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Who We Are

Troutstream is a confederation of designers and illustrators. Each website is a unique project, and it requires unique talents.

Troutstream originated in Montreal, Québec. The next shop was set up in Chicago, where Troutstream took its current shape. It is now centered in Amherst, MA. Its owner, Steve Harris, has been programming computers since 1982. After beginning in Fortran on a mainframe, he now programs in C and Java. He's been working in graphic design since 1986, all on Macintosh. Since then, he has worked for a number of North American design firms as an illustrator and designer.

What We Do

Troutstream specializes in high-information websites. Whether it's an academic department's site or on-line help for your customers, Troutstream guarantees satisfaction. An efficient structure and pleasant design combine to make your site easy to use. With Troutstream, the design will never get in the way of your information.

We offer custom pages and three standard packages. You can order a single page, any number of pages, an entire site, or take advantage of our package deals. When the IT person who helped you set up your page is snatched away by Microsoft, you may find your site impossible to upgrade. If you buy from Troutstream, you have Eternal Support. Problem with your site? Call or email anytime for as long as you want. We made it, we'll fix it. (Of course, we limit our promise to the site itself. We won't come and fix your computer!)

The design principle at Troutstream is Elegance. Employing a minimalist aesthetic, Troutstream delivers pages based on traditional assumptions about spacing and organization. Simplicity matters.

We can also animate your pages. We can offer 3-Dimensional design, 3-D text, terrains, models, and so on. If you'd like a short cartoon, a three-dimensional fly-around of a product or campus (show customers how to get to your office), we can do it. We can track your users, create mailing lists, offer security, password protected sections of your site, on-line surveys, and so on. Tell us what's on your mind and we can make it happen.

We offer customized interfaces, too. These are customized icons, backgrounds, menu's, dialog boxes, applicaiton icons, and so on. Personalize your entire Mac desktop. How would you like your scroll bar to display your logo?

We offer customized programs. Let's say you want a searchable database of all your customers with accompanying notes. We can do it. Or a slide show that can be viewed on the computer? We can do that, too. Or a customized calculator (there's one available free on this site)? Yup. Tell us what you need, and we'll hop to it.

Finally, we also offer custom illustrations. Need a book cover? A graphic for a presentaiton? For a pamphlet? An article? A report? Whatever you need, we can do. Email us now.

Why Troutstream?

Troutstream is small. This means dedicated service. Your contract won't be pawned off to a nameless rookie in some huge suburban warehouse. Your concerns won't be met with hold music. And you won't have to design your needs to meet a telephone menu.

Troutstream knows information. From information resources to newsletters to library systems, we understand the complex environment in which you work. We know your audience and we know its needs.

Troutstream is (di)versatile. Whether it's graphics (buttons, banners, photographs, and so forth), scripts, or programs, Troutstream puts it all together for you. You don't need to hire two or three different people to get a single job done. Troutstream can deliver it all.

Troutstream is responsive. We can turn your contract around in a matter of weeks. While some of the larger houses can take months, Troutstream guarantees a product quickly.

And Troutstream is inexpensive. Because we're not a large house, we don't need to pay for the office, the employees, the file cabinets, the free coffee, the company picnics, and the endless lunches and office supplies that end up cluttering your invoice and draining your pockets. Our prices are more than competitive: they're ridiculous. But we're getting started, we're young. We're willing to sacrifice financial return for customer loyalty. You get a deal, we get a chance to build.

But as far as the name is concerned, if you've never set foot in a stream to lure trout to a rise, no explanation is possible. If you have, no explanation is necessary. Troutstream tries to capture in its every design the simplicity, elegance, and respectful relationship to one's environment that characterizes a day in a troutstream.




©1999-2001 Troutstream Design
py;1999-2001 Troutstream Design