About Us

Philosophy

Bannister Design is rooted in the philosophy that professionals, small businesses, and organizations deserve better representation on the World Wide Web.  In our wired world, first impressions are made online—and those first impressions are just as important now as ever.  Website visitors instinctively infer a metaphor between the sophistication of a website and the credibility of the organization behind it.

"Website design" is in fact one part design, one part programming, and one part usability engineering.  If you've ever been to a website that looked pretty but nothing seemed to work...or one that seemed to take forever to load...or one whose inconsistent structure left you feeling lost in a maze of links...then you know firsthand what happens when one of these elements is ignored.

Although all of this is just as true for a sole proprietorship as it is for a Fortune 500 corporation, few cost-effective options exist for small businesses.  Most large web design firms scale their offerings to enterprise-level projects, leaving small businesspeople to fend for themselves.  Bannister Design exists to fill this void, and to empower small businesses to leverage the web to their best advantage.

Founder

John B. Northup has been designing and programming for the web for eight years.  He holds a Master's in information science from the University of Michigan and an undergraduate degree in communications from Goddard College.  He also serves as a volunteer editor for the Open Directory Project.  The "B." stands for "Bannister."

Community Affiliations

• Milan Area Chamber of Commerce
• Saline Area Chamber of Commerce
• Ypsilanti Area Chamber of Commerce
• American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators