Our development process is guided by our value that feeling & function should be properly balanced. Each project involves the development team early on and continues until after the project has launched. The correct technology and tools that will be used with a project are assessed even before the design stage begins. Designers stay involved to oversee details and provide feedback, especially when it comes to animation and interactivity. As different stages of the project are complete, our QA process ensures that internal and external reviews are conducted to create the highest-quality end product.

1. Shaping

Each project begins with the shaping process, a concept inspired by Basecamp’s principles. Shaping is exactly what it sounds like. We ‘shape’ the website’s directions, selecting the tech stack needed, structuring the CMS, and managing data.

<aside> 💫 Note: We rarely take on dev-only projects. Our preference is to develop what we design, although there are exceptions to this. Our design team is very skilled and knowledgeable and provides the details we expect to our dev team. Whether or not we take on a dev-only project depends on the design team, the design itself, and the level of detail we will be working with.

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2. Development

Once designs are approved, developers will begin building the structure. We use modern tools for speed, precision and collaborative building.

The two major parts that make up the site are:

Frontend:

Frontend is where user experiences really shine. It’s not just about coding; it’s the connection between good design and user interaction. Our goal is to elevate designs to the next level where they not only function smoothly but leave a lasting impression.

We categorize the types of sites we build into three categories:

• Marketing Sites We want the design and interactivity of the frontend to really shine when building out a marketing site. Instead of using a complex React framework, we turn to Astro, which provides a lot of the same tools as a React framework, but removes unneeded complexity. Our developers have more time to focus on design, animation, and performance when using Astro. Prismic (or another CMS) is still integrated into the build and clients can still make content edits when needed.
• Ecommerce When it comes to online stores, Shopify is our go-to. It’s equipped with all the tools necessary for building and managing ecommerce sites both large and small, and their dedication to client experience, developer experience, and customer experience is unmatched. Our Shopify builds can be classified in two projects:
  • Custom Themes Many clients prefer using Shopify themes so that they can take full advantage of the suite of tools Shopify provides to theme users. We specialize in creating custom themes tailored to our clients’ needs. Whether it’s for Shopify or other platforms, our custom themes are designed to provide unique and engaging user experiences.
  • Headless For a more custom experience, we also utilize a headless architecture approach. This involves using Shopify as a backend service with Remix. Using Remix gives us the ability to separate the frontend from Shopify and build a more dynamic and interactive experience.
• Web Apps When we need the functionality of an app on the frontend, we turn to Next.js. Next.js is a tried and true, powerful framework for building web apps. It helps us optimize performance and streamline development, all while providing the same standard for design and interactivity that you would expect from Canvas.

Backend:

Most common backend development needs are similar for each project and we utilize tried-and-true services instead of creating these from scratch for each project. Most of these services drastically reduce development time, while custom backends will drastically increase development time.

The following services have been found to work the best for us and our clients:

• Prismic as the CMS
  • Prismic is our go-to for managing content across multiple platforms, it offers robust capabilities and flexibility.
• Netlify for Hosting
  • Netlify hosts our websites, providing reliable and high performance solutions. Their platform enables seamless deployment and scaling as projects grow.
• Shopify as Order Management System (OMS) and Payments
  • Shopify offers a secure and efficient solution for managing orders and processing payments. Its comprehensive features ensure a smooth and reliable ecommerce experience for our clients.
• Stripe for Subscriptions and Custom Payments
  • Stripe is our preferred choice for handling subscription management and processing custom payments. Its flexible APIs and security features make it ideal for various payment scenarios.
• Odoo for Custom Built Backend
  • In cases where clients require a custom backend architecture, we turn to Odoo. It’s modular approach and customization options allow us tailor solutions to meet specific needs.

3. Content Integration

Integrating content can be time consuming, but we’ve streamlined the process for efficiency. Here’s how we do it: