Greasebusters Franchise launches new site

Among my many blessings, I am particularly grateful for long-time customers like Monika Palmore at Greasebusters. This Rockville, MD-based commercial kitchen cleaning and fire prevention firm hired Julie & Company over a decade ago to create a new brand and website. Since that time, Greasebusters has grown like gangbusters. If you've visited a national chain like McDonalds, TGIFridays, or Bob Evans, Greasebusters has probably cleaned that kitchen exhaust system. The company also works with privately owned restaurants, government facilities, hospitals, and other commercial eating establishments, too.

Since I redesigned the corporate site a couple of years ago, the company has expanded even further. Greasebusters now offers a full-fledged franchising program throughout the United States. The program's new website, GreasebustersFranchise.com, launched this morning. Targeted to potential franchisees, the site provides information about the Greasebusters brand, corporate history and values, the franchise program, and available territories. Greasebusters now offers franchises in every state and in Vancouver, Canada, too.

I designed the new website to be responsive, which means that the site automatically displays optimally for the device on which its being displayed. The image below shows how it displays on a desktop computer. 

But on an iPhone, the website reconstitutes optimally for a smaller screen size.

I also designed the site for the WordPress content management system which allows authorized staff members to make changes from any web browser and improves search engine placement. 

If you know people who are looking to be their own boss, have them check out GreasebustersFranchise.com. Or for business owners who need superlative branding and website design, visit www.julieandcompany.com or call 301-330-9353.

Case Study: Absolute Pressure Washers

Since 1989, Absolute Pressure Cleaning Equipment has provided a variety of high pressure cleaning equipment, accessories, cleaning detergents and supplies for professional industrial and commercial cleaning companies.

The BEFORE Website

The Problem

Absolute spent several years working with ineffective and unprofessional web design companies. The company's most recent website:

• Offered incredibly ineffective branding that made the company look like a provider of pressure washing services rather than a distributor of professional cleaning equipment
• Made the company indistinguishable from its competitors
• Relied on the look and feel of John Deere, the farm equipment company, further confusing potential customers

The AFTER Website

The Solution, by Julie & Company

After losing both time and money, Absolute hired Julie & Company to to build a compelling branding and web presence. Julie & Company:

• Created a new logo that rebranded Absolute and set it apart from its competition
• Focused on the company’s commitment to selling US-manufactured  products 
• Provided detailed pages that feature the company’s equipment, accessories, and detergents
• Added a branded shopping cart
• Delivered visually interesting experience for potential customers

The Client Says

Over the past four years, Absolute has worked with a number of web companies who just could not get the job done. Our owner is hard to please, but these companies did a terrible job, too.  Julie & Company, as per usual, did a spectacular job with the branding and website – our owner is 100 percent happy, which I hope you take as a HUGE compliment because it is.

- Shawn Mahaney

Contact Julie & Company to learn more about what we can do for your company. Call 301-330-9353 or info@julieandcompany.com.

Super Bowl 50 logo goes for the W, not the L

Every sport strives to avoid the loser's L. Super Bowl 50 is no exception. To avoid connotations of defeat, the NFL has drop-kicked L, the Roman numeral for 50, in favor of the numeric 50.

Photo credit: NFL/ABC News

Since Super Bowl V in 1971, the NFL has used only Roman numerals to indicate the number of the Super Bowl being played. This system remained unchanged, even for potentially controversial numbers like XXX, which is 30 in Roman numerals but is also a generally accepted symbol of erotic content.

In 2016, however, the NFL will instead use Arabic numbering for the Super Bowl. The San Francisco host committee lobbied the NFL to use Arabic numbers instead of the L, a well-recognized symbol of losers and losing. The NFL has indicated that, after 50, it will return to Roman numerals, starting with Super Bowl LI in 2017.

Most official materials for the Super Bowl will now use the Super Bowl logo with 50 in the background, rather than the L. Some variations of the 50 logo designs will include icons from the San Francisco skyline around the Lombardi Trophy, which has itself only been a part of the logo since 2010.

Brad Matthews is a content writer for Julie & Company. He can be reached at brad@julieandcompany.com.

New websites! Susan Coll and Opulent Beverages

I launched two new websites this week!

Susan Coll, the best-selling author of books like Beach Week, Acceptance, and Rockville Pike, is publishing her latest book, The Stager, this spring. It's a comedy of rabbits and real estate in the D.C. suburbs. As the book description on Amazon states, "Questions of friendship, loyalty, fidelity, sobriety, and sanity are raised to hilarious effect in this dark comedy of how we live now in the age of planned communities, cookie-cutter mansions, and cutthroat careerism." Sounds like the burbs to me.

I've worked with Susan for years. I met her during a book club discussion of Rockville Pike and built her first website soon after. With the release of each of her new books, I update the site. This time, I moved her website to the WordPress content management system and freshened up the look and feel. "This is a fabulous web site. Truly, you did a fantastic job! Thank you so much," she wrote this morning.

Also new this week is new branding and website for Opulent Beverages, a relatively new drink distributor based in the MidAtlantic. Opulent's product lines include several high-end waters, fruit juices, and health drinks. I had a ball developing the brand with the president, Tonya Davis. I wanted to give her a fresh, retro, and classic look that would set her apart from her competition.

Tonya is happy, as evidenced by her most recent message: "The website looks great!  Color, contrast, font sizes and space all work together, creating a polished look." In the near future, I hope to add e-commerce to the site as well as a separate login area for her wholesale customers.

New! PlateSafe Locks branding & website

Today I'm proud to announce the launch of our latest new branding and website, PlateSafe Locks, a new security device created by one of our favorite clients, Shawn Mahaney of RestoreATag. Shawn, literally the world's best antique license plate restorer, developed these U.S. patented, tamper-resistant locks to address the growing problem of license plate theft, which has risen by an astounding 36 percent in the United States.

PlateSafe Locks can be used on any vehicle, including antiques. They are also useful around the home, at work, or in any commercial application where items are secured by mounting screws or bolts.

PlateSafe Locks are sold online at www.platesafelocks.com and www.sears.com and will be available in other retail outlets soon.

Shawn has made RestoreATag such a tremendous success. I look forward to seeing his PlateSafe Locks in auto parts and home improvement stores across the country. 

Congratulations, Shawn, and thanks for your business!

New! Branding and web design for LeadYourPack.com

Is there anything I love more than dogs? No. I love dogs more than anything, especially my dog, Moose. He's the love of my life (and that doesn't take anything away from my boyfriend, btw).

When Dr. Susie Homire contacted me about branding and web design for her dog behavior consulting company, Lead Your Pack, I was delighted. Finally! A chance to work with dogs. Creating her logo and look and feel were truly an act of love. In fact, that was the goal: show that love of all canines is at the heart of Susie's work.

Frustrated and frightened dog owners come to Susie looking for strategies to relieve their dogs' aggression toward other people or dogs, fear, home destruction, and more. Susie works closely with the owners to develop the just-right solutions to their dogs' particular issues. She teaches them to lead their pack with confidence, love, and understanding, whether they have one dog or 10.

I was happy to sneak a pug in this design - it's not my pug, but it's the next best thing. And he's yawning no less - my dog spends a third of his life yawning, a third sleeping, and a third begging for food. Maybe I ought to call Susie Homire. :-)

New! Branding and website for Julia Farwell-Clay

As a devout knitter, nothing is more fun than designing for a knitwear designer. This is especially the case for Julia Farwell-Clay. I've loved her work since she first hit the scene with her innovative, inherently wearable sweater patterns. Julia designed my favorite cardigan, the Hiro - I loved making it and I love wearing it. I'm knitting another of her sweaters right now. Julia just rocks.

I thoroughly enjoyed working with Julia to create a fresh, fun brand that expresses her unique design sensibility. The website literally puts her terrific patterns front and center and makes it easy for knitters to both explore her work and purchase her patterns.

The website uses a WordPress content management system, which makes it easy for Julia to maintain the site herself and to blog, too.

www.juliafarwellclay.com

If you're looking to make an amazing sweater, check out www.juliafarwellclay.com. Or contact Julie & Company today to give your company a new look or a new website.