website re-design and migration

My website needs updating to Web 2.0: [login to view URL] I am looking for a redesign and migration of most of the pages found at this site. (I'm just finishing a redesign of the architecture and expect to delete 20 pages or more -- ignor the following folders which are not part of this project: ACIM, synchro1, ring-guard, non-business, diversity) There is a blog on this site. The blog is a WordPress blog, and the blog template would need to be updated to match the rest of the site. [login to view URL] DESIGN: Clean style, white background with generous whitespace TECHNOLOGY: I'm especially interested in enhancing the navigation with new technology, but not dancing baloney. Animated gifs, Flash, Ajax??, CSS are all possibilities. The final design will be tested on all browsers of recent vintage (IE, Netscape, Firefox, Opera). No audio is desired. Fast loading is imperative. EXAMPLES I like: [login to view URL] [login to view URL] (good use of white space, right hand navigation which I prefer) [login to view URL] (good use of animation) [login to view URL] (an idea to use a spare home page and have the interior pages more busy with copy) [login to view URL] (cutting edge design) [login to view URL] (elegant, high credibility) [login to view URL] (nice navigation) I have no problem with the idea of licensing a template from which to start. I've seen some templates on [login to view URL] which use Flash to animate the navigation to good effect and would be especially interested in this. Unfortunately, I haven't got an example to cite because their website does not allow me to capture a page cite. AUDIENCE: My visitors are busy executives. They are working on current platforms with broadband connections. However, they have no patience for sites requiring them to download the latest software for a visit. I despise sites which open with dancing baloney in Swish or Flash, requiring visitors to load the latest software to enter. THINGS THAT REMAIN THE SAME: The theme of the website remains: Ancestors of Laura Ricci, Supporting Good People Doing Great Things Colors should remain similar to current: Gold/yellow and red on white background There is a training manual on the site ([login to view URL]) and some of the pages there are well optimized and need to continue to draw traffic. Ergo, this manual probably cannot migrate to a PHP platform or some dynamic delivery system unless you have a way to create permalinks which copy my current URLs for at least the 8 - 12 pages now important traffic draws. There are some neat-o features on the website I'll want to keep. Please see these pages before bidding: [login to view URL] [login to view URL] (geo-locator of visitor's location) [login to view URL] (mouse over void at bottom) [login to view URL] [login to view URL] (animated GIF of dancing baloney!) MAINTENANCE: I must be able to maintain the site myself. I sporadically use templates now, and want the site almost completely done with templates or CSS. PHP is also a possiblity. MY LEVEL OF COMPETENCE FOR MAINTENANCE: This website was designed in 1996, before there were CSS or templates. It was beautifully handcoded, so all messes you find are mine. I've maintained it myself using Dreamweaver 3. The templates used on some, but not all pages, I created in Dreamweaver and added a few years after the website was created. Some CGI script was used and I don't touch that page to avoid ruining it. I was able to modify the blog template, migrate a blog from [login to view URL] to Wordpress hosted on my site, and install my blog. Some features were added to the blog with the help of contractors, the MySql database was installed by my ISP. PAYMENT: I will use the escrow account provided by this site. Payment is 1/3 when we have a complete project agreement and preliminary design. 1/3 when a site demo (homepage plus 20 pages) is live on your server and is working. 1/3 when the site is live on my server. OWNERSHIP: If you recommend purchasing a template, I would not want to pay for an exclusive license, just a use license. I do need legitimate license to all work on the site. Your work will be owned by my firm as work for hire. Any license which limits my ownership (such as a license for a template) must be fully disclosed and approved before purchase. WARRANTY AND CUSTOMER SERVICE: I expect 45 days of availability for fixes and questions. After that, I'm happy to pay for work when needed. COMMUNICATION: I Skype and have worked with contractors outside the US on a virtual basis. Your english skills should be good. I can be available for Skype calls after US business hours when necessary. I am the consultant represented by this website, ergo, I am working for clients to make the money to pay you while this project is underway. I can always respond within 24 hours, but am often NOT able to respond instantly. SCHEDULE: Please tell me what schedule is reasonable for you. I have timed this project to take place now because I expect my travel schedule to be light between now and the end of the year. My hope is to have the site live in the next 30 days so I can learn how to manage it before the end of the year. WHAT IS NOT INCLUDED IN THIS PROJECT?: You are not responsible for any copy writing. I will handle that separately. You are not responsible for architecture design. By the time this project begins, I will have made the changes in architecture I want and you are responsible for migrating the existing copy, images, and links to the new design. If we go to a database system, I realize I'll need to interact more with you to get everything set up properly. WHAT DID I LEAVE OUT? This is the first time I've used this site, so I hope I've given you enough information to make an informed bid. If not, I hope there is a way for you to contact me with questions before bidding.