This includes advertising, branding, website design and other digital services, as well as design for print. Ultimately, we help to build brand value and make each business stronger and more profitable.
We take great pride in delivering an excellent level of service at all times. We listen carefully to what our clients want to achieve and work closely with them to make sure their objectives are met.
Our clients tell us they like our style and approach: clear lines of communication, a single point of contact and work of a consistently high standard – all delivered under the watchful eye of Megan, our Creative Director. What’s more, we offer excellent value for your money and have a portfolio to be proud of.
Designing a website is also creative. To us, the challenge remains the same — get the brand out, get the message out, get the people coming in — but space is limited, and there are so many options to consider! Organizing information is harder than it looks.
In the end, it all boils down to strategy. The thing that keeps us on track is our process, which guides us step by step from gathering critical knowledge, to create a logical structure, to conducting adequate testing, to deliver a website that meets all your CTQs.
For us, it’s not about bells and whistles, but bells and whistles that work.
Customer
Profile by Service Line
- Service Line Objectives
- Competitive Website Survey
- Customer Profile by Service Line
- Customer journey
- Role of website
- Preferred Action/Response
Technical
Do you track website conversions?
If so, what is considered a conversion, and how do you track it?
- Current Site Map
- Social Media Survey
- Hosting
- Maintenance
- SEM Review
- SEO Analysis
Step 1 Outcome
A customized learning summary that provides the basis for planning website design and digital marketing presence moving forward.
During an interactive planning session we work with your organization to agree on priorities and specific of your website. We identify digital marketing opportunities and requirements for website development. At the end of the planning phase we will present a project plan, timeline and creative brief that summarizes key objectives, audiences, messaging, tone, creative direction, mandatories, functionality requirements, budget/budgetary range, timeline, etc. for your review/approval. This is the document our team will use as reference from this point forward.
Review
- Timeline & milestone setup
- Creative brief
- Identified audience
- Key messaging and tone
- SEO keyword research
- SEO copywriting
- Meta descriptions
- Sitemap
Step 2 Outcome
The Creative Brief documents our understanding of the project goals and identifies the strategy to meet the goals within the budget.
If for some reason you decide to discontinue the project after the Strategy/ Planning session, we will have to bill you for our time for the session and Creative Brief based on an hourly fee schedule. For those of you moving forward? The Strategy/Planning session is part of the package.
We use a content-first approach to developing websites, meaning that the content drives the visual design instead of the other way around. This allows the design of your website to communicate your message in the most effective way possible, but also requires that website content be developed prior to laying out each page and designing the site.
Abstract does our part to work with our writing talent to brief them on the goals and strategies for your website. The copy will be submitted to and approved by you.
A visual look & feel can be developed while the content creation process is in progress. The look & feel isn't the same as the layout for each page, but will serve as the creative and visual base for the remainder of the site.
Step 3 Outcome
All of your website's written content, as well as a website look & feel that establishes direction for the rest of your site.
Once your website's content is created and the look & feel is complete, Abstract will move on to the layout of the pages for your website. Our designers will review the approved content and will complete a visual guide representing the skeletal framework of your site. This allows us to visually frame and structure the content for the visual look & feel, and allows us to present a consistently designed layout for your content.
Once the look and feel process is complete, we will design the interior pages for your site, starting with master pages or templates. The layouts we present will become the templates for your site. For example, instead of laying out each of your products in a unique layout, we will present a single product page for you to review and approve, and then follow that template for each product. This ensures that your website visitors have a consistent experience and can easily find the content they need on each page, while also minimizing project scope and ensuring that all additions follow a consistent pattern.
This phase will consist of two rounds of revisions, as there are usually creative changes we'll need to make as we design the site templates. Once each template is complete, we will present them to you for approval, and will move into the site development phase.
At this time, we will also present a Scope of Work document to be authorized. This document will outline how the site is developed, how content is managed, and any additional functionality that may have been discussed as the project has progressed. Its purpose is to ensure that we agree on the details of the project prior to heading into the development of the website.
Step 4 Outcome
A mockup of each site template, which shows how each category or content type will look on your new site. A Scope of Work which details the look and functionality
of the site.
On the road map to website development, this is where you see how things work, experience the interactivity, take in the full user experience. Everything before this phase is relatively fluid and open to discussion.
Existing CMS Integration We will put all of the parts together into the existing Content Management System (CMS). We'll take the finalized content, and approved prototypes and put them into a system that allows you to manage your content, as well as add new pages and sections as your business needs change.
We'll run another Q/A test to ensure that all of the content is being properly pulled from the system and displays for the website visitor as expected.
Step 5 Outcome
A working, fully functional website, on a staging server that can be used for review.
Once the site is, tested, and functioning properly, we can launch it. Our part involves cleaning up and removing extraneous code, inserting analytics scripts, finalizing any server-side configurations, and turning the site from "staging" to "live." The deployment process takes about 72 hours to complete.
Once your new website is up and running, we will invite your content management team into the office for training on the CMS. We'll break down how content is structured and managed, and discuss any technical/ content limitations of the system, such as what kinds of content can go in what places. At this point we will create accounts for your team and turn the system over to your team for management. The point is to move you into DIY website management.
Step 6 Outcome
A working, fully functional website, live at your domain.
Abstract strives to produce digital products that are error-free, but occasionally a bug or two makes an appearance post-launch. To address this, Abstract offers free website support for 30 days after the official website debut. Support is defined as assistance with any technical issues that arise due to omissions and errors by our technical staff.
An example of a covered bug would be if you were to add a product page and find that the page doesn't appear in the appropriate navigation. Our bad — we’ll address it as part of the support agreement.
Support does not include any technical issues that arise due to external factors beyond our control, as well as creative enhancements requested by your team during the development phase. An example of a bug that isn't covered would be if the CMS itself were updated to patch a security issue, and as a result some content stops displaying. This would be a bug outside of our control, and subject to additional charges to troubleshoot.