emily savage • rolfing® : beautiful, bilingual, responsive
Emily's a very inspiring young woman who has invested a great deal of time and energy in becoming qualified as a Rolfer® (see emilysavage.com if you don't happen to know what that is).
Her new website is especially appealing because of its simplicity, muted color choices, and exceptional photography - all original photos from Emily's own travels around the globe. The site is built on a Squarespace template and offers a large image on each page which gradually vanishes as you scroll down - a lovely effect.
Because she is fully bilingual in English and Spanish, Emily wanted her site to be equally available to users of both languages. We used a couple of simple menu choices to make her site flow smoothly between the languages. The home page offers 3 choices: home - english - espanol, with drop down menus to the navigation for each section. We added a toggle just above the footer to switch between languages, too.
One more item of note: Emily is of the generation that tends to view the web entirely from phones, in her case, an iPhone. Having a site that features responsive design is essential to her ability to communicate with her peers.
Bittersweet ending, exciting beginning
For the past 17 (!) years I have worked for VocalEssence in Minneapolis, the wonderful choral music organization led by Philip Brunelle. Over the years more and more people asked me for help with their communications-related projects. Eventually the free-lance work increased, so I downshifted from VocalEssence Marketing & Communications Director to a part time position as Communications Manager. At the same time, I launched Dakota Street Design from my home in Red Wing.
August 1, 2013 will mark a major change of direction as I leave VocalEssence and begin a new position with Minnesota State College-Southeast Technical in Red Wing as Director of Communications.
I will continue to provide graphic design and website development services under the banner of Dakota Street Design LLC.
For most of my clients — especially those who are located across the
United States and Europe — this won't make much difference as we'll
continue our relationships via email. However, for the most part, I won't be as available for face-to-face
meetings and phone conferences during weekday business hours.
While it's bittersweet to leave my dear friends at VocalEssence, I'm excited about working closer to home in a college environment. I'm giving up a 60-mile commute for a quick 3-mile ride on my motor scooter. And — as the creative director of Dakota Street Design, I look forward to continuing my work with you!