Andrew Keefer uses the tool of graphics to define a business and expand its market.
The freelance Web site and graphic designer has put companies - new and existing - on the fast track.
Pool Table Junkies, for example, was an "everyday business" in Arizona that had little funds for traditional advertising - and was without a Web site.
Keefer stepped in to show the world the company's products and services via the Web. Now, the business credits 90 percent of its business to their site, pooltablejunkies.com.
Keefer received his business license a year ago, traveling between Los Angeles and Arizona - until son Alex was born. His fiancée, Amanda Johnson, wanted to raise their son on home turf, having grown up in the area.
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His freelance business, Copa Media Design, is now based in Park Rapids, although he continues to serve clients in the southwest and internationally.
"A Web site is a résumé online," Keefer said.
Keefer designs graphics and logos to be used on business cards and letterheads, and then will send the creations into cyberspace. He designs new sites or infuses existing sites with innovative energy.
A name and contact information are not enough, he said. A Web site is a place where customers go to view the product, Keefer explained. "It's a reflection of the business."
Colors and the logo design itself "make a huge difference on the eye," he said. "Some of the biggest businesses are where they are because of the Internet," he said. "You can advertise in a thousand places for free."
Many small businesses shy away from a Web site, he said. But a site on the Internet can expand a company's market.
He will pick up the camera for customers, taking photographs to be used on sites. And he works with old and damaged photos, restoring and retouching images. A photograph in 10 pieces can be put back together via scanning techniques, he said.
"I'm hoping to create a local client base, so I'm offering services at prices for this market," he said. He will create a simple Web site, including logo and design, for $800.
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The graphics designer, currently learning techniques via experimentation and online courses, intends to head back to college for a degree in computer science.
His Web site, copamediadesign.com, is undergoing a redesign, and should be ready for viewing within a month.
To view his data base skills, go to copaclassifieds.com.
Another example of his work, for a limousine service in Phoenix, can be found at dchariot.com.
Keefer may be reached at 602-384-8333 or via e-mail, at
