Linda Strachan

Business: Scottish Children's Author

Site: Content Management System

Job: Linda and artist Sally J. Collins write and illustrate the Hamish McHaggis series of children's books. Linda needed a site that she could update herself, and wanted a blog so she could post news items. Sally created all of the grapics for Linda's site, which makes it absolutely unique. Every page has not only a different graphic, but a different background as well, and the visitor gets a sense of being in a different room on each page. Sally also created the navigation graphics, which fit the style and flavour of the site beautifully.

PropsMaster

Business: Stage Properties Hire

Site: Branding and Content Management System with Catalogue and Shopping Cart

Job: PropsMaster is a new Edinburgh enterprise catering to the amateur dramatics scene. They needed a Web site that would attract clientelle from all over the UK, with a fresh, fun look and ease of navigation. We created a logo around a stock image which kept the branding costs down, and created a site that they can manage themselves, from adding new pages to adding new products as they become available.

The Smycms

Business: Amateur Dramatics Company

Site: Content Management System

Job: The Smycms Web site was being maintained by a volunteer who really didn't have time to keep the content up-to-date, let alone update the style. We've given them a brand new look appropriate to the genre, and installed a content management system so that their volunteers can update the content without having to learn HTML. The rotating image shows highlights from past shows, and the comments are turned on to allow visitors to the site to interact with the company, providing an opportunity to recruit and for community outreach.

Ascent NLP

Business: Neuro-Linguistic Programming

Site: Content Management System

Job: Martin wanted an up-to-date look for a site he could manage himself. We worked with him to provide the editor and the look and feel he was after.

Tee Off In Scotland

Business: Golf Tour and Holiday Organiser

Site: Content Management System

Job: A new business veture by an avid golfer, this site needed pages the client could update and others that would remain static. A content management system was installed and custom pages built that allow different elements to appear according to the user's location. We built a contact form and worked closely with Full Circle Graphics, who developed a logo for the site. This client wanted direct contact with the designer, and because we'd put them in touch in the first place, we were able to work with both parties to make the process easy for the client, and to obtain the graphics when the logo was finished.

Skagit Scottish Country Dancers

Business: Recreational and Social Dance Organisation

Site: Content Management System

Job: This group's Web site had been reinvented many times by various volunteers over the years. When we took this project on, it was clear that what they needed was a simple way to update their site without having to reinvent the wheel. We installed a content management system, and the group is now able to add new pages and events without technical knowhow. This also means they can delegate the task to any volunteer with a desire to help, and they don't need any special skills. Creating a fresh new look for the site was a bonus and an enjoyable challenge.

SemPrag Journal

Business: Online Academic Journal

Site: Content Managment System - style sheet only

Job: A new joint venture between Massachussetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and the University of Texas, Arlington (UTA), this client was already well into the development process when we arranged to work with them. Their content management system was specially selected for its focus on online journal publication. By the time we joined the team much of it was already in place, and they simply needed someone to design the layout and interface.

Web Advocate

Business: Web Project Management and Consultancy

Site: Static Site

Job: Web Advocate is our sister company, specialising in large-scale Web project management. Our Trusted Partner, Full Circle Graphics, created the logo for us, and provided us with all the graphics we needed to build the site. If you visit the Web Advocate site, you'll undoubtedly reconginse the style. When we'd finished building it, we liked it so much, we decided to reproduce it for the Kodiak site. If we hadn't already told you, would you have known that one of these sites is static, and the other is built on a content management system?

Just Simply Accounting

Business: Accountancy

Site: Content Management System

Job: Just Simply Accounting moved offices, changed name and started operating independently early in 2009. They needed a bespoke Web site that they could maintain themselves, but that didn't cost the earth. We were able to install and customise a solution that let them get their hands dirty right from the beginning. They learned how to use the system by creating their own pages and content rather than relying on Kodiak to do it for them. This saved them time and money, and was the inspiration for our new "Basic Freedom" package. We were there when they needed to ask questions or just confirm they were doing things "right". Just Simply Accounting are tickled pink (you might say) with their new site.

Update: In February 2010, JSA had a new logo designed. Because of the nature of the CMS we installed, we were able to update their look with a few new images and a couple of other minor adjustments with no down time for the site, and without affecting the data or site content.

K9 Harmony

Business: Canine Behaviour Expert

Site: Content Management System

Job: This client originally came to us seeking help with search engine rankings. A quick look under the hood of the existing site revealled that the problem wasn't that the site just wasn't optimised; it was actually invisible to search engines, as it was made exclusively with images. There was no text for the search engines to crawl. We were able to help the client gain access to their domain names and set up a new hosting account. The we created this site, which they can edit themselves. The search engines have picked the site up, and rankings have been improving steadily.

No Kidding Limited

Business: PR Consultancy

Site: Content Management System

Job: Wendy Kidd of No Kidding PR Consultancy has a busy, successful operation in Edinburgh, London and points in between, but she didn't have a Web presence to highlight her skills and services. We installed a "Basic Freedom" package for her, so that to begin with her site is a fully-functioning "brochure" site, with one page and a Blog area. Wendy will add to this herself as time allows and as the need arises. Her site can grow with her without extra expense.

Update: Wendy had some marketing work done by Marketing Matters, one of our trusted partners, which resulted in a whole new look, not only for the Web site, but for the company's overall corporate image. We worked closely with Marketing Matters to turn the new design they created into a working template for the site, and once again, we were able to update the site with no interruption to either the visitors' experience or the data or site content.

Lana Bagen

Business: Champion Figure Skater

Site: Content Management System

Job: Lana's only 13, but she's one to watch. Her family and friends wanted to give her something really different for her 13th birthday, so we put together a Web site and Blog that she can write her own pages and keep an online journal of her competitions and her trips across Europe. She'd learned how to use the system within an hour of receiving her gift, and enjoys using the events page and the blog to keep track of her many events.

Scotland's Dog Listener

Business: Canine Behaviour Expert

Site: Content Management System

Job: A separate but related endeavour by the same person who brings you K9 Harmony, Scotland's Dog Listener is a brand of dog training that takes the canine mind into consideration. Pauline needed to be able to edit this one-page site herself, so we installed a content management system. As she needed the site up quickly, we styled it with a very simple layout with a view to updating it later to match what would become her corporate "theme". To date the focus has been on getting her other sites up, but this site shows that if you are willing to accept mininal customisation, you can still have a pleasant site, including content management, for a moderate budget.

Update: Things are looking up for Pauline, and we revisited the design of this site to bring it up to the standard of her other site. In fact, we recreated the theme used on the K9 Harmony site, but using different colours. The two sites now have a sense of consistency while retaining their own individuality as well. A third site for the same client has been designed using the same template again, with a third set of colours. Please also see the site for Doggie Paddles to see how these three sites give Pauline's various but related businesses cohesion and marketability.

Doggie Paddles

Business: Canine Hydrotherapy Pool

Site: Content Management System

Job: Another venture brought to you by the owners of K9 Harmony and Scotland's Dog Listener, this Web site was an early marketing tool when the swimming pool opened. The theme was designed using the same layout and structure as the other two sites in the family to give the Wallers' empire unity and consistency.

Sara Brockbank

Business: Equine Bowen Therapy

Site: Static Site

Job: Sara had been working with another developer, but she was frustrated with the lack of progress on her simple site, and decided to start fresh. We were able to help her get her domain name transferred, and have designed a simple site that lets her promote herself online. The site has five pages, but as she was only happy with the copy she'd written for one, we've simply hidden the other four and their navigation links until she's ready to make them publicly available.

Tylers Tiles

Business: Tile Retail Sales and Installation

Site: Static Site

Job: Tylers had determined the need for a Web site some time before we met, and by the time we started working together, they had a lot of ideas about what they wanted. It was exciting to work with someone so interested in the whole process, and very rewarding to stand with them as their vision came to life.

Update: Tyler's Tiles seems to have stopped trading, but we haven't been able to learn anything of their current status. We hope everyone at Tyler's is well, and wish them all the best.

Artizzan Gallery

Business: Glasgow Art and Craft Gallery

Site: Static Site

Job: This client was starting a new gallery and needed a logo, stationery, business cards and a Web site. We coordinated with one of our Trusted Partners to arrange the logo, print and collateral, and received the graphics - plus a few more besides - to use in creating the site. This site can't be updated by the client without knowledge of Web languages and technologies, so when they need an address changed or new opening hours listed, they simply e-mail us and we do it for them. There is a cost associated with site maintenance, but it is minimal, and considerably less than putting up a full-featured content management system, especially when the required changes are small and infrequent.

Update: Sadly, the gallery has now closed. We wish Pam and her partners all the best.