Yesterday, I launched the new Noble Rot restaurant website after ten months of starts and stops, false re-starts, menu updates, and technical challenges. Throughout the process I worked closely with Kimberly Bernosky, co-owner of Noble Rot, to create a site that communicated her vision of the restaurant. The site is designed to match the rich, moody interior of the restaurant space, with a focus on great photography from JQP Design.

We decided early on that Kimberly would need to update the site herself because menus change daily, and it was up to me to select a CMS that would be A) inexpensive and B) easy to use. Wordpress was a no-brainer! Once we selected a final design, I handed files off to XHTMLized to develop the Wordpress theme. This was my first by-hand Wordpress installation — having used one-click installers in the past — and I learned a lot about file permissions, MySQL databases, and the limitations of my technical skills.

It’s refreshing to work on small, low-stress projects like this where I can stretch all of my professional muscles, from design to technical implementation, and still have fun. It made me grateful for my old skool development chops because I would have been up a creek without them! I know I tell folks that designers don’t need to be developers — and generally that’s true — but sometimes those skills do come in handy.

If you’re looking for a great wine bar in Portland, stop by Noble Rot! You won’t regret it.

Tagged as portfolio, projects, WordPress + Categorized as Deeds Done & Things Made