I spend a lot of time learning from other designers. It’s important to keep your skills sharp, and to keep up with changing technology. I especially enjoy Photoshop tutorials. Here’s the latest: an icon that looks a bit like a futuristic robot orb.
Hey, Google Reader users: you may (should) know that Google is shutting this service down. In case you’re not sure what to do, I’ve done a bit of research and have switched to Feedly. It instantly imported my feeds by connecting to Google, and (as of yesterday’s update) it’s pretty configurable. I think I like it better than GR. So, if you want to keep using RSS, I think it’s a good way to go.
If you don’t know what RSS is, you may not want to know…but it helps me keep up to date with blogs and websites. Like hundreds of them, in a few minutes. In my humble opinion, one of the best – and most underused – web technologies ever.
WordPress is awesome. It’s a Content Management System (CMS) that allows people who don’t know code to edit their own websites. What a lifesaver!
Of course, there’s a downside as well. WordPress (like most CMS’) uses a templating system. A WordPress website is pulled together from a number of different places: it includes a separate header file, footer file, content information, image storage, and so on. It’s a great system, but it’s not the most flexible. I spent years learning how to hack my way through a WordPress template, customizing its look and feel.
Finally, I learned how to make my own WordPress templates. That really changed things! Instead of choosing a pre-defined template and living with its shortcomings, I can create my own WordPress designs from scratch, or from your graphic designer’s Photoshop files. I’m pleased to be able to offer 100% custom WordPress websites.
You can have your cake and eat it too: you can have exactly the design you want, plus the flexibility of managing your own website’s content. Let’s talk about it! I also create templates for Adobe Business Catalyst, if you’d prefer.
Of course, if you’d rather not manage your own website, I do that as well.
