Ok, let’s have some fun at our expense. Step into our time machine an let’s head back to 2003.

Here is a series of our home pages* from over the years (courtesy of archive.org).
*Please note that some of the images do not appear as the original, as archive.org is not always able to save all images and settings.

• Opening day December 2003
• February 2004
• March 2005
• December 2005 - 2007

I must admit, I did like that fish.

Other changes and future offerings include:

• My wife Meghan (defintely my better half) is now working with me, and our 6 month old daughter helps out when she can, too (one word - naps).
• We have created strong alliances with DigiSage, QTH, PlugandPress and MediaCore Studios and some other top secret people. These folks are among the best in the business in my eyes, and I am happy to work with each of them.
• WordPress is our clay. We like getting our hands dirty. Look to us for websites you can update yourself, post videos, images, polls, integrate a Gmail calendar, and more.
• Turn key website solutions (that look great) - monthly subscriptions
• We are going to launch an inspirational site for WordPress designers - cool sites to drool over
• Lots more good stuff too. Make sure to sign-up for our email alerts to stay in the loop.

So cheers to the first 5 years. The next 5 is going to be a great ride. We hope you join us.

Bernadot Studios and PlugandPress.com have teamed together to launch a new Premium Real Estate Theme for WordPress. The theme has been under development for 4 months and was just launched this weekend. I am incredibly proud to be a part of this project and thank Carlos of PlugandPress.com for all of his work and patience.

Why did this theme take so long to build?

Simply put, we wanted the theme to be easy to use.

We spent considerable time and money investing in the administration portion of the theme to help home sellers list their properties easily while looking professional to their clients. Here are the main features of the new theme:

• Beautiful, elegant themes
• Five colors included: sea blue, red, navy blue, gold and black
• Agent can publish picture with biography
• Top-Level link to add property listing
• Easily publish your home details (including bathrooms, bedrooms, images and lots more)
• “No Custom Fields” to hassle with when posting property details and images
• Images are auto thumbnailed and display full-size with a cool pop-up slideshow
• Featured properties rotate on home page with agent
• Cool Property Search Options - includes dropdowns and search box
• Agents page to display biography and properties for sale
• Payment Calculator
• Ad Banner Management
• 100+ hours into programming, designing and preparing these themes for you.

This is theme is intended for a single agent. We will be releasing the Multi-Agent Theme in December.

Also, all of the WP-Realtor.com licenses are on sale right now, so make sure to check out the Special Pricing.

Click here to get the sale price: WordPress Real Estate Theme

Click Image for Fullscreen

Below is the “before” online web presence. It is not a “website” per se, but a one-page service provided by a local TV company.

Click Image for Fullscreen

Compare the two designs and ask yourself whom you would by from. Can you see the value of a professionally designed website?

Live Site: BathFixerInc.com | La Crosse, WI Bathroom Contractor

About this project

Terry Wagner, and her son Luke, contacted me a while back to build a website that would help promote their business online. We have done just that with the unveiling of the new BathFixerInc.com website. In fact, we received a quote estimate even before we “officially” launched the site. Just a glimpse at what is ahead for them.

Working with Luke and Terry has been a lot of fun, and I know there new website will assist them in promoting their business and gaining new customers.

Services We Provided:

• New website design
• SEO
• Web hosting
• Email
• WordPress integrated website solution - self managed content
• Image gallery
• Contact form
• Free estimate form

Below is the “before” look of the site. Ask yourself what company you would buy services from? Of course they are the same company, but the top version promotes trust and quality through design.

Click Images for Fullscreen

Live Site: TriCountyTitleLLC.com| Sparta, WI Title and Abstract Services

About this project

Scott Enervold, of Tri-State Financial Services, an existing and valued client, recommended our services to Terri Oswald of Tri-County Title Services, LLC of Sparta, WI. It has been a pleasure working with Terri on her company’s new web site and I look forward to watching it help her business grow.

Services Provided:

• New website design
• SEO
• Web hosting
• Email
• WordPress integrated website solution
• Added forms for Terri’s customers’ convenience
• Conversion of content from previous site to new site to minimize client’s work

Click Image for Fullscreen

Live Site: thestarrys.com | Green Bay, WI Realtors

This project is an example of great teamwork

Bob and Tim of DigiSage are top-shelf programmers and people, so it is always a pleasure working with them. They put the brains into powering this website, while I gave it a pretty face. You can read more about their involvement on their website.

My design objectives of the site:

• showcase the homes for sale
• easy-to-use search features
• black design, elegant, classy
• introduce the Starrys’ Realty Team
• display ads
• make it easy for people to get in touch

Bernadot Studios provided DigiSage with a home page and sub page design, and then Bob and Tim took it from there.

If you are a developer in need of professional design for your clients, feel free to drop us a line.

So yes, it’s true. We now have two people on staff here at Bernadot Studios. My wonderful wife Meghan has left her Art Director position at a local start-up to join me in the web design business. Meghan has a B.S. degree in art from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. I am extremely thankful and fortunate that Meghan has made the decision to join Bernadot Studios and I know you will enjoy working with her as well.

Ok - so you may be asking, “What is WordPress?”

Well, WordPress is a free, open-source, framework that allows us to build you a website customized to your needs, that you can manage/update yourself (if you wish). It’s also built to help rank your site into the search engines, so people can find you once we have launched your new site.

If you would like to learn more about our solutions, please contact Bernadot Studios.

Click Image for Fullscreen

Live Site: jmpbuildingcom.com| La Crosse, WI Commissioning

I was approached by Robert Poehling, a partner in JMP Associates, to build a new website for their eco-friendly commissioning business. They assist building owners in ensuring their building systems are optimized and also provide “green” alternatives to help save money and the environment.

Services Provided:

• New website design
• Logo design
• WordPress integrated website solution
• Business Cards
• One-page Flyer

We are proud of the work we have completed for JMP Associated and we wish them great success in their new venture. They are another valued client of Bernadot Studios.

Testimonial:

And now a few words from JMP Associate’s Robert Poehling:

I would like to thank you for a great job on the concept, design and implementation of our new web site.  You made the whole process very easy for us.  I have received favorable comments on the site you developed for us from people who are normally very critical of web site designs.  Thanks for a great job.  It has been a pleasure working with you.

What a summer this has been. Has time flown for you as quickly as it has for me?

Well, it’s been a while since I have made a post here because I have so many projects going on right now that this blog has taken a back-burner.

Here’s a quick run down of what we have been working on / doing:

• Bernadot Studios has embraced the WordPress platform with a big warm hug. In my opinion, this is the best software available for building user-managed websites.  It provides a win - win - win platform for users - designers - and search engines.
• I Created a online guide for Premium WordPress Products (Themes, Plugins, Etc.) called WPforSale.com. I got serious about this site in June 2008 and it is proving to be a very helpful tool for WordPress fans. It is also generating a nice monthly revenue, that continues to grow, and exposing me to some of the best WordPress Developers and Theme Designers on the web. It also continues to expand my client base as well.
• I am collaborating on a new Premium WordPress Theme with another WordPress guru. This Theme will be released in August 2008. I’ll keep you posted. It is go=ing to be bananas!
• Lots of new sites coming about from client projects. The portfolio will be updated as soon as they are finished. Here is a quick list of some of the businesses out there that have selected us to help them build their websites:
  • Wolf Industries, LLC
  • JMP Associates
  • Bath Fixer, Inc.
  • The DuBois Group
  • and there many more we are working on with our partners

So, much is abuzz here at Bernadot Studios. We are serving people all over the country and working with people all over the world to bring beautifully, custom-crafted websites to our clients.

Interested in having your website built with passion, experience and know-how? Please just send us a line and we’ll be in touch.

Interested in becoming a partner with Bernadot Studios? Send us a message.

That’s all for now. More to come soon.

Enjoy your summer and keep cool.

-Scott

Click Image for Fullscreen

Live Site: EffectiveBehavior.com| Onalaska, WI

What a fun project this has been. I was approached by Ted Stein, President of Stein Counseling and Consulting Services of Onalaska, WI, to design a site that would better serve the needs of his customers and staff, while also generating passive income through the site. The new site delivers on all marks and is easily manageable by Ted and his staff.

How we did it!

When I say we, I have to give a big thank you to Bob and Tim Lindner from DigiSage. Their knowledge, expertise and professionalism made meeting the challenges of this site a breeze. They developed three additional modules (i.e. Workshop/Event Management, Information Request Form and Request Appointment Form) for the site and together we seamlessly integrated them into the WordPress framework. This helps Ted’s visitors easily sign up for events, classes and workshops right online, as well as quickly making appointments or receiving more information about a topic of interest.

As I mentioned, I built this site within the WordPress framework, giving Ted and his staff the ability to easily manage their site. This includes posting articles, updating pages and images, inserting video, etc.

In addition, I also introduced a banner ad management system, so Ted can sell and place ads throughout the site. The ad management administration is easy and painless and is a great way to attract advertisers and make money though affiliate programs. This was one of the major improvements over the old site, and will surely generate additional revenue for the business.

How does the new site compare to the old one?

• New fresh , professional design that allows visitors to easily locate the information they are looking for
• Site is designed using WordPress for easy site management
• Search Engine Friendly - Each page/post can be optimized
• Visitors can sign-up online for classes, events and workshops online - payment can be made with a credit card
• Secured forms are used to help visitors make appointments or request more information
• A banner ad management system is in place to sell, place and track ads with ease
• Amazon products can easily be added to the site to help people find inexpensive solutions as recommended by professionals

Testimonial

Bernadot Studios did an outstanding job redesigning our website. We have tripled our web traffic since the redesign. I recommend Bernadot Studios to others who are contemplating website redesign or creating a new site.

Ted Stein, Principal owner of Stein Counseling and Consulting

Here is an excerpt from the email I received.

We know this project took time, dedication and a lot of hard work. The
judges at DesignFirms would like to announce that your site has been
found as one of the best on the Internet and hereby award you with the
DesignFirms Web Award.

Visit our listing on DesignFirms.org

What does this mean for you?

It means you can have the confidence to know that Bernadot Studios can deliver beautiful and quality web design to meet the needs of your business. Call us today to get started on your project at 608-790-4000 or contact us online.

Thank you DesignFirms.org for your recognition!