We've been designing professional web sites for over fifteen years. Along the way, we have worked in many different industries and with all sorts of organizations. Each project has had unique challenges to overcome, and each client has posed a different set of requirements.
Site design is often characterized as "look and feel" and typically has emphasis in the early stages of a site project. While that is entirely appropriate, we believe that site design crosses other boundaries as well, and should be taken into account throughout the lifespan of a project. For example, site design can also impact and effect user experience, visitor retention, and the level of unique page views. It is just as important as "clean code" and of equal weight to solid development.