What we do

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Website for MacKay-Lyons Sweetapple Architects
The definitive book cataloging the work of MLS is entitled Plain
Modern, and that is something that was repeated many times
during the design of mlsarchitects.ca

In an effort to capture the collective voice of the firm, we asked
that each of the architects in the office provide us with a list of
architectural sites they admired. Through these lists, we were
able to discover a quality that echoed throughout - and it was
plain modern. It boils down to identifying ‘what is necessary’ to
create an elegant, solution; beauty in simplicity. “Quiet
confidence” is something that we hoped to carry in the voice of
this site, and we were very concerned with allowing the images
of the work to speak above the graphic design of the website.

The result strips away the frames and lines and flashy graphics
found in many other sites, leaving an essential, light structure
which provides the stage for the work to sing its own praises.
The design is then realized through the programming
assistance of Brightwhite principal, Jeff White.

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eCommerce website for Threads of Peru
In January of 2008, Adam was teaching a senior design class at
NSCAD University called Design Studio 6: Collaborative Projects.
On the first day, he set the trajectory saying, “The project for this
semester is to take the class to a ‘developing’ region of the world
and figure out how to use our design skills to help the people who
are struggling there. The result was Project Peru.

In the end, eleven people travelled to remote mountain
communities in Peru and learned about the ancient tradition of
hand-weaving that still survives there. Threads of Peru is a website
designed to educate people about the subject, and to provide an
online market to help sustain this unique artform.

The design shown here is a collaborative effort based on an initial
concept designed by Project Peru member, Jeff Kielman. Jeff
captured the sense of adventure perfectly here, and we built the
brand and the rest of the site apon this essential character. The
design has been realized through the programming skill of another
group member, Jason Rundell.

In the end, eleven people travelled to remote mountain
communities in Peru and learned about the ancient tradition of
hand-weaving that still survives there. Threads of Peru is a website
designed to educate people about the subject, and to provide an
online market to help sustain this unique artform.

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Anderson Mctague & Premium Finance Services
Anderson McTague needed a web presence whose primary
function was to act as an entry point for insurance brokers to
manage their accounts using an online application called Premium
Finance Solutions, or PFS.

Violet designed interfaces to communicate stability and
professionalism at first glance, and then worked with Brellus
Communications to make the PFS application interfaces more
usable and human-centred. The result is a top-notch web
application and a solid web presence.

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Website for Executive Yachts
Mike and Linda Whitehouse are building a business around life on
the water. They transport vessels to clients around the world, they
race, they sail, and they offer training and equipment to those
bound for the open ocean. We were asked to provide the basis for
the development of their online presence. An Identity had to be
established by designer Bruce Kierstead, and design professor
Ludwig Scharfe was also involved in that development. The online
presence incorporates the voice established there with a
background of charts and images, taking the refined nature of
the wordmark into the untamed nature of the sea.

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Website for HMCS Sackville: Canada’s Naval Memorial
Of 269 “Flower-class” Corvettes built in World War II, the HMCS
Sackville is the last one left in the world. Maintained and operated
by the Canadian Navel Memorial Trust. In 2007, a special team
was assembled to facilitate the redesign of the Sackville web
presence. The project is presently in development.

The extensive information contained in the site is made accessible
through a simple navigational structure. The visual appeal of
design is created using bright blue hues to ad life to the black and
white of the historic images.

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Website for Tanya Reynolds Photography
Miss Reynolds is in the business of capturing life in imagery.
Her work has its own voice and character, and the challenge
for Violet was to create an internet presence which
showcased her work without imposing itself on the reading
of her work.

TanyaReynolds.ca is a simple, yet contamporary solution
which supports Tanya’s positive spirit, while at the same
time allowing her imagery to speak for itself.