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CONTACT:
Richard Nilsson (541) 899-8369
http://watersgulchdigital.com

WATERS GULCH DIGITAL ANNOUNCES REFOCUS OF BUSINESS OBJECTIVES

JACKSONVILLE, OREGON (June 30th, 2003)...Waters Gulch Digital announced today it is shifting focus away from general documentation and towards its Web design activities.

"It's apparent over the last year that there is not much in the way of technical documentation demand in the valley." says Nilsson, "On the other hand, there has been a good deal of interest in Web design make-overs. I see way too many old-style [early Web "look"] designs out there." Nilsson says he can help local firms with creating a modern, what he calls "elegant", Web presence. He also has e-commerce experience and can build very dynamic on-line storefronts.

"You have to snag visitors with an elegant design, then take advantage of the buying impulse of the moment." Nilsson explains, "The purchase process has to be rapid and enjoyable and leave the buyer with a feeling of security about the transaction." Using inexpensive Open Source resources such as Linux®, Apache Web Server, MySQL and PHP (LAMP) technologies, he creates a pleasing, fast-loading, responsive buying experience. "Your business site shouldn't look like a kid's video game either," Nilsson says, refering to childish designs offered by on-line design sites, "full of slow-loading graphics and panels of buttons and keys." He grins, "Not everyone has broadband [fast internet] access." Nilsson lives in Little Applegate Valley, where broadband access is scarce.

"Many locals arm themselves with Microsoft Front Page and think they're suddenly Web designers." Nilsson says, delicately, "And they turn out really old-style looks with dark, textured backgrounds, everything centered on the page, lots of flashing little graphics - it's embarassing that they get paid, really. They've never studied the artful use of type [variations of font faces], or had instruction in blocking out information on a page." He explains, "And that makes for a design that just shotguns content onto the page, creating a confusing, inelegant and disappointing site experience."

Nilsson describes the design process: "Through interviews, we assemble a sense of the cultural image the client wants to project, what their company colors are, review their logo design, product line and so on," he explains, "then structure a site for rapid and satisfying access, with as little distraction as possible." He goes on to say, "If you don't take the time to understand your client's business like that, you end up with a cartoon maze that makes visitors go away."

Privately-owned Waters Gulch Digital plans to operate only in Southern Oregon, providing Web design services to companies between Grants Pass and Ashland. Contact them at WatersGulchDigital.com or rik@watersgulchdigital.com.

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