Gubernatorial Candidates Web Site Design Firms: Followup
Of all of my blog posts, the one that made the biggest splash was the one where I attempted to figure out which designers created each candidate’s web sites. Of particular interest to me was whether or not the candidates hired Maine-based firms.
The primaries are now behind us. To recap, Eliot Cutler hired a New Hampshire based firm, and Paul LePage hired a firm from Bangor, ME. At the time I wrote the article, I was unable to determine who designed Libby Mitchell’s site. Now that she is the nominee, I decided I’d try a little harder to figure it out.
I started going through all of the CSS files, one at a time. For non-geeks, CSS files are the files that tell your web browser what the font, layout, colors, and pictures the site should be – in other words, the “pretty stuff” (as opposed to the actual text you read). It’s perfectly legal to look at these files – after all, your browser needs to be able to read them!
Mitchell’s site is a WordPress installation. Once I found the main WordPress theme CSS file, I hit pay dirt – because the file uses the standard template for a WordPress theme, there is a section to fill in the author. Here’s what it says:
/* Theme Name: Libby Mitchell for Governor Theme URI: http://www.libbymitchellforgovernor.com Description: Custom WordPress theme developed for the Libby Mitchell for Governor campaign. Created by Projects by CD2. Version: 1.0 Author: William Donahoe Author URI: http://projectsbycd2.com */
So, it looks like projectsbycd2 is the firm in question. If you go to their “site“, you’ll note that they don’t really have a web presence at all – it’s just a Facebook page (odd for an online/new media company). The phone number is in the 202 area code, and the video linked from their Facebook page clearly says that they are based in Washington, DC.
Unfortunately for Maine web designers, that means only one of the three major contenders for Maine governor used a Maine-based agency to create their web presence.
UPDATE: Folks have been discussing this on Twitter, and it’s a bit unclear what, if any, ties this firm has to Maine. It’s possible they have an office in Portland, ME. One of my Twitter followers found Donahoe’s LinkedIn profile. It shows that he attended school at Bowdoin, and is now attending Virginia Commonwealth University. I’ll keep you posted if I hear more.
June 10th, 2010 at 4:21 pm
Pitiful. As someone originally from Chicago, but setting deep roots here, I shouldn’t get too worked up about these things. But it really does seem disingenuous to campaign on the platform of job creation when your campaign isn’t even supported by Mainers. It’s not like the talent isn’t here.
Oh wait, I’m sorry, a bond package of temporary construction jobs is way better than putting your money in Maine’s technology sector.
September 4th, 2010 at 5:00 am
This is William from Projects by Chi/Donahoe + Cole/Duffey.
We’re incorporated in DC, but two of our partners (Cole/Duffey) are located in Portland. We’re all alumni of Maine colleges and universities.
Funny thing is I actually started working on Libby’s site when I was still living in Portland last year. If I didn’t get accepted to grad school I’d still be up there.