The Chill Foundation, the non-profit foundation started by Burton Snowboards’ founders Jake and Donna Carpenter, is an amazing organization. They have locations all over the country and engage at-risk youth in leadership activities through boardsports, including snowboarding, skateboarding, stand-up paddle-boarding and surfing.

Ages ago, I worked for the City of Portland, and one of my projects was public relations and promotion of the city’s skatepark project (which Portland has, sadly, let go by the wayside). This was one of the most gratifying projects I worked on during my time in the public sector, so it was awesome getting back to a subject I’d been passionate about so long ago. (Fun fact: my last day on the job at the City, then Mayor Tom Potter invited me to join him in cutting the ribbon for a new skatepark and I may have cried a little at that generosity.)

Chill had a nice Wordpress based website but it didn’t have the storytelling vibe that they needed. It wasn’t edgy or boundary-pushing. It worked, it looked nice, but it didn’t match their work. My team and I were excited to re-envision what Chill.org could be, complete with a fab hero video (created by Vitae Sessions), vibrant colors, some edgy-feeling iconography, an interactive map and an awesome infographic created by my frequent graphic design collaborator, Ashli Hughes of Cascade Creative PDX.

Clients

Project Story: A New Site for Birth Devi

I’m thrilled to announce the launch of a new website for Kelly Swails, whose business Birth Devi is a maternity services and yoga teacher training company in Yonkers, New York and serves families in the tri-state area.

Like many of my clients, Kelly wanted a website that had a different feel from what is common in her field. So, choices of imagery, colors and style were incredibly important. We worked through a number of drafts, and once we hit on the key image for homepage, the visuals just came together.

Clients

Now Live: A Total Makeover for Canby Rental & Equipment!

I couldn’t be more excited to launch a new online presence for my client Canby Rental & Equipment. CRE is a three-generation family owned business in my small hometown on Canby, Oregon. It’s a business focused on sales, rentals and service of small equipment–everything from Stihl chainsaws to tractors to weed whackers. I’ve know the now-owner, Matt, for many years, thanks to high school English class and it was a blast taking their website in a brand new direction that you’re unlikely to see from another small equipment company.

Their previous site was functional, but didn’t represent their growing business and wasn’t mobile friendly (a common story). Also, because the business had grown, it didn’t represent the breadth of sales/services/rentals the company offered, nor did it allow them to grow the site as needed (also a common issue). Using a simple content management system like Squarespace was a big step forward for CRE, and I’m excited to see where Matt takes his website and business in the coming years!

Clients

Now Live: A Comprehensive Overhaul for Central Park Laser

Zahra, owner of what was then Central Park Aesthetics & Laser, now Central Park Laser, got in touch with me this spring about reinvigorating her company’s website. She had a clear vision as to what the tone was she wanted to send: professional, medical/scientific, and approachable. And, she also wanted a system that was easy for her to manage, as their offerings change regularly as new technologies and techniques emerge. Finally, Zahra saw an opportunity to make add online sales of products that were already doing well in the bricks and mortar business. Any, like many of my clients, their website was built on a tough-to-update Wordpress installation with a template that was a bit outdated.

It was time for a change, for sure.

Clients

GreenSavers USA Redux: The Finished Site

Remember the post I wrote about the snazzy temporary website we set up for the lovely folks at GreenSavers?

I thought I’d revisit that finished product of that project, which we wrapped up late this spring. This final website was really inspired by that temporary website–more than I’d imagined it would be, actually.

Clients

Reenvisioning the Squarespace Website for Maui’s Hui No‘eau Visual Arts Center

Squarespace Website for Maui’s Hui No‘eau Visual Arts Center, a non-profit site with a class catalog, custom fonts and parallax scrolling.

Clients

A Tasty New Design for the Pie Spot

Not to brag, but it’s pretty awesome when a restaurant specializing in homemade pie asks you to re-imagine their website. Because, obviously, in order to really get the creative juices flowing, you’ve got to sample the wares, am I right?

Pie Spot is a neat little bakery just down the street from my office here in northeast Portland (they’re actually across the street from my other clients, GreenSavers), and while I’d been a customer for many years, I was introduced to them formerly by my frequently graphic design collaborator, Ashli Hughes of Cascade Creative PDX. Ashli has been Pie Spot’s social media manager for some time, and saw their frustrations with their old Wordpress site first hand. It was time for something that really showcased all the yummy goodness the restaurant offers, and would make it easy for them to manage their ecommerce during business seasons, when they prefer to disable online ordering in order to best serve their customers.

Clients

A New Look for Ross Law

Here’s a look at a custom Squarespace website design for a Portland personal injury attorney, Ross Law.

Clients

A Temporary Site for GreenSavers: Before & After

A temporary, parallax single-page Squarespace website for Greensavers, a local Portland energy efficiency company.

Discover actionable advice about Squarespace & WordPress design & development, search engine optimization, content marketing, and business strategy from Sarah and guest experts.

I’m thrilled to announce the launch of a new website for Kelly Swails, whose business Birth Devi is a maternity services and yoga teacher training company in Yonkers, New York and serves families in the tri-state area.