The Douglas County Bank web design and development project was IADesign’s first banking related project. It was very interesting to work with the Douglas County Bank staff and to get a greater insight into the security requirements for online banking systems. It was also interesting to learn that with modern technology small, local banks are able to offer very secure online banking in-house, without outsourcing their online banking services.

Company Overview:

Douglas County Bank has served the West Atlanta and Douglas County communities since the mid-1970s, emphasizing impeccable customer service and up-to-date banking services. It started in Douglas County with local ties, and vows to keep those ties. It’s Douglas County’s only locally owned bank.

Problems:

• The original Douglas County web site was not intuitive or user-friendly, and was not tightly integrated with their online banking system.
• We live in a fast-paced and competitive world. Modern day web site content must be as dynamic as the world we live in. That being the case, Douglas County Bank required a robust and easy-to-use content management system.

Solutions:

• IADesign, LLC developed a very creative and easy-to-use web site design for Douglas County Bank. Additionally, IADesign implemented and trained the Douglas County Bank staff on an advanced, multi-user content management system.

Do you need a Web Designer or a Web Developer? These two professional titles are often interchanged and based on your needs, you may benefit by reading this article. Some companies, like IADesign, can cover the spectrum between design and development. IADesign can easily fill the gap and merge the creative elements with the technical elements of a web development project.

However, some smaller, less diverse web companies are probably either heavily creative or heavily technical. This poses many problems, because if your project is database driven and will generally require some back-end programming, the web designer will most likely sub contract the programming portion to a third party. This will ultimately result in communication problems as the designer will try to communicate the clients requirements, and the programmer will never speak to the client. Also, if the designer is outsourcing your project to India, Russia or even China, you can certainly expect communication problems. As if that’s not enough… you can also expect a sizable cost difference. Both the sub contract programmer and the designer are going to want to charge high fees. On the other hand, if the web designer you hire is more of a developer than a designer, then your web site’s design will probably be sub par at best. Most programmers are not very good designers.

So how do you know if you need a designer or a programmer? First a plug for my company: Save yourself a lot of problems and give us a call. As I stated before, IADesign can handle the creative and the technical aspects of your project in-house. We will also consult with you and let you know what the technical requirements are and what the development challenges will be (if any). We’re a bunch of really creative nerds!

Alright, enough with the shameless plug and back to the question. The bottom line is if your web project requires a database, is e-commerce, or is going to receive and process user input, you need a programmer or true web developer. But, if your web site is more of a brochure style site, then a web designer is your best bet. Also, when you are interviewing web companies for your project, be sure to inquire of your new web site’s compliance. It is very important that your website meet W3C Markup Validation standards, and that your website is designed for optimal search engine indexing. As they say: “Content is king”.

The key to hiring a company to build your web project is to know your requirements, and to relay those requirements (creative and technical) to the potential web company. Armed with this information, most companies will quickly know if they are capable of meeting your design and/or development needs.

I hope this helps. Have a good one!

Web Developer:
“A Web developer can also be a Web designer, but a Web developer typically has more database, CGI, and engineering experience. He or she develops the interface between the front and back end of a website.”

OnBlass.com is a different type of consumer complaint site. OnBlass.com does provide a traditional “blog” atmosphere for consumer postings, but it also offers investigative services, which are provided by its on staff experts.

You may ask the question “Why would you need to develop a custom blog application when so many are freely available?” Good question! OnBlass.com required more functionality than is available in any free, open-source blog software. For example: When you register for an OnBlass.com account (which is required before you can post comments), your Zip Code and State are cross referenced to ensure that you are providing accurate information. Additionally, OnBlass.com maintains a database of company names to cross reference in complaint postings. The goal here is to log all complaints to a specific company, and to eliminate as many duplicate entries as possible. There are also many proprietary data integrity features that insure the OnBlass.com website operates efficiently, effectively and legitimately.

In the clients own words (as listed on Kudzu.com):

“Dear Phillip, I want to personally thank you for all the effort you put into our new Web Site, OnBlass.com. Your commitment of seeing this project through for us is very well appreciated. We hope that you are available for us as the foundation of Global Technology Solutions grows and gains success. Again, thank you for the hard work and effort.”

Joseph Menefee
President, CEO, Global Technology Solutions, Inc.

Promotional Partners contacted IADesign for a workflow solution, that would streamline their production process. This is a backend system and can not be viewed by the general public. Please view the attached screen shots.

Company Overview:

Promotional Partners is a full service advertising design and marketing company located in Atlanta, Georgia. Promotional Partners is dedicated to providing their clients with the highest quality creative solutions. They understand that their expertise is an investment for their clients. Their understanding of the products, markets and objectives allows them to achieve the most effective results for all of them. �

Problems:

• With a high volume of projects, it was becoming increasingly cumbersome to manage the projects effectively and economically using their previous paper-based system.
• Tracking billable time while working on projects and project changes was becoming increasingly difficult.
• Communication between the Sales, Art and Customer Service Departments was fragmented and inefficient.

Solutions:

• IADesign, LLC developed a database-driven, web-based Project Management System that allows project progress tracking, a message board type project notes section to manage project changes/activity and a billable time logging system to accurately calculate project cost based on the time spent on changes as well as the overall projects activity. Customer proofs and the Project Quote can also be uploaded into the Project Management System to further streamline the development process.

“We have used Phillip Roper, IADesign’s principal, for several projects and have been more than satisfied with all of them. Phillip does excellent work, always within budget and within deadline, and is a pleasant person with whom to work. I would highly recommend him and his company for any project in his field.”

Jim Brams
KEF Media

“I am a graphic design company which uses IADesign for all my programming and web developing. I have worked with this company for over seven years. On all projects they continue to do exactly what they tell me they will do. Their work has been excellent and always on time. I highly recommend them.”

Vicki Lynn
Lyght Enterprises

“This company is very professional. All the staff members are helpful and informative.”

Georgia Top Model

“I’ve witnessed projects executed by IA Design now, for over 5 years. Each project was managed and performed by knowledgable staff, and performed with precision, resulting in a very funtional and appealing website solution for the customer. I would highly recommend IA Design’s design services, and have many times. It will get done right!”

Adam’s Media

“IADesign is the tip of the sword for web development and graphic design. IADesign developed our entire marketing package (pocket folder, brochure, business cards and web site) and we could not be happier. Phillip was very professional and personable and he made the process simple. Thanks to IADesign our marketing materials finally reflect our business personality. GREAT JOB!”

“Looking for a professional, yet affordable service? Try IADesign! Phillip and his staff remained courteous and professional throughout our entire website design process. Deadlines were met quickly and efficiently by the IADesign Team, therefore, leaving our staff STRESS FREE! What more could we ask for?! Visit www.douglasvillecheerstars.com if you’d like to view some of IA’s professional work firsthand! The Douglasville Cheer Star staff highly recommend IADesign to all!”

Erica Davis
Douglasville Cheer Stars