Colorado Author Chooses Agave & Squarespace FOr New WebSite

Sometimes All You Need Is A Quick Website To Get You Started

It’s no secret we love railroading here at Agave Studio. When our connections at the NRHS Intermountain Chapter introduced us to Conductor Brad, pen-name C.B. Blackforest, we were a little starstruck. See, Mr. Conductor is a pretty much world famous fixture on the only Amtrak train to call regularly at Denver (for now), the California Zephyr. He was also instrumental in helping restore the iconic Ski Train as the Winter Park Express a few years ago. Needless to say, we were absolutely floored when Conductor Brad asked Agave to design a site for his new book, The Last Zephyr, and his new publishing company, Alder Press. For now, the Colorado author just needed a one-page site to advertise his book, and direct people where to buy it. We said, “easy enough, all aboard!”

The Brief

For the one page website, Conductor Brad of course needed to advertise The Last Zephyr, direct people where to buy it, and feature pre-release reviews to drum up interest. All of these are so easy with the Squarespace platform, the designers and developers at Agave Studio could do it with their eyes closed. We pretty much did too!

The Process

The design team at Agave decided that Brad needed a quick logo to go along with his site, and we never shy away from going above and beyond for our clients. The logo design team drafted a stylized logo of the Silver Sky (one of the last passenger cars to run on the vintage California Zephyr, and the car featured on The Last Zephyr’s book cover), entering the Moffat Tunnel. This was fitting since Brad is also working on returning the Silver Sky to Colorado. An appropriate logo mark for the company!

The Squarespace experts then got to work laying out the website. Imagery would be important for the site, and after doing some research, the Squarespace designers found some vintage images of the Silver Sky and her running mates on the Zephyr to pepper throughout the site. The designers also chose a neutral, complimentary color palette based on the book cover as well.

The Result

The result is a one-page Squarespace site that has its design following its function. The site is an homage to Colorado railroading with photos of Denver’s Union Station and the Silver Sky throughout. Potential readers are directed where to buy The Last Zephyr online and by mail if needed, and they can also read advance praise for the book.

Are you an author looking to promote a new book or collection? Look no further than the Squarespace experts at Agave Studio. Not only does Squarespace have great tools for promotion, it also has powerful e-commerce capabilities to sell your book in-house. Say howdy to us today and let’s chat about how to give your work the digital presence it deserves.

Don’t forget to check out the Alder Press website below! If you love a story with a lot of adventure, check out The Last Zephyr on Amazon too.