We’re a small (a really small) design studio near Portland, OR. We (well, me–Catherine) have loads of experience doing many types of design work. In fact, we/me even knows how to prepare camera-ready art the old fashioned way—with an X-acto blade. (Just between you and me, hand cutting 10/12 condensed Garamond for a better rag is no easy task!)
Mac Maven
Don’t think I’m old fashioned! I’ve always loved what computers bring to the design game. So much so, I jumped into digital very early (before Macs were ubiquitous). Sure, I still use pencil and paper for sketching, but hand-cutting type? Marker comps? Art boards and overlays? Ha–not in the 21st Century!
These days, you’ll find me in front of my Macs. Years of beta testing and pushing technology limits were great training for patience skills and so much more. Turns out, I’m a very good front-end developer! (For non-techies, that means I can turn a design layout into code so it works in a browser.)
class="awesome"
Combining my mad CSS skills with all that design experience PLUS a bona fide artistic education (a BFA in drawing & painting) makes me a pretty powerful one-woman show—the me in Azzcat Design.
Still, me easily expands to we when you need more. Azzcat Design partners with other pros when your project requires. Need a writer? Local marketing? SEO? Check. Photography? Video? Back-end programming? Got ‘em. Just ask!
Azzcat Design has people. It’s a me with weee!
Custom WordPress & Mobile App
This current project includes WordPress, mobile and front-end development for a Palo Alto startup. Azzcat Design works with the team, using Agile Development, Git & LESS. Includes responsive design and a bit of Ruby on Rails. Stay tuned for more!
Visit Wurl.
Design by Rob McLay
Logo & Custom WordPress Redesigns
This project is a complete overhaul–including branding, site structure and custom theme design, development & maintenance by Azzcat Design. Includes a ‘mother’ site and 5 ‘venue’ sites for specific conventions. Responsive design with fluid layout.
Visit Great Homeschool Conventions, Southeast View a screen grab of original.
Custom WordPress Redesign
This is a redesign of original site, bringing all the goodness of a CMS to the client for easy maintenance. Site is built in HTML5 using a responsive layout (resize in browser to view). Many of the original site’s illustrations were incorporated into the new design. Especially fun was using CSS3 goodies. Don’t miss the border-images!
Visit Matt Clark Music
Custom Website Redesign
This is a redesign of the client’s original site. The goal was to simplify and better organize realty content and provide portals to client’s YouTube videos and blog (also by Azzcat Design). Custom javascript to pull in dynamic blog content by Michael Bubbo.
Visit Frankly Realty.
Logo Design & Custom WordPress Theme, HTML5
Website for designer eyewear store in Bridgeport Village, OR. Azzcat Design responsible for web design, front-end development, branding (including logo, signage & direct marketing materials). Honorable Mention by The CSS Awards. Featured on One Extra Pixel.
Visit Eye Styles.
WordPress Customization
Azzcat Design customized a premium WordPress theme‘s look and feel with a custom background, fonts, and layout structure.
Visit Reach Brand Strategy
Facebook Page
These days, identity design includes social media page customization. Here’s the Facebook page for Great Homeschool Conventions. (There’s a Twitter page, too!)
Visit Great Homeschool Conventions on Facebook
CSS3 Proof of Concept
This is a proof-of-concept page, highlighting CSS3 multiple box-shadows and transitions. Snowflakes are ASCII characters (not images) and their progression utilizes CSS3 animations and transitions. Currently works best in Mac Safari browser.
Visit Happy Holidays 2010
Custom WordPress Theme
Custom design & front-end dev. Nominated for 2009 Inman Innovator most innovative blog award. Client selected as the Inman Innovator of the Year!
Visit Frankly Realty Blog.
Here’s a real-world logo application—a wall-mounted, interior-lit vinyl sign. The client preferred the version to the left. (I still prefer the one you clicked on ;-) Visit site.
We respect our environment by actively recycling, composting and reducing printer use. Print projects are specified with the highest PCW content paper available. Additional eco-friendliness is achieved by avoiding varnishes & foils—processes which can render paper unrecyclable.
For the City of Tualatin’s monthly newsletter, Azzcat Design specified 100% PCW stock. Tualatin’s GetOut! Guide is printed on locally milled 70% PCW stock. Since these publications are snail-mailed to 12,000+ addresses, green printing practices like soy inks and high PCW content matter.
Former Site & Blog
This is the 2009 version of Azzcat Design’s website and blog. We like to switch it up every now and then!
Community Support
Sharing time and expertise (teaching, digging & designing) with the community for over 14 years, Catherine's projects have included:
Teaching art literacy and hands-on art techniques at Edward Byrom Elementary School
Working as a Master Gardener with students of Byrom to redesign and rehabilitate the school’s atrium garden into an native-plant habitat (winner of SOLV Best Youth Involvement Award, 2001)
Designing the identity, as well as designing and producing all print & web communications for the FTTS Annual Garden Tour & Art Show Fundraiser (recipient of 2006 FTTS Volunteer of the Year Award)
2-Color Booklet
The monthly edition of City of Tualatin’s activity guide is a 2-C booklet printed on locally-milled 70% PCW paper and delivered to all homes and business in Tualatin.
Visit the current issue of the GetOut! Guide.
Logo Design for Labels & More
More practical applications of logo design: coffee cup, embroidery art and circular tire cover for owner’s vehicle.
Integrity & Service
Azzcat Design promises the highest level of service. We deliver high quality, high value, original design products—on time and within budget. Clients receive personal attention and timely communication through the design process. We respect and appreciate our clients!
Respect value
We respect ourselves, as well as the value of all creative professionals’ time, creative rights, and necessary skill sets. For this reason, Azzcat Design is strongly opposed to any use of or participation in:
crowdsourcing
work-for-hire and/or
speculative (spec) work.
For more information, please visit the links below.
Humor lol!
That said, we don’t like to take this design business too seriously! It’s about balance. Do your best work, but don’t let it become ‘precious’. Do it with a sense of humor. And never, ever forget...today’s cool print ad is tomorrow’s kitty litter liner!
Balance is the key!
TheBest
I hesitate to recommend Catherine because I'm afraid others will hire her and she'll have less time for us!
Catherine is, hands down, the best web (and mobile-web) front-end developer I've ever worked with. Good web developers are hard to find. Great ones, like Catherine, are worth 10x whatever you pay them.
—Sean Doherty, CEO, Wurl, Inc.
CustomerService
The saying, “Your company is only as good as your website,” holds very true for companies at the mercy of their web designer. My experience with Azzcat Design has been outstanding! Catherine Azzarello, owner of Azzcat Design, is quick to make changes and add items to our website upon our request. She has been great to work with when last minute changes to our site are required. I love her accessibility and willingness to communicate with me. She absolutely knows what she is doing and has helped me reach a higher level of customer service for our clients. She is accurate and efficient. I am very thankful to know Catherine is there when I need her.
—Kim McMillan, Exhibitor Coordinator, Great Homeschool Conventions, Inc.
Brings Concepts to Reality
Catherine is a creative designer who was able to bring concepts to reality in a punctual manner. We have received great feedback from our website design as well as our logo, both created by Catherine.
—Phil DeYoung, EyeStyles, llc.
Fun to Work With
Azzcat Design did a great job on my website, and was easy and fun to work with. Very responsive to all my feedback. Was straightforward about the timeline, and met the deadlines as promised.
—Matt Clark, Matt Clark Music
Consummate Design Professional pro
Catherine is a consummate design professional and a pleasure to work with! In my role as corporate communications manager, I hired her to redesign a suite of print materials...Catherine quickly developed a beautiful design...and delivered the end product promptly...
Had fun with ‘levitating’ menu for magician creating custom WordPress site using HTML5, CSS3, jQuery and font-replacement technique with Typekit.
Visit Bend Magic.
Flexible & Creative
Catherine...was flexible and creative in the design process. I will continue to use her for subsequent issues because I was very satisfied with the quality of work.
—Carl Switzer, Parks and Recreation Manager at City of Tualatin
Yields Pragmatic Results
Catherine is one of those rare service providers who combine superlative talents with reliable personal service and yields pragmatic results. I am a very demanding and particular company owner. Catherine has shown me she is one whose opinion and talents can be depended upon and trusted.
—Pat Murphy, Owner at Patrick J. Murphy & Associates Inc. Organbuilders
Improved SEO and UI
Many pages of the original site used images for copy, not HTML—resulting in poor SEO & usability. Total pages were reduced by half, though content increased by 10. Thoughtful UI design improved SEO, accessibility and ease of content updates.
Visit Patrick J. Murphy Organs.
Different from Our Competitors
We asked Catherine to design us a website that would be different from our competitors, showcase our work, and have the functionality we needed for our business...Catherine was very easy to work with, understood our needs very quickly...and would recommend her to anyone who wants to take their website to a whole new level of presentation and performance.
—Matt Morse, Dovetail Custom Homes
Asks the Right Questions
Catherine continues to deliver beautiful results...exceeding our expectations, and always on time. She asks the right questions up front so you know what you can expect and there are no unpleasant surprises.
—Becky Hurd, Board Member at The Foundation for Tigard Tualatin Schools
