Method

Anatomy of a project

GravDept builds forward-thinking websites to exacting standards with thoughtful detail. My approach is strategic and driven by open dialogue. Check my work — it shows.

  1. One Discover

    Introduce yourself and keep talking. I listen, ask questions, and learn your business from the inside. Researching the space from customer to competitor helps me understand your culture and embrace your goals.

  2. Two Plan

    Strategy and structure lead successful projects. We discuss Plan A, Plan B, and even Plan C. Rank goals and priorities. Define the project's scope, budget, and deliverables then plot a roadmap for today and the future.

  3. Three Design

    From concept to interaction, I solve design problems for the web by aligning user experience with content. My ideas are responsive to your strengths and refined to invent the visual language of your brand.

  4. Four Build

    Frontend code, backend CMS. I specialize in frontend development and integration with Content Management Systems for eCommerce and publishing. My work is standards-driven and extensively tested.

  5. Five Measure

    Content is marked up, queued, and the switches are flipped. It's deploy time! We monitor the incoming data, then analyze and benchmark it to identify trends and ways to improve the user experience.

  6. Six Orbit

    Phase 1 is complete but sustainable projects never really end. They adapt. They iterate. Launch Phase 2, set new goals, and extend the roadmap. You're positioned for growth and formed a partner in success. Well done.

GravDept Is A Consultancy

Companies hire me to steer their frontend strategy. It’s my job to understand their product and customer, set priorities, and execute both design and technical implementation.

GravDept has a knack for creating responsive eCommerce experiences that work fluidly on all platforms — from phone to tablet to desktop — while endorsing web standards that anchor effective SEO and accessibility practices that improve usability. This stuff makes my heart pound.​

Standards based websites work on many devices

Strategy

GravDept conducts needs assessment, usability research, and competitive analysis; devises information architecture and content strategy; and does the hard part: fusing them into a coherent plan.

Identity

From logo design to comprehensive style guides, GravDept crafts visual identities that represent your ethos and character while promoting brand recognition among your customers.

Design

GravDept approaches visual and interaction design problems with a considered and appropriate hand. I’m a user experience advocate and strive for clear communication from art direction to copywriting to user interfaces.

Engagement

I help businesses become social-friendly on networks like Twitter and Facebook while adopting their niche etiquette. I also coordinate measurable goal-driven email campaigns.

Frontend Audits

Frontend Audits are a hands-on analysis focused specifically on improving frontend performance. I'll review every aspect of your frontend implementation and flag what you’re doing well, poorly, or not at all. It includes concrete steps to make progress on your performance goals and define a performance budget to stay on track.

Ask About Frontend Audits

Magento eCommerce

GravDept’s specialty is responsive design for eCommerce using the Magento platform.

I work with emerging brands and established businesses that have the resources and drive to overhaul Magento’s frontend using bleeding-edge practices.

GravDept plans and builds adaptable, multi-device design systems that work across devices, load fast, and are maintainable.

GravDept + Magento

Experienced

I started developing with Magento in August 2009, learned the pitfalls as the platform evolved, and honed my workflow for bespoke design.

Spoken

GravDept was the first and only studio invited to speak about design at the Magento Imagine conference. Check out the presentation: Responsive eCommerce.

Invested

I flew to Los Angeles for the first Magento Imagine conference in 2011 and shared ideas with the platform’s best minds. Then went back for an encore in Las Vegas in 2012, 2013, and 2014.

Recognized

GravDept advises both Magento and eBay Enterprise on responsive design and strategic frontend development. I’m also part of a handful of experts on Magento’s Developer Advisory Board, which defines and writes the Magento certification exams.

Best Selling

My customization-ready theme Acumen is one of the best-selling Magento themes in the world.

Managed with Basecamp

My work is on the Web, so is my workshop. GravDept uses 37signals Basecamp to collaborate with clients, centralize activity, and simplify project management. I love it, and you will too.