We just launched http://Clearly-Balanced.com – a company offering professional organizing services to the greater Seattle area.  The site is a custom design powered by WordPress.

We are ecstatic to announce the launch of http://sagementoring.org/ – A site representing a wonderful school based mentoring program based in Suquamish, WA.  Sage is a part of Washington State Mentors.  We developed this site working with the talented team at NPower Northwest utilizing WordPress as a content management system.  Look out for more collaborations between NPower Northwest and Creation-1 in the future!

Congratulations to our long time friend Melanie Duerkopp on her new WordPress powered blog!  Melanie is a talented photographer who specializes in weddings and portraits.  Check out her work- here and her blog- here

We just finished the final touches on developing a site for CASE, a Political Action Committee.  We took the designs and implemented them into our Genus Online Business Solution.  This enables the board at CASE to update the site with new information as well as control their e-commerce donation system.  We will be adding new features in the coming months and are very excited about the potential of this project.

We are ecstatic to announce the launch our most recent project for the Group Health Foundation.  The Gift of Health wall engages Group Health’s supporters by having them answer the question and post it on the wall.  We designed and developed this site for the WordPress content management system.  The client has full control over comment moderation and website management.

Alicia McLucas at IntoMyOwn.com wanted to rebrand her company and target a new demographic with her life coaching and mentoring programs.  Luckily, we developed her website in the beginning with the WordPress platform. The entire site was able to be easily updated.  We change the page titles and updated the imagery to reflect her new idea.  This is a shining example of the benefits of building a custom WordPress theme compared to working with no CMS or even other platforms.  Starting with a good foundation can save you a lot of time and money in the long run!

Do you have a blog hosted at WordPress.com? If so make sure you go in and change your password. There was a small security breach detailed here: http://en.blog.wordpress.com/2011/04/13/security/ It doesn’t sound like a major security threat but it doesn’t hurt to take a bit of precaution. If you are running WordPress on your own server there is nothing to worry about. Happy publishing!

We just finished making a handful of fun updates to http://MilesMosley.com We added Jquery sliders to the Listen and Projects pages.  You can easily browse through the projects he is working on by category via the 4 image slider in the header.  We also developed a custom Twitter feed widget that is quite crafty!

Here’s a screenshot of the new Twitter widget design:

We just helped Sophos law in Seattle update and customize a new WordPress theme for their blog The Neighborhood Entrepreneur .  If you are a startup, entrepreneur or are looking for insight into the world of business law I would bookmark this valuable source for information.

My Domain has been sitting parked and lonely for the past 2 years so I figured it was about time I did something about it.  I am using http://justinparra.com as a central hub linking to my online activities.   I have always been a big fan of the one page website so this was a very easy choice as far as style and concept.  I used a little bit of @font-face for the custom font embedding which I have been implementing quite often on our most recent work.

I also just started my own personal blog http://blog.Justinparra.com for mostly non work-related stuff.  Yay!

Itstimeforbusiness.com is a community website by the Seattle Chamber built to engage local businesses and encourage economic recovery.

As a part of the new website rollout we wanted to make ourselves even more accessible to our clients.  One of the most commonly heard complaints about web developers and designers is that you can NEVER get a hold of them.  Calls go straight to voicemail (or worse- VM box is full!), emails are never returned, projects are delayed (even forgotten); unfortunately this is all too common in our industry.

We strive to return all emails and phone calls within 24 business hours and be on Skype, AIM, and iChat during business hours for instant availability.  You can click on the contact page of our portfolio site at  Creation-1.com and check our Skype and iChat status.  Drop us a line and say hi!

Thanks to Katie McKenzie for the photos.

We just received a huge box of our new business cards.  Creative Director Jason Rampe and I worked on an updated design that would match our branding tweak reflected on the new Creation-1 website.  A big thanks goes out to Mike Young at Leatherback Printing in Kirkland, WA.  Printing local is the way to go.  There were so many small details we worked out face to face with Mike having to do with the logo embossing and file treatments that would have been a nightmare with an online printing company.

Photos by Katie McKenzie

We worked with Erica Mills and her team at Claxon Marketing to build a website and blog utilizing the Genesis Theme Framework.  Genesis is a theme “Framework” that adds plenty of useful functionality to WordPress like additional widget ready areas, customization of header and footer areas, easy to implement page templates and more.  The goal was to build something simple, to the point, and easy to use. Enjoy!

We just launched our first website in China!  Asia MTM is a business that serves as a partner for companies who want to manufacture goods in China.  It was a pleasure working with such an international company.  We designed and developed this site to be managed by Asia MTM via the WordPress CMS.  A big thank you to Russell Smith for contributing his skills to provide us with some polished site content.  Learn more about Asia MTM here.

Geek Stuff:

Typical brainstorming sesh at Creation-1

Our goal was to move away from Flash.  As of lately we have seen the demand for Flash development go Waaaaaay down.  This has caused the technologies we use to evolve as well.  We used jQuery for our gallery slider and accordion style animation in the nav making it compatible with most mobile devices.  In the “Contact” area we have an AJAX form with email validation as well as a little JavaScript to show our Skype and iChat status.  The PHP includes for the latest blog posts are the cherry on top of this little cupcake and the rest is just in good ol’ XHTML and CSS!

P.S. For the custom font we used font-face.  We used CA BND Bold from Cape Arcona Type Foundry in Germany. Thanks!

Download them all in a zip file here

We were privileged to work with Tolis Dimopoulos at The Neighborhood Entrepreneur  to help him make his blog more dynamic and integrated with Social Media.  We updated his header and helped integrate an improved Twitter feed into his sidebar.  The blog posts also present the opportunity to Retweet on Twitter or Like on Facebook.  Take a look for yourself, you may just learn something!  TheNeighborhoodEntrepreneur.com

We have designed a new logo for our upcoming branding overhaul.  We will follow with a shiny new website and corporate ID!

We have recently completed the development of a dynamic video gallery over at http://lipsticktracez.com.  Click on “Videos” and enjoy!

We made the decision 3 months ago to switch from BlinkBid to Freshbooks for our invoicing system.  While Blinkbid does have some great features when it comes to building usage terms, it has not been updated in over a year,  is desktop based and does not integrate with any payment Gateways.  Freshbooks is cloud based,  frequently updated and works smoothly with our Authorize.net gateway.

Why We love Freshbooks:

• Cloud based- no more backing up that filemaker DB or having invoices spread over multiple computers
• We now accept Visa, Mastercard and Discover
• DIE PAYPAL!!
• Less snail mail payment and postman snafus (still a payment option though)
• Better invoice/ estimate design
• You can see if a client actually viewed an invoice as well as if they logged in to the system

These are just a few of the ways Freshbooks has made our lives easier.  We are looking forward to the work being put in to this product and are proud to be advocating its use.

We have launched the eCommerce store for iShopFairTrade.com located in the Fremont area of Seattle, WA.  Take a look and enjoy!  We used the Genus online business solution to reduce overall cost and production time as well as to easily integrate email newsletters and wholesale pricing for resellers.

We are proud to announce that we are providing hosting for DoubleGuns Video production. Doubleguns is based in San Diego, CA and produces some great skate vids.
Take a look here

Creation-1 has launched a great new eCommerce site running on the Genus online business solution! Aptic Superbones is a company  dedicated to the production of synthetic bones for use in an educational environment.  Creation-1 utilized the power of Genus to make eCommerce, online marketing and secure zones faster to implement and more streamlined for the client.  Take a look for yourself and start a free trial!

The Genus online business system has initiated a massive improvement over it’s “Sitewalk” feature.  In Sitewalk the user can edit the website without going in to the back end WYSIWYG editor; essentially editing the site from the front end.

Utilizing Abobe’s InContext editing, the process is much more intuitive and robust.  There are no more pop up windows for text fields.  You are actually editing the content directly into the website!  Sitewalk will be phased out in 12 weeks after the current beta trial is completed.  Give it a go on your own by logging in to your site and going to Website–> InContext Edting.

If you don’t have a Genus site you can always try a no obligation free trial and see for yourself here.

We collaborated with the talented designers at ARTJOCKS in Los Angeles to develop a custom blog for multi-talented artist China Brooks.  The blog serves as a mouthpiece for her spiritual teachings and services.  Take a look at the site and enjoy!

We have launched the website for Seattle child clothing designer Ricicli. Ricicli asked us to design a simple yet functional website that serves as an eCommerce store as well as a hub for wholesalers.  We utilized the Genus Online Business Solution to implement retail and wholesale pricing simultaneously along with keeping track of stock and customer sales using Genus’s powerful analytics system.

We have started a new user group on the popular social networking site Biznik.  The group  Basecamp users is for new and experienced Basecamp users to help each other collaborate more effectively.   The plan is to have discussions around the subject of Basecamp as well as other 37 Signals products such as Highrise and Campfire.  We will publish articles and in the future hold events revolving around the use of Basecamp and how it can help you work more effectively.  Join now and participate in the conversation!

We are proud to announce that Humerlis.com is now powered by Genus.  Our Online business solution is powering the website along with user forums and CRM trackable contact pages.  Humerlis Inc offers convenient office space and meeting locations for Issaquah, Sammaamish and I-90 corridor businesses along with consulting and business support services.

We have launched the website for the new modern apartment building in the Queen Anne neighborhood of Seattle View 222.  The site serves as a home-base for renters info and building photos as well as a way to contact the management to set up appointments and ask questions.  Take a look! http://View222.com

We are proud to announce the launch of a job in the works for quite a few months.  Stylistic Funk is a hip purveyor of urban fashion, art and music and we worked together with the talented designers at Artjocks in LA to develop this website and integrate it into the Genus online business solution.  The end product is a a great online store with all the bells and whistles!  Browse through the catalogs at http://stylisticfunk.com you may just find something you like!

I recently published an article on Biznik titled How To: Choose a Web Host. Take a look and hopefully it will help you make a more informed decision!

You can find me here:

Or Creative Director Jason Rampe here:

We have redesigned and relaunched http://katiesweddings.com with an all new design and concept.  Instead of just being a plain portfolio site we added a bit more character with blog posts and sidebar functionality.  All of this with a new portfolio system!  The whole site can be managed by the photographer without any need for a web developer.

We were commissioned by talented LA Upright Bass Player Miles Mosley to develop a feature rich custom WordPress theme that helps engage his fan base.  We built in a truck load of custom features that help him update the website in a more simple and efficient way without having to hire out for updates.  This project was a great example highlighting the power and flexibility of WordPress as a content management system.  Take a look

We were commissioned by Artjocks in LA to implement a WordPress blog with all the bells and whistles.  Bardo is a a great band and the blog enables them to engage their fan base directly.

LINK

We have updated http://TryGenus.com to make the information more organized into more intuitive content sliders. We have also added an “Examples” page to help you get a better idea of what a genus site looks like.  The answer turns out to be that it looks like any other site on the web.  The only difference is that it’s powered by one of the most powerful backends on the market today!

We have Launched http://TheViews.org ! The Views is a Local San Diego Newspaper that is transitioning to 100% digital.  We helped them design and manage the site as well as set up various advertising opportunities throughout the site.

We are very excited about the launch of http://bbsdistribution.com !  BBS is a skate company based in San Diego, CA with some really great designs.  This is another successful Genus integration! The site has a full store with credit card processing and UPS integration.  Click Here and take a look.

WordPress has released version 2.8!  If you are using the WordPress content management system and haven’t updated it in a while please CONTACT US .  You are missing out on some amazing new features like:

- More freedom with your widgets.

- Auto update of your plugins.

-One click WordPress version update!  Yes its TRUE!

- Better theme selection and previewing and more!

Your really missing out on an overall faster and more convenient system as a whole.  Are you ready to make the switch?  Give us a call- 206.245.3539

Creation-1 is proud to anounce that we have recently joined the Seattle Chamber of Commerce! It is a great way to meet and network with other businesses here in Seattle.  A special hello goes out to chamber members viewing our site for the first time!

We have created an example store with admin access to show you just how powerful and easy The Genus online business solution is to use!   Go take a look at http://yourstore.trygenus.com From there you can log in as a user and access the admin to discover just how easy it is to manage your online business, ad products, edit your site and keep track of your customers.  What are you waiting for? Go take a look!

Angel’s Shoe Repair in Seattle is one of the many businesses taking advantage of our recently created “Poorman’s Startup- Specials”.  This is an effective and economic way for businesses to establish an online prescence.

NYC photographer and friend of Creation-1 Allan E. Schoening needs Your Help! He is trying to win a chance to shoot his dream assignment.  He is proposing to shoot the indiscriminate effect land mines have on innocent peole around the world.  The winner of the contest gets $50,000 to fund and display their assignment.   Please vote and read more about his project here at Name Your Dream Assignment . You do have to register but it is very fast and secure.  Please take 1 minute to do something good today

We have updated and redesigned the gallery section for wedding photographer Katie Mckenzie.  With the update we added the functionality for her to update and edit her own galleries without any complicated code or development knowledge. Just upload and publish! Check it out- http://KatiesWeddings.com

We were asked by World- Class Photographer Blessing Marie to help her be #1 in Google and also to improve her Google Pagerank.  We used several whitehat SEO Techniques to accomplish these goals.  Take a look at her amazing work!  http://BlessingMarie.com

We are proud to have launched the new website for Dr. Sheila Dunn Merritt ND.  We utilized Genus to provide her with Patient forms that will streamline her office workflow and help her keep tabs on patients.  Take a look and feel free to try Genus for yourself!

Sign up for GenBook

We are proud to announce the release of a revolutionary new product that will make the lives of business owners a lot more simple!  Genus is a system that runs online business.  Genus allows business owners to add and edit content to their websites and execute online email marketing at the click of a button!  Learn more at TryGenus.com and try for your self with a free 30 day trial. No obligations….WHY NOT?

Screenshot of trygenus.com

Edit 3-15-09: This version is no longer online you can see a screenshot of the site we designed here, we like ours better. 

We are proud to announce the launch of http://rigidindustries.com We were put to the task of designing a new, more modern shopping cart along with an overall enhanced user experience. We also upgraded the galleries so that they can be completely managed by the client. The result is a clean and branded web presence with a fully functional ecommerce store.

We have successfully launched our first church website!  Our mission was to create a new more modern site for NCC that showed the church as an interactive community of members rather than just an informational website.  Through features such as a blog, calendar, prayer request forms, and PDF bulletins, church members and other people of faith from around the world are able to interact with each other.  This site acts as an extension to the church and will be a great tool as they add more content and features.

Click Here to visit New Community

Creation-1 is now providing hosting for San Diego based Ambient Audio Entertainment!

We have launched the new version of famed Jeweler and designer Ramona Bucher’s portfolio site. We have recently added new images to refect her recent work featured in the new Sex in the City Movie.

LINK

We are proud to announce the launch of AtlanticAwnings.com. We have created a simple and modern flash site that showcases their commercial and residential work. Enjoy!

Creation-1 is now providing hosting for Seattle based band The Vibe Project. They are using our servers as an online portal to transfer music files via Pro Tools. Look out for their web site coming soon!

We have successfully updated the website of Fashion and advertising photographer Kirk Edwards. We added tons of new images and new portfolio books as well as a new wider landscape section.
CLICK HERE to take a look!

We were asked to do a slight redesign on an already established website for talented architectural photographer Dan Forer. We brought his site a little more up to date with universal navigation and a little more classy look. Take a look Here.

We are proud to announce the launch of Katies Weddings! Katie Mckenzie is a Wedding photgrpaher based in Miami, Florida. We developed her site to be simple and showcase her amazing and creative images.
Feel free to take a look
KatiesWeddings.com