It's a Web designer, it's traditional, it's Shazamm!

Company: Shazamm, LLC
Location: 725 Branch Ave., Providence
Web site: www.shazamm.net
Owners: Chief Executive Officer Dana Paul, President of Operations Jim Deacon and President and Head Designer Keith Sereby
Employees: 14
Established: 1999
Annual sales: WND

Not unlike the comic book superhero it is named for, Providence Web design firm Shazamm has burst onto the tech scene like a flash of lightning.

With national clients like ESPN, Field & Stream, Outdoor Life and Tommy Hilfiger, and local ones such as DefendNet, Network Six, Synet and the Koffler Group, Shazamm has established a significant presence in only a year and a half.

The company's Cranston-born Chief Executive Officer Dana Paul has a background in photography, but "I knew I wanted to be part of the Web," he said.

In fact, what sets Shazamm apart, Paul said, is that all three of the company's principals -- Paul, Jim Deacon, president of operations and Keith Sereby, president and head designer -- have their roots in print design.

"We work from old school," he said. "We're all artists. Everyone who works here has some kind of art background."

Today, Shazamm is most noted for its Web sites, but still produces "traditional" design materials as well, having created the logos for the X-Games, McCoy Stadium and the PawSox mascot, "Paws" the polar bear.

With an initial investment of only $3,500 -- and no venture capital -- Shazamm started in Deacon's living room, just three guys armed with computers and a cell phone telling clients "no, it's okay, don't come to our office - we'll come to you," Paul joked.

Today, operating from 4,000 square feet of office space in an old Wanskuck textile mill, Paul said the company's sense of fun is still the same.

"Coming in here is like recess," he said. "What better job is there than coming in here every day and creating stuff? That's what clients pay us to do."

Here's how the process works: Each of Shazamm's clients gets its own team consisting of a designer, programmer, art director, project manager and project liaison. Once a team is assembled, they begin the process of evaluating a client's needs and developing the project.

Paul said each team member is usually juggling three or four clients at a time.

The most important parts of the process? Speaking the same language and understanding the client's product or service.

"The designers and the programmers have to work hand-in-hand," he said. "With great design comes great functionality. When something is well designed, it just flows. You have to understand the product to do the art," said Paul.

Ironically, one of Shazamm's toughest assignments was creating a Web site for another artist.

"It was challenging because we were working for an artist," Paul said. "A Web site is a living, breathing thing. We try to treat it that way whether it's for a nurse (the product Bee Safe, a bee repellant that does not harm the bee) or a world-famous artist (Anthony Russo). We want to help them get their message across."

Earlier this month, Shazamm covered the inaugural ESPN Action Sports and Music Awards. Throughout the evening, photos of nominees, attendees, musical guests, Black Sabbath rehearsal and performance photos as well as images taken throughout the evening were available online at espneventmedia.com.

Photographers, armed with digital cameras, captured the images they wanted on disk. Then, a runner would take it to a technician who loaded the image onto the Web site.

Press from all over the world could access and download photos for publication by registering online with ESPN - Paul said he expects to see some of the images Shazamm captured in the next issue of Rolling Stone.

Paul said that ultimately, Shazamm's goal is quality over quantity.

"We're not in this to get as many Web sites out there as possible," he said. "We're out there because we're proud of our work."

As important, Paul said, is the quality of life of Shazamm's employees.

"What we're trying to create here is a lifestyle company," he said, and sometimes that includes playtime -- with toys. "It's amazing what a dart gun can do. You have to have fun."

And that has rewards beyond a relaxed, playful atmosphere where a conference call with a client can be capped off with a spontaneous whiffle ball game.

"It's like a family," Paul said. "When you're family members, you want to work twice as hard because you don't want to disappoint a family member. Your company is only as good as your people."

Paul said one of the challenges of running a business in Rhode Island is, well, running a business in Rhode Island.

"Most of our clients are not in Rhode Island," he said. "Rhode Island clients, you have to educate on spending money. But, the beauty of the Web is that we don't physically have to be in New York to have New York clients. We don't have to be in L.A."

But why Providence?

"Why not Providence?" Paul asked. "The rent is great, the Providence art scene is just getting ready to explode. We're an hour and a half away from Boston, it's only a three hour drive from New York."

Another challenge for the company has been hiring. Paul said that reviewing as many as 100 resumes doesn't necessarily guarantee a hire.

"Finding the caliber designer we're looking for is hard," he said. "And it's not just a great artist, it's a personality thing. People always say 'Who are your competitors?' We are. I look at Keith -- everybody -- and go 'How did he do that?' That raises the bar for everybody else. You push yourself to a level where you've never been before. When you worry so much about what everybody else is doing, you're not paying attention to yourself."

As for the future, Paul said he hopes the company he is passionate about will continue to grow.

"This company was built on being proactive," he said. "If you're waiting for someone to pick up the phonebook and call you, you might as well close your doors. Where I see Shazamm going is just being known as a high-end design company. When a Fortune 500 company is looking for a designer -- whether it's print, media or Web -- we are on their radar screen."