Why should you use Drupal for you site, you ask?

Well, let’s start out with a quick summary of what Drupal is. Drupal is an open-source content management system (CMS) framework for websites. Put simply, it’s a system that gives us a bunch of powerful tools to build a website on. Drupal is at it’s most basic a way for site owners to log in to their site and add, update and edit content on their own, without needing a web designer’s help. The fact that it’s open-source, however, means that it’s extremely versatile and easy for web developers to modify and program in any way they choose. Drupal isn’t just a content management system – it can be the framework for an online store, blog, user account system, and lots more. In a nutshell, if you want your website to do something, we can make it happen with Drupal!

Drupal gives site owners a huge advantage, because they can easily log in to their site and change content, pictures, and whatever else needs changing. This allows you to keep your site fresh and up-to-date, which will keep your customers coming back for more and put you head-and-shoulders above other companies whose websites stay the same day after week after month after…you get the idea.

The other awesome feature of Drupal is that it can be modified to fit pretty much any design. While there are templates you can use to build your Drupal site, Epik specializes in creating completely custom Drupal designs – so your site will be one-of-a-kind. We will go over your site needs for both looks and functionality and produce a final product that you’ll be excited to tell your friends about.

Below are some sites Epik has built using Drupal. Most of the content on these sites can be directly edited and added to by the site owners:

www.rocksake.com
www.sher-lok.com
www.soupgalaxy.com
www.statesmancapital.ca

Want your own Drupal-based site? Contact us to get things rolling! Want to learn more about Drupal? Check out drupal.org.

Epik’s latest site launch, Rock Saké, is now up and running and looking pretty spiffy, if I do say so myself. Rock Saké’s existing site was Flash-based, and they needed an updated look, more SEO-friendliness and a way to add and edit cocktail recipes on the site.

We took the existing design, updated it to look cleaner and more polished, and re-created the fading Flash transitions using jQuery. The new site is built on Drupal, so the clients can now easily log in to update content and add new cocktails (including photos) to the cocktail library. The cocktail library is searchable and sortable by date and by name. The clients can also upload PDFs to the trade document section, and add news items and video links.

The final result is a site that keeps Rock Saké’s visual identity intact, but adds loads of functionality that will allow the company to keep the site up to date, current, and encourage visitors to spend more time browsing. For more info on this site, or if you’re looking for help with your own site, please contact Epik directly or leave a comment below!

Epik’s latest site for Statesman Capital Corporation is now live. Statesman Capital is a private mortage lending firm based in Vancouver, BC. Check out the site»

The site features a Drupal CMS with blog and custom “investor area” that allows to client to upload financial information and PDFs to a password-protected area for their investors to review.

All design (except the logo, which was pre-existing) and front-end coding was done by yours truly, and back-end programming and CMS implementation was handled by Epik’s fantastic contract programmer, Mikhail Fedorov. The site was needed on short notice, so we had 4 weeks to get everything up and running smoothly.

Epik also designed a letterhead and business cards for Statesman, as well as a custom PDF form term sheet for their mortgage projects.

Check out the site»

I’ve provided a few “frequently asked questions” on the main pages of the site, but I thought it’d be a good idea to have a post dedicated to FAQ as well. These are questions that come up a lot when starting projects (and in the middle of them), so I hope these will give some insight into how Epik rolls.

I have a project that needed to be done yesterday. Can you help?

It depends on my current workload, but I do my best to acommodate tight timelines. Please contact me with details and I’ll let you know what I can do for you.

Is Epik Creative just Devon?

I handle most of the design and coding myself – however, sometimes a project is too big for one person. I have a small group of other designers and programmers who I call on to work with me if need be. This allows me to accept larger projects while also keeping costs down.

Do you only work with local clients?

Nope. In fact, the majority of my clients are out of province or in the US. As long as you have access to email so I can send you proofs, it doesn’t matter where you live.

Why should I hire you instead of a bigger design studio?

Working with a freelancer has a lot of advantages. For one, I have quick turnaround times and great availability that larger studios can’t always provide. My overhead is also much lower, so I’m able to offer lower rates without compromising the quality of the finished product. You’ll always be communicating directly with the person who is working on your project – no go-betweens.

Do you charge by the hour or by the project?

For most projects, I give a quote for the whole project based on my current hourly rate. If the project is open-ended, charging by the hour is usually the best way to go.

Do you provide SEO services?

We give all our websites the SEO basics, like properly formatted header tags and clean code, and can sumbit your site to search engines if you request it. If you need something more advanced, we can refer you to an expert who specializes in SEO.

Do you provide printing services?

No, Epik is a design studio only. However, we’ll provide you with print-ready files for your project, and can point you in the right direction if you have questions about getting things printed.

How long does a logo/website/magazine/whatever usually take to produce?

It depends on a few things: 1) The complexity and requirements of the projects. For example, a custom online store with a blog will take significantly longer than a simple 3 page website. 2) How quickly you are able to review proofs and provide feedback. The design process depends largely on communication! 3) The extent of revisions required. Sometimes a design looks great right out of the box, and sometimes it requires a lot more tweaking and perfecting.

As a very general estimate, you can expect a typical web project to be under construction from 4-8 weeks from start to finish. Logo projects usually take a few weeks.

Do you do Flash websites?

No, we don’t. In the past, I have done Flash intros for websites, but these days animated intros are going the way of the dinosaur. I made the decision to focus on HTML and CSS based sites, which provide better optimization for search engines and are much more versatile in terms of design and layout.