The “small business website” accounts for a large portion of all new webpages. These small business webpages may be based on blogs such as with WordPress Themes or they be larger more complex sites using Flash templates. ECommerce is booming, but local and regional businesses need a webpage for internet marketing as well.

These small business websites look and function better every year - increased availability and functionality of WordPress Themes and Flash templates are only part of the story.

I like to see as many small business webpages as possible and I found a great portfolio by designer, Barb Raphael, at Raphael Webscapes. Have a look at her work. I asked Barb for an interview.

How did you get into web design? “I wanted a creative career working with computers so I took night courses at University of Delaware.”

Do you remember the very first site you designed? “Yes! I designed a series of sites for friends who had businesses (for free). I wanted to build a portfolio. They weren’t great but they got me started!”

You are doing a lot of small businesses - is this a specialization for you? “Yes, I find that I can provide multi-layered service to the small business owner. We help them organize their thoughts about their business which benefits all levels of marketing.”

Where do you get your art for these webpages? “We design most of the graphics ourselves. We get some photos from clients and some are stock photos.”

What will be the next big development in webpage design? “Back end content management for the small business client.”

Have you ever worked with website templates? “Not really–once a client found a flash animation that he liked but we changed and adapted it.”

What do you think about Flash technology? “It is fun, but should be used sparingly.”

What are the advantages and disadvantages of using Flash? “You can be really creative with flash and it adds excitement to a page. However, it can take more time to download and it isn’t very search engine friendly.”

What are your sources of inspiration? “We take inspiration from everywhere. One of our favorite sites is CSS Zen Garden. We love the power of CSS. But minimalist print ads provide color and layout inspiration.”

What are your favorite website designs that you did NOT design yourself? “I like the Apple site. It’s visual, but not busy. It is easy to navigate and provides needed information without boring you to death.”

What was the toughest project or customer situation you’ve encountered? “Our toughest challenge is getting the data from our clients to complete the job. Everyone is so busy!”

What are your interests and dislikes in webpage design? “CSS makes web design a pleasure. PHP includes are great for large sites that need frequent updates. I dislike using poor quality photos or bad logo artwork in our designs. We encourage our clients to pay extra to get these elements done correctly.”

Road Tested for Excellence,
Arthur Browning