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About Us
We have a passion for problem solving, conveying information and facilitating success
We believe that good visual communication can create good change. Our goal is to educate, empower, unite, and galvanize both the messenger and the audience to maximize your potential to connect.
From where we come
SparkDesign is based in the adventurous and snowy climes of northern BC, tho we work with and for people all over Canada and the US. SparkDesign was launched in 2008 as a subsidiary of bc designworks inc. which has been working in BC since 1999. We continue to serve a large and happy group of clients and we embrace each project with growing experience and inspiration.
Meet the team
Our savvy team of dedicated professionals will fire up your project with the best and most appropriate web technologies and graphic design. Great visual communication has strategy behind it, and great design comes from great designers. We are a dedicated team of thinkers and doers specializing in the different areas of our industry.
Staff...
Sandra Smith designer, manager & big cheese
As founder, Sandra wears many hats and will ensure you get the best of SparkDesign. Her background includes graphic design, web design, writing, marketing, and project management. She has a sharp eye for visual design and a good sense of what works and what doesn’t in print and on the web. Sandra has been working in print and web media since the mid-1990s and is thrilled to be working with such a crackerjack team.
Phil Brienesse project manager, go-to guy & gadget guru
Phil has an extensive background in business, management, customer service and a newfound love for web technologies. He will keep your project on track, from start to finish, and serve your needs with professionalism and integrity. He is a natural when it comes to good usability and will help you design a sound plan for your project. Phil is a brilliant problem solver and offers our clients technical support and a lot of good ideas. He has lived and worked in northern BC since the early 1990s and understands the unique challenges and rewards of doing business in smaller communities.
Alan Rawkins web developer, flash man & techno wizard
Alan is our full-time web developer, flash animator and techno wizard. He is our multi-talented genius and offers valuable insight and innovation to each project. As a graphic designer AND a computer programmer, Alan has what it takes to make great websites that work. He is skilled in XHTML, CSS, Javascript, PHP, XML, CGI, CMS, graphic design and Flash animation. He’s been working with us since 2002 and, after a brief hiatus, we’re lucky to have him back on the team.
...and Associates
Taylor Bachrach graphic designer
Taylor is a fabulous graphic designer who works in print and on the web. We’re thrilled to have him join us on a variety of projects.
Terry Evans web developer
Terry has sparked a few revolutions in our company over the years and has shown us some of the brighter sides of web technology. He helps us make great websites that work.
Kerri duPont graphic designer
Kerri has a professional background in graphic design, website design and branding. She instills her magic touch on many a project.
Glen Ingram database programmer
Glen builds the engines on some of our more technical sites. He is our favorite Drupal Dude who builds it like he means it.
Portfolio
Y’arr! Here be the porfolio!
Websites
Every good website has a good strategy behind it.
The web is a vast pool of possibility. But just because you can, doesn’t always mean you should. At SparkDesign, we match your goals with appropriate solutions. A website can be one of your most important communications devices – but only if it is designed and implemented well.
We don’t build them like they used to. The web is growing more sophisticated and a good website is pretty important for many organizations. You’ve got to build it right if you want to see results. Gone are the days where cousin George could whip up a Frontpage website that would get found in Google.
Our sites use CSS layout, are coded to be W3C compliant, make sensible use of java script, ajax, php, flash and integrate 3rd party widgets to make a good user experience.
We specialize in user-maintained Content Management Systems (CMS) which means you can update your own site content thru a password protected web panel.
Find out more about our Content Management Systems >> and the range of web products we have to offer.
If you want us to build you a website, read the next steps. >>
If you want to know more about us >> come meet our crew. Our team is made up of people who specialize in different aspects of web development, from graphic designers, and site architects to coding and programming wizards.
We practice what it takes to make a great website. >>
Print Design
We love words, we love graphics, we love colour and we love whitespace. We love playing with text and experimenting with fonts. And we love a good design because we know that it works. We design for aesthetics as well as usability. We apply many of the same principles to our print design as to our web design.
Our design style can range from conservative to edgy, flamboyant to funk. But it’s always clean and intends to match its purpose.
Check out our portfolio >> for a sampling of projects, including:
- posters
- brochures
- cd covers
- magazine ads
- reports
- booklets
- stickers
- business cards
- letterhead
- logos
- billboards
Read some of our thoughts on what makes great design >>
employment
Are you a creative, reliable, designer, developer, marketing or project manager? Are you passionate about quality and good usability? Are you easy and fun to work with?
If this is you, and you are interested in working with a small and thriving firm in northern BC, Canada, there could be a spot for you on our team. We are not on a hiring spree but life moves fast in our little company and we’re always interested in hearing who’s out there, who’s interested and who’s got spark.
We are interested in hearing from graphic designers, web programmers, and senior level project managers.
How to apply
If you are a freelancer or potential employee, show us your stuff. Send us a letter, a resume and a link to some samples of your work.
What to expect
SparkDesign is a company of visual communication professionals who mix great design with appropriate application. We strive to foster sustainable community development by building cutting-edge materials which empower and inspire people to communicate and engage.
The work
Our main focus is building and maintaining quality websites for businesses and organizations located primarily in BC. We specialize in creating websites with Content Management Systems using Textpattern, Expression Engine and Drupal. We also offer print design services to clients which includes posters, brochures, reports and logos. Your job as a designer, developer and/or project manager is to help us succeed in creating great communication devices for our clients with passion and integrity.
Location
SparkDesign is based in spectacular Smithers, BC, approximately halfway between Vancouver and Whitehorse. Some of our employees and associates live here, and some don’t.
contact
We'd love to hear from you. Please fill out the form below. if you are looking for an estimate, please fill out one of our query forms. You can also reach us at:
SparkDesign web & print
Box 3505, 3864 2nd Ave
Smithers, BC, Canada V0J 2N0
Tel: (250) 877-6221
TOLL FREE 1-888-877-6223
get an estimate
Your input is the first, and perhaps most important, step toward building a successful branding campaign and website. Your answers to the questions in these surveys will help us to understand and identify the overall goals of your logo, print campaign, or website, including specific information about your intended purpose, your key audiences, your content, visual look, and desired functionality. We ask that you try to answer each question as thoroughly and clearly as possible so that we are able to design a website that best meets the goals of your organization and your audience.
WEBSITES: As a first step, please fill out our Initial Website Query.
LOGOS & BRANDING: We would like to get a sense of the look and feel you are after with your branding. Please fill out our Logo and Visual Identity Query.
PRINT DESIGN:: Please fill out our Print Design Query.
If you have any questions or concerns as you are completing the survey, please do not hesitate to contact us. We thank you in advance for your time and attention in completing our surveys and we look forward to working with you on your project.
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Benefits
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Client Area
If you are a client, you can access your training videos, design proofs, and view your website in development through this section.
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web query
print query
logo and visual identity
Homepage
We've re-launched. SparkDesign Co is the new face of BC Designworks.
We're building new widgets, honing new skills, revving up our products and strengthening our team. We're all fired up and sparks are flying.
What makes a great website?
It’s what you see...
Good content
Give them what they want. Identify why users are coming to your site and tell them the facts. Show them the pictures. Deliver the goods.
On the other hand, if you don’t have anything to say don’t bother saying it. i.e. don’t make a section called NEWS if you don’t intend to keep it updated. Don’t make people click into a page that doesn’t really tell them anything.
Good layout
Website design communicates a message, and that message needs to stand out in a millisecond.
Less is more: white space is your friend. If you try to emphasize everything, you will emphasize nothing.
Your information must be organized, easy to read and delivered in clean and simple format. We will design a style sheet for fonts and layout that will help you get your message across with appealing emphasis and help you reduce clutter.
Be brief. Users will stick around if they can absorb your information quickly through images, headings and short chunks of related text. Use headlines and bold formatting to break up your content so users can zone in to where they want to go. Give their eyes a break. You will have more visual impact if you can communicate your message with 1 phrase and/or 1 interesting graphic than pages and pages of text.
Good usability
Figure out the hierarchy of your information and decide what is of PRIMARY, SECONDARY and TERTIARY importance. A good website will stir your audience to act. What actions do you want them to take when they come to your site? Do you want them to register or sign up for something? Purchase something? Contact you? Add content to your site? Download documents, videos or other information? Know what it is you are hoping to achieve and we will help you find a way to make it happen.
User friendly design. Readers want to scan your page like a map and know intuitively where to go.
Good usability is about common sense. But it’s not always obvious. It requires an understanding of how web users see, think and act. Good usability is invisible. Bad usability is glaring.
...and it’s what you don’t see:
- Clean code
- An extensible site architecture so your site can grow and expand over time
- A CMS with sound widgets and plug-ins to support new features
- Search Engine Optimization and Google credibility
Check out our portfolio >>
or
Contact us for an estimate >>
Content Management Systems
What’s a CMS?
A CMS (Content Management System) gives you the power to add, edit or delete content from your website without requiring special software or knowledge of HTML.
How does it work?
You can access your website CMS thru a password-protected webpage and make the changes you want, when you want, from any computer you want.
Essentially, you are updating the contents of a database which has been programmed to pump your information into your website templates. Each CMS is set up a little differently, depending on your particular needs, budget and plans for future growth. We specialize in 3 different types of Content Management Systems which offer the best usability for users and clients.
What are the options?
Entry-Level CMS
Our Entry CMS website has a pre-set layout and set of features. We will design banners and other graphical elements to reflect your organization and apply them to the Entry CMS template. This site has enough functionality for about 6 sections with multiple pages in each. It can include a news blog and a photo gallery. These sites are a little quicker to build and cost less than our regular CMS websites.
Regular CMS
Our regular CMS sites range from medium to very large in scope. They are appropriate for anyone who needs all of the functionality listed above plus any of these typical features:
- directories (sections with categories of content within them)
- events calendars or schedules
- registration forms, survey or feedback forms
- 3rd party widgets (Google Maps, donation or weather report widgets)
- e-newsletter templates and mailing list systems
- flash animation
- shopping carts or e-commerce features
- discussion forums
- online databases or ability to import/export information into a csv or Excel compatible file
Ready to start planning your website with us?
Thoughts on design
We apply our theories on great graphic design to both print and web layouts.
Good content
Give them what they want. Identify the main reason users would want to look at your material and tell them the most important stuff first. Show them the pictures. Deliver the facts.
At the same time, you should hold back on the less important info, or diminish its appearance. If it’s not really important, leave it out. Don’t make people read stuff they will find out once they contact you or take the action that your material is designed to initiate.
Good layout
Good design communicates a message quickly. It comes through at a glance. The style, the font, the colour, and the professionalism all send clues to the viewer about why they might want to read on.
Less is more: white space is your friend. If you try to emphasize everything, you will emphasize nothing. Clutter will drive people away.
Your information must be organized, easy to read and delivered in clean and simple format.
Keep it simple
Be as brief as you can. Readers will stick around if they can absorb your information quickly through images, headings and short chunks of related text. Use headlines and bold formatting to break up your content so readers can see zone in to the information that’s important to them. Give their eyes a break. You will have more visual impact if you can communicate your message with short headings and phrases and a few large interesting graphics than pages and pages filled up with text and tiny pictures.
Good usability
Figure out the hierarchy of your information and decide what is of PRIMARY, SECONDARY and TERTIARY importance. Readers want to scan your page like a map and know intuitively what it’s about. if it interests them, they will pull up a chair and read more.
Good usability is about common sense. But it’s not always obvious. It requires an understanding of how people see, think and act. Good usability is invisible. Bad usability is glaring and frustrating.
Focus on your objective
Don’t ask a piece of printed material to do too much. Focus on the action you want viewers to take when they see your material. Do you want them to register or sign up for something? Purchase something? Contact you? Donate? Send you something? Know what it is you are hoping to achieve and we will help you find a way to make it happen.
A good event poster will stir people to go buy a ticket. A good brochure will stir people to contact the organization, make the donation, register for the event, etc.
Next Steps
Here’s our process
Plan:
We meet. We draw up a site plan. We estimate a budget and timeline. We make an agreement.
Design:
We take your graphics, logos, photos and the site plan and we design one of the pages that will resemble your website.
Implement:
Once you have approved the design, we start to build. We slice and dice, we code, we install the engine, we add bells and whistles, and we make it purr
Cultivate:
We show you how to use it. We give it Goggle credibility. We give you advice. We launch it. We watch it grow we see how it performs. We tweak and polish and adjust as necessary, which may be dictated by you or simply the changing nature of the medium through which it lives… the ever evolving World Wide Web!
Here’s your next steps
- Research your competitor websites. See what they are doing well and what they’re not.
- Get a sense of your key objectives with the site. What do you want it to do for you? What do you want to give your audience?
- Request and Estimate
- Meet with us for a strategic planning session
- Gather your graphics
- Set up your domain and hosting
How much is it going to cost and how long will it take?
The big questions. Talk to us and we’ll try to make something work.
In general…
Our CMS websites range in price from $2000 - $10,000. They usually require 4-8 weeks to launch.
There are a lot of variables. Regarding price, it’s not about page count. It’s about the technical features and functionality you want, the number of revisions to the design, and the number of changes to the plan. Regarding time, it’s about how long it takes you to collect your materials, scheduling your project into our roster, and how long it takes us to finalize approvals at each stage of the process.
Request and Estimate >>
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