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Absence Noted

06.16.08 Posted in Workflow by

Are there no Swings?

It’s been about a month since my last article or post. Most of the elapsed time has been spent renewing my Fireworks and Photoshop skills. The life of a self-proclaimed web developer means that not only must I stay current with the latest web technologies, but I must also continue to use my current tool sets to improve my work flow and efficiency while producing interesting content.

I’ve been working on a few projects that I hope will demonstrate my particular talents, especially with XHTML and CSS. But it will be the imagery that will hold folks attention. “A picture is . . .” goes the old saying. That’s why keeping up on using Fireworks or Photoshop is such an important part of web design. Using an image editor is a personal preference, but most would agree that without one, developing and designing a web site would be a lot more difficult and a lot less fun.

So, stay tuned for a variety of articles and posts covering things like jQuery, sIFR, Fireworks, and web standards, as well as new links to useful sites from my ever-growing list of admired developers and designers.

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Deep Canvas

05.24.08 Posted in Art & Photography by

After receiving what I thought was yet another unwanted marketing call, I was unexpectedly drawn into a great conversation about local design firms and the creative community here in Detroit. I followed one web address given by the caller and was introduced to the creative folks at “Elemental,” located in Troy, Michigan. After being wowed by their great web site, I received the added bonus of being directed to “deep canvas,” their social network for Detroit’s creative class. I fell in love instantly.

deepcanvas

Admittedly, I’m addicted to joining sites I like, but I rarely decide that I’d like them sufficiently enough to want to complete my profile, upload a picture, and submit a comment or blog article.  deep canvas changed my mind from the start. Not only can you submit articles and create a personalized profile page, you can avail yourself of the great content they offer and network with other artists, technophiles, intellectuals, and other such kewl and creative types.  And the content is extraordinary in my humble opinion.  Check out this abstract video that uses a data mapping technology set to a track by Blip Boutique called “Rest my Chemistry.”

Find more videos like this on Deep Canvas

I enjoyed this video so much I just had to include it on the DP site and send it to numerous friends on the West Coast. Not only do I recommend visiting the site, but if you are a creative living in or around the Detroit area, please join the network. I don’t believe you’ll be disappointed.

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What are you doing?

05.10.08 Posted in Workflow by

“Twitter” popped up on my radar today as I was thinking of how to best keep in contact with project teams or work groups.

twitter

I first noticed the Twitter feed button showing up on my favorite blogs about year ago, but I had no interest in just adding another colorful feed icon onto my own site. Twitter admits “it sounds ridiculous and stupid when you first hear about it” but it is, nevertheless, simple to set up and kind of addictive once you get going with it. If I’m working on a Web project involving a design team spread out across town, country or continent, I sometimes need a little nudge of motivation to keep me focused or to remove a creative blockage. Twitter allows my team to follow my creative process when I turn on the “follow me” features.

It does cause you to question why anyone would want people following their every thought, feeling, or disappointment, but you can just as easily extend the concept to some practical purposes for work or business.

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Going Public

05.02.08 Posted in Projects by

A project I’ve been working on involves a public relations firm based in Los Angeles. The challenge has been how to present a limited amount of content but still wow the audience. I selected a theme incorporated with JavaScript that gives the accordion effect.

going-public-pr

After a few more tweeks and some decision making by the client, the site should give the firm a simple, clean site that will promote their business objectives. At present, I’m not satisfied with the “contact” page, and I’m perplexed by the nuanced differences IE 7 is displaying versus Firefox. I’m searching for a creative solution that can fit within the boundaries imposed by the javascript. A good project nevertheless. Stay tuned for more . . .

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The Detroitpreneur

05.01.08 Posted in Projects, Workflow by

Many of my Trekcomputers colleagues remember the the first time I downloaded Joomla! and began to tear my hair out attempting to decipher its nuances and quirks.  Fast forward two years and given the time to finally learn a few things, I’m now prepared to revived the Detroitpreneur!.  Joomla! provides an excellent way to organize and display the ton of small business and entrepreneurship content I’ve stored up over the years.  Now if I can just find time to actually load the content onto the site, I think it could be of use to the small business training community.

The Detroitpreneur

I’ve begun to alter some images and create sections and categories, but it is a long way from a finished product.  As for the merits of this particular content management system, Joomla! 1.5 has become a lightened the learning curve some.  However, I still see many examples of how not to use Joomla! especially when content is light.  Joomla! is extremely powerful if fully utilized.  Stay tuned for progress reports as I attempt to change the style sheet and add a few third-party plug-ins and modules.

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