Amphibian Design
The about page at Amphibian Design scores high on the “I wouldn’t mind grabbing a beer with that guy” scale.

Amphibian is a graphic design and digital construction empire with humble beginnings in a one bedroom apartment in Winnipeg, MB, Canada. Today it has grown to have offices in … well, one city … and employ over … well, just one person worldwide. Nonetheless, Print Magazine’s 2005 Design Annual called Amphibian ”... a design agency I’ve never heard of.”*

I’ve been designing and building websites, posters, brochures, CD packaging, business cards, and other various forms of communication in the physical and virtual world since 1997. Sure, some of those early projects were “learning experiences.” However I think my body of work today speaks for itself.

Those with few resources who are working for peace and justice in this sad world have been known to get quoted on a sliding scale according to need, funding, and my own personal passion for their project.

It’s an oft overlooked secret to getting hired: Be likeable. A lot of “hire me” energy is spent on showing off and looking professional — education this, portfolio that, etc. But when you’re trying to attract moths to your flame, a friendly vibe and an easy-going attitude are a great place to start. Plus, you’re more likely to attract clients with the same attitude which can help lead to a saner existence.

(Btw, check out the subtle gradients at the site’s contact form and the in-your-face cover shot.) [tx Andy]

Jewelboxing tells a story
People like stories a lot more than sales pitches. One Thing Leads to Another tells the tale of how Jewelboxing came to be. Stories like this are a great way to show you truly care about what you make and create a connection with your audience.

After all the work that went into the shooting and editing and everything else it seemed like printing out some color sheets and putting the disc in a regular old jewel case was not the best way to make a first impression. We’re pretty good at finding things here and over the next couple days we looked at virtually every single disc packaging option available anywhere and decided that they all stunk.

Kevin had saved a promo disc of stock photography he received from Getty, not because we needed another disc full of serious looking businessmen pointing at computer screens or happy people on the phone, but because of the slick, modern hinged case it arrived in. We tracked down another, ripped all the paper out of them and then made our own inserts and sent the Slowtron series winging its way across the Atlantic. I’ll let you know what happens with that.

Anyhow, it didn’t take us too long to realize that there must be other firms and individuals who like us, wanted to put as much thought and effort into what our presentations discs were packed in as we did with the material that we were burned on them.

Brand new bag
Pinder makes thin laptop bags. It’s About Us page does a good job of presenting the company’s bags as a hip, socially conscious alternative to bigger competitors.

Pinder offers a new and interesting alternative to the boring and bulky laptop bags that are so pervasive today…

Pinder is a company that believes in being socially responsible while growing the business. We believe good business and social responsibility are not mutually exclusive. We are committed to donating 5% of our net revenues to your choice of 7 different charities…

We only use the best materials for our bags…every THIN bag includes padding underneath the zipper to protect your laptop and will even offer padding when the bag is upside down. We are so confident in the quality of our bags that every bag has the Pinder Lifetime Guarantee.

The Colonel and Julius Serpentine
Slantmouth’s about us “The Cabinet” page offers a couple of tongue-in-cheek web site bios.

The Colonel
Bona Fide Badass
Now, The Colonel is known for many things. Not least of which is his uncanny ability to speak to animals. It has been rumored that he lived in the Serengeti with a pride of Lions, where they taught him the ways of the plains. During his brief time with the French Foreign Legion, he was credited with 3,072 kills and 47 assists. He has been known to rip into an antelope to feast on its delicious innards from time to time, but mostly tries not to kill anyone. He is an angry, bitter man.

Julius Serpentine
Father of Multitudes
A graduate of the Oxmore School of Black Magic, Mr. Serpentine only uses his powers for the betterment of society. By “betterment of society” Mr. Serpentine usually means planting his seed in hot women. He has been called “Black Magic Johnny Appleseed” as well as “Homewrecker.” He is an extremely self-satisfied man.

Related: At ALA, Erin Kissane writes, “A natural, friendly, confident writing voice does much to humanize your site, and the About page is an ideal place to demonstrate great writing skills, even if the rest of your site needs to be quite technical.”

[“On Writing” is a new category of SvN post focusing on interesting online copy. If you spot some, send a link to svn [at] 37signals [dot] com and put “On Writing” in the subject.]