About

Welcome to Drewery Publishing.  My name is Rodney Drewery and I’m a multi-media designer and web developer specializing in creative web publishing solutions for writers, artist, photographers, educators, and community organizations.  I really enjoy helping and teaching others how to take ownership of their online presence and introducing them to the wide variety of tools and applications that enable their communication needs.  I’m committed to exploring best practices and efficient work flows to unleash creativity and save my clients or employers time and expense.

Experience

I’m a web communications professional with working experience in information architecture (Business.com), developing portfolios using the Flash development environment (Queative.com), and maintaining complex Web properties (University of Detroit Mercy School of Law) using a host of proprietary and open source software tools. I’m experienced at designing and developing new Web pages using HTML/XHTML, CSS, and JavaScript, as well as producing electronic newsletter campaigns, tinkering with PHP and MySQL for dynamic data use, and evangelizing the merits of content management systems. In the area of multi-media, I continue to explore the principals of graphic design and the use of print publication tools with new media applications to solve design problems.  I will gladly accept Web projects requiring HTML, CSS, or JavaScript development, or print projects requiring layout, typography, color, photography, and illustration.

Design Philosophy and Process

I’ve been using the Internet since 1993 and fascinated with desktop publishing for nearly twenty years. Seventeen years of viewing source code, learning to use image manipulation and page layout tools, and frantically searching the Web for tips or tutorials that would help me make sense of rapidly changing technologies and design practices. Creatively, I’m inspired by the design and coding philosophies of heroes (Eric Meyer, Andy Clark, Dave Shea, and Jeffrey Zeldman) and sages who laid the foundations of today’s web standards, preached the gospel of accessibility, and taught us the practice of separating function, presentation, and behavior.  However, I am heavily influenced by designers of nearly every genre: architecture, product design, interior design, and magazine publishing.  I enjoy a minimalist approach to design and usability; lots of whitespace, the selection of the best typeface, behaviors and navigational elements that are unobtrusive to the user and the content.

I believe budget design doesn’t have to equate to poor or shoddy presentation.  As your Web developer or publication designer, and with respect to time and budget, I offer solutions that lead to usable Web sites and communicative print.  I strive to become a better visual designer, and I’m always discovering unique insights into the way code supports design considerations or how color and typeface enhance the printed page.  Since my workflows incorporate print, video, data management, and photography, the mix of old, new, and emerging technologies make being a multi-media designer a challenging, rewarding pursuit.

This Site

This site is always a work in progress.  Part blog, part portfolio, the site is an attempt to inform potential clients and employers about my abilities, talent and interest.  Over the course of 2010, I will try to add a mix of designs and creative explorations to mark my progress and motivate my insatiable interest and curiosity.  If it also inspires someone or starts a dialog, then that’s a great honor and a welcomed side benefit.