Artisteer and Wordpress - Mobile Website Demos |
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Stewart
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A few weeks a go I shared a solution on here that enables you to build perfectly optimized mobile websites for your clients using a combination of Artisteer and Wordpress.
Some attempted to shoot me down in flames for bringing the answer to a question that so many of us have been asking for the longest.
Well here's an example of what can be done with the method I recommended. I built these demos in less than 30 minutes each.
http://huddersfieldshops.com/dcs
http://huddersfieldshops.com/weetwood
Here's the resource I'm using:
http://www.warriorplus.com/linkwso/psknfc/10820
And here's my own site where you can verify I'm a real person, with good intentions of helping out here:
http://www.mobilewebsites4u.com/
If you get it and you need any help in getting to this to work, then just contact me via my web form on my website and I'll sort you out.
Thanks for reading. Don't shoot the messenger...
Just think of all the clients you've built sites for (or are going to build sites for), using Artisteer.
This is a way for you to offer them a custom branded mobile friendly website using the same Artisteer template you used to build their main site. Drop in a redirect code and you have a complete package you can add to to marketing portfolio.
Here's the link again:
http://www.warriorplus.com/linkwso/psknfc/10820
Warmest regards,
Stewart
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Pieter
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Mobile is the new HYPE. Be careful with it. Be careful with people calling themselves the mobile experts.
Some other hypes with so-called experts:
-SEO (remember them, the SEO-experts!)
-Facebook and Twitter marketing (LOLOLOLOLOL)
-.NET (Microsoft overkilled and overhyped dev framework)
-Cloud hosting (Cloud is another word for load balanced hosting, a 25 year old architecture...)
Back to mobile: the mobile industry (read Apple, Samsung, Nokia, HTC, Android, etc) is adapting MUCH FASTER to the real world, than the real world to their devices. We don't even notice in most cases... My 300$ smartphone has a 800px resolution... My next phone will have 1200 px...
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Nick
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Have a responsive design, and "forget about it"! Are you listening Artisteer? Hello? That's the newest hot thing for some months now, and it is definitely what a modern web site should use. It is the answer to any screen resolution, no plugins, no secondary templates, no secondary mobile sites.
I agree 100% with Pieter...
@ bla, bla, bla: lol ! - "I am NOT a real person, I'm a cyborg with bad intentions!" 
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Troy
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Here's my stab at developing a responsive site with the help of Artisteer:
http://www.webrowsales.com/craftmommy/index.php
Need some feedback, because I want to pass it on to clients.
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Troy
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Here's my stab at developing a responsive site with the help of Artisteer:
http://www.webrowsales.com/craftmommy/index.php
Need some feedback, because I want to pass it on to clients.
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Stewart
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Looking good Troy.
The problem I've found with mobile plugins and responsive templates is the lack of flexibility when one needs to create pages that are independent of the desktop website.
If your system overcomes that, then in my opinion, you've cracked it.
So for example, a typical plugin, would allow replication of a desktop website in a mobile friendly environment, but what if the client wanted pages created that did not exist on the desktop site? That's where most of them fall flat on thee face. Not o mention that even some of the best do not display correctly across all mobile platforms.
With your system, can one create individual pages and sub pages that are not present on the desktop site?
If so, then I'd like a chat with you. My email address is included in this post.
Either way, great job. I think your client will be happy.
Warmest regards,
Stewart
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Stewart
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Found this excellent article that addresses the question of Responsive v Mobile site. Pay particular attention to the part where the author speaks about 2context"
he makes some valid observations...
http://www.business2community.com/online-marketing/responsive-web-design-vs-separate-mobile-site-%E2%80%93-which-is-right-for-you-0104949
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Nick
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I found this excellent article too. http://www.smartz.com/responsive-design-vs-mobile-site/
He makes even better valid points. Responsive is here now, and it's the future.
Quote: "The problem I've found with mobile plugins and responsive templates is the lack of flexibility when one needs to create pages that are independent of the desktop website."
First off, a responsive design does not rely on any plugin. Again, NO PLUGINS. And it works with any screen resolution, Desktop web sites as you put it, whatever that is, and everything else in between. Go to any web site that sells premium templates. Look at the trend. All the worthy new templates are responsive.
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Troy
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@Stewart - The beauty of responsive sites is that it uses a mixture of CSS3 and javascript (javascript is used to clean up Internet Explorer's and older browsers' messes.) There is no plugin. Depending on the width of the screen, the design changes. With http://www.webrowsales.com/craftmommy/index.php (if you reduce the width of your screen, you can see the changes.), I use three widths (but 5 are recommended). One is for large and average desktops screens, one is for notepads and one is for mobile phones.
With Artisteer, I can create complicated, custom designs quickly for three different platforms. I really don't think anybody else is doing this, yet. But, I'm sure it's coming down the pipeline really quick.
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Stewart
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Quote Nick:
I found this excellent article too. http://www.smartz.com/responsive-design-vs-mobile-site/
He makes even better valid points. Responsive is here now, and it's the future.
Quote: "The problem I've found with mobile plugins and responsive templates is the lack of flexibility when one needs to create pages that are independent of the desktop website."
First off, a responsive design does not rely on any plugin. Again, NO PLUGINS. And it works with any screen resolution, Desktop web sites as you put it, whatever that is, and everything else in between. Go to any web site that sells premium templates. Look at the trend. All the worthy new templates are responsive.
Thanks Nick,
Yes he makes some very valid points too. I totally agree.
I'm looking at it from all angles.
Businesses who already have a website will have to reinvest to have their site rebuilt in the new responsive design.
in the long run (depending on what their goals are), it could be a viable investment. I just can't see many of them in this economic climate rushing to dump their current site, so they can get a responsive design.
Businesses i deal with want one thing, more customers. Can i justify that getting rid of their previous design and investing in a responsive design will get them that? I think that's a hard sell.
May full well be a different case if the business has no website at all. There it may make more more sense to start off as you intend to finish, but there are so many parameters beyond what responsive designs can do to take into effect, that I feel the author in your recommended article does not address.
He focuses mainly on the technical side of things, whereas I'm looking at it more from a business owners point of view. They don't care about technology, they want more customers and they want the feeling that their spend is justifiable.
Responsive designs look and feel great, but it's one website. Whereas, a separate mobile site means the client is paying for two. Psychologically, in a business owners mind, you could argue that he's getting more value. That's just one hidden parameter that comes into play. There are many more.
Our opinions will differ for sure, but that's the beauty of a democratic society. Everyone can share their opinions freely.
I am 100% open to the benefits of responsive designs, and I'm investing time to find out much more about them so I can offer them wherever appropriate, but to just write off mobile sites is something I certainly will not be doing.
Great talking and thx for the insights.
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Stewart
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Troy,
I think what you're doing is fantastic mate and would love to learn how you're doing it, especially in combination with Artisteer.
There is without doubt a place for responsive designs. Where they are used just has to be thoroughly thought through with long term growth of each project in mind.
If you are open to sharing how you've done it, then please email me at support (at) mobilewebsites4u. com
Thank you for sharing and have a good one mate.
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Nick
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You just don't get it, and you never will, that's very obvious.
Quote: "There is without doubt a place for responsive designs. " - Are you kidding me? That is the answer, the replacement to crappy mobile sites, the only modern way to go.
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Troy
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@Stewart - I'm definitely not hiding anything. View the source of my first page. It's commented. You will see how I split out different screen widths using <link> and it's media attribute. (Since you can create websites at a drop of a dime using Artisteer, I just created three sites. (You should really create 5 if you want to cover all your basis.))
WARNING: THE FOLLOWING IS NOT FOR THE NOVICE.
The general idea:
1) Create a folder called "artisteer" on your root.
2) Publish your three sites to that folder.
3) Create a folder called "css" on the root. This folder stores "css" files to overwrite or preserve styles from what is published with Artisteer.
4) Create your index.htm file on your root where you will write links using "media" to call different versions of your three sites in accordance to "some" width.
Problem:
CSS3 doesn't work with Internet Explorer 8 or less (big suprise). Use a javascript like the following to deal with it:
$(function() {
$(window).bind("resize", function() {
$('.onecolumnmobile').toggle($(this).width() <601);
}).trigger("resize");
});
$(function() {
$(window).bind("resize", function() {
$('.twocolumnreg').toggle($(this).width() >600);
}).trigger("resize");
}
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Artisteer's breakdown of their sections is very clean (like modules), so I can hide and show classes for different events. For example:
<div class="onecolumnmobile twocolumnreg"> 'Show me all the time' </div>
<div class="onecolumnmobile">'Show me only on mobile phones'</div>
<div class="twocolumnreg">'Show me with everything but mobile phones'</div>
-------------------------
I'm still figuring out certain things, but you get the general idea. I got rid of the header all together and replaced it with a responsive slideshow. There are nice one's to choose from from codecanyon(dot)com.
Once you have one frame, others will be easy to create.
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Troy
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Correction: codecanyon(dot)net
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Aki
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As first, Artisteer does support mobile design. I asked them and they answered this to me:
"Artisteer 4.0 does create mobile friendly themes.
Please see the option "Responsive Web Design" in File - Export - Options - General."
I tried to access a sample theme from my mobile and I got excellent mobile design. So, try it on your own. If I have to tell you this one more time, here it is:
ARTISTEER FINALLY SUPPORTS MOBILE DESIGNS!
Here is a link:
http://www.artisteer.com/Default.aspx?content_id=newsletter_2012_10_1&p=c#subtitle3
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