of the globe.

Within hours a reply was received, from Antarctica. Pen Guin thanked me for reaching out and requesting permission. He stated that very few have. His terms of licensing were simple and included an extremely reasonable fee for use. Dr. Ceo can now have his beloved photo in the new website design without any negative legal ramifications. Later in his reply, he noted that in the future he will conduct research to determine who is illegally using his photographs (as every copyright holder should do).

There are copyright infringement cases on the books that reveal fines costing tens of thousands of dollars because proper licenses were not obtained. Many businesses cannot remain solvent with the prospects of high fines such as these. Often, various types of content can be legally obtained for a small cost.

How would you feel if someone stole your work, and made money with it?  Be respectful. Be lawful. Be careful. License that content!

Feel free to visit the website for this Leesburg, Virginia Therapist: http://michaelceo.com. Does your Leesburg business require web design services? Learn more about our web design services at: http://wickedesign.com/website-design.

This story changes with Heritage Site Development, one of our newer clients. Because this firm has a full staff of Construction Planners and Engineers, they knew exactly what they wanted in terms of visual design. Using WordPress as the CMS web platform, we worked together to construct a site that met their specific vision, and business goals. This Loudoun County firm designs and constructs utility and road projects across the northern Virginia area. They support local municipalities and private businesses with a wide range of estimating, design and construction services.

Upon initial discussions with the firm, they presented a fairly clear path forward for their new website design. They not only wanted to portray their long history in completing complex site development projects, but also the breadth of work. To support this they requested dynamic photo galleries that demonstrated their worthy successes. In addition, they also wanted to clearly demonstrate in a visual manner they breadth of work completed in a simple to understand map display. The Projects page effectively addresses both of these goals through the use of Google Maps, along with an interactive photo gallery. Meeting both of these goals in an elegant manner is exactly what they sought.

The company also had a vision for presenting their service offering combined with the types of client they support. This problem was solved with the design of their Services page. The final version contains not only both of these lists, but also examples of project work that dynamically displays. The custom designed header graphic that contains the menu choices dynamically changes on every page contained within their website design. These design elements keep the appearance interesting to the website visitor, and potential client.

In conclusion, it was a refreshing experience to support a client that came to the table with a vision in mind. In many ways this makes the job of developing an effective website easier than normal. We simply listed to their goals and met them with effective visual design. It was a pleasure working with Heritage Site Development. See the final website design, and learn more about the company: HeritageSiteDevelopment.com.

Is your firm looking for a new website, or a refresh to an existing one? Wicked Design will be happy to meet for a free consultation and explain, in simple terms, what the available options are. Learn more about our WordPress design and development services: Wickedesign.com.

Based upon the goals of the Hair Mill, our vision was to design the website with an elegant flair in mind. To project this feeling immediately upon seeing the site, we decided to use a large photograph of an attractive woman with fantastic hair styling.  We are fond of describing how the use of photography is important than ever. It not only leaves a lasting impression on the web visitor, but helps to strengthen the companies brand.

Because the Hair Mill Salon has been in business for ten years, residents are familiar with their circular logo and chosen color palette. We needed the website design to reflect this established Purcellville branding familiarity. The next stage of the website graphic design process called for an attractive header and page background. We incorporated aspects of their logo and related colors into these web components. The page background we created using the shape of their logo, then lightly applied to a darker brown color. This web treatment is then tiled into the background space without attracting unnecessary attention.

The website header graphic also uses elements from their logo design. However, in this case we scaled the design element to be larger. It features a different shade of color than what is found elsewhere on the site. Doing so carries the entire design forward while allowing each section of the website to have boundaries. This allows the viewer to segment the various aspects while encouraging website exploration, which is just what this Purcellville firm wanted.

WordPress supports these custom changes such that clients can make changes in the future. The main images on the site were designed in Photoshop using good graphic design skills. Using the WordPress interface features, we were able appropriately place these graphics according to the original website design. The platform is no longer considered a simple blogging tool.

As with all of our clients, we provide Purcellville’s Hair Mill Salon with regular web traffic reports. They are able to see which search works are used by visitors, their geographic location and which pages are viewed most. This analytical data can be used to determine the effectiveness of a marketing campaign, regional awareness and weakness in search result rankings.

Would you like to learn more about website design for your business? Visit our Website Design page, or simply contact Wicked Design.

This building firm required a website design that not only portrayed an updated appearance, but also one that spoke of the quality building services they provide. It was important that the various services provided be presented on he home page in a crisp and clean manner. The related photographs also needed to fully represent the type of work conducted for their clients.

The background of this website design uses a blueprint graphic design, created from an actual custom home project. This serves to immediately portray the theme of the website. This is crucial in grabbing the attention of the website visitor. In the day and age, companies have mere seconds in which to do so. The color palette of the website uses this blue tone throughout the site. This builds a cohesive visual experience. The site itself is built using the WordPress platform.

Below the header design, a large photographic slide show presents the web visitor with sample of the high quality work
provided by Suncrest Builders. WordPress offers a simple design interface, so that Suncrest is able to update this photo display in the future. That way they need not call upon Wicked Design to make simple changes for them. Using a large slide show is another strategy in capturing the attention of those who land upon the site. Visual imagery is an excellent way to leave an impression on those visitors.

Below the photo display are the four categories of the services provided by Suncrest: Custom kitchens, bathrooms, homes and living spaces. Each of these offer links to respective pages. These areas also display crisp photographs that reveal the level of quality that this company provides.

The footer area of this website design include social media links, affiliations and organization memberships. These lower areas encourage the web visitor to explore the website more fully, and engage with their brand. Effective website design needs to accomplish several things, as noted. It not only must be attractive, but also convey a tight and relevant message that leaves an impression on the viewer. All of these features drive additional business for the firm.

Is your company, or organization, considering an updated online presence? Are you seeking to fully leverage today’s technology in ways that increases awareness for your brand or cause? If so, Wicked Design will be happy to provide you with a free consultation. We have helped dozens of Loudoun firms with designing and developing successful websites. You can learn more about our website design services here: wickedesign.com/services/website-design.

As with most website design projects, a full understanding of the clients needs are required. Being that the end goal is high client satisfaction (coupled with increased business), understanding these goals should be a designers first initiative.

In this case, Jennifer wanted an elegant online presentation that portrayed the beauty and grace of the service she provides. She had a vision for a taupe, white, and brown palette. She needed the navigation and menu system to be simple and easy to understand. Lastly, photographs representing the type of design service that she offers were to be presented in clean manner.

Taking these requirements into account, we began using these elements in Photoshop to create mock designs. These designs were then shared with the client to being an interactive process of deciding upon a final design. This process of creating bitmap art not only allows for rapid prototyping, but also solidifies the website design before any code is slung.

The final website concept, meant for WordPress development, was then passed along the to web artist who began building the website components. The Bummer Lamb example only required the development of five pages, so the overall project was simple, following the design process. As the pages came to life, Jennifer had the ability to review each, and respond with comments.

Sometimes, creating something simple and elegant can be a difficult challenge. We web technicians are fond of using the latest technology because it delivers new and exciting features. We often need to step back and think from the bottom up, rather than starting with “glossy” ways to represents word and images. Getting back to the basic of design is often called for.

Drawing comparisons between interior design, and web design, is highly relevant in this case. Both artisans are required to identify client goals, evaluate the landscape and then paint their canvases using the tools of their respective trade. The Bummer Lamb design firm is happy with their new website, and we are honored to have designed it.

Wrap yourself in school spirit

Spirit Blankets is a Loudoun County company that markets and sells custom school spirit blankets. These blankets are embroidered with students names, logos representing their sport or extracurricular activity and the school icon. The warm fleece construction can be work at games to demonstrate school spirit in style. The company needed a website design that was not only easy to use and accessible from mobile devices, but also one that allowed online orders to be placed with customization features.

Wicked Design went to work designing a website that met all of the criteria while serving student bodies across Loudoun County. With three schools currently supported, students and parents can order blankets that meet their exact specifications. Included are Woodgrove High, Valley High and Legacy All Stars. Drop down menus offer the web visitor the school choices. Once the specific school blanket page is loaded, the customization options are are presented in a clean and simple manner.

Dozens of school activity and sport icons can be chosen that will be embroidered on the blankets. The students name is entered in the appropriate field and then the order can be completed. The website then sends the selected information to PayPal for purchasing. The blankets cost around $65 dollars each and are usually manufactured within a few weeks.

Commerce enabled websites such as this allow the business owner to focus on operating the business, instead of taking phone calls during the day. Because the Spirit Blankets website is available around the clock, orders can be taken directly from the online store without interrupting business critical operations. Once an order is placed, the business received the orders via email. The email message specifies the exact order specifications, which includes not only the names and icons, but school colors.

Designing websites that provide online purchasing can be a tricky proposition for designers. They not only have to be attractive and simple to use, but also work accurately 100% of the time. This can carry a large responsibility for the web designer and programmer. The platform used in this case is WordPress. The platform offers a great deal of flexibility with a light weight front end to make the entire purchasing experience as pleasant as possible.

WordPress also supports easy updating as the company expands. In the future, Spirit Blankets plans to add several more schools. In doing so, the drop down menu of school choices will need to expand. Beyond that, school choices may need their own menu selections divided by County. WordPress is well equipped to allow for this sort of expansion.

Does you company or organization also required a website with commerce functionality? We at Wicked Design will be happy to schedule a meeting to listen to your goals. We’ll then created a detailed proposal that includes specific visual designs, a schedule and a project quote. To learn more about our website design services, visit our website development page. We hope to hear from you.

It is generally not legal to download and use images, photos and artwork that you happen to find using online search. Even if a piece of content had no copyright information, it does not mean it can be used. In this day and age of ever increasing technical prowess, a copyright owner can quickly search the internet to locate where their property resides, especially in places where it should be.

For example, Google Image search allows you to simply drag a photo onto the search page and discover where else it resides. If you the individual can do this, image what a Fortune 500 could do. However, this is not the real reason not to “borrow” content from the web without permission. It is simply illegal. Even if an image or photo is marked as Creative Commons, it does not explicitly allow you to use it on your site, or in your printed media.

Being a content creator myself, I have a full understanding of the hard work involved in website design, logo creation and the construction of print media. My livelihood depends on my ability to create unique pieces of art and design. The same can be said about your livelihood. We all work hard to be productive and pursue happiness at the same time. However, we certainly don’t want others taking credit for our work.

Even if you are not using someone else’s image, or design, for commercial benefit, it likely still cannot be used for your organization, group or personal endeavor. Using copyrighted material on Facebook remains a gray area at the moment. However, the laws are starting to change.

The rule of thumb to follow is:

1. You created the image or design media being used.

2. You hired an artist or photographer to produce content for you. This assumes you have the right to use the work they produced. Always check.

3. You licensed a photograph or image and have the legal right to present it within the copyright agreement.

These words of advice also flow into use of fonts, background images, cropped photos and other forms of media. Content that is explicitly marked as public domain can be used without having any agreement, but read the fine print. Material and content produced prior to 1923 can be used, and media prior to 1977 without a copyright notice can also be used. However, we are only Wicked artists and not lawyers. Do confirm your rights to be sure.

In summary, you should strive to protect yourself, but also pay for the things you use in life (though the best things are free :).

Places to obtain stock photography, artwork and images include the following:

http://www.istockphoto.com

http://www.shutterstock.com

http://www.gettyimages.com

Needless to say, Wicked Design also provides photography services in the Loudoun County and mid-Atlantic regions.

Part of Shamrock’s charm is the historic building that houses the store. The floors are wood, the ceiling is covered with classic tin and the second floor is accessed with a set of creaky stairs. Combine these warm, historic features with a friendly, knowledgeable staff and you have a meaningful shopping experience that harks back to childhood days (mine anyway).

The goal of this new website design was to provide the web visitor with these special qualities while helping to set the shop apart from others in the area. Using the colors of the Shamrock logo, the site was design to carry the palette and brand forward in a meaningful way.

Design began with a custom illustrated banner that presents the shape of a guitar at the top of the page, also known as the header. The guitar design was blended into the header background using several graphic design techniques (Photoshop is an amazing design tool). It was then surrounded by a white glow to make the faded design standout. Essentially, it needed to be visible but not overpowering. Layered on top of the guitar header design you the menu webpage choices, the logo and store information.

Below the header graphic appears a slideshow gallery of images reflecting the warmth and ambiance of the shop. This area of the website serves up a rotating selection of photos taken within the shop; Shamrock events and photographic portraits of the music instructors and various musical instruments for sale, whether new or offered on consignment.

Because Shamrock Music Shoppe is a full service store, the website needed to present all of their services in a clean and simple manner. Below the photo slideshow area is a grid of information boxes that each described various services offered. These include music lessons, specials, products, instrument rentals and an interactive calendar of events.

Each of these website information areas offer their own level of interactivity. Some feature small image galleries of photo in motion, while other offer video of events. This website design demonstrates that visitors can obtain a wide array of information about this Loudoun based music shop without leaving the main page. This encourages a high level of interactivity and exploration, which every website owner wants. The longer a web visitor reviews a website, the more likely they are to visit the store. The design helps to encourage this behavior in a fun and interesting way.

Along the left side of the site, you will find a set of guitar strings that run vertically. Also designed in Photoshop, they help to carry the eye down the site and reinforcing strong design. They were created only a few pixels high, and are duplicated in the Y direction (up and down). The advantage of using this technique (of copying) is that only a small image is required, which makes the loading of the website faster. In the end, the website visitor enjoys a fasted page loading experience.

Along the bottom of the design are the footer widgets. These are small modules of interactive information found at the bottom of all the pages. Again, offering a wealth of information in small places delivers a more enjoyable experience to the visitor. They are not required to drill into every page of the site to locate pertinent information.

Finally, Wicked Design developed ecommerce pages that allow the shop to sell their products directly through the website. Products are offered in three categories; Wimpy Kid autographed books (Jeff Kinney is the brother of the Shamrock store owner, Scott), instruments and branded apparel. All of the items listed on these purchasing pages can be bought online. Therefore, the new website delivers to Shamrock a terrific branding experience, access to products and valuable information to the business.

We thoroughly enjoyed designing and building this website for Shamrock Music. They allowed Wicked Design to have creative license in developing the site. The customer is happy, we’re happy and the website visitors are happy. It’s a win-win for all. If your business, or organization, seeks to develop a creative website experience such as this, then contact us for a free consultation. It’s our job to make you look good. Learn more about our web design services on this page: Wickedesign.com/website-design

As part of this web development project, photographs were taken of the interior and exterior parts of the restaurant and used as graphic backdrops. When visiting the website, these digitally enhanced photographs provide the feeling of small community, comfort, history and warmth. The photos are presented with soft, painterly filters so they don’t distract from the important design information being presented by the White Palace. These photos change every ten seconds, helping to breath creativity and life into an otherwise static website.

The client’s employees will be trained to update important information, such as new food items and blog posts. While not currently featured, photos of each food item is supported by the interactive menu system. The client plans to embellish the online menu with these photos over time. Needless to say, they also need to have the capability of adjusting prices, feature the menu items of the week and tell stories of their successes on a regular basis. These stories are not only serve as good building community content, but increases their SEO, or search rankings, in Google and other engines.

The White Palace Restaurant website was meant to be a simple but effective tool used to draw more Purcellville, and Loudoun, residents in. The WordPress theme used in this case was specifically designed for restaurants. In the future, White Palace can expand their online information and marketing efforts using this same theme. There is much room and flexibility built in to accommodate the growing needs of this establishment, both now and well into the future.