We’ve begun a redesign of the Genius Monkeys website. It’s not done yet, we’re just really in a very early beta period for parts of the site right now, but we’re refining and reorganizing things and plan an official launch at the end of January. This has given us a chance to think about best practices for web design, in an environment that isn’t claustrophobic due to client demands and deadlines.

First lesson learned: PNG is finally here. It’s now very possible to create layered looks that involve transparency and which work in all major browsers (even the horrible, outdated IE6 if you learn how to fix that browser’s limitations through scripting). This opens up entire new worlds to us, and we can’t wait to show the possibilities to our clients.

Next lesson: Flash and Standards-based websites don’t need to be exclusive. In early 2009 we’re adding some pretty cool Flash features and writing some interesting behind-the-scenes scripts that will show our website off to iPhone users and others who don’t support Flash.

Another lesson learned: your blog really needs to be integrated nicely with your website. We’ve been big proponents of a company blog since we started Genius Monkeys, and for the past year or so we’ve included some php code on our homepage that pulls the latest blog posts we make into the design of the homepage itself. Look for more of this going forward from us. It’s easy to do, and it makes your website instantly more updated and topical for your clients and visitors.

Good design is a process, and while most of our work is client-centered and shrouded in secrecy before launch, this particular redesign in a much more public space continues to be a fun, rewarding project for us.