March 5th, 2010
Fair warning…RANT! elements ahead…
Years ago, I wrote a high school paper on the Meat Boycott. My take-away lesson? That the individual consumer has economic power, which is wielded with the vote—or not—of consumer’s wallet. In other words, if you don’t like a company’s service, product, ethos…whatever…as a consumer, you have the power to vote NO!
Take Your Business Elsewhere*
Fast forward to 2010 and the adult world, where—for convenience, affordability, etc.—I will compromise. For example, though I aim for local/organic/in season groceries, coffee and bananas are never going to be local nor in season! I buy them because I desire them, keeping the kitchen stocked with these ‘essentials’. But I don’t buy bruised bananas or cheap coffee. If I cannot get quality, I do without and vote NO!
So it goes with groceries. Let’s move to service (or lack thereof). Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: #fail, data plan, ethos, future customer, lie, logic, mandatory, retain customer, service provider, Verizon, VZW
Posted in Service | 4 Comments »
February 21st, 2010
I had the pleasure of spending several hours today with my family (each on separate computers) doing a search for college scholarship and grant monies for our two oldest children. One of the things that totally frustrated and annoyed me was the complete omission of certain web usability features that would make the funding search experience, well…*nicer*.
What I mean is: simpler, faster, and easier to navigate. (I’m not even going to discuss how butt-ugly most of these sites were—that’s another rant!)
Nope, I just do not understand, why, why, WHY? the simplest of things were ignored when coding these sites. Really, rudimentary, web design 101 stuff! Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: acronym element, links, usability, Web Design
Posted in Web Design | 2 Comments »
February 6th, 2010
W3C Validators
We know about the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) Validation Service. Submit a site’s URL and get graded on valid HTML and/or CSS mark-up:
- pass, and you get to put a W3C validation banner on the site. (Not dissimilar to gold star stickers on a kindergartener’s bumblebee.)
- fail, and you get not only the opportunity to fIx the errors—but the actual answers! (Much like an open-book exam in a pass/fail class—with page number included!)
Pretty much a win/win scenario, speaking grade-wise.
Yes, But…Grading Was On a Curve
I was never much a fan of grading on a curve. Didn’t like getting my grade diluted. (Yeah, I was that student.)
Still don’t like curve grading. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: CSS, CSS Awards, CSS3, modern browser, validation, W3C
Posted in Web Design | 2 Comments »
January 26th, 2010
It’s been a long day, but I feel the need to share.
Today started early (7:30 am) when—after making lunches for the kids and sending them to school—I sat down w/coffee and email.
Designer/IT Help Desk
One of my Eastern time clients (I’m Pacific) was having trouble accessing his webmail (day 2). The day before, I had reset his password, tested the email, sent directions and screen captures, and generally tried to help him get ‘back in’ to Cubemail. He’s a bit impatient, not a computer geek, and in need of help. So I reset his password again, and spent 30 minutes or so putting together a VERY detailed email w/explicit instructions and screen captures for him to access his email via the front door of hosting company AND directly via webmail.
Wished him good luck and let him know that I was going to be out for most of the day, but I’d check in via email.
Note: I will not charge him for this time. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: graphic design, rates, small business, teenagers, value, wordpress
Posted in Web Design | No Comments »
January 10th, 2010
If you’re a web designer, and in particular, a print designer who has migrated to web design, you’re likely any or all of the following:
- accustomed to selecting & purchasing fonts based on client branding and application needs
- experienced with legally including/embedding necessary fonts with print-ready files to send to printer, sign fabricator, etc.
I understand.
Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: @font-face, browsers, Cufon, design, EULA, FLIR, font replacement, fonts, Helvetica alternative, Photoshop, progressive enhancement, PSD, sIFR, Typekit, typography, wordpress
Posted in Web Design | 4 Comments »
January 5th, 2010
I became a ‘Tweeter’ in 2009. Most of my contemporaries think I’m crazy. Mind you, we’ve all got kids who used MySpace, Facebook, etc. Text messaging is rampant and our kids are endlessly amused by their elders’ attempts at speedy texting. (Though I’ve greatly improved with my new QWERTY keyboard!) I understand. All that ‘friending’ stuff is, so…so…middle school…a place where no sane adult would ever return!
And yet, literally every small business coach/blog/guru recommended using Twitter. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: #DCTH, autofollow, Facebook, follow, Google, LinkedIn, MySpace, search engine optimization, SEO, social network, TweetChat, TweetDeck, Twitter
Posted in Social Media | No Comments »
January 3rd, 2010
Happy 2010 to Everyone!
I’ve just returned from a week of vacation with my family and dear friends in Tahoe. The quartet of masked figures below is me (on right) with my children atop Heavenly. My husband, poor Jim, had severe sciatica and was unable to ski/board with us. 
Nonetheless, we had a wonderful time visiting with our friends, Carlos & Cathy, their sons Alex & Thomas, and their 13-month-old Lab puppy, Molly. (Who loved, loved, loved our ‘boys’ Louis & Percy!)
Maddie, Zach, Jori and Me on Heavenly, Dec. 2009
Jim on left—smiling despite back pain! Louis and Percy (with coat) on a walk in snow. Maddie and Molly cuddling on sofa. Me and the girls (Maddie & Jori) in car to Kirkwood. (Which is a great resort, BTW!)
During vacation, I worked on our family blog—which is my new replacement for the photo collages I used to include in Christmas letters. Since we rarely get photos printed anymore, and since the kids all take the bulk of photos, I decided it would be a great idea to have an ongoing family blog—with the plan that all family members would contribute! Well…I’ve written posts and uploaded photos to every page, but no one else has contributed written content yet. (Big surprise!)
If nothing else, the family blog is giving me some experience with Thesis. I purchased the theme some time ago, but got in trouble with customizing it. It was simpler for me to work from ‘nekked’ themes like Starkers, Sandbox, and H5. But hey, I spent the money, so I figure I better use it! Out of the box it’s OK for getting up and running. As I find time during the year, I’ll play with it and customize the design to suit me.
In the meantime, (while Zach continues to celebrate Novembeard, Decembeard, Januhairy and Februhairy) I’ll be back to work. First up is EyeStyles site plus another new client project. Sooner or later I’ll also get around to fixing all the things that annoy me in the back end of this blog. (I learned SO much in 2009!)
Now…back to work!
Tags: Family, H5, Sandbox, Starkers, teenagers, Thesis, vacation, wordpress
Posted in Family | No Comments »
December 14th, 2009
It’s year end and time to take stock of the biz. Did I accomplish my goals? What is in store for 2010? Are my clients happy? Am I happy?
Overall, it’s been a good year. Though I didn’t reach my income goal, 2009 was better than 2008. In this economy, that’s a win! Plus, as long as my handy husband keeps our 13+ year-old washer & dryer alive, we’re good.
The Good Stuff
Clients
2009 brought new clients. And the best part—4 were new business launches. In this economy! How cool is that? I’m honored to have been entrusted with the design and development their identities, websites and business collateral.
Working with returning clients has also been a treat. Whether working on new projects, or simply being the go-to person for small additions or recommendations—being a trusted resource is wonderful! Great clients makes being in business a delight. I get to design good stuff for good people—win!
Technology
Wow—2009 has seen an explosion of new techie tools & treats! Keeping up leaves me breathless. Where to start? Here’s a few of my favs: Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: CMS, CSS3, design, economy, HTML5, small business, typography, wordpress
Posted in Web Design | No Comments »
December 5th, 2009
Really? I don’t think so. In fact, I’m seriously considering raising my rate. Why?
Because I’m Worth It.
Every. Single. Penny. When you hire me, you hire:
- a project manager
- a creative director
- a researcher
- a content editor
- a writer
- an art director
- a buyer
- a site planner
- a designer
- a programer/devleoper
- and more
My clients are small business owners.
They don’t work with large agencies. But they don’t want their cousin’s daughter’s best friend to ‘draw’ their logo. Nor, do they want their sister’s son (who’s taking a Dreamweaver class!) to put together their website.
My clients are smarter than that.
They realize the importance of their company’s brand. They need logos and signage. They need websites and ads. They need brochures and direct mail. But they’re not sure where to start. They need a more than a pretty layout.
That’s where I come in. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: bidding, branding, cost of business, crowdsource, economy, experience, oDesk, outsourcing, rates, spec, value
Posted in Web Design | 3 Comments »
November 29th, 2009
Eye Styles Now Open
When last I wrote about logo design, I was performing logo triage to repair botched logo design by an online ’service’, See my earlier 3-part blog. Just this week, the exterior signs were installed, the business cards delivered, and coupons printed. Next week, we’ll be printing an A-board sign while I work on the website. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: 2-color art, deboss, die cut, environment, logos, PCW paper content
Posted in Print Design | No Comments »
