FMBA Local 19
I’ve completed the basic design and Drupal installation/implementation for this group.
A little extra challenge was added with the client’s request of a separate member area. That requirement was my main reasoning for using Drupal, knowing that the Access Control module combined with CCK would give me the tools I needed to keep their member sections separate.
The site is still in need of content, which will be added as provided by the client, but I am very glad to be able to call the basics of the site finished. I look forward to continuing to act as the site’s main admin and content wrangler for the foreseeable future.
If you’d like to check out the real thing, you can visit fmba19.com.
Author website – Completed!
As you can see from the screenshot above, I’ve finished my author website. Much happier with the redesign. The brown was nice and simple, but I like the pop this version has. I may go back and play with that other version and see if I can get it to sing a little more and release it as a theme.
Yes, that is pink you see there. Lots of it. Much more than I am usually comfortable with, but it works, so I’m not going to complain.
I ended up using Cufon rather than @fontface for the typography. It works beautifully and was quite easy to implement. I’m not concerned about the javascript usage as this method degrades fairly gracefully.
In other design news, I am currently working on a site for a local FMBA chapter as well as Appleseed Yoga’s site. Both interesting, challenging projects, which I’ll detail once they are a little further along.
There is also a buzzing in my brain to get another Shakespeare sonnet wallpaper done and possibly tackle another design project. Again, more details forthcoming, because I like being cryptic like that.
General Update…
I have a couple things going on this week that I’d like to share.
First, Appleseed Yoga & Wellness have chosen their logo and I’ll be posting their choice when I finish off the rest of the identity package.
Secondly, I have rearranged a few pages here in the back end. My personal projects page has a few updates and I’ve added a Freebies page to house my desktop wallpapers. I do hope to expand on the offerings there soon and include themes for various blogging platforms and such.
Lastly, I have decided to move in a different direction on my author website. The design still works for me and I may be developing it into a WordPress theme for release, but I think something with a bit more visual interest may indeed be what I want. I’m in the research phase now and will post any progress I make as soon as I can.
Thanks for checking in!
Author website…
I’ve officially started the redesign of my personal author website. The domain name will be purchased shortly, but the design is just about ready to move to the coding stage. I’m planning on sticking with WordPress, it’s the platform I’m most familiar with and it’s more than flexible enough for the needs of this site.
The mock-up has been completed in Photoshop. My main goal for this site was to keep this as clean as possible in order to focus on the text which, on an author’s site, is more important than usual. I also wanted to utilize @font-face and reduce any requirement for imagery (including custom text) down to zero. The entire look of the site will be completely handled in css!
And here’s a preview:
Freelance – Appleseed
Appleseed Yoga and Wellness has asked me to handle their entire identity! I’m very excited about this project, it’s quite a challenge.
I’ll be handling everything from the logo and letterhead to their website and forums to all of their promo materials and anything else they come up with for me to do.
Here’s the first round of logo designs. I’ll let you all know which one they pick!
The Sonnet Project
I’ve started a new personal project!
After reading all of Shakespeare’s sonnets last autumn, I started mulling this idea over in my head. I wanted to wait until the first piece popped its head up before I posted anything, but it finally arrived this morning and now I have no excuse to keep mum about the project.
I am designing a desktop wallpaper for each of the sonnets, all 154 of them. No, this is not going to be finished in a week or two. That way lies madness. Instead, I’m going to be posting them on a random schedule, whenever a new one is completed, it’ll go up. Simple as that.
If you’d like to check it all out, please feel free to follow the Tumblr (custom design coming soon!) I’ve set up for it, or keep an eye on the Flickr photo set I’ve created.
Change of projects…
The previously mentioned sites ended up being moved to Google Sites accounts. In the end, the time and cost of self-hosting was too prohibitive for the groups and, while not as nicely functional, the Google Sites setup is easy for the leadership to manage on their own.
I’ve helped them get things up and running, from retrieving their files from the old service to re-uploading them to the new, tweaking the theme of the sites, and helping them learn how to use the various features of the service.
I was glad to give the Google Sites service a good, thorough workout while I did this work. I’ve learned the limitations and can better recommend whether it would be useful to anyone else. In short, it’s not very flexible at all, but it does have the advantage of integrating all of Google’s various services into an easy-to-navigate site that someone with a basic level of web savvy should be able to handle on their own.
Three projects and a redesign…
I have two websites and a commemorative patch in the pipeline. I’ll also be redesigning my portfolio site.
The two sites are for a local Boy Scout troop and an EAA (Experimental Aircraft Association) chapter. I’m planning now, sorting what pages each site will need and how best to get them onto some kind of CMS. It’s mostly a no-brainer that I’ll be using Drupal. My only challenge with that choice is how to present either group’s newsletters, they’re pdf files. I’d like to have a simple list of files with download links. Either I’ll create a content type for them, or perhaps have a simple page and add them manually (though that would defeat the purpose of a CMS, right?). Once that decision is made, I can start planning the design.
Speaking of design, I’m excited to redo the portfolio. While I like how it is now, there are certain aspects I’m not happy with, such as the menu. I’m thinking of converting to WordPress while I’m at it. Why not use the best tools available? Right now I’m in the brainstorming stage. I need to decide what I want the portfolio to do and how best to present things. I rather like my mad scientist lab set up here, but I don’t think it would work for a more formal site. Still, I’d like to do something a bit more outside the box for the main site. Must think on this.
Freelance – PFS – final
I have completed the design and launch of the Professional File Systems website.
There were a few minor tweaks made since the original design was approved, but essentially it worked out exactly as planned.
The client was pleased and the job completed.
The completed website can be viewed at: professionalfilesystems.com
Freelance – PFS – design
I have finished the first draft of the design for Professional File Systems.
It’s a simple one page design, essentially a billboard on the web. This type of site is still challenging, for all its simplicity, as the limited amount of text and the static nature of the content mean that the placement and design of each object on the page is vitally important.
Once I get approval on the design, I’ll purchase the main image and begin coding it.
