Our Approach

The web is a big place — in terms of quality and quantity. Open access and a diversity of  expression have created a full spectrum of online experiences.  Everyone has a message to share; but what counts is not just what you have to say, but how you say it.

We think the openness of digital expression makes the web an exciting place to work; however, we also think it is important to have a grasp of the people involved when designing and building content for the web. Specifically, we like to defocus the constraints of technical jargon and focus on the desires of user experience. It is, after all, really about technology serving people — not the other way around.

At Sparkjoy Studios we strive to provide three points-of-view to all our work: the artist, the scientist and the philosopher. Most of the time we wear these hats in equal measure during the graphic design, programming and software development, and user experience / information theory stages of building a website.

The Scientist hat is best defined as those times when we’re in code mode. Its when we’re making things work, creating the structures and behind-the-scenes interactions that make up the mechanics of a website. Most of the time, this machinery stays hidden and unobtrusive while it automates the workings of a site. These brains are our programmers, web developers, database workers, and system analysts.

The Artist role is all about aesthetics of the presentation itself. It’s when we’re thinking of themes, of the visual symbols of expression, and the look-and-feel of a great site. Sound and visuals often speak directly to the unconscious mind, so this area has a subtle but essential contribution to a visitor’s subjective experience. These aesthetes make up our graphic designers, web designers, content creators and illustrators.

The Philosopher position in our group is an advocate for usability and ensures the project unfolds to match the client’s needs.  These folks are skilled in the client facing role, listening and capturing what is required; and they can coordinate and empathize with both the artists and scientists on our team to make sure the results fit. Think customer service, content writers, user experience designers, information architects, and Search Engine Optimization.

Being a small studio, we take a multidisciplinary approach to our work. Our members are proficient in more than one of these areas, and as a result, we are responsive to dealing with the subjective ambiguity of human experience. In other words, when clients want to explore the options and discover the best solution, we’re comfortable talking about code, and design, and usability; and how they all work together to create the experience.

And the outcome is that our clients tend to also be complex, multidisciplinary people, who want a website to capture some part of their uniqueness and represent some part of who they are as a person. If you like this approach, it’s a pretty good indication that we’ll be a great match for building your website, too.