Why Pursued by Bear?
What makes you so special?
Pursued by Bear focuses on accessible, cleanly-designed sites that favor function over form. Because we adhere strictly to web standards, our sites are easy to maintain, meet Federal accessibility guidelines, and come search-engine optimized right out of the box. We may use Flash or Javascript for ornamental effects, but because these languages limit access to handicapped users and search engines alike, we do not base our sites on them.
But what can you do?
We've built everything from small, one-page information sites to large, database-driven web applications. Our sites are typically (but not always) built in PHP or Java with a MySQL back-end. We can work with an existing designer to translate print designs to web, or we can take over maintenance of existing sites. Check out our portfolio of sites to get an idea of our style and then drop us a line!
What's with that name?
As the story goes, Shakespeare only ever wrote one stage direction (that job was usually the domain of stage managers), which is in The Winter's Tale: "Exit, pursued by bear." Pursued by Bear has its roots in the theatre community (as you may notice from our portfolio), so it seemed fitting to name the company with a theatrical allusion.
Center REP
www.centerrep.org
Center REP occupies a unique position as the resident theatre company of the Dean Lesher Center for the Arts in Walnut Creek. They wanted a site that they could host and maintain locally, but would reflect the colorful and electric design their new Artistic Director wanted.
Site features include:
- Constructed under guidelines set forth by the city of Walnut Creek, as a site hosted on their servers.
- Built to be maintained by CenterREP staff, after only a couple training sessions on Dreamweaver.
Theatre Bay Area
www.theatrebayarea.org
Theatre Bay Area is the premiere service organization for the entire San Francisco theatre community. The site is built in Java on a MySQL database, with dozens of custom-built applications that reliably serve thousands of visitors a day.
Features of the site include:
- Database-driven design allows Theatre Bay Area staff to update content dynamically from a custom-built administrative backend.
- Members-only area provides dynamic value-added features to various levels of membership.
- Secure custom order processes for tickets, memberships, goods and services.
- Standards-compliant design meets Federal Accessibility requirements.
Sonoma State Performing Arts
www.sonoma.edu/performingarts
This was a tricky one. Three separate departments of Sonoma State University wanted a single website that integrated all of their needs, and they had a graphic designer with a very specific vision for the site. The catch? In order for the site to work on the university's servers, it couldn't utilize ANY dynamic server-side languages: just pure HTML and Javascript. And, since they're a state-funded organization, it had to validate against Federal Accessibility requirements.
Site features include
- Strategic use of server-side includes to maintain site structure across all pages.
- Built in collaboration with their existing graphic designer.
- Ornamental javascript animations make the site fun to play with.
Aurora Theatre Company
www.auroratheatre.org
Aurora Theatre Company is an award-winning intimate theatre in Downtown Berkeley. They were looking for a site that would be flexible and easy to update, so much of the site is populated from a back-end database administered by the staff. The design is warm and bold, with the theatre name prominent to assert a strong identity, and production photos on every page to show a flavor of what the theatre does.
Site features include:
- Flash image slideshows that are generated dynamically for the current production
- Integration with Theatre Manager software for secure, real-time ticket sales
- The country's first (to our knowledge) online script submission process, whereby plays are submitted to their Global Age Project via the website, and read and evaluated online. Saves postage, paper, and valuable time.
National New Play Network
www.nnpn.org
The National New Play Network is an affiliation of theatres nationwide that specialize in new play development. They were looking for a site that would both advertise their services to playwrights and theatres, as well as serve as an online gathering place for their membership.
Site features include:
- Secure members-only area, where affiliate theatres can share resources (ie, scripts) as well as chat online in real-time
- Dynamic news section that allows NNPN staff to update portions of the site themselves through a custom administrative area.
- Membership is administered via the website's administrative area, dynamically managing logins and the online roster.
Your Daily Staple
www.yourdailystaple.com
Print meets web: Your Daily Staple is a poster, flier and card distributor for the San Francisco Bay Area. They wanted a site that would quickly convey the array of services that they offer, as well as their distribution areas and price breakdown. They also wanted to provide referral services to their printer-partners, PS Print and Copy World.
Site features include:
- Dynamic special-offer to clients, rotated monthly automatically
- Online quote request makes it easy for clients to ask all the right questions
Central Works
www.centralworks.org
Central Works takes a workman-like approach to their art: they create most of their plays from the ground up, working with the playwright and an ensemble. They wanted a rugged aesthetic that would not come off as clumsy, so we went with a combination of rusted and stamped metal images for an industrial look, but combined it with clean lines and cool colors to keep it slick.
Site features include:
- Paypal integration for subscriptions and donations, and Brown Paper Tickets for ticketing.
- Modular homepage design allows flexibility for highlighting different campaigns.
The Custom Made Theatre Company
www.custommade.org
An up-and-coming new theatre, Custom Made wanted a site that would look sharp and professional, but was simple enough for them to maintain on their own with a minimum of coding know-how. We created page templates with clearly-marked sections of code for content, gave them some training, and they were off!
Site features include:
- Constructed to be maintained by the client.
- CSS-based layout makes for easy site-wide updates and user accessibility.
Demer IR
www.demer-ir.com
Of primary importance to this Investor-Relations firm was a site that would be fun and interesting, and not another cookie-cutter business site with pictures of people looking at laptops. We riffed off the high-speed look of their logo to create a web identity that was colorful and gave the impression of the client as an energetic trailblazer.
Site features include
- Online quiz to test users' knowledge of investor-relations: fun, informative and effective at highlighting why their services were necessary
- Randomized tidbits of information appear on every page, piquing users interest in areas of the site they might not find otherwise.
Quinn Associates
www.quinn-assoc.com
Quinn Associates provides marketing, grant-writing and classes to a wide variety of performing organizations. They wanted their site to serve as both an advertisement of their services and a resource for their clients, so we built an online members-only area for value-added content, and a custom-built database app for them to manage their membership and course offerings. Finally, the site is built in conjunction with Macromedia Contribute, so they can update it themselves.
Site features include:
- Client-managed course catalog, with secure enrollment via their front-end
- Built for Contribute, so the client can self-maintain.
- Judicious use of Flash for header ornamentation.
SF Playhouse
www.sfplayhouse.org
Although a relatively young company, The SF Playhouse has quickly gained a name for itself in the theatre scene, with a list of awards a mile long. They were working with an old, hard-to-maintain, rollover-based site that was proving too rigid to accommodate their rapid growth. We built them a standards-based site that is easily extensible, putting the information their audience wanted right up front.
Site features include:
- Database integration of their subscription, donation and mailing list forms.
- CSS-based layout allows for easy updates and fast loading times.
California State Oriental Medicine Association
www.csomaonline.org
CSOMA came to us with a website hosting and content management system (CMS) already in place, they just wanted a front-end redesign. They wanted a clean, simple design that would put the content up front and would work within the parameters of their CMS.
Pursued by Bear is happy to work with the systems and people you already have in place to get the site you want. Whether you want something brand-new from the ground up or something built in conjunction with a designer or infrastructure that you already have in place, we'll make it work.
Magic Theatre Company
www.magictheatre.org
The Magic Theatre is the premiere company in the Bay Area for new plays. They wanted a fresh, bold design that would reflect their programming as well as their printed materials, while keeping enough flexibility to cover the wide range of productions and special events the company produces. They've also been early-adopters of online video, producing trailers and excerpts of their plays for the website.
Site features include:
- Dynamic calendaring system, maintained by staff through an administrative backend
- Secure online subscriptions and donations
- Online video in both Quicktime and Flash video formats
Southern Rep
www.southernrep.com
Southern Rep is a widely-respected theatre in New Orleans that focuses on exciting new work. Because of the wide variety of work that they put on, their site is frequently re-customized to fit the needs of whatever they're doing next.
Site features include:
- Rotating images on every page keep the site interesting and remind returning patrons of favorite past shows.
- Integration with tix.com for ticket sales and classes.
- Customizable stylesheet allows for flexibility in layout depending on current needs.
