Hi. I’m Cliff Garber. I build websites for small businesses, individuals, and non-profits. I also design and produce print pieces, from ads to books.
I’ve worked in the graphic arts field since “typesetter” was a job title. I learned on the job in design studios, ad agencies, newspaper & magazine production departments, printing companies, type shops, and as a freelancer for the last 25 years or so. I’ve worked with clients like Lahey Health, the Rhode Island Publications Society, North Shore Children’s Therapies, Hugobooks, and the Museum of Printing. And with lots of talented colleagues.
Here’s what I can do for you:
I will find out what you want to achieve with your website and find a way to realize it. Along the way . . .
- I will walk you through the entire process of developing a website, then I’ll build and launch it for you.
- I will help you register a name for your website and find a place to host it.
- And, of course, I’ll take care of the nuts and bolts — the design, the coding, the testing, the programming that makes things happen on the page, and the image processing. It’s not rocket science, but it is web science and graphic art.
- I will read your copy with a critical eye and edit it for style and audience appeal (keeping in mind that what works in print may not work on the web).
- I will photograph your products, your venue, your staff.
- I will design a logo for your business.
- Are you marketing by email? I can help there, too.
- And, by the way, I’m happy to redesign an existing website. All of the above applies.
What was that about photography, again?
I have shot people & products for websites and brochures, portraits that hang on boardroom walls, and stills that appear in corporate videos. Take a look at some of my work in my online gallery.
And what about print jobs?
I’m as happy to discover that print is not dead as I am that my coffee maker is still working in the morning. Although the web is generally the cheapest and most far-ranging medium to advertise, educate, or inform, there are still many uses for pages you hold in your hands. Are some old-fashioned readers lurking around the periphery of your business? Do you have a book that needs more attention than you get from self-publishing with an online company? A brochure? Let’s talk about that. The last book I designed and produced ran over 800 pages. I even turned it into an ebook. If you have something less ambitious than a book, it will be done sooner.
(More than) a few words about websites
In the old days you hired web developers to build websites, page by page. Only people who knew how to code could update them. These days you hire web developers to build your website on top of a content management system (CMS). The content is entered by ordinary mortals and is assembled into pages by the system. Less abstractly, this means that you or your staff can log into your website and add to and edit the content without needing to know the code behind it. (If you want to see a website without its clothes on, right-click a page and View Source. Be brave. That’s the code — part of it. This is what your web developer deals with.)
If you’d rather have me be your offsite webmaster once the job is done, I’d be happy to add your site to the many others that I manage. Either way, I’ll show you how to use your CMS and always be available to consult on it.
The modern era of web design
Websites today can be more like apps than the static pages of yesteryear. They know a lot of tricks. But what interests me most about today’s technology are web fonts and responsive design. These have revolutionized the look and feel of the web in a couple of ways: The huge variety of typefaces available gives a site the richness and elegance of print media; and responsive design — allowing the layout of your pages to adapt to laptops, desktops, tablets and cell phones — makes your pages immediately accessible to your viewers on all kinds of devices.
The Magic Acronym: SEO
No, we’re not forgetting Search Engine Optimization. You don’t want your website to be lonely or neglected by search engines. There’s no secret to it, and making your website findable is something we’ll do together as we go over your copy and page structure. What you write and where you put your key info has a lot to do with how your page ranks (as does responsive design). And there are lots of hidden things that I will do under the hood to speed up your site and make it attractive to Google as well as to you.
Now.
I create bespoke websites for my clients.
You can grab a WordPress theme off the rack or you can work with me to come up with a site that fits you perfectly. It won’t be baggy, it won’t split when you bend over, and it won’t look like everyone else’s. I will implement your design in my CMS of choice — ProcessWire. You may not have heard of it, but it’s faster, more secure, more flexible and easier to use than the monolithic CMS’s you have heard of. And at least as powerful.
So, what’s it like to work with me?
You will find me to be friendly, responsive and conscientious. But don’t take my word for it. Ask my clients:
- “Cliff Garber is one of the most client-focused resources I have encountered in my 18-year marketing and public relations career. From websites to collateral to logos, Cliff is adept at helping companies and not-for-profits best represent themselves in the marketplace. In addition to being a highly skilled designer and photographer, Cliff is a responsive and honest professional. I cannot recommend him highly enough.” Frances Wetterlow-Thibeault, Publicist & Communications Consultant
- “Cliff is phenomenal! I truly cannot say enough good things about him. I was introduced to Cliff last year when trying to rebrand my business. He was tireless in his efforts to develop a new logo for my business and truly went above and beyond to capture the essence of who we are and what we do. He also redesigned my website. Again, he was spot on in his work and even came to our office to shoot professional quality pictures. Cliff works quickly and delivers a flawless product. I constantly recommend Cliff to family, friends, and professional acquaintances.” Jeannette Kahn, owner, North Shore Children’s Therapies
- “From the very beginning, Cliff Garber asked all the right questions to gain a full understanding of our nonprofit mission and goals. In over three years of working with him, Cliff has been very responsive and detail oriented, while also offering big-picture suggestions. Whether he’s building and updating our website or doing corporate photography, Cliff combines his technical and creative skills with the interpersonal abilities that make him a pleasure to work with.” Áine Greany Ellrot, Director of Communications, Lahey Health Behavioral Services
- “Cliff Garber is the book designer and web master for the Rhode Island Publications Society, an organization with a 100-plus title inventory of books about Rhode Island. As founding chairman of the Society, I have worked with Mr. Garber for nearly two decades. His assistance has been literally indispensable to our publication efforts. His design skills are extraordinary. He has an eye for detail and proofreading that has produced volume after volume free from error. He also guides the Society in selecting appropriate and quality printers for our books and negotiates with them to our benefit. He has prepared the Society website — and my personal website as well — to my great satisfaction. The fees for his work are not only reasonable, but a bargain. Our authors, whom I allow to deal with Mr. Garber directly, rave about him and marvel at his patience and talent. Though this assessment may seem unbelievable, it barely matches Mr. Garber’s performance. Patrick T. Conley, J.D., Ph.D., Chairman, Rhode Island Publications Society, President Heritage harbor Foundation, President Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame, Historian Laureate of Rhode Island
- “When I send Cliff words and pictures for our website, which he designed and implemented, I can count on him to make them look their best. But he makes me sound better too, catching my misspellings and fractured sentences. The instantaneousness of the web is critical for us. We live by the web — social media, Facebook, and our website and emails are the fastest and least expensive ways we have to make contact with our members and reach new ones. Cliff always keeps up with it. He watches over our email system and configures pages so we can take credit card payments, as well as keeping the website running overall. We use his photo expertise to photograph special events and create slide shows and other visuals. And whether it’s in the service of print or web, Cliff ’s typographic sense is important for a printing museum. I also know Cliff as a fellow member of the Board of Advisers for the Graphic Design Program at North Shore Community College, where he adds critical insight for the direction of the program. In all my years working in corporate and marketing communications, Cliff is the one of best designers and webmasters I have worked with. He looks beyond the “look” and gives us an integrated package that communicates! I plan on using him for the printed marketing materials for our new location. Kim Pickard, Executive Director, Museum of Printing, North Andover, Mass.
- “Cliff Garber designed and managed publication of my book SECRETS & SCANDALS: Reforming Rhode Island, 1986–2006. He provided practical counsel that made the cover, text, photos, notes, and index work together in ways most readers take for granted. He consulted patiently with two editors, a proofreader, an illustrator, and me. He recommended a trustworthy printer, selected materials, negotiated a reasonable price, and got the books delivered ahead of our deadline. He also took charge of converting the project into two electronic formats, a process whose complexity and difficulty I never imagined. Despite the scope of this project — 704 pages of text, 16 pages of photos, 94 pages of notes, and a 16-page index — he remained reliably cordial and professional. As if all those contributions were not enough, he offered valuable suggestions for improving a website I had built. Throughout this process, I often thought he should be charging more for his services. When reviewers and readers affirm the book, I smile and thank Cliff.” Phil West, author, Secrets & Scandals: Reforming Rhode Island 1986–2006
- “I stand a much better chance of getting adopted because of this website Cliff built for me.” Maxie, the Marblehead Animal Shelter cat
OK, that’s enough for now. Thanks for hearing me out. I’m right at the end of this email address or telephone number (781 584-6112) if you’d like to talk about a project. Hope to hear from you.
Cliff
INTERACTIVE:
website design, production, consultation, content
management systems
email campaigns
PRINT: books
brochures · ads
PHOTOGRAPHY