Friday, October 31, 2008

My "Day Job"

As I've mentioned, I'm a graphic designer/web programmer and own a company with my husband. Recently we launched THREE websites within one month. That means we've been busy!!

First up, Jakobe Furniture in Kansas City, Kansas.
Overview and before and after photos


Second, Wine & Roses, a popular charity wine tasting event in San Diego.
Overview and before and after photos

And last, but not least, San Diego Public Library Foundation
Overview and before and after photos

So, what have I done with these sites? I pretty much rebuild them from the ground up with the design and function. Some are more involved than others - for example, the San Diego Public Library Foundation site required a feature where the text and photos could be editable by the client. That meant that I had to program a database and the "public" and "administrative" ends of the website all while making sure the site looks "pretty."

Designers don't necessarily dabble in the programming and tend to design sites without thinking of how things will work with dynamic data. Programmers are more like the "nerds" who can make things work, but sometimes they don't think about making user-friendly interfaces. I like to consider myself as both nerd and designer. Yes, I got good grades in school, graduated top of the class, etc. But I've had a long-time love for design, arts and crafts. It's a nice balance.

We don't just do websites, although it is a majority of our business. We do print items (business collateral, brochures, etc) and marketing consultation as well.

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