Makefunds.com
Makefunds.com was the first real public site that we designed. The purpose of Makefunds.com was multifaceted. However all of the site features were organized around the software that was provided. The software essentially supplied ready made websites that people could download and install.
The Makefunds.com project was also our first experiment in the realm of user submitted content and ad revenue sharing. At Makefunds.com anyone could create any of the content types that were available. We were hoping that developers would create new web site software bundles to show off their abilities and thus get contract work to customize or create new websites for people.
To support developers in their quest for contracts, we employed two additional custom content types: the contractor and contract content types. The contractor content types allowed developers to post their resumes and receive communications from prospective clients through a one-click interface. The contract content type allowed people who needed work done to announce it, and as a result, receive bids from interested contractors.
The styling of Makefunds.com progressed from a dark and closed site design to a light, airy and open design. We wanted the presentation of Makefunds.com to inspire people. To try to accomplish this we emphasized colors like sky blue in all of our moving flash objects and through the site itself.
Soft transitions was another design element designed to make the viewer comfortable while browsing Makefunds.com. To accomplish softness, we employed light gradients, many curved edges, and back lighting.
I believe we accomplished our goals with the visual design elements however, the site never caught on with our intended audience of web developers and after about 8 months, we abandoned the project to focus on other opportunities.