Interesting article and great inputs for sure when even the make of the piece is active. I agree with Eoghan, there are a risk to take and more often when doing it you get reward for it in the end. The way may be filled with twists and turns but the feeling afterward is a killer. A success after a risk is greater then the safe way.

But how did it go then? How did the audience respond to the redesign?

Cheers!

L i a

I agree with your thoughts that some potential business owners may subconsciously stay away from this philosophy because they are scared of anything besides status quo. This can create a dangerous environment though. If you’re not moving forward, then you’re standing still. With this day and age, businesses can’t afford to stand still. If they do, they will be over looked, then passed by.

Lastly, I too agree that there will be many people, beyond designers, who find the new Contrast site to be a great design. However, I’m thinking from the perspective of a typical “decision maker” – the corporate executive type. I suppose it’s a bit of a controversial subject, but in my experience, this is what I’ve found to be true.

I completely agree with the notion of ‘taking a risk’ (especially in business) that is backed by strategy and purpose. I think what falls by the wayside though is the other part of the equation, acceptance of potential failure (even if it is temporary). Convincing a business owner to take a calculated risk must also come equipped with the understanding that ‘not every action’ has a positive return reaction. I think possibly that some business owners are aware of this and, perhaps sub-conciously, they would rather stay away from risk — even if an outcome may end up being massively larger than staying within the bounds of a perceived ‘what-works’ mentality.

One disagreement I have is : your explanation of the website above and the audience it appeals to — kind of pigeon-holing only designers as the audience that would be attracted to the design. As you know, *I am no professional designer* but I certainly can see the creativity, professionalism and potential for that company to deliver excellent work. (I admit I didn’t read Eoghan’s comment).

Good post. Thanks for the analysis. I love your site, by the way!

I designed this and the previous Contrast site. I’d be lying if I said I know exactly what I’m doing. I’m going with my gut here. I’ve designed what I feel best represents the Contrast brand and hoping that potential clients feel that and appreciate it. I’d say there’s at least a 50% chance you’re dead right: that our target market will be turned right off by this site. But you know what? Fuck it. I just don’t want another boring web dev shop site. They’re boring! :-) And that attitude has mostly worked so far. It helps us feel confident in our abilities; happy we’re the real deal and not afraid to show it. We’re ourselves. We think we’re one of the best web app dev shops around. That attitude when applied to the design of our site might negatively affect sales—I’d say it does. But maybe the sales we do get are with clients that aren’t turned-off but rather really like our unique attitude an abilities and want it for their app… and want to pay a premium for it!

One interesting point you made: “Missing your target demographic while appealing to your colleagues would be like an automotive company creating a car that can only be driven by highly trained technicians.” I agree. However… car technicians have very little influence on the market for new cars. But when an executive wants to know who the hottest web app developers around are, they ask their web dev staff or friends, and as you can see from the testimonials on the site, they recommend Contrast!

But seriously, there’s a massive chance you’re 100% right and I’m 100% wrong. But I’ll risk it! :-)