Content Management Systems

Modern website development is so much more than just graphic layout.  Solid graphic design provides the foundation for a dynamic fluid medium that viewers expect will be continually updated with fresh content. In our over 10 years of website design experience, we started hard coding static web pages in HTML, then built database-driven web applications in PHP and MySQL from the ground up, and finally graduated to open-source Content Management Systems (CMS). A web content management system (WCMS)  is a software system that provides a password protected adminstrative backend designed to allow users with little knowledge of web programming to create and manage website content with relative ease. A robust WCMS provides the foundation for collaboration, offering users the ability to manage documents and output for multiple author editing and participation. After working with several of the most popular WCMS programs in the industry, we have selected WordPress as our platform of choice for most website applications.

WordPress was originally developed as blogging software, but with the addition of pages, and the ability to extend basic functionality through plugins, WordPress has grown to become one of the top open-source CMS applications. FAT Designs develops custom WordPress themes complete with dropdown navigation, front page slideshows, multimedia galleries, contact forms, and many more valuable options. Our knowledge of WordPress allows us to work outside the box, without any restrictions on layout and design. WordPress simply provides the framework, connecting page elements to the database to display different types of information. Our job as designers is to style that content and ensure continuity with your company’s other marketing materials.

One of the most amazing benefits of designing websites in WordPress is the dynamic community of developers behind the software. There are literally thousands of different plugins to choose from, that will extend the functionality of WordPress depending on your website requirements. If there is not a plugin to fit your needs, then our skilled team of web programmers can build something specifically for your project.