A careful collaborative process has produced a refined and elegant aesthetic for the new site, reflecting the professionalism and sensitivity of founders Cristine Urquhart, MSW, RSW and Frances Jasiura, BPHE, BSW. Highlighting news, resources and events, the site is poised to become a portal into the many facets of this vibrant business.

Check out the custom logo, site structure, and custom coding at http://changetalk.ca

And watch for a new software initiative from Charles Buchwald & Friends in the New Year focused on coaches, facilitators, therapists and other helping professionals….

Highlights of this project included:

• working with Lynda and her team to develop a custom WordPress theme incorporating the strong visual elements of the older site by Renee at earth spirit creations, to preserve the consistency of look and feel with Lynda’s existing print and digital assets
• using a variety of great WordPress plugins to increase the functionality of the site, from the sophisticated and customizable menu system, to the AJAX-powered client testimonials, to custom forms
• and most significantly expanding the control Lynda herself has over the site and it’s growing content.

The WordPress CMS provides a friendly, efficient interface for managing content, including adding new articles, editing existing materials, and working with images, audio and video. Video is especially important to Lynda’s plans, and YouTube content is already becoming a part of the site.

Lynda said, “Charles cares deeply about the work he brings forward in the world and is dedicated to making a difference with his work and within his community. He is a true artist, not just at the helm of website design, or with camera in hand, but in his way of seeing what is possible. I value my connection with Charles on many fronts and highly recommend him on any project that calls to his muse.”

I know we’ll see great things to come from this creative and inspiring dynamo!

By converting and updating a static, iWeb based site into a modern, user-editable and user-maintainable CMS based site, CB&F kept cost and time under control. The new site allows for easy updates, an RSS feed, tagged articles, and more fluid categorization, too.

Ronald is “a novelist, historian and essayist, he has won awards in all three genres and is published worldwide in sixteen languages. He is the author of nine books, including the 2004 CBC Massey Lectures, A Short History of Progress, which won the Libris Award for Nonfiction Book of the Year and is now in production as a documentary film.”

A very low bandwidth, customized theme makes for the fastest loading WordPress site we’ve ever designed and hosted. CSS sprites, amalgamated CSS and JS files, and intelligent layout make this one a speed demon.

Special search engine optimization (SEO) helps to ensure that this new site will make Ronald even easier to find on the web. A set of special plugins and routines focuses on the clearest and most meaningful content, and presenting that clearly and cleanly in the titles, meta data, page links, and other parts of the system.

We are honoured to be working with him!

Working with Centre staff, Charles facilitated the move from an older site, focusing and expanding the message, and keeping it on point, conceptually and visually.

The CMS-based site delivers… through a clean, friendly design incorporating social media and rich media. An open architecture ensures the site can expand as it increases it’s important role in their vital outreach and education programs. Hosting on CB&F’s carbon-neutral, green server was a natural for this group. Easy, secure online donations and a basic web store will help raise funds for the next stages of their meaningful growth.

Glad to be aboard!