Website Optimization: IvyCat and Scott Marlow

To The Arctic 3D, opened at IMAX theaters across the U.S. in April. The new film (produced by MacGillivray Freeman Films) includes a companion book-site: welcometothearctic.org, produced by wildlife photographer, Florian Schulz and Braided River.

The producers needed to prepare for a significant increase in visitor traffic to WelcomeToTheArctic.org, which was performing poorly on a large web server farm. Reducing page size nine fold from ~2.7Mb to ~322kb,  leveraging site caching and implementing a Content Delivery Network – our team improved WelcomeToTheArctic’s page load speed by 30 fold.

Watch the IMAX trailer for To The Arctic 3D.

The improvements to our site are tangible. Scott made the process seamless for us. He was responsive to our deadlines, gave us great suggestions, and managed all our concerns.
Helen Cherullo, publisher
Mountaineers Books

Graphic Design: David Owen Hastings
WordPress Theme Development: IvyCat and Scott Marlow

Valley Cities contacted us to redesign their antiquated website. Previously, staff managed over 100 mental health groups and classes for four locations through a cumbersome database, which was difficult for visitors to navigate. Now, using WordPress, staff can add, edit and remove event activities easily from any web browser. And the events are easier for users to find and provide clearer, more helpful information.

A font-resizer helps low vision visitors. And seven customizable widgets allow staff to promote a variety of important messages, like the 24-hour crisis line and fundraising events. To keep costs down, Valley Cities published most of its own site content. This step allowed our team to focus on accessibility, branding, database development, design, information architecture, and usability.

Graphic Design: Kelly Davis, Farm Girl Works
WordPress Theme Development: Scott Marlow

A splashy new HTML5 WordPress child theme for The Braitmayer Foundation.

I love open source solutions, like WordPress. Not only are they affordable, but open source and not-for-profit organizations foster community.

“Virtual agency, actual results” is how Matt Karaus describes Gravity Communications. Collaborating with freelancers like me, Gravity attracts big brands while burying big overhead.