Erik and Mary's Blog
Thoughts on the Design Process, Travel, and Target
New site for City Club of Tacoma
Posted by Erik Hanberg on August 30, 2010
We’re very happy with the City Club of Tacoma site we recently launched. Actually, we’ve launched a few sites since the last blog post, so we should probably get around to mentioning those sometime soon.
But, nevertheless, here’s City Club’s.
As a non-profit with regular programs, City Club needed a clean and smooth navigation that would allow users to view their programs at a glance. We used an innovative double-navigation system that allows most users who are looking for dates and times to find what they need on the main page, while other users can drill deeper using the main navigation.
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Tweet Tweet
Posted by Erik Hanberg on June 10, 2010
Mary Holste Design is launching a Twitter account!
The handle is @maryhdesign. Expect frequent links to cool designs found online and news about the design world.
Released today, The Saints Go Dying, by Erik Hanberg
Posted by Erik Hanberg on April 5, 2010
One of the reasons we like designing for authors is that I’m an aspiring author. While I have some projects I’m trying to get published in a traditional publishing house, I’m also working on some self-publishing options. Last year I experimented with a print-on-demand solution for a book about fundraising.
This year, it’s a Kindle e-book. My detective novel, The Saints Go Dying, is up on the Kindle today.
I’m very happy because through some creative social media use I was able to get it sold as one of the top Kindle books today. We’ll see how well that translates into future sales. But I’m hopeful!
I’ll publish more on this as it goes, but I’m pretty excited about how it’s gone so far.
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Content Strategy
Posted by Erik Hanberg on March 25, 2010
Perhaps one of the best speakers I saw at SXSW was Kristina Halvorson, who spoke on “Content Strategy.”
Content strategy is something that Mary and I have always done to a certain extent. We start with questions about what the site will need to convey, and the content required, before we start the in-depth design process. It’s important for ecommerce, for blogs, for community-sites. As a frequent “web-writer” I definitely understand where Halvorson is coming from. Instead of trying to just plug in some text at the end of the design process, starting with the content and then informing the design makes a lot more sense.
I’ve since purchased her book and have already started some good work for one of our clients based on some of this work.
If you’re interested in the presentation, you can check out the video.
SXSW! For the second time
Posted by Erik Hanberg on March 13, 2010
This is my second trip to Austin TX for SXSWi (the i is for interactive). I’ve been picking up a lot of great ideas here that will certainly influence our work at Mary Holste Design. There’s a lot to talk about — from process to design to just speculating about the future (educated speculating, thankfully).
There’s a lot to learn, as much from the random people you meet on the street to the panels themselves.
Too bad I can’t stay for any of the movies this year, though. Sigh.
The Typography of Film
Posted by Mary Holste on February 2, 2010
I have a love of both typography and films (especially old ones) so I was very excited to see these loves combined in the form of “The Movie Title Stills Collection” on this site. And I must give credit to Roger Ebert for retweeting it. His tweets rarely disappoint.
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New website is live for First Lutheran Church
Posted by Erik Hanberg on December 15, 2009
Last December, Mary and I got married in the beautiful First Lutheran sanctuary. And this December we launched a website for the church!
It’s a clean, simple design with a focus on big pictures to show off the church and their ministry. We’re very happy with how it turned out.
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Happy Thanksgiving!
Posted by Erik Hanberg on November 26, 2009
Thank you to all the clients, advisers, friends, and family that helped make MHD what is is! We hope everyone has a Happy Thanksgiving and a great start to the holiday season. And my personal thanks to Mary for designing such an awesome card (above).
Is ExpressionEngine a “web standard?“
Posted by Erik Hanberg on November 10, 2009
A client recently asked me whether ExpressionEngine, the content management system Mary Holste Design uses, is a “web standard.”
That’s a hard question to answer. Dreamweaver, for example, is used all over the web, but as a content management system (CMS), I wouldn’t call it a “web standard” — maybe 10 years ago it was, but certainly not today.
To credibly be a “web standard” I think a CMS has to be:
- Used by other developers.
- Capable of doing what you need it to do, plus be easy to add new features.
- Used by multiple websites, preferably recognizable ones.
ExpressionEngine fits all three marks.
On point #1, here is a list of :ExpressionEngine developers all over the US
On point #2, here’s a review from a CMS blog: “ExpressionEngine is best for those that want a feature-rich (blog, dynamic content, static pages, etc.), but have a little programming knowledge. (Hence why designers often gravitate towards this system). While EE does not have a huge development community for modules, they do provide fantastic support through their forums.”
The keys to pull out are “feature-rich,” “fantastic support,” and good for designers, all of which I’ve found to be very true. Here’s that link.
And finally, on point #3, here’s an informal list of the top 15 websites built with ExpressionEngine. Ones to call out include Change.gov (the transition site for Obama’s administration), BMI Music, the environmental news site Grist.org, and the State of California.
Not a bad list!
I’ve built websites in Wordpress, Drupal, Dreamweaver, and I’ve used Blogger and Posterous to host my personal blog. But I find ExpressionEngine to be the easiest for creating great websites that can scale really well.
South Sound Technology Conference coming up!
Posted by Erik Hanberg on October 20, 2009
I’ve been on the Steering Committee for the upcoming South Sound Technology Conference and am very excited about the day-long program we’ve arranged. The event is free (always good) and is a good primer for understanding what’s new in technology and the role it plays in Tacoma. I’m very proud to be a part of the group putting it on.
We have some local entrepreneurs, a keynote speaker on privacy, and some other good panels and break-out sessions.
So save the date for Friday November 20, 2009, at UWT!
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About Mary Holste
Mary graduated from Pacific Lutheran University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Graphic Design. She has since returned twice to teach the craft to students. Mary has worked as a designer in the arts and higher education before forming Mary Holste Design in 2007. Since then, Mary has been a designer for individuals and companies across the country — from Pasadena to New Jersey, from Kentucky to her hometown of Tacoma, Washington.
About Erik Hanberg
Erik has worked in marketing and non-profit administration before joining his wife’s company as a web designer, writer, and project manager. He is also an entrepreneur with a background in social media. In addition to his work with Mary Holste Design, he is the Executive Director of City Club of Tacoma, the author of “The Little Book of Gold,” a fundraising guide for small (and very small) non-profits and “The Saints Go Dying,” a detective mystery, and a Metro Parks Commissioner.