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A blog about web design and technology
Two new projects started this week - Sept 13
This week I have begun work on two new projects. A website redesign for Four Corners Vacations and a business card for Vision Truck Lines.
The website for Four Corners Vacations will include an on-line booking request form and a custom photo gallery to display images from global destinations. The website will be built using HTML /CSS and will include dynamic PHP elements including the booking request form. I hope to have this website ready and launched in the next six weeks.
The business cards for Vision Truck Lines will be designed using a photograph of their shiny red truck and trailer units. The cards will provide the company a new communications tool and will help advertise their recently launched website.
Look for both of these projects to be displayed in the portfolio section in the coming weeks.
A visit to the Apple store - July 22
Today I went and visited the new Apple store in Edmonton and I must say it was a very cool experience. From the large amount of computers on display to the abundance of staff eager to answer all of your questions, there was plenty to see and do. The store itself has a very clean, well structured layout and simple decor (this helps keep the customers focused on the Apple product I would assume).
I took the opportunity to try out the Macbook Air, iPhone 3G, and also stare wide-eyed at the 30 inch Apple Cinema Display (you could work in four near full-size windows on that monitor). I must say that the Macbook Air is very cool and the multi-touch trackpad allows for some unique movements. The 'thin' factor of the Air would definitely be a space saver in the old laptop bag! The iPhone 3G with its slim design and multi-touch display most definitely revolutionizes the mobile phone concept in my opinion and provides a near-perfect browsing experience. I made sure to visit my website while surfing in-store.
So if you are ever in or around Edmonton make sure to stop by the West Edmonton Mall and check out the Apple store.
New multimedia project starting this week - July 20
I have begun work this week on a new multimedia project. The scope of this project includes the scanning and archiving of 1200 slides, editing and restoring the images, and buidling a slideshow DVD presentation. There will also be custom print work designed for the DVD covers and custom labeling for DVD discs as well.
The project will take up to four months to complete and the final product will be a full-featured DVD slideshow experience.
Firefox 3.0 release - June 17
The Mozilla Foundation launched their latest revision of the Firefox browser today for all major platforms. The new build of Firefox has been drastically overhauled from previous versions. The developers have claimed over 15,000 new features, but the main change most people will notice is the new streamlined, more graphically appealing user interface.
The performance of Firefox has also increased exponentially with faster page loads and quicker execution of both Client-side and Server-side code. The browser is also ever closer to complete standards compliance for both XHTML and CSS. This ensures that when a website is coded to W3C standards it will be rendered correctly for the user. It also ensures that when an emphasis is put on usability and accessiblity everything will preform just as it should for any users with physical impairments.
You can find Firefox on the web at: Firefox - web browser extraordinaire. Give it a try and enjoy a faster and more efficient web browsing experience!
Website redesign complete - June 17
Today I have completed the redesign of my freelance website. I have changed the design and layout and also updated the colours to be bolder and more vivid. The new website includes some new features including a custom contact form and a very dynamic lightbox gallery.
The redesign of the website displays the new skills I have learned in the past nine months and also includes some very cool technologies I have learned to utilized. You can check out the Portfolio section to see the 'Fancy Zoom' lightbox in action! It is a very smooth effect. You can visited the creator of Fancy Zoom at: www.cabel.name.
My aim with the new website is to keep a more up to date blog and also have more of my photography up for display. So please stay tuned and watch for updates.
New mobile advertising on the City Golf - June 14
Yesterday I was able to finally get my first mobile advertising tool. I had my logo and some text placed on the rear window of my 2008 City Golf. Everything is displayed in white and is very clear to the eye. Now my business can be promoted every time I head out for a drive in and around central Alberta.
The vinyl printing and installation was courtesy of Signs Now in Red Deer. They did an awesome job on the install and the customer service was excellent. If you are ever in the need of vehicle graphics make sure you visit the team at Signs Now.
Vision Truck Lines website is live! - May 30
Yesterday marked the launch of the website for Vision Truck Lines. The project has been under development for the past six months and its nice to see how all the pieces have come together for the final product. The website utilizes a custom content management system and has multiple extensions that allow for a more engaging display of the Client's content.
Vision Truck Lines required a web-based job application that would allow potential employees to apply for postions online and I was able to deliver a custom form that would suit all of their needs. The website also has an image gallery that uses a 'lightbox' effect to display their fleet of trucks and trailers.
Working on the Vision Truck Lines has been a good experience and has allowed me to add even more knowledge of web design along the way. You can visit the website at: Vision Truck Lines.com.
Two new and exciting updates! - April 5th
Today I would like to announce the launch of the new Red Deer Tennis Club website. This project has been under development for the past seven weeks and is based on a custom content management system. The website design is clean and clear and uses colours that reflect the Client in every way.
The content management system utilizes many extensions that allow for event calendars, image galleries, and Google mapping of tennis court locations. Also, the Client can log into the website to make all the changes to the content, from text to images to new events. This feature allows for easy updates and can be done when any new information needs to entered into the website.
This website for the Red Deer Tennis Club has been fun to design and build and will give them a new platform to relay information to the community in and around central Alberta. You can visit the website at: Red Deer Tennis Club.com.
The second piece of news today is the launch of the re-designed iMAGINE MEDIA DESIGNS logo. The logo now has a more vibrant colour scheme and is also more 'edgy'. I wanted the design to better reflect the business and its goals and objectives. Though iMAGINE is not currently taking on any new Clients, I did want to complete a refresh of both the logo and the website. This will allow me to better my skills in both graphic and web design. Look for the website re-design coming in the next six to eight weeks.
Changes at iMAGINE MEDIA DESIGNS - March 2nd
Starting as of March 3rd, I will no longer be taking on new Client's as I have taken a job working for Idea Market. All current Client's will have their projects completed and will be displayed on our Portfolio page upon completion. Also, I will be posting the updated iMAGINE logo and a new web site design over the next six weeks. The new web site will consist of portfolio items and photography from my many adventures.
Please stay tuned to see the new web site and all the exciting photo's that will be on display.
A new year to look forward to! - January 16th
Welcome to 2008, a new year and many new oportunities to look forward to down the road. 2007 was a very interesting year for iMAGINE MEDIA DESIGNS. We worked with some awesome client's, completed some great projects and have grown our reputation in the web design business. Along the way we have increased our knowledge base and skills to a level that would have seemed impossible only six months ago.
Working with HTML/CSS, Flash and Joomla CMS have given us the ability to provide new and exciting features to our client's, new and old. Favourite amongst these new skills is Joomla, a content management system that allows extensive customization for web designers/developers and provides a unique experience for client's to run the maintenance of their web sites all on their own.
We are currently using Joomla as we construct a new web site for Vision Truck Lines. The web site will contain many exciting features and will benefit from a unique design that sets it apart from other web sites that are related to their industry.
2008 will also bring about change for iMAGINE MEDIA DESIGNS. We are planning a re-design of our logo and also have a complete web site overhaul in the works. The logo will receive a 'minor facelift' whereas the web site will be re-introduced with a new, stream-lined design and it will utilize many of the new features and technologies that we have been using over the past six months.
But before we start all the exciting work for 2008, we must take two weeks and go enjoy the great weather in sunny Hawaii. We will be away from January 18th until February 4th. Upon returning we will post in the Portfolio section some of the sites from Hawaii.
We would like to thank all our client's for their business this past year and are looking forward to all future projects.
Joomla CMS - November 5th
Joomla is a content management system that allows easy editing of a web site. It allows the web designer to control the administrative aspects of a web site and gives the client access to content editing without risk to the underlying code of the web site. We will be bundling a custom CMS system with every web site we build. This will allow our clients' to make any content changes to their web site themselves. Adding this feature will enhance the value of the product that we are offering to our clients'.
To learn about Joomla CMS, please visit: www.joomla.org.
Lindsay Thurber 30th Year High School Reunion - October 16th
I have just recently finished up work on the Reunion 1977 project and it is nice to see the final product in its full glory. The project consisted of a slideshow including all the portraits from the graduating class of 1977, a Flash-based introduction to the slideshow and also a custom DVD presentation of the whole package. This project presented a lot of neat opportunities and also helped me gain new skills and knowledge in different software suites.
You can check out the Flash-based video introduction and the DVD case/menu design in the portfolio section or just follow the link: Reunion 1977.
Design Can Change - October 10th
We live in a world where design plays an integral part in everything we do. The pencil, mobile phone, computer, and space shuttle all have come from great designs and designers.
Those who design, whether it be big or small need to understand the idea and the material needed to complete that design. In this day and age materials are no longer infinite, but are now becoming more limited in there availability. That is why designer's and all those that consume need to evaluate their lifestyle and make an effort to reduce consumption, reuse more materials, more often, and recycle as much as they can. We can achieve great success with examining our world and doing our part to lessen our impact on our planet.
For more information on how designers and non-designers alike can learn more on this subject, please visit: www.designcanchange.org.
This is only the start for change that will become more prominent at iMAGINE MEDIA DESIGNS. We want to be a force that leads the way towards lessening our 'Carbon Footprint' on our planet.
Green County Rentals website is live - September 2007
Today I launched the website for Green County Rentals. This project has been exciting to watch it develop from start to finish and I have learned a lot of new skills. Working with GCR has been a great experience and I am looking forward to any projects that may arise down the road.
Visit their website at: Green County Rentals.
The iMac - August 7, 2007
Today Apple released a brand new version of their ever-popular iMac all in-one desktop solution. The iMac has always been an awesome piece of computer hardware, but have they ever taken it a giant leap forward. Aluminum and glass to make up the screen and casing define that this machine means business. And then you look at what they have placed on the inside of the iMac: Intel Core 2 Duo processors built on the Santa Rosa technology, up to 4GB of system memory, 1000GB of available hard drive space, and High Definition graphics chipsets.
Just have to say wow and leave it at that, another great job Apple Computer!
