Sandvox Sites

Our website serves as a round-the-clock advertisement for our independent toy store. Here the customer can find out what's new, as we talk about some of our favorite games and toys, list some brands carried in the store, explain how and why they are great, and provide further information and links.

Our target audience is composed of well-educated people who are interested in buying high-quality and well-designed educational toys and games for children and adults.

We are adding information on each item -- a little history, or an outline of the educational impact or advantages to be gained -- so that, as the customer browses the site, it is as if he or she is here in the store and is able to ask questions about that item or this one.

I have had many compliments on the site since I redesigned it using Sandvox. Most people seem to assume that I have done all the programming myself, despite my using the Sandvox badge on every major page! (Ah, well)

I have tried three or four different designs over the years, and while all of them were good, I thought that the current design was strikingly good-looking and readable. It has strong colour-blocks and a nice linear design, which I thought was a good foil for the somewhat chaotic nature of the merchandise we showcase within the framework. I did change the font to Arial, 14 point, as I thought that would be more universally readable than the default font (Geneva, I think).

I'm learning all the time. I've just added a Google search function and a contact form (in their own little Raw HTML Pagelets) and I'll soon be adding Shopping Cart functionality courtesy of PayPal. It's been trial and error, since I am by no means an expert, but all in all building the site has been an enjoyable and rewarding experience.