So I am in a lull of business. Every business has them, so no big deal. Still, I am antsy and want to do something...anything...so there I was surfing and reading web design related blogs and forums. I kept watching the Tweets come across Twitteriffic from 99designs. I decided that it was past time I go check it out again, so off I went.
Now I couldn't just leave it at that. I entered a 99designs design contest. In particular, I entered a logo design contest. I've already gotten positive feedback on the design which makes me happy. I don't know if I'll be the final winner, but I put myself out there to be seen. We'll see.
You can see the contest entries I have submitted thus far here: Stacey's 99 designs folio.
I spent an hour or so late last night browsing through other contests to see what was out there and to see if there was anything else I could do quickly. I didn't find too much else that I was immediately inspired with ideas to put together, so thus far I have only entered the one contest. I'll continue to try though.
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Monday, December 14, 2009
Maybe I'll get that quilt made after all.
I have been fabric store hopping lately. As many of you know, this is not my favorite thing to do, especially with a 5 year old in tow. However, it must be done. To date, I almost have the gift for Ben's step-mother made (almost finished) and a quilt made for Ben's brother. Yay me! The gift for Sally is absolutely BEAUTIFUL! Andrew has declared that he thinks that Sitty will like it. I think Paul will be delighted regardless.
Anyway, Mom has been buying quilting magazines and I've been flipping through them. I don't have to buy the magazines as she buys them. Of course, I have to confess that if I find a LOT of things in a single magazine that I would put together myself, I will buy the magazine. I did buy the one that Sally's gift came from. It has lots of nice things in it.
Let me remind you that I still have a LOT of fabric that I was collecting to make Margaret a quilt. I decided a few weeks ago that I'd make it for myself to enjoy and I'd always remember who it was for and why. Finding the perfect quilt design isn't always easy. I wanted to do a "starry night" type design. Well, flipping through one of mom's magazines this past week, I found one that with modifications might actually work for what I am envisioning. I will sit on it for a while, I am sure. Mostly because I have too much going on already. I need more time in the day to get everything done.
Anyway, Mom has been buying quilting magazines and I've been flipping through them. I don't have to buy the magazines as she buys them. Of course, I have to confess that if I find a LOT of things in a single magazine that I would put together myself, I will buy the magazine. I did buy the one that Sally's gift came from. It has lots of nice things in it.
Let me remind you that I still have a LOT of fabric that I was collecting to make Margaret a quilt. I decided a few weeks ago that I'd make it for myself to enjoy and I'd always remember who it was for and why. Finding the perfect quilt design isn't always easy. I wanted to do a "starry night" type design. Well, flipping through one of mom's magazines this past week, I found one that with modifications might actually work for what I am envisioning. I will sit on it for a while, I am sure. Mostly because I have too much going on already. I need more time in the day to get everything done.
Friday, November 20, 2009
It doesn't come cheap
I am always surprised by those who ask if I can design a website for them and then can't understand why it costs so much. A web presence can cost a little or a lot. It all depends on what you need and want. Period.
Let me put it into perspective for you...there is more to web design than you [the client] just typing up a bunch of text and me [the designer] copying and pasting that text onto the web. It just doesn't work that way.
First you have your visual representation. Someone has to design that. Since I am the designer being hired for the service, that would be me doing the designing of this representation. Even if you come to me with all these ideas, someone has got to make these ideas become reality. That would be me, the designer. Since often times this is a matter of jumping through a process of "mind reading" followed by "signal interpretation and translation," time becomes a precious commodity. Once we've gotten the idea verbalized and the initial representation in a visual format, there are hours of fine tuning. Fine tuning can be as complicated as the client makes it. If you're picky, you use more time. If you're easy, go happy, you get off lucky.
Once we've got the visual representation in a "graphical" format, it is time to make it WORK on the web. Since we have a variety of computer platforms to work on (Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7, Mac OS X Leopard, Mac OS X Snow Leopard, etc) and an even larger variety of web browsers to work with (Internet Explorer 6, 7, 8, Firefox, Safari, Chrome, etc) on just as many monitor sizes and resolutions...your head will spin if I tell you can't make it identical for each and every user without sacrificing other key things like usability and speed. Similar is GOOD ENOUGH in the web industry. If it works on Internet Explorer, then we cannot always call it good. If it works in all of the browsers and looks equally well then we can call it good. Notice I said, "equally well" not "identical?" There is a process of tweaking and fine tuning it.
Now that we've got it work nicely in all the various web browsers on a variety of monitor sizes and resolutions and on the various computing platforms...it is time to actually put the data in. Did you know that if you send me something in Word, I CAN copy and paste it into your website? Great! Problem solved, right? NOT! If you use special characters, I have to find them all and enter in the code for each one so that it will display correctly on all of the previously mentioned situations. Someone actually has to tell the content how it is SUPPOSED to look. I don't just look at the screen, push CTRL+V and tell it to be a certain way. It doesn't work like that. I have to make it look that way. Remember that plain text works best because it requires the least amount of editing out of various things (curly quotes, special characters, formatting, etc). Just because you typed it into Word that way does it mean that it will show up on the screen that way just because you sent me the document. Someone has to make it look that way and that takes time!
Then we have all the testing, tweaking, changing, and fixing "your" typos because I've copy and pasted everything directly from the very Word document you sent me.
There is the editing of images that you provide. Someone has to make them the right size, cropping, straightening, color correcting, and even compressing them to make them appropriate for the website design and the web itself. If all of the pictures on your website are only 300 pixels wide and you've sent me pictures that are 1200 pixels wide, someone has to make sure they they EFFICIENTLY work on your website. Yes, that means that I might have to process those pictures myself and that takes time.
So when you go to get a professional website created for you, check your ego at the door. Your limited budget might not be enough for the services you require/request. If this is the case, then either settle for less and expand or go and save up more funds in your budget and try again.
Web design is not free. It is not cheap. Web design is a skill that should not be shrugged off as cheap simply because many of us enjoy what we're doing. If it takes someone else's time, it costs money.
Let me put it into perspective for you...there is more to web design than you [the client] just typing up a bunch of text and me [the designer] copying and pasting that text onto the web. It just doesn't work that way.
First you have your visual representation. Someone has to design that. Since I am the designer being hired for the service, that would be me doing the designing of this representation. Even if you come to me with all these ideas, someone has got to make these ideas become reality. That would be me, the designer. Since often times this is a matter of jumping through a process of "mind reading" followed by "signal interpretation and translation," time becomes a precious commodity. Once we've gotten the idea verbalized and the initial representation in a visual format, there are hours of fine tuning. Fine tuning can be as complicated as the client makes it. If you're picky, you use more time. If you're easy, go happy, you get off lucky.
Once we've got the visual representation in a "graphical" format, it is time to make it WORK on the web. Since we have a variety of computer platforms to work on (Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7, Mac OS X Leopard, Mac OS X Snow Leopard, etc) and an even larger variety of web browsers to work with (Internet Explorer 6, 7, 8, Firefox, Safari, Chrome, etc) on just as many monitor sizes and resolutions...your head will spin if I tell you can't make it identical for each and every user without sacrificing other key things like usability and speed. Similar is GOOD ENOUGH in the web industry. If it works on Internet Explorer, then we cannot always call it good. If it works in all of the browsers and looks equally well then we can call it good. Notice I said, "equally well" not "identical?" There is a process of tweaking and fine tuning it.
Now that we've got it work nicely in all the various web browsers on a variety of monitor sizes and resolutions and on the various computing platforms...it is time to actually put the data in. Did you know that if you send me something in Word, I CAN copy and paste it into your website? Great! Problem solved, right? NOT! If you use special characters, I have to find them all and enter in the code for each one so that it will display correctly on all of the previously mentioned situations. Someone actually has to tell the content how it is SUPPOSED to look. I don't just look at the screen, push CTRL+V and tell it to be a certain way. It doesn't work like that. I have to make it look that way. Remember that plain text works best because it requires the least amount of editing out of various things (curly quotes, special characters, formatting, etc). Just because you typed it into Word that way does it mean that it will show up on the screen that way just because you sent me the document. Someone has to make it look that way and that takes time!
Then we have all the testing, tweaking, changing, and fixing "your" typos because I've copy and pasted everything directly from the very Word document you sent me.
There is the editing of images that you provide. Someone has to make them the right size, cropping, straightening, color correcting, and even compressing them to make them appropriate for the website design and the web itself. If all of the pictures on your website are only 300 pixels wide and you've sent me pictures that are 1200 pixels wide, someone has to make sure they they EFFICIENTLY work on your website. Yes, that means that I might have to process those pictures myself and that takes time.
So when you go to get a professional website created for you, check your ego at the door. Your limited budget might not be enough for the services you require/request. If this is the case, then either settle for less and expand or go and save up more funds in your budget and try again.
Web design is not free. It is not cheap. Web design is a skill that should not be shrugged off as cheap simply because many of us enjoy what we're doing. If it takes someone else's time, it costs money.
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Calling in sick!
So the past few days I hadn't felt fabulous. Not awful but not great either. Fall allergy season is in full swing and has been for a while. I chalked it up to allergies. That's what it is this time of year. The sinus headaches are pretty indicative of what is going on. They have been bad lately. The stuffiness had increased. No surprise there. Then the sore throat started. Again, no surprise when combined with stuffiness. This is normal for this time of year. NO BIG SURPRISE! 'Tis the time of year...
Well, Sunday and Monday rolled around and I was more stuffy still. Ick! It is still manageable, but annoying.
Tuesday, rolled around and I couldn't stop the runny nose. Nothing was working. I was starting to think that it might be a bit more than allergies.
Tuesday morning my sister and niece were diagnosed with Influenza A by the doctor (both tests came back positive). My sister said that she was feeling OK otherwise, not exceptionally sick. She chalked the headache up to another migraine and the stuffiness to allergies. Nothing out of the ordinary. The only thing that Katlynn complained about was the really bad headache and she came home from school on Monday afternoon with a 102˚F fever. Yikes!
So I went ahead and called the doctor's office. I figured the worst is that I'd have to wait a couple of days for an appointment and it would either run its course or it would get worse. So I set my appointment for today at 2pm. I would take the appointment even if it was just for follow-up on the blood work and test that were run a few months ago.
Well I woke up this morning with the facial pain and the nasty goo in the nose. The runny nose was replaced by thick, sticky goo. I hate this phase! So I was glad that I had already scheduled my appointment because I was going to need it.
Sinus infection!
No surprise there, really. Repeat offender here. They happen. If you get to them soon enough they go away, if not you suffer and suffer and suffer some more. So I've started my antibiotics and hopefully will feel better in a couple of days.
Well, Sunday and Monday rolled around and I was more stuffy still. Ick! It is still manageable, but annoying.
Tuesday, rolled around and I couldn't stop the runny nose. Nothing was working. I was starting to think that it might be a bit more than allergies.
Tuesday morning my sister and niece were diagnosed with Influenza A by the doctor (both tests came back positive). My sister said that she was feeling OK otherwise, not exceptionally sick. She chalked the headache up to another migraine and the stuffiness to allergies. Nothing out of the ordinary. The only thing that Katlynn complained about was the really bad headache and she came home from school on Monday afternoon with a 102˚F fever. Yikes!
So I went ahead and called the doctor's office. I figured the worst is that I'd have to wait a couple of days for an appointment and it would either run its course or it would get worse. So I set my appointment for today at 2pm. I would take the appointment even if it was just for follow-up on the blood work and test that were run a few months ago.
Well I woke up this morning with the facial pain and the nasty goo in the nose. The runny nose was replaced by thick, sticky goo. I hate this phase! So I was glad that I had already scheduled my appointment because I was going to need it.
Sinus infection!
No surprise there, really. Repeat offender here. They happen. If you get to them soon enough they go away, if not you suffer and suffer and suffer some more. So I've started my antibiotics and hopefully will feel better in a couple of days.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Been busy working...
This post has been a long time coming, but I am making it now. It is long over-due. The wait, however, has been worth it...I almost completely done with the website I a doing for JJ Smith. It has totally transformed and is not recognizable as anything near the original intended website.
Last year I started working for JJ trying to design him a website for his interior decorating business. Things didn't go very quickly at first. Then Hurricane Ike rolled through town and that slowed things down even more. Then you complicate it further with the slowing economy. Things nearly crawled to a complete stop.
Directions changed, however. If you want to survive sometimes you have to redirect your interests and purpose. This is exactly what JJ did. Instead of designing a website for an interior decorating business, we set out to design a website for his interview coaching business.
Initially, it was slow. It seemed the cards were stacked against us. Times were not lining up, scheduling meetings was nearly impossible, etc. You name, we had it. I actually ended up designing a full-page magazine ad for him first. He fell in love with the ad. I have to confess that I am pretty partial to it myself. I saw it in black & white and color and it looks fabulous in both versions! I love it!
I am glad to say that today, the site is almost completely finished. I still have a few things to finish up, but nothing major. I need to add another table of data, finish adding some pictures, add some valid links to articles written by JJ, and get some web tracking stuff set-up for it.
I am truly delighted with the results. If you are interested, check out JJ Smith at winnerviews.net! While he has coached primarily pageant contestants, his skills can be applied to a variety of interviews. If you're needing help nailing an interview, he is worth looking into. He's extremely personable, up front, and truly a delight to converse with. Check him out!
Last year I started working for JJ trying to design him a website for his interior decorating business. Things didn't go very quickly at first. Then Hurricane Ike rolled through town and that slowed things down even more. Then you complicate it further with the slowing economy. Things nearly crawled to a complete stop.
Directions changed, however. If you want to survive sometimes you have to redirect your interests and purpose. This is exactly what JJ did. Instead of designing a website for an interior decorating business, we set out to design a website for his interview coaching business.
Initially, it was slow. It seemed the cards were stacked against us. Times were not lining up, scheduling meetings was nearly impossible, etc. You name, we had it. I actually ended up designing a full-page magazine ad for him first. He fell in love with the ad. I have to confess that I am pretty partial to it myself. I saw it in black & white and color and it looks fabulous in both versions! I love it!
I am glad to say that today, the site is almost completely finished. I still have a few things to finish up, but nothing major. I need to add another table of data, finish adding some pictures, add some valid links to articles written by JJ, and get some web tracking stuff set-up for it.
I am truly delighted with the results. If you are interested, check out JJ Smith at winnerviews.net! While he has coached primarily pageant contestants, his skills can be applied to a variety of interviews. If you're needing help nailing an interview, he is worth looking into. He's extremely personable, up front, and truly a delight to converse with. Check him out!
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