the challenge

To give Heart a cutting edge website that is better than ALL their competitors

our solution

The most heavily concentrated aspect of the Heart project was the design. They had a very specific set of criteria for how the site needed to be styled, yet they were located in San Francisco and we are located in Chicago and DC. We worked very closely with the owners and branding professionals of Heart in order to deliver a creative design that was in-line with their branding desires.

Since this was also Heart's first website, Pixel Dreamer delivered more than just a static website. Using Wordpress, we customized the blogging platform to give Heart a full, robust Content Management System that allowed them to not only have a company blog, but also publish events, interact with social media (Twitter and Facebook), and upload images to their online Gallery.

technical specifications

Photoshop, XHTML/CSS, PHP, AJAX/JavaScript, Wordpress, Cloud Hosting

the challenge

Re-build and fortify the Family Line Studio's online presence to help bring in more sales and present them in a more professional-looking, established-feeling way.

our solution

We started by reimagining the Family Line Studio's brand. To do this we designed a new logo and established a new look and feel for the brand that extends across their website, social marketing and print collatoral. Next, we redeveloped their website to be more flexible and optimized everything to prepare it for an assertive online marketing / promotion campaign.

technical specifications

Photoshop, XHTML/CSS, PHP, AJAX/JavaScript, Wordpress, Cloud Hosting, On-Going Marketing & Promotions

the challenge

The challenge for this design project was two-fold: 1.) we needed to fit a massive amount of content and functionality into a single design without things feeling cluttered and 2.) we needed to design around a prioritized set of actions we wanted visitors to the site to take.

our solution

We achieved our goal through a process of sitemapping and wireframing which helped to organize the content and we paid attention to the size, color and placement of all "calls to action" in order to ensure proper prioritization the actions a user might take once on the site.

technical specifications

Photoshop, XHTML/CSS, AJAX/JavaScript

the challenge

The main challenge for this project wasn't just the quick turnaround required but also that the campaign needed video hosting, web forms and payment processing.

our solution

We kept the design simple yet effective in order to keep our production schedule as tight as possible and we avoided unnecessary custom coding by utilizing third-party services such as YouTube, FormStack and PayPal. These great services in conjunction with WordPress provided all the required functionality.

technical specifications

Photoshop, XHTML/CSS, PHP, AJAX/JavaScript, WordPress, PayPal Integration, Cloud Hosting

the challenge

To take a long URL and make it as short as technologically possible.

our solution

The pd.am minifying service generates a case-sensitive URL starting with http://pd.am/, followed by a short code or "key." Because the keys that pd.am generates are case-sensitive, we're able to work with a much larger character set than most other shorteners — a larger character set means we can generate millions more (literally) short keys than other services currently online. pd.am has been designed to be as efficient as possible without restricting free and open use.

We solved the problem of duplicate entries, which slow down and clog up other minifiers, by fully standardizing all submitted URLs. pd.am is able to better search for and more effectively identify and prevent duplicate entries, freeing up more of the tiniest URLs for new entries. And pd.am is set up to always verify the existence of a URL, so keys won't end up being wasted.

technical specifications

Photoshop, XHTML/CSS, PHP, AJAX/JavaScript, JSON-based API, Cloud Hosting

who they are

Law Firm, Rockville, MD

their needs

Their website was beginning to seem outdated, had no search engine optimization, and they felt they had no real control over the content of their site. Also, they were in need of a social media presence that integrated with their site.

our solution

Pixel Dreamer completely overhauled Samek & Rotbert's old website. We rewrote the entire site with clean, search engine friendly code; we redesigned their site's pages to be both professional yet warm and inviting; we developed a micro-blog, which links with their Twitter account; and, using WordPress as a base, we provided them with a highly customized content management solution. For unprecedented uptime and unrivaled speed, the Samek & Rotbert website utilizes Pixel Dreamer's lightning-fast cloud hosting service.

technical specifications

Photoshop, XHTML/CSS, PHP, jQuery, AJAX/JavaScript, WordPress with social media integration, Cloud Hosting

who they are

Satellite Radio Provider

their needs

XM Satellite Radio needed website landing pages to represent various radio talent, programs and events to a widespread audience.

our solution

Mac worked with XM's e-Business team and Creative team to design pages adorned with custom graphics and illustration.

technical specifications

Photoshop, XHTML/CSS, JavaScript

who they are

GW International, a part of The George Washington University (GWU) in Washington, DC, is a coordination of the University's international programs.

their needs

GWU needed a website that would effectively showcase their international division, GW International, online and act as a hub for disseminating up-to-date information about their programs. Additionally, they needed to be able to easily manage the site on their own, without technical assistance.

our solution

Mac provided a website rich in functionality and beautiful in design, perfectly meeting their need for an effective and up-to-date online representation of their organization. GW International was a complete online success, but don't take our word for it — have a look for yourself!

technical specifications

Photoshop, Flash, XHTML/CSS, ASP.net, JavaScript

what it is

Car Free Day is an international event celebrated every September 22 in which people are encouraged to get around without their car.

their needs

The District Department of Transportation wanted to engage the public by asking drivers to "pledge" to go car free on September 22nd. With a limited budget, they needed a cost-efficient way to market to the public, provide information on the day's event, and inspire people to pledge.

our solution

The homepage of the Car Free Day website was strategically designed to gather as many pledges as possible. To accomplish this, a prominent pledge counter was displayed on the home page. The counter helped to give the user a sense of the community effort being put forth. A slideshow of theme-related photos (city streets, crosswalks, traffic lights, bicycles, etc.) was also put on display on the home page to help establish the right feel. Car Free Day was a complete online success!

technical specifications

Photoshop, Flash, XHTML/CSS, ASP.net, JavaScript

who they are

This project was a strongly branded campaign called "Allergist" and was done for a national association representing a significant portion of American allergy and asthma professionals.

their needs

Knowing that the general public is more likely to go to a general practitioner than an Allergist for allergies or asthma, ACAAI needed a website to promote their "Allergist" brand as well as to establish their presence as an authoritative provider of useful asthma and allergy resources online. Additionally, they wanted custom quizzes and online health evaluation tools in order to provide useful advice and to collect valuable data about their customer base.

our solution

To educate the public on why they need to see a specialist, Mac Heller-Ogden created the "Relief Self-Test." It was the highlight of a national campaign to market a redesigned brand for the ACAAI. The site provides the user with an intuitive interface and engages the user such that completing the quiz seems effortless. From the thousands of quiz submissions, ACAAI is able to collect targeted, useful data to keep them abreast of their client's needs. The Allergist website was a complete online success!

technical specifications

ASP.net, XHTML/CSS, JavaScript, Extensive Custom Flash (ActionScript 3)

who they are

Rock band from Washington, DC

their needs

They needed an online presence to represent and promote their band.

our solution

Pixel Dreamer provided original graphic design and a fully customized website to get this band rockin' online.

technical specifications

Photoshop, XHTML/CSS, JavaScript