2010
Some designs look great in Photoshop, but when the entire site is just one big image, it isn’t the most efficient use of HTML, to say nothing of standards compliance. Little compromises and creative use of CSS must be employed so that the spirit of the design is intact. An elegant fade here and a font replacement there are touches that can make the site beautiful from the outside, right down to the code.
2010
A promo site for a contest needs to tie into the core product’s site design and brand, while standing out as a unique and exciting event. Sometimes a lead image can accomplish this by communicating the core concepts of the contest while not actually presenting the product or contest format.
Polite Javascript gives above the fold calls to action without breaking the site for users who have scripting turned off.
2009
The one page website always wants to grow beyond a single page. Location details, contact or signup forms, and other necessarily information can clutter the impact of a single, promotion focused page. Javascript can help hide a quick webform or other key information until the user is ready for it, while keeping the site crisp and refined.
not yet final
A great number of Historic Hotels and Lodges in America are located within National Parks. Taking a cue from the parks’ iconic signage, the site invokes the rustic stature of its famous buildings. Dynamic JavaScript slide shows allow for the the quick consumption of detailed photos, while color coded fact sheets give a deeper look at hotel amenities.
2009
Creating a warm, friendly design with room to promote current events was the main directive for this church’s website. Offering informational content, podcasts, videos, blogs, and more, this site was another prime canidate for Drupal and it’s ability to deal with information uniquely based on content type. After looking at numerous slideshows for the promo area on the homepage, building one on my own proved to be simple and gave the client exactly what they wanted.
not yet final
Homegrown companies often have homegrown sites. As the company expands in new directions, new features are shoehorned into an existing homepage. Reorganizing an expansive site generally requires taking a hard look at site statistics to discover how your site is used and what information is being sought out.
JQuery is a fantastic tool for creating movement and life to your site without the accessiblity concerns of Flash. These promotional areas are a useful tool for introducing users to new content and bringing life to the page above the fold. They also help promote deeper content that can’t logically live at the top level of the navigation structure.
Working at Homestore in the height of the dot com boom taught me a great deal about communicating with multiple departments and personalities. I collaborated with artists, designers, editors, content contributors, developers, and quality assurance on a weekly basis.
Content is still king and the demands of a weekly release schedule required consistently producing an excellent product under the gun. Continuing to code by hand honed my HTML skills while giving an early introduction to CSS and JavaScript.