We launched a refreshed version of http://www.mathewsinc.com last week.  While the majority of the site remained the same, we updated the site homepage to a more “open” concept and added a few new features to the site.  Most notably, Mathews now has a powerful new video gallery where they can host and server their own video content without relying on us to upload and “post” the videos for them.

Looks like I’m due for a redesign.  Only two versions in ten years?  Ouch.

I had a blast working with Danen to develop the site visuals.  We spent a long time (read: more than a year) going back and forth with concepts.  The dark blue/black background and contrasted bright foreground colors are directly related to his new EP and current place in life as Danen is in a process of “coming to life,” or coming from a dark past and celebrating a new beginning.

The site is WordPress based (of course it is! What else is there?) and features a few great plug-ins that I’ve come to rely on heavily.  Gigs Calendar, Dragon Design Form Mailer and Google XML Sitemaps are a few of my favorites.  A new one I’m working with is called Wordpress Navigation List Plugin NAVT which is an excellent little custom-site-navigation tool.

All in all, we’ve still got a lot more to do on the site.  The Music section still needs a lot of work as we add track samples to listen to, song lyrics, and direct-purchase options so that Danen can sell directly to his fan base instead of having to rely on third-party vendors.  We also have a “Media” section in the works where Danen will be able to post photos, audio and video from any number of sources.  Commenting and trackbacks still need to be enabled and Danen would like to put together a private Public Relations section where he can post content for radio stations, and music industry folks.

In any case, y’all should head over there and take a peak at the new site.  I’d love to hear a comment if you like or dislike what you see.