Stylefish
3109 West 50th Street #109
Minneapolis, Minnesota 55410
Email us and tell us about
your project
and you’ll find a company that blends a depth of technical knowledge with solid design chops. A Drupal shop that uses few technologies, but uses them very, very well. A twelve-year-old firm that still has clients from twelve years ago. And, most of all, a company that goes above and beyond your expectations. Find out what we can do for you.
International Youth ExchangeECHO MinnesotaEdina Facial Aesthetic SpecialistStylefish Web Development Portfolio
Stylefish has built an online learning and assessment portal for Johns Hopkins University called PEAC - the Physician Education and Assessment portal. This custom portal was built on the Drupal 7 framework.
Just launched: A new responsive, Drupal-based, multi-language site for ECHO Minnesota. Check it out here: www.echominnesota.org
Stylefish
3109 West 50th Street #109
Minneapolis, Minnesota 55410
Email us and tell us about your project
Stylefish only takes on projects where we know we can excel -- we won’t take a job if we feel that there’s a better fit elsewhere. Following are the services and technologies we specialize in.
Stylefish uses Drupal, an open source Content Management Framework, for most of our back-end development. Drupal is both a Content Management System (CMS) which enables our clients to maintain their website in-house and a website development framework which provides us with a standard set of tools to rapidly build dynamic websites. Drupal has a number of advantages for both ourselves as developers and for our clients:
Core functionality. In addition to content management tools, Drupal includes some core functionality such as user management, search tools, RSS feeds, comments, menu managers, etc. which greatly enhance our ability to build dynamic websites.
Modular Framework. Drupal can be infinitely extended through development of custom modules and themes. The modular framework enables us to take advantage of the core features and extend the software to do almost anything possible on the web.
Third Party Modules. Thousands of third party modules have already been developed to extend Drupal in numerous ways. There are modules to add html editors, contact forms, e-commerce, integrate with email marketing tools like Mail Chimp. In many cases, these modules can be implemented to quickly add complex functionality to your website.
Standardization. Drupal has a large community (tens of thousands) of developers. Custom development within Drupal requires a specific methodology which ensures that other developers can easily pick up code written by others. This ensures that you are never tied to one developer. Others can be brought in for specific sections of a project or, if need be, take over the development of future enhancements.
Web Standards. The Drupal community and core developers place a strong emphasis on web standards. All core code and many popular modules are compliant CSS/XHTML and adhere to ADA/Accessibility standards. Additionally, Drupal 7 will have built-in support for RDF.
jQuery. Drupal uses the widely implemented jQuery javascript API to provide client side functionality. This library provides the ability to quickly implement complex javascript functionality including animation and Ajax calls. jQuery is lightweight, complient and cross browser compatible. Like Drupal itself, there are thousands of modules written by jQuery users to extend the functionality and custom code can be written very quickly.
Intuitive Interface. Updating your site with Drupal is very straightforward. All updates are done directly from your browser. You do not need to install any special software or have any knowledge of HTML. Users with the proper privileges, will simply see an edit tab on any page in the site. Clicking that tab will take the user to a screen with editable fields for the page Title and a web-based WYSIWYG html editor which can be used to insert formatting, links and images into the content.
User Management. Drupal includes a powerful and flexible User Management system. This system can be set up to have multiple levels of user access with control over various aspects of managing the website. For example, one user may have access to edit events, but not other types of content. A super admin user may have access to Drupal administration functions, while a content manager might only be able to edit content and menu items.
Many people underestimate the importance of good design. A well-designed site not only pleases the eye, it inspires confidence in consumers and investors, and leads users through information in a clear and logical manner. It can make a small company look large and well financed, or a large company friendly and welcoming.
At the start of the design process, we'll pore over your collateral material, discussing elements you'd like to keep as well as any changes you'd like to make to your current identity. We'll look at sites you aspire to, as well as the pros and cons of the sites of your competitors. Most importantly, we'll discuss your goals for the site, and brainstorm ideas for reaching them.
Our designer will then create two mockups. If one or the other is close to the mark, we'll revise that one and present it again. If you'd like to go in a different direction, we'll create another mockup based on your feedback, and the process will continue as above. Stylefish always works until you're happy.
Stylefish occasionally teams with other local talent to expand our capabilities beyond what we can produce in house. Ancillary services may include photography, print, illustration, video production, and copywriting (although we can tackle smaller writing jobs, as well as editing, in house). Likewise, we're always happy to work with other artists of your choosing. These collaborations can be handled however you prefer: you may work directly with the vendor, or interface only with us. Stylefish never uses outside help for web design, nor do we use outside vendors for any service without first discussing it with our client.
Stylefish began twelve years ago as a one-man organization operating out of a tiny Maine apartment, and has since evolved to... two people. Working out of a slightly larger South Minneapolis house.
Yes, we're small. But our skills and experience are not. Together, we've completed hundreds of projects, from brochureware sites for tiny startups to the constantly evolving Internet Learning Center for Johns Hopkins University, now used by thousands of physicians. When you commission a Stylefish site, you'll know that -- whatever the size of your organization -- you'll be working with designer Jennifer Caritas and programmer Peter Caritas, not the intern we happened to nab for summer break. Like the design work in our portfolio? Jennifer did that. Impressed by that custom Drupal module? That was Pete.
We could impress you with our lovely offices, but we'd need to ask you to pay for them first. And we'd much rather impress you with our lovely websites, at a futon-and-Ikea kind of price. Have us in. Talk to us. And find out what we can do for you.
