FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Inballard.com Unveils New Look and Functionality
Thursday, May 10, 1:00 pm PT
BALLARD, May 10 /PRNewswire/
Inballard.com has finished a complete overhaul of their site's look and functionality ( http://www.inballard.com ). The new design includes a cleaner, more streamlined look with larger, more descriptive photography and navigation. The new functionality allows viewers to easily browse the various places showcased based on either viewer ratings or alphabetical order, and each listing includes reviews, interactive Google maps and links to other reviews on the Web.
The new site was designed and developed by Ballard graphic design boutique Design Hovie Studios. Content (photography and text) was supplied by Design Hovie Studios and various Ballard area volunteers that work to keep the site up to date. In addition, a post card was also designed by Design Hovie Studios to help promote the new site.
Inballard.com, started in 1998, is one of the oldest sites focused entirely on Ballard and its businesses. It showcases what its staff considers to be the best places to eat, drink, shop, live, and play in Ballard.
The creator of the site, Design Hovie Studios, is an international graphic design boutique that offers complete print and brand identity services in addition to web design and development. Based in Ballard, the Studios started the site at a time when Ballad was still unknown as a way to help promote the new boutiques that were going largely unnoticed by the Greater Seattle area.
"This is such an exciting time for Ballard. It is growing at an incredible rate. The new functionality for inballard.com was developed as a response to that increase, and as a response to the new, younger demographic in the area that expects the most out of their technology," says Hovie Hawk, President and Creative Director of Design Hovie Studios, member of the Ballard Chamber of Commerce, and past board member of Arts Ballard.
"The are a lot of sites out there (Citysearch, nwsoruce, etc.) that have collections of business with photos and reviews. What makes inballard.com unique, is that it is a site focused only on Ballard and developed and updated by people who live and work in Ballard. It's a true insiders view of one of the most popular neighborhoods in Seattle."
Future features in the ongoing development process will include real time viewer comments and ratings, photobooks where viewers can upload their own photos of each place, customization of the site for mobile devices, and individual event calendars for each listing.
The new inballard.com should make it even easier for viewers from all around the region and the world to find, and learn more about, the best places Ballard has to offer.
Above:
Website and post card for the Seattle neighborhood of Ballard. View Print Design for this client.