Thoughts and Articles from Blend Interactive

Corey and Deane discuss the three parts of selecting a CMS: requirements, tool, and development team. Then, Joe Kepley, chief technical officer at Blend Interactive, joins us to discuss the world of translating design and IA into code within a content management system — including balancing groundbreaking design with realistic engineering — and the need to tie high-level project goals into the real nuts and bolts of code.

Design and Front-End  |  Development

Corey and Deane discuss the four major parts of a content model. Then, Greg Dunlap, Director of Strategy at Lullabot, joins us to define a web integration, discuss the finer details of development risks and runtime risks — as well as real-time vs scheduled data — and praise the efficiency of using Google Docs as a workflow tool. Corey and Greg give Deane a music lesson, too.

Design and Front-End  |  Development

Corey asks Deane about his ideal web design, and Deane talks about how CSS ruined the web. (He’s kidding, mostly.) Then, Sam Otis, lead designer at Blend Interactive and designer of The Web Project Guide, joins us to talk about his history in design — from Flash to responsive web design, what young designers need to know about the web, and what he wishes clients would stop doing.

Design and Front-End  |  Strategy

There’s a lot more to building a mobile-friendly and responsive site than just saying the words “mobile-first” and willing it into being. What does it mean? How is it done? In this article, we take a look at the process behind designing for mobile.

Content and IA  |  Design and Front-End

From early logistics conversations to the book's publishing, distribution, and marketing, it's been a long road to the finish line for The Web Project Guide. Blend's CEO Karla Santi sits down with authors Deane Barker and Corey Vilhauer to discuss the book and the process.

Content and IA  |  Design and Front-End  |  Development  |  Discovery and Scoping  |  Project Management  |  Strategy

Dark mode is increasingly becoming a part of modern web design. But is it right for your new site? Blend's lead designer Sam Otis talks through the benefits and potential pitfalls.

Design and Front-End

Blend’s strategic design philosophy is one of Design Through Discovery: we design in a way that's usable, useful, and collaborative with those who will use and maintain the final product.

Agencies  |  Content and IA  |  Design and Front-End  |  Discovery and Scoping

Even though there are usually dozens of things more important than your web content during a crisis, your ability to communicate in a helpful, empathetic, and useful way is key. Content strategy during a crisis isn't about maximizing potential, but for providing guidance and clarity.

Content and IA  |  Design and Front-End

Building a website is like building a house — each decision is built upon the decisions that came before. Just as an architect doesn’t just throw a number at you and begin working on blueprints, we don’t begin working on a project until we fully understand the scope. We do that through our discovery process.

Content and IA  |  Design and Front-End  |  Discovery and Scoping  |  Strategy

To take visual design and turn it into a fully functional (and responsive) web design is a mix of programming, math, and human interaction.

Design and Front-End