Six Apart
The home page needed to be friendly enough that people new to blogging would feel welcome (...and pointed towards TypePad), while serious enough that enterprise users of Movable Type also felt comfortable.
We designed a complete new home for the Six Apart Professional Network, the community of developers and designers working to extend their skills and push the capability of the tools. This included a more user-friendly Plug-In Directory, and new members-only Resource Directory.
Clearly presenting pricing information is essential to any product marketing website. Everyone needs to feel good about the price before making the decision to buy. We strove to make the options as apparent and appealing as possible.
The folks at Six Apart were concerned that a slick new website might give the impression they had lost touch with their original values and vision. We kept the tone friendly and authentic throughout the new design, and incorporated lots of actual staff photos.
Weblog Software and Services for Everyone!
We’ve been fans and recommenders of Movable Type since before there was a Six Apart. In just a few years they’ve assembled a stellar team, and become a market-leading provider of publishing tools. As part of Six Apart’s growth and strategic planning in 2004, they needed a website that reflected their expanded product line and ambitious plans—while staying true to their values and to the community of users.
Clean Information Design
Communicating clearly about a complex product can be challenging. We worked hard to get the important stuff right, in order to help potential customers understand options and choices.
Unified Website Structure
Initially, the Six Apart universe involved several disconnected websites. We integrated all of their information into a pleasingly unified whole where people find the information they need, even when they don’t know exactly what they’re looking for.
Strategic Messaging
We worked with staff throughout Six Apart to move beyond the blog, and explore various ways to get the message across effectively. The result is a flexible, coherent system for communicating well in many contexts. Always friendly!
Built on Movable Type
The whole site is running on top of Movable Type. We pushed the limits of the tool to show how well it can support all manner of websites, including those with complex structure and sophisticated designs.