OURwork
Below you will find a collection of sites we've had the pleasure of working on. Though each project offered its own unique challenges, they all also provided equally diverse rewards - whether it be in the continual advancement of our skills, exposure to a new product or service, allowing us to connect with people from a wide-range of fields and industries, or simply filling us with a sense of a job well done.
At Dao By Design we pride ourselves on creating original, accessible and effective site designs. We utilize the latest Webware technologies and Web design standards to assure that every project we work on meets our high standards of functionality, usability and future scalability.
Please browse the selection of sites we've put together here, and then, should you have any specific questions about your own project, or Dao By Design in general, we hope you will contact us.
Dragon Mountain (HK)
Site Description: Dragon Mountain (HK) is an experienced team of trade consultants offering business and legal services in China.
Their extensive service offerings include Product and Market Research, Negotiation and Contract Signing, Import/Export Processing, Legal and Financial Services and much more.
Project Profile: Dragon Mountain required a site that could deliver their company's identity to potential clients, while attractively displaying information on their various services, business process, and resources for prospective clients.
A clean layout accented with China-themed imagery combine to express the company's core business - foreign enterprises looking for a way into China. As Dragon Mountain is a new business, with no previous Web presence, Dao By Design was responsible for design and implementation of the entire site.
Kinakontakten
Site Description: Kinakontakten AB, a Swedish registered company, delivers purchasing and manufacturing services in China. Among their key competences are also strategic sourcing and logistic planning. Kinakontakten is an expert at offering guidance for customers who wish to do business with Chinese companies.
Project Profile: The company approached Dao By Design to help them refresh their Web site with a sharp and modern design, while also migrating the content of the site to a more scalable and SEO-friendly framework.
Kinakontakten, being a European business located in China, required multi-language functionality (English, Swedish, Danish and Chinese) for their site. Additionally, they wanted a user-friendly method of updating the site with periodic corporate news. To accommodate these features, the site was built on the Joomla CMS framework.
Performance International
Site Description: Performance International is a comprehensive media service platform offering a range of professional promotional services specializing in talent-driven voiceovers, imaging, event hosting and implementation, commercials, and media training and consulting.
The company is a powerful resource that can generate creative, original ideas to assist in reaching clients' unique promotional goals.
Project Profile: Dao By Design had previously worked with Performance International on the design and implementation of Ni Hao Are You, a site for one of the member's of their talent roster - Rick O'Shea. When the time came to create and launch their own site, they again turned to Dao By Design.
The site, like the company, was designed to deliver a feeling of anticipation. Dark colours, accented with theatrical imagery and fonts, all come together to create a site that clearly represents the company's primary focus - talent.
Additionally, Dao By Design was commissioned to create the company's corporate logo.
Harris & Moure
Site Description: Harris & Moure provides top-flight and cost effective representation to domestic and international clients in their litigation, maritime, corporate, and international law issues. A number of the world's leading law firms have selected Harris & Moure attorneys to assist on matters requiring expertise in overseas dispute resolution.
Martindale Hubbell, the preeminent lawyer rating guide, awarded Harris & Moure, pllc, its highest "AV" rating, as determined by prominent lawyers and judges.
Project Profile: Dao By Design was called in to migrate Harris & Moure's large quintilingual site from its original static HTML form onto a more dynamic CMS that would fluidly allow future site growth. Additionally, the company required that they have the ability to easily add additional content without the need to hire a Web professional, or even touch a bit of code.
After successfully implementing their requirements for their flagship site, HarrisMoure.com, Dao By Design was then asked to mirror the migration for the company's other two sites - CrewInjury.com and CruiseInjury.com.
Ni Hao Are You?
Site Description: Rick O' Shea (李柯) has a voice known to millions. From 1996 to 2007, he hosted the very popular bilingual radio program, "Joy FM", carried in Beijing, Shanghai and other cities throughout China.
In addition to extensive radio experience, Rick has also appeared on TV and regularly writes a popular newspaper column.
Project Profile: Dao By Design was brought on by Rick's representation, Performance International, to build a site that would allow Rick to both market himself as well as reach out to his many fans
Named after his famous catch-phrase, "Ni hao are you?", Rick's site was built to display a personal, more than "corporate" feeling. In addition to his biographical information, photo gallery and hiring information, we also integrated a blog into the site so Rick could connect directly to his fans.
China Primer
Site Description: China Primer is the authoritative site for researching and doing business in China. The site offers a wealth of information and resources in the form of articles, blogs, a company directory, and more.
Project Profile: When the publishers of China Primer approached Dao By Design, they had a rough design and a desire to create a valuable, coherent Web site built on a stable and scalable CMS.
To accommodate these needs, as well as such features as a business directory, blog, community building options, and the ability to easily add content to the site without a need to know Web code; we utilized the versatile open-source CMS, Joomla, fitted with a custom-designed template.
Lost Laowai
Site Description: Lost Laowai, the no-nonsense China guide, is a site both for expatriates living in China, as well as travellers planning to visit the country.
Along with a plethora of need-to-know information about China, the site offers a complete community package: with private messaging, a forum, a user-editable wiki, classifieds, chat, a job board and much more.
Project Profile: To accommodate the need for easy dynamic content creation, the site is built on the Joomla open-source CMS, complete with a custom template. Additionally, the site's popular blog uses WordPress blog management software, sporting a fluid theme porting.
Aston Associates
Site Description: Aston Associates helps professionals of leading multinational companies in China attain goals and advance their careers with communication and 'soft' business skills by providing business language skills training and innovative business communication skills programs.
The site lists the companies various services, news, partnerships and more.
Project Profile: Developed on a strong CMS backbone, the site is fully scalable for the companies current needs, as well as future requirements. Fluid and dynamic navigation, sharp and professional graphics, and an easy to expand backend were all requirements we met on this project.
Your China Pal
Site Description: Your China Pal is a business that connects visiting foreigners with local, fluent in English, Chinese 'Pals' to help them with anything they might need.
Providing help with sightseeing, interpreting, shopping, bargaining, etc., Your China Pal operates in a number of major cities throughout China.
Project Profile: To accommodate the need for easy dynamic content creation, the site is built on the Joomla open-source CMS, complete with a custom template. On top of the site's public-viewable face, an extensive back-end was required to accommodate the network of guides in a number of locations around China.
Additionally, extensive use of forms were used to generate (HTML formatted) order forms, feedback and job applications - all sent automatically to the client's e-mail.
The Humanaught: Life in Suzhou
Site Description: Adventures of the Humanaught is the personal blog of Dao By Design's primary, Ryan McLaughlin. Originally intended to chronicle his travels, the site has become a popular fixture in the English-language China blogsphere.
With hundreds of posts on a variety of different topics, the site receives thousands of visitors a month and has a solid return readership.
Project Profile: The site's blog uses the WordPress open-source blogging platform. After initial use of various other blog management software, Wordpress was chosen for its scalability, ease of use, and active development.
The site's design is infused with a "Chinese" feel and works to showcase both Ryan's passion for writing and design.
The Hao Hao Report
Site Description: The Hao Hao Report (HHR) is an active social bookmarking community with hundreds of members submitting and voting on the best news and blog stories related to China.
Based on a Digg-like system, members submit stories they feel are 'hao' or 'good', and the community then decides if they really are. The site also features a number of helpful tools to integrate the HHR in various sites or for various uses.
The site is also host to the China Blog Awards 2007 - Best China Story.
Project Profile: The HHR uses a newly developed open-source project called Pligg. Though still in Beta, and requiring some code tweaks for 'live' use, the Pligg community is helpful and active - an extremely important characteristic for any open-source project.
Due to the amount of information displayed, the site's custom theme required the use of stark colours that contrast so as to ease navigation and create page separation.
Mask of China
Site Description: Mask of China is the Web presence for Hong Kong-based photographer Derrick Chang.
Once a prominent English-language China blog, Derrick has recently shifted his focus away from writing and onto his passion - photography.
Recently a selection of Derrick's photography was put to use in promoting The Library Project NGO in a beautiful screen saver featuring beautiful images of China's people
Project Profile: Derrick wished to have a simple-to-navigate gallery system that captured the essence of his photography and also provided him with a suitable backend to make modifications to the collections himself.
To accomplish this, Dao By Design utilized a new open-source project called Plogger. Much of the code, and all of the style was modified to cater to Derrick's particular needs.
China Dreamblogue
Site Description: The China Dreamblogue is an ambitious charity project started by two teachers in China.
Through blogging about travelling around China's vast landmass, the site works to raise money for various charities to help make dreams come true.
With a limited budget and needing all money to go to good causes, Dao By Design was happy to donate the site's theme to the China Dreamblogue.
Project Profile: The site utilizes the versitile WordPress open-source blogging platform. Requiring a fun yet functional design, the site's theme incorporates a number of custom features to add to its accessability - including a javascript enabled form to submit your dreams.
NOTE: We are honoured that the project chose Dao By Design to assist them with the site design, and wish the China Dreamblogue much success in reaching their noble goals.
Roughing it in China
Site Description: At its core, Roughing it in China is a recruiting site for Aston English schools in China.
As one of China's largest ESL school chains, the company wanted to re-brand some of its more out-of-the-way locations as a way for more adventuresome travellers and teachers to experience the 'real' China.
Project Profile: The site features a custom theme built on the Joomla open-source CMS. A CMS was chosen to ease future content updates and additions.
The site required the use of intuitive navigation for visitors to easily find what they are looking for. Also, integration with Flickr's RSS feeds for the various locations was included to add an increased visual element.
CultureFish Media
Site Description: A full-service media agency, CultureFish Media provides their clients with a highly personalized and culturally custom solution.
CFM offers a wide-range of services, including SEO/SEM, Web design, creative design, interactive products, brand incubation and much more. The company utilizes a highly talented group to assure their clients' message penetrates successfully into the country and culture for which it is being targetted.
Additionally, CultureFish Media is built on a foundation of strong business ethics and Corporate Social Responsibility best practices.
Project Profile: The site features a custom theme built on the Joomla open-source CMS.
The site design required a dynamic theme that could adjust to a variable content width depending on the content that was being displayed. Additional work also included complete logo design.
Dao By Design's founder, Ryan McLaughlin, is proud to be a member of the CultureFish Media team.
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