Javelin Design

Web design and custom back ends from a Philadelphia studio

Javelin Design is a small studio in Philadelphia that builds websites, web applications and graphics. It traces its roots to 1996, when websites were mostly online brochures, and says it was founded with design at its core by an owner who came from graphic design and became absorbed in digital work. The result, as the studio puts it, is a firm that can produce professional sites while keeping appearance first.

Starting with what the client needs

Its pitch is aimed at people who want a good online presence but have no time to learn web design or code. The studio says it listens to find out what a client really needs as opposed to what the client thinks is needed, and then recommends something concrete. That may be as modest as an open-source site the client can set up and edit with little help, or a custom application built for a particular need. The first consultation is meant to advise on next steps, even if that means buying a ready-made product or hiring a different firm, and the studio says it will be honest when it is not the best fit.

Sites and applications

On the design side, it has built plain static brochure sites and custom WordPress themes. For sites that need to do more, it works on back-end development, preparing static mockups and functional wireframes before the finished system, and aims to deliver what is needed with no excess features that would slow performance. Examples include a customized membership form with notification and payment options and a revamped work and time tracking system.

Case studies

Its case studies show the range. One is a project file sharing tool for an engineering firm, with per-project permissions, cloud storage that avoids per-seat licensing and admin approval of uploaded files. Another is a customer portal for a manufacturer, where users register products and raise return authorization requests. A real estate group received a custom WordPress theme plus a login area that records visitors so listings can be shared with them. A property company received a work order system with separate views for administrators, staff, employees and tenants, including a mobile view for field staff to log time. A religious order got a rebuilt site with member-only areas, and other projects covered repair and recoding of parent and child corporate sites.

Graphics for courtrooms

A less usual line of work is courtroom graphics. The studio produces these in-house, from black and white enlargements to magnetic boards with markers, so attorneys can illustrate a case to judge and jury. Logo and other graphic design also rests on what it calls a strong sense of design and color theory.