The EM Network hosts podcasts from such popular conservative commentators as Matt Lewis and Elizabeth Blackney, and produces The Right Doctor (Dr. Melissa Clouthier), Malcolm and Melissa, along with recent addition The Needle (featuring Caleb Howe and Lori Ziganto).   Along with the podcasts, The EM Network website features Eric Morris’ blog, links to various social media platforms and self-hosted forums.

The site itself was developed using WordPress as the Content Management System with various modifications and updates including a flash podcast player and SEO scripts.  Additionally, a self-hosted installation of phpBB was installed to run the online forums and styled to seemless integrate it into the website.  Maxwell Sydney performed all of the installations and styling including customizing the template, setup and styling of phpBB, server installation and database integration.  Additionally, we brought over all of the content from the previous website, adding previous blog entries and content to the new site location.

If you are interested in the fine work of Eric Morris and The EM Network, visit EricMorris.us.  When you are ready to take your website to the next level or discuss your marketing efforts, contact Maxwell Sydney Design Group.

SpeakShirt.com Features:

• Automatically updated Top 12 T-Shirt feed
• Automatically updated popular products from hundreds of other categories
• Directory of Zazzle Designers/Sellers that they can self-maintain including featured banners and product feeds
• Dynamic banners throughout the site for “featured” sellers

Under the hood:

• Joomla! CMS
• SEO Optimized
• SOBI2 Directory Component – custom implementation
• Zazzle Store Builder – custom implementation
• Custom product feed search field

The Identity.

Irish and I talked quite a bit about her company and the detailed drawings she does for every client before embarking on a remodel or interior design project. We also talked about her love for Irish heritage and the intricacy and deep meaning behind Celtic imagery. After a few drafts of more modern logos we decided to go in a different direction and actually licensed a Celtic Tree of Life design from Canadian artist Cari Buziak to form the basis of Design Matters Studio’s logomark. We tweaked the original artwork a little to make it her own, but the original style and complexity is clear. We believe there is no better form to showcase the renewable nature of the custom cabinetry Irish Hafke designs as well as the psychological renewal one feels after spending time in a well appointed and well designed home. The tree of life also shows both the complexity and elegance that you will find in every project Irish Hafke is involved with.

The final identity includes an optional watermark of the logomark in reverse. It is designed to be shades of black as standard with the ability to take on the color of project at hand (i.e. the logo could mimic the palette of an interior design project or be a complimentary color to the finish of some cabinetry).

The Magazine Ad.

After completing the corporate identity package, the next step was a 1/3 page magazine ad to appear in the premier issue of Gulfshore Life At Home Magazine, a publication targeted to southwest Florida’s most affluent neighborhoods. The concept for the magazine ad was straight forward – showcase the attention to detail Design Matters Studio puts into every project while retaining simple elegance. The focus needs to be on the interior and required a design that could change the photography and color scheme while retaining the same recognizable style.

After providing a couple options, Design Matters Studio chose the ad featured here, which is included in the January 2010 premier issue of the magazine.

The Website.

In conjunction with the identity and magazine ad, we worked closely with Design Matters Studio to develop their website. The website needed to have the same elegance as an Irish Hafke project and contain a wealth of information for current and prospective clients. As every project is as unique as the customers she serves, it was imperative to put a large focus on the customer relationship by featuring testimonials and photography from a variety of projects. The site also needed to be modular and easily upgradable while working on a variety of platforms.

For this website we worked on a 960 grid system and developed a custom site to work on the WordPress platform. In order to showcase the dual focus of Kitchen & Bath with Interior Design we utilized a cream fabric background (representing interiors) along with a dark wood highlight (representing kitchen and bath). The site went “live” on December 23, 2009, and we will continue working with Design Matters Studio on the addition of new content, gallery photos and website features.

Visit Design Matters Studio at http://designmattersstudio.com.