Portico Web Design

Affordable Quality

admin — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 15:32:34 +0000

Getting a website you can be proud of doesn’t have to cost you a small fortune. At Portico we believe you deserve a website that gets noticed, and that comes with a very reasonable price tag. Contact us to get a quote on your project – we think you’ll be pleasantly surprised!

We Aim To Please

admin — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 14:51:27 +0000

The site that Portico designed for us is better than we’d hoped, and we’d happily recommend Portico to anyone looking for a professional web site.

Contact Us

admin — Thu, 12 May 2011 12:43:02 +0000

It gets lonely working in our office all day long, so we love to get questions or comments from our visitors!

Please use the form below to ask any questions you may have, or send along some comments or suggestions you feel would be constructive. We’ll get back to you promptly.

[contact-form]

Questionnaire

admin — Tue, 10 May 2011 22:09:44 +0000

[contact-form]

Portico Web Design | Halifax Web Design

admin — Wed, 04 May 2011 23:29:58 +0000

We are a Halifax web design company.
We design affordable websites that get noticed.

Portico is a Halifax web design company and is located in the village of Herring Cove, Nova Scotia. We’re a small design shop focused on delivering quality results for every one of our clients.

We work with people who see the value in a great website, people who know that an effective website takes a professional that has experience, passion, and can communicate clearly.

We chat and go over your needs and expectations. You can contact us at (902) 452-4584 and ask for Adem, or you can also fill out our contact form to easily get in touch with us!

Why choose a Halifax web design company?

If you do a quick search on the Internet for web design companies you’ll get thousands of results, which means you get plenty of choices. So why should you choose a Halifax web design company, as opposed to one located elsewhere in the world?

We’re local too

As a local business owner, or operator of a local organization, your interests are better served by a Halifax web design company that understands your neighbourhood, your city, and your province. We’re a small Halifax web design business ourselves, so we understand the importance of meeting your clients in person so that a solid working relationship can be forged. We thoroughly enjoy meeting each and every one of our clients in person, and we hope to be able to chat with you soon – in person!

A team approach

Other web design companies will submit a proposal, win the contract, and then disappear for a month or two. When they resurface with your finished website it turns out to be nothing like what you had in mind. We at Portico Web Design don’t believe in “black-box” designing. We believe that building your website requires not only a local Halifax web design team such as ourselves, but also the most important member of any web design team – the client! A website is the virtual side of your business or organization, so it’s important that it fits your vision. As a Halifax web design company, we’ll work closely with you via regular phone, email, and in-person meetings to make sure you receive the site you want.

We believe in community

Being a small Halifax web design business, we understand the importance of connecting with your community on a personal level. There’s nothing wrong with doing business with people and organizations around the world, but it’s not quite the same as being able to shake the hand of the person with whom you conduct your business. As a Halifax web design company, we recognize just how important it is to meet with our clients in person, so that we can actually have a conversation about your website. We find this leads to a much more productive and effective working partnership.

We’re also huge fans of promoting local businesses, which is why we love to work with other Halifax-based companies and organizations. The HRM has a vibrant and energetic business community, one that fosters growth and encourages success. We’re proud as a Halifax web design company to be a member of this fantastic community.

We’re committed to your success

We take pride in our work, and we like to think that this pride is reflected not only in the work we’ve done, but also in the testimonials we’ve received. Again, we’re huge fans of promoting local business, and so it’s in our best interest to make you look as good as possible! As a Halifax web design company we want to showcase the best that our region has to offer as far as businesses and organizations go, so giving you the site that matches your needs is of paramount importance to us.

There’s a great analogy that sums up why we, as a Halifax web design company, feel that good web design is so important to your business: say you hear about a brick and mortar store in town that carries the very best widgets around. You arrive at the store and the store front has a dirty sign that’s half hanging off the wall; you approach the door and see boxes and debris blocking your way. The inside of the store doesn’t look cared for at all, and you have no desire to go in, no matter how good their widgets are. This is how people react if they visit a poor website – it doesn’t matter how good your product or service is, if the site looks like there was no care given to it, that same impression will follow through to your business.

Using a Halifax web design company makes sense

Choosing from the huge number of web design companies out there can be overwhelming. There are some great companies out there, but that’s the problem – they’re “out there”. Communication, no matter how advanced, can be a problem when large distances are involved. You’re based in Halifax, so it just plain makes sense to work with a Halifax web design company that’s based here as well – so let’s chat soon!

What We Do

admin — Sun, 13 Feb 2011 01:11:08 +0000

We work with people who see the value in a great website, people who know that an effective website takes a professional that has experience, passion, and can communicate clearly.

How it Works

Research

Perhaps the most important step in the design process, this is where we sit down with you and have a chat about what you’re looking for from your website. We’ll work together to determine the goals for your site, and then we’ll get to work researching your niche. Our research will show us what will benefit visitors to your site, and this will serve as the basis for the next step in the design process.

Design

Using the information we gathered in the Research phase, we’ll begin putting together wireframes and concept diagrams that show the basic design and functionality of the site. This is a collaborative process with you as a member of our team – we thrive on feedback, and it’s only when you’re happy with the site layout that we proceed with the final stage of the process.

Develop

This is where it all comes together. Using our wireframes as a blueprint, will fill it all in with an attractive colour scheme and custom graphic work that fully complements the content that you supply to us. Once you give us the final stamp of approval, we’ll take care of all the installation and then sit down with you to walk you through the basics of monitoring your site and performing content updates. We love talking shop, so feel free to fire away with as many questions as you want!

How Much Will It Cost?

Ahh, the first and most asked-question in the website design industry. There is no hard and fast answer, as every job is different. It basically boils down to our hourly rate multiplied by the number of hours to complete your site. That being said, we’ll sit down with you to figure out what your budget allows and we’ll do our best to come up with a solution that makes everyone happy. We’re a small shop, so our hourly rate is very reasonable.

How Long Will It Take?

Again, this depends on the size and complexity of the site you’re looking for. However, most sites take about four to six weeks from the time the contract is signed to delivery of the completed website. This assumes that you have your content ready for us when we’re ready to plug it into the design.

Great! When Can We Get Started?

We’re as eager as you are to get started! Still, it all depends on aligning both your schedule and ours. We value each and every one of our clients equally, so it usually works out to a first-come first-serve arrangement. We’ll give you an honest answer based on our current workload.

Let’s Chat!

Our Work

admin — Sat, 12 Feb 2011 23:16:40 +0000

Every client has specific needs for their website, and at Portico Web Design we pride ourselves on providing just the right website for the job. Check out some of our recent work.

Danielsons Water N Wine

Dan Doherty, owner of Danielsons Water N Wine, contacted Portico Web Design to redesign their old site. The existing site was quite dated, and Dan was looking for a site that had a fresher look, and also reflected the quality of the products he has on offer.

A completely new design was created, along with a brand new logo and other graphic elements. The colours and layout of the content and images was carefully thought out with the visitor in mind, making their time on the website as simple and pleasant as possible. In addition, the site was built on a content management system that enables Dan and his staff to easily update the site content as needed.

We’re happy to have worked on a site for such a great client. Thanks Dan!

“We are delighted with the look of our new website Adem! Feedback from both our clients and suppliers has been 100% positive.”

Dan Doherty, Owner, Danielsons Water N Wine

iScotia Business Technologies

Mac Burtt, owner and operator of iScotia Business Technologies, had an existing site template, but it didn’t actually do anything – it was a set of static images that had no functionality behind it. He contacted Portico and asked us to take this static site and turn it into a functional and interactive website.

We began by importing the existing files into a Content Management System, which would not only make adding functionality easier, but would also greatly simplify site maintenance for Mac in the future. We added drop down menus in the main navigation bar, and added a members-only area where clients can download exclusive content. We modified some of the images so that they would better compliment the site, and then trained Mac in how to easily edit and add content to his site going forward.

Mac was a fantastic client and we thoroughly enjoyed working with him on the iScotia website.

“In the beginning there was a vision… and Portico Web Design transformed that vision into a reality with professionalism responsiveness and genuine care for our needs. I could not be more pleased with the presentation and ease of maintenance of our website, and I continue to receive compliments on its design and functionality. The iScotia website is a wonderfully welcoming entrance to my business; it is a grand Portico. Thank you Adem.”

Mac Burtt, iScotia Business Technologies

Bearly’s House of Blues & Ribs

Bearly’s needed a complete site redesign – their original site was very old and looked extremely dated. Portico was asked to capture the feel of the popular blues bar, as well as add some much needed content and interaction to the website.

We began by visiting the bar and taking pictures of some of the live acts and some of the staff. We also sampled some of the delicious food – all in the name of research, of course! We then began brainstorming some ideas for the site layout and colour scheme, eventually settling on a darker look. To offset the dark background, we wanted to have a splash of colour so we made sure to include a slideshow featuring some of the popular items to be found at Bearly’s.

Reviews and videos were new features added to the website, as well as a comprehensive event calendar that allows Bearly’s to schedule acts and events as far in advance as they wish. Throw in an interactive poll and the food menu, and you’ve got a complete site that complements the bar nicely.

“Our site was in desperate need of an upgrade, so we contacted Adem at Portico Web Design. He listened to what we were looking for, and immediately took the initiative, dropping by the bar to take pictures and talk to the staff. The site that Portico designed for us is better than we’d hoped, and we’d happily recommend Portico to anyone looking for a professional web site.”

Mimi Iatrou, Bearly’s House of Blues & Ribs

Touchstone Bookkeeping

Phyllis Hayden of Touchstone Bookkeeping approached us after we met at a networking event. Her site was fairly old and looked rather dated, and she was looking for a professional new design to represent her business online. We scheduled a consultation with Phyllis in which we listened to what she envisioned for her site; we discussed content, layout, and preferred colour schemes, and we used this information as the foundation of our new design.

Phyllis was fond of the colour scheme being used on her business stationary, so we made a point of using that throughout the new site design. We also wanted to showcase the excellent feedback that Touchstone Bookkeeping receives for the work they do, so we decided to feature a slideshow of testimonials on the home page so that visitors can instantly see that Touchstone Bookkeeping is well regarded.

Custom graphics, including an all-new logo, were designed for the site, as well as original icons that appear on the home page. All in all, the updated website reflects the level of expertise and professionalism that Touchstone Bookkeeping has become known for.

“Working with Portico Web Design has been a very positive experience. Our new website looks great and much care was taken down to the smallest detail. We have already received numerous, positive comments about the site’s design and functionality. The team at Portico Web Design are fun and easy to work with, and their intuitive nature made the process much easier than anticipated. We highly recommend Portico to our clients and others who are considering having a tired website redesigned, or a new website created ‘from the ground up’.”

Phyllis Hayden, Touchstone Bookkeeping

McCuaig & Company

McCuaig & Company approached Portico looking to update their old website with something fresher and with additional functionality. In particular, they were looking to incorporate some online forms that would allow their clients to fill out their information right on the website, rather than downloading forms and then faxing them in.

After an initial consultation, Portico came up with a new design for the site that focused on a friendly and welcoming feel. Being a trustee in bankruptcy, the typical visitor to their site is going to be going through a difficult time in their lives, and we wanted the website to be very approachable. We added some rotating text, brightened the colour scheme, and kept the font non-formal. In addition, we coded some custom online forms that allow clients to submit all of the necessary information online without having to print anything off.

Who We Are

admin — Sat, 12 Feb 2011 22:53:20 +0000

Portico is a Halifax web design company and is located in the village of Herring Cove, Nova Scotia. We’re a small design shop focused on delivering quality results for every one of our clients.

You need a website, but where do you begin? Designing a new website can feel overwhelming – not only do you want your site to have the right look and feel, but you also want it to be functional and friendly. Putting all of those elements together so that they play nicely can be a difficult task, which is why we suggest to you talk to the web specialists at Portico. We focus on designing websites that get results.

You may already have a website. Maybe a friend’s nephew built it for you because he tinkers with web stuff in his spare time. Or perhaps you purchased some expensive software that really didn’t do what you’d hoped.

The friend’s nephew may be a nice guy, but he never calls you back. And the tech support for that software you purchased is anything but supportive. Get your site designed by a team that’s here to listen to your needs.

Headed by technical lead Adem Hamidovic, Portico Web Design brings a wealth of experience in every aspect of successful website design. From the acronym-rich world of HTML, CSS, and PHP, to extensive Photoshop and InDesign experience, as well as formal training in Interaction Design, the team at Portico is well equipped to transform your vision into digital reality. You can call us on the phone any time, or get friendly with us on Facebook. We’re going to enjoy working with you, and we think you’ll feel the same way.

Contact Portico!