The request. "We want to overhaul our current website. We need something mobile friendly, and more modern."
Eight years ago... When the request came in I looked back over my project notes and found that I had designed the Ithaca Law site back in 2010. I really liked the design, but eight years is a long time in web-years for a site design to remain static. A lot has changed since then.
Live prototypes. I developed and hosted three unique, live prototypes for Ithaca Law to review. Each prototype had its own design and layout, including one that looked very similar to the original site but was responsive to mobile devices. The beauty of creating these live prototypes is that the client was able to really use them. They could try the site on different screens, see how the menus functioned, and watch the dynamic slide show in action. Individual staff could also review the options on their own computer without needing to gather around one central computer or a projector.
Responsive. Fluid. Proportion-based. Flexible. Scalable. The slide show, the layout, images, content and menu all adapt to the reader's screen size. The navigation area is 'sticky', meaning it remains on screen for easy access as the user scrolls down the page. A 'back to top' button appears in the lower right-hand side of the page as the user scrolls down and disappears as she scrolls to the top of the page.
Modern. Polished. Clean. Functional. The Ithaca Law site has a lot of white space. It's easy to read and easy to locate the site's features. Contact information appears in the header and footer of every page and a "Contact us" form appears in a sidebar on all pages other than the home page. The menus are simple. The "People" menu uses a beautiful full-page-width menu to present the firm's staff.
A pleasure. I have mixed emotions seeing one of my designs being retired, but I'm proud of the new design Ithaca Law and I have developed. The new design will serve and represent the firm well. Working with the Ithaca Law staff has been great. They had a definite vision of what they wanted and what they did and didn't like from the prototypes. It's been a pleasure.
See the site: ithacalaw.com