Our Site and the Template Configuration

All about Template Configuration

There are many companies where we can source the base template for your website - it gives our clients a chance to choose the basis for their final product. This particular template was sourced from a reputable German company called YooThemes and they have a large selection of templates that you can view online before you even approach us! If you find something you like we can then purchase it and begin the process of developing your web site.

The template used for our site comes with many configuration parameters to make it as flexible as possible and fit for many purposes. Features can be turned on/off in the configuration and you will find many of the components that they deliver, with all their templates, used around our site.It is no problem to deactivate the Styleswitcher completely - making the site a fixed width site. This Joomla! 1.5 templates uses its' own template parameters features for our web site configuration.

A Word of Warning

When you visit the sites of the third party providers, and we have provided links in the library for you to gather a lot of information about this area - you may be tempted to go for the DIY solution - this is fine if you really have all the skill sets to complete a project from start to finish - but be aware that there are a lot of skills involved! But if you want a well-designed and well-structured on line presence then you will need professional help! The number of sites we come across where the managing director has implemented his or her own design abilities is quite astonishing and the resultant web sites are also generally quite astonishing - in the worst possible way! Ask yourself this question : Are you more likely to eat in a restaurant where they wipe the tables and the waiters wear clean white aprons - or at Sloppy Joe's round the corner? The same principal operates with well-designed web sites!

What does configuration involve?

tortoise and the hare The main work involved in developing a site for you is initially determining the scope of the site, then addressing all the points outlined below, this enables us to deal with your particular needs effectively. If you have a large web site that has a complex back end structure we can work with your in house web development team or find a company with the relevant expertise for your particular project.

establish the corporate style of the website - translating your current identity to the site and choosing the appropriate colour palettes, graphics, photographic imagery and typography
discuss the functions required on your site - how secure does it have to be, what kind of widgets you require (ie. our site uses a few flash widgets that do not come as part of the template), will it be a static site or will you want to have it updated by your staff
work out a navigation system that is appropriate to your user base, the size of the site and, once again, if you have staff capable of dealing with updates, which staff member will be qualified enough to develop and control the more skilled work of navigation structure and interface usability
work out a structure within the CMS (content management system) interface that is easily understandable and enables you or your staff to carry out updates and keep control over the site as it develops and grows
make sure that all your assets are in the correct library folders, rewrite the CSS (cascading style sheets), create your XML text files to deliver content on the fly - all those extra jobs that may need doing to make your site do the work you want it to do!

Remember This!

Creating a robust and professional web site of any size takes time - any solution or company that promises you that you will have a site up and running in ten minutes is talking rubbish! Careful preparation, harvesting of content and construction take time and a continual process of evaluation is necessary along the way. In the long run your clients and customers will reward you with their loyality because of the care and attention to detail that you have invested in this very public aspect of your company image and ethos!