Franz Bakery - Website Redesign

Challenge

The client required converting their old site theme into a new design. The new theme had to conform with the existing CMS system and be configured to support all existing functionality.
 

Solution

The solution involved researching the existing system and gaining an understanding of the development process. The website infrastructure used an older version of the Simple CMS package, a php and mysql based open source content management system. The process involved converting a photoshop comp into a static HTML and CSS shell. Then the shell was integrated into the CMS theme and template management scheme. Once the theme was tweaked to meet the design requirements the website content was converted over into the new theme.
 

Results

The conversion took a total of about a week or so and now and then the client has changes that are requested. The client hasn't had any major issues with the conversion and appears to be happy with the results.
 

Robert's Thoughts

I found that the Simple CMS system was rather clunky and had little or no documentation, which appears to the the status quo for open source projects these days. If I want documentation or any form of support I have to pay through the nose for it. I guess that is the nature of the beast when an open source effort tries to become a company and make profit.