It’s been a whirlwind couple of weeks, with 3 back-to-back trips, including my first An Event Apart Conference (#aea) in Seattle. No time for a detailed post on that amazing conference–instead I’ll simply put together a list. (in no particular order) we take high speed internet for granted. Trust me…free wi fi…Is. Not. Fast. train [...]

Out in the woods or in the city It’s all the same to me When I’m drivin’ free the world’s my home When I’m mobile Hee-hoo, beep beep Pete Townshend called it 40 years ago. And in 2011, the stats are clear–more and more users are accessing the web from a mobile device. In fact, [...]

These days, the Internets are all buzzing with ways to build your business presence, connect with your customers, yada yada–all information about building your brand’s presence by harnessing the power of social media. I’m not going to talk about that. I’m going to talk about how I use SM to help my business–not primarily the [...]

The WordPress Edition Time again to share my fav new web dev tools. First off, my love of HTML5 Boilerplate continues. Though I still don’t understand how to use it all (I’m still confused about the Build Script!). Boilerplate is now standard in all my site builds. And seriously, is there any simpler way to [...]

I’vejustbeentoobusy topostanythingnewsincelastdecember. Really. Check my Twitter feed–still alive and kicking! kidshomefromcollege•familyskiand

A few months ago, I wrote a post covering some wonderful new web tools that I had begun to use with this project, now live and it’s time for an update. HTML5 Boilerplate HTML5 Boilerplate has gathered a strong following in the web dev community. And for good reason—it is awesome! The authors also released an [...]

…or how I spent my sick days. A couple weeks ago (before the Thanksgiving cooking flurry) I was felled by an awful virus. Thankfully, I had a light project load and could indulge myself for a few days of tea, DayQuil and sleeping on the sofa. Back when I was a kid, such a sick [...]

UI, as known in the web dev world, is about user interface, or how a user interacts with a web page/application. Most users don’t give a damn about UI. Until is sucks. It’s the same in the real world—if the user interface works, we’re good and no one notices. If it doesn’t, we’re…Not. Happy. Real [...]

I’ve just wrapped up my portion of a site overhaul (design, HTML, CSS, jQuery) and am quite pleased with all the new tools at my disposal for this project. Sure, it took a little extra time to get the hang of them, but the learning curve was well worth the investment. Note: my ratings are [...]

I was in the shower and just thinking…“gosh, I DO enjoy a good long hot shower…too bad it makes me feel GUILTY!…gotta conserve resources…but I had a great idea for an article…and I really think creatively while hot water beats on the back of my neck…but I REALLY should make this shower short, sweet and [...]

Normally, I design and build custom WordPress sites. From scratch. Designed for the client, using static HTML and CSS and then ‘WordPressified’ into appropriate templates. (My fav WP base is H5.) And then I launch the new site. But last week, I was introduced to an entirely new way to use WordPress—as a proposal tool! Really…I [...]

Just launched my latest project. This was a redesign of 2-page realtor site. At first glance, the project was simple enough: 2 static pages with clean new look, better content organization and access to FranklyMLS, blog & videos. This site was to be tighter and more ‘businesslike’ than the client’s blog I redesigned last year. The only [...]

Hello! If you’ve arrived directly here, you may not have noticed some major changes in the home page. Go ahead, visit Azzcat Design. I’ll wait!… Woa! What was that movin’ and a changin’ going on? Did you play with it? Don’t forget to resize the browser to enjoy the effects Pretty nifty, huh? Kind of makes this [...]

Graphic designers—especially those who design websites and do front-end development—spend large blocks of time in front of computer monitors. My average is 8-10 hours/day. Eyestrain is a fact of life. Lubricating eyedrops help. Rx eyedrops help. Breaks help. But at the end of the day—every day—my eyes are tired and scratchy and red. I wear [...]

I find myself explaining the process of website design & development repeatedly, so it’s time to write a show-and-tell post. First off, let me say that this is my process. Other designers & developers may differ somewhat, especially if they work within larger team environments. Yet, every site does go through a similar creative to [...]