The Allie Aesthetic: Simple. Effectual. Beautiful.

Just because something is as useful and reliable as your favorite pair of running shoes doesn’t mean that it shouldn’t be every bit as lovely as that legendary slipper.

We should be able to delight in the everyday — the tools we use, the people we encounter, the stories we tell — and this drives my desire to make the web both usable and beautiful.

I’m devoted to design as storytelling. I’m passionate about the emotional response to design. I’m deeply committed to design that does its job, that is responsive and communicative, enchanting and appropriate, accessible and unassuming. And I believe that everyone — from solopreneurs to international organizations — needs and deserves good design and a true designer.

William Morris put it best: “Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful.” This is just as true for your digital home as it is for your physical home.

It doesn’t matter if the scope of our project totals $500 or $15,000. Regardless of your budget, we’ll pursue that just-right website with mutual admiration and creativity.

Getting to know you (and getting to work!)

Whether you’re getting a brand-new, made-from-scratch, custom-to-the-last-detail website, a beautiful website header to bring polish to your current Wordpress website, or anything in between, it should have that Goldilocks just right-ness. And how will I know what’s just right for you until we meet?

Meeting up doesn’t mean “business meeting.” I like to think of it as sitting down for coffee with a new friend. And that’s just what we’ll do if you live in the Portland, Oregon, area. Otherwise we’ll chat over email, arrange a phone call or schedule a Skype session. And then we’ll chat about you, your business, your vision, your stucknesses, your design sensibilities, your current website and branding, your fairytale ending and the path that we could take to get you there.

After our chat, I’ll provide recommendations for how we can best work together and start creating right away. These recommendations will include hand-picked services such as:

Artful Composition
Visual web design

Every aspect of your website is an opportunity to tell a story. I look at each detail — from big things, like the header and navigation, to little things, like blockquotes and buttons — and ensure that each is crafted with care. A bit of texture here, an illustration there; buttons and widgets that delight; careful attention to hierarchy and organization; delicate typography throughout; different layout treatments on different pages. Every item, every section fits together like pages in a magazine — cohesive, true to an overarching style, easy to navigate and browse, but enchanting in its own right.

But maybe that’s not where you are. If your heart yearns for delectable, one-of-a-kind design but your budget begs for mercy, never fear. We will still infuse your website with your personality and ensure that it represents you and expresses your voice. But we’ll focus our creative energy on the big ticket items: header, navigation, palette, sidebar bits. If you’re a budget-conscious solopreneur or making your first foray into blogging and social media, I have design services that are tailor-made for you.

If you, a friend, or someone on your team has the technical know-how, I will hand off design files — passing the baton to you for implementation. If not, I can orchestrate implementation as well, ensuring that every detail translates from creative concept to live website.

Wordpress Websites
Custom theme creation

We can take your fresh-off-the-presses, custom-to-the-last-detail visual design and implement it in Wordpress for easy update-ability and sustainable future growth. Or we can take your lovely new header and design treatments and incorporate them into your existing blog or website.

I like to think of Wordpress websites as a refined white wine — whether it’s an aged champagne, a buttery chardonnay or your favorite pinot gris, there’s a varietal for every palate.

Options, Options, Options
Custom websites for all

If Wordpress websites are a refined white wine, the options beyond Wordpress could be anything from a Malibu lemonade to an aged scotch on the rocks. The world beyond Wordpress teems with options that are every bit as beautiful and customizable. Some of my favorites include landing page-style websites, fully custom Big Cartel e-commerce sites, and stylish social media hubs with Flavors.me.

Speaking of social media, I love to design Twitter backgrounds, set up Facebook fan pages and create fun-yet-professional avatars to carry your branding one step further. We can add this on to website design packages or it can stand alone.

Graphic Design

Bonus! My design services exist on paper as well as online. I’m happy to work with you on visual design projects from custom business cards to marketing collateral.

A Proper Introduction
Identity design

Your logo is a rare opportunity to simultaneously show and tell — tell who you are and show what you’re about. Together we’ll design a logo that tells the story of your business while creating cohesion for your marketing materials, online and off.

Creative Direction and Consultation

We’ll both have questions that need answers — or problems that need solutions — as we proceed with your project. I’ll work with you to bring your web presence to life. Polishing almost-there designs. Selecting technologies and services. Leveraging social media. Wrangling technical nuisances. Steering your ship in an entirely new direction. And more.

Form with Function
Creative services for developers

They say beauty is on the inside, but your user may not agree. I can bring my design know-how to your development project and ensure that your product looks as good as it works. I offer services including art direction, visual design, interaction and user-experience design, wireframing, and web writing and editing.

Your Own Handiwork
The DIY Design Studio, coming soon!

Is your style more homespun DIY than silver platter? In the DIY Design Studio, you’ll get advice on exactly what you need to spin your business into gold — no more, no less. Details coming soon!