Welcome to AtoZ Studio
AtoZ Studio specializes in standards based web design and web application development in Seattle, Washington, and is owned and operated by Andrew Howell.
"The goal of AtoZ Studio is to produce websites and web applications that can grow with the client by building on a generic foundation that can be customized to the client's needs."
The Philosophy
Websites and web applications are like houses. On the outside, two can look and function exactly the same at the time they are built. However, over time the one that was built quickly and cheaply will not hold up as well as the one that is finely crafted with the goal of longevity. That is what I offer; finely crafted websites and web applications that withstand the test of time. This is achieved through the use of standards based web design for websites and database scaffolding for web applications, both of which allow for greater design flexibility while keeping the website's message and the web application's data intact. How do you do both? By separating the design from the message or data and letting them both exist in their own environments.
Design
Of course, the design is the first thing that people notice when they come to your website. They want to see visually compelling graphics but not be overwhelmed to the point of being unable to interact with the website. Navigation should be clear and the content cleanly presented. Finally, the design has to say something about who you are, not just in words but also in the look and feel of the website.
Content
In standards based web design, content is king. Regardless of how the content is presented (highly stylized or absent of any graphics), the message should be the same. After all, a beautifully designed website is nothing for long if it can't convey the whole message, especially after all of the visual wizardry has been removed.
Scaffolding
By creating applications that "scaffold" databases, they are able to easily grow with the data. By scaffolding, an application is able to look at a database, determine the type of data being stored, and then present the user with that data in a way that makes sense for that data type. It does this by using a set a rules that are determined by how the user wants to use the data.
