Simplicity & Purpose

When we begin to think about how to communicate through the digital world there is a complex web (no pun intended) of messaging techniques to keep in mind.  To figure out which ones to use, we must first ask the right questions; these will be the foundation that guide all further decisions about branding, images, style, language, color schemes, and audience.

Other items to consider when thinking about how to present a company, organization, firm, products, etc. in the digital world are:

• What is the point of the communication? For example, is the website being developed so that it can showcase a product, share information, or raise money for a foundation?
• Is the digital world your "store" or do you want to draw people in to a physical location?
• Are there supporters, partners, or sponsors of your organization that also need a presence on your digital space?
• How developed is your organization or project? If your business doesn't have a lot of bells and whistles (either from its nature or its stage of development), than neither should your website. The nice thing about the digital world is that there is a level of fluidity that is well adapted to the natural stages of organizational/project growth and complexities.

These are just a couple of questions to consider when starting to think about digital messaging. As an example of how this type of Integrated Design strategy (like that practiced here at 2 Miles), translates into a visual and digital presentation, take a look below at two different screen shots of websites we've designed.

This brightly colored website/blog was put together for a small, custom, woodworking shop located in Florida. The owner makes custom pens, bottle stoppers, and makeup brushes out of sustainably sourced wood. Still in its last phases of development, this website will serve as a portal to the Ebay store, an introduction to the small business, the types of products it produces, and its sourcing practices. The bright scripting of the background and logo help give the look and feel of the business location (sunny Florida) and the main type of products (high-end writing utensils).

This darkly themed site serves as online gallery and portfolio for artistic work. Its dark theme helps highlight the artwork presented through the site. Other than the images, and their titles, very little text is included on the site to ensure that the art is the main focus. There isn't even and "About Us" page for this very reason. Overall, the site is kept very plain but keeps a bit of whimsy with its name "-arooski", blog section named "caboodles", and the swirling background pattern. In addition to showing artwork, this site will serve as a portal to the artists' Etsy store.