David Barlew, Jr. is the second generation owner of a Chattanooga architecture firm that was founded by his father in 1978.
He created a website for the firm in the early 2000s. The content was very outdated and the website wasn't responsive. Together, we created a modern site that showcases his projects beautifully.
Make the site responsive
The original website was built before smart phones became so prevalent. Accessing the site on a phone, you would see a zoomed out version of the desktop with text that's very difficult to read.
Editorial layouts
I recommended using unique web design layouts to underscore David's work as an architect.
Case Studies
David has a passion for design that positively impacts neighborhoods. I recommended using case studies to advocate for more work in that area.
Index of Work
Founded more than 40 years ago, the website needed to demonstrate the large body of work David and his father have completed in a succinct way.
Accounting for all devices
On average, about 50% of browsing is done on phones. Built in the 2000s, the original barlew.com didn't respond well to mobile devices. That means that about 50% of their audience will have a less than ideal experience navigating on the site.
To compensate, we carefully developed the new site to look as good on an iPhone as it does on an iMac. Take a look at the before-and-after in the adjoining image.
Curation for creation
If you have a featured work section on your website, you may feel the pressure to show everything you've done. But, you don't have to. If you curate your work and show only the type of work you want to do more of, it's more likely that's what will happen. David Barlew is knowledgeable and passionate about Traditional Neighborhood Design. So, I encouraged him to write case studies that reflect his passion as a way to recruit clients who are passionate about TND as well.
Floor plans and elevations
Architectural drawings are inspiring. They show us something that isn't built yet, but will be. To capitalize on that, we used elevations and plans in various case studies to appeal to the reader's sense of hope and optimism.
As a second generation architect, whose father started the business in 1978, David has a depth of experience. We sought to demonstrate that through a collapsible index of work. That communicated both the breadth of their knowledge (the various sectors they have experiene working in) as well as depth (the number of projects in each sector).
All our projects ignite with the same spark.
