Spicy Web Designer Interview with Greg Althoff from BLK+MTN

Greg Althoff is the co-founder and creative director at BLK+MTN in Denver, Colorado in the USA. He and his partner Stephen Till (who oversees Print Design) formed BLK+MTN in February 2008 and since then their company has grown to 3 full-time employees and 11 freelance web designers since it first started.

1. How long has “BLK+MTN” been in business for and how did the idea for this business begin?

BLK+MTN has been in business since last February. The idea came from Stephen, who had approached me back in November of last year. His brother had decided to move on and stop designing for Stephen and his company, A Size Too Small. He heard that I had decided to go back to freelancing full-time and wanted to expand the business. Stephen had started a few things in the past like Japan Implosion and A Size Too Small. He has also been in many bands over the last 10 years. His expertise was mostly in music, screen printing, and marketing. We quickly re-forged our friendship and headed into a business relationship.

We knew that we wanted to turn the heads in Denver and beyond by staying creative and helping the little people. So we both have deep passions for people and the arts.

2. What considerations do you take when talking to a client for the first time about web design and designing their website?

Some things we consider right away are: the clients target audience, how much information they are wanting to get across and what the most important parts of that is to highlight, is this client going to need a lot updating.

3. How many people are in your organization currently?

We have 3 full time and 11 other freelancers that we work with on a consistent basis. The skills range all over the art + media spectrum.

4. Do you have a process or a particular development lifecycle when it comes to developing web projects?

For the most part. It’s something we’re always refining. The more clients you get the more you’re able to refine your strategies and processes. We tend to work with a lot of non-profits, artists, and smaller businesses. So it’s a lot easier to work one on one and create great results.

5. How does your company deal with concerns of Search Engine Optimization when it comes to Flash-based design on websites?

We don’t make many Flash websites anymore since the 2.0 movement. But beyond making the text selectable and adding meta-tags we would hire an outside source for SEO.

6. Does your company offer Search Engine Optimization to its clients or do you usually recommend that they work with someone more skilled in this area?

We usually point them to other businesses that specialize in SEO.

7. Does your company design for e-commerce web presences and if so what e-commerce shopping cart platforms have you built web designs on?

We have just teamed up with a local developer here who has been making wonderful CMS and e-Commerce solutions. We had been looking around at various companies and what they might offer but a lot of times you either pay too much or don’t get the amount of options needed for most businesses. This way we can make anything and apply it to the client’s needs.

8. Has your company won any awards for web design?  If so, which ones?

Yes we have! But to be honest I haven’t kept track of them all. It’s been between local addy awards and online design awards.