The first day of panels is over and it was a very informative day.

Some of the highlights of the day include:

– A beautiful presentation by “Naz Hamid”:http://www.nzrn.com/ on *design and details*. His portfolio is amazing and just a quick look at his work provides hours of inspiration.

– A showing of the *latest version of the Content Management System* – “Expression Engine 2.0”:http://expressionengine.com/. In an effort to provide our clients with the simplest and most comfortable tools, we are continuously looking for an easy to use content management system at a lower cost.

Expression Engine 2.0 looks to utilize one of the simplest user interfaces that we have come across. It also appears to be one of the most powerful CMS’ we’ve encountered. After watching the demo, we will be examining EE 2.0 and seeing if it is the right fit for our service.

As web designers we are always looking to balance great design and usability with low costs. So EE 2.0 could be a new feature for our company.

– Last, but not least it was the guru of “37signals”:http://www.37signals.com/svn, Jason Fried’s discussion on “collaboration and business decisions”:http://2008.sxsw.com/interactive/programming/panels_schedule/?action=show&id=IAP060547. As always Fried had brilliant insight. One of the key points from his session was the idea of *Being a Chef*.

The point being; the most famous chef’s in the world _are the ones that reveal their secrets_. Whether it’s through cookbooks, online recipes or cooking shows. These chefs reveal their expertise, to market themselves as the best in the world.

As a web design studios we greatly encourage our clients to use their web sites as a tool to share their expertise; thereby marketing themselves to potential customers as experts in the field. Whether it’s through “monthly cooking tips”:http://www.cookingwithfire.com, “oil and gas industry specific articles”:http://www.enermatix.ca or showcasing your “ice boating expertise”:http://www.speedspecialists.com, your web site can be a valuable tool to showcase your expertise to potential customers.

Day Two begins tomorrow and we promise more pictures, more insight and more interesting web sites for your enjoyment.