What I Do

The following is an overview of what I can bring to your project, team, business… or all three for that matter.

Of course with me being a developer and designer, you’re about to read about a lot of programs, applications, software tools and acronyms (approx 35 in total). If you’re reading this page you probably already know that this is the language we speak in, but I’ll keep it brief and try not to be jargon-centric-boring (that alone is a skill that separates me from 99% of the development world). We can always expand on each element when we speak.

Just Development

Front-End Development

Front-end development is my natural habitat and it is a space and skillset I’ve excelled in for over 20(?) years. Being a web development specialist, and bringing HTML, CSS and JavaScript together to create effective solutions for your online requirements inspires me. If a word like inspires sounds like just a throw away verb, it isn’t.

My code is almost exclusively hand-written, although I do make use of 3rd party frameworks and libraries such as jQuery and Twitter Bootstrap when deemed appropriate such as tight development times, budget restrictions and site consistency.

I’m experienced with preprocessors such as CoffeeScript and SASS, which are gaining in popularity as alternatives to coding directly in JavaScript and CSS. This is because CoffeeScript compiles to JavaScript by using syntax similar to that used in Ruby and Python, whereas SASS is a CSS extension language that compiles to CSS. I did warn you about jargon!

As it appears the internet was a good idea after all that will probably stay around, and with more and more devices being used for browsing the internet, it is important to develop web sites that are compatible with these, as well as older desktop browsers. You can’t simply assume everyone has a sparkling new tablet, particularly if you are speaking to, or developing for contact with large corporations Not only should the website work and work well in all these different browsers, but where appropriate, it should respond to the resolution and dimensions of the browsers in which it is displayed. I ensure that my products are responsive, cross browser compatible and are pixel-perfect representations of the agreed design. Tech moves fast, large scale hardware uptake often doesn’t, so this is an incredibly important and valuable asset to your needs.

Typically designs are received as a flat design in a Photoshop (.psd) or Illustrator (.ai) file. Therefore, I am experienced in slicing these up to implement as an interface on the web. However flat designs do not always include the user interactions (UI) required to enhance the user experience (UX). Part of my proficiency in Front-End Development includes designing these interactions when they are missing.

Back-End Development

Unless a website is presenting purely static information (ie, content that never changes), a beautiful and interactive front-end requires a robust back-end to provide the functionality. Think of it as the make-up artist and costume designer ‘off- set’ that enables the stars on screen to shine. The technologies that I am familiar with for this purpose include PHP, Ruby on Rails and .Net. These are the languages and environments in which I have performed my front-end duties, and a language I understand, allowing me to write the back-end code itself.

Early in my career I was a database developer plying my skills and cutting my teeth in Sybase, MSSQL and Oracle databases. Since crossing to all things multimedia and the web, despite the years passing, these skills are still highly relevant and have transferred nicely to MySQL, which is well suited to web applications.

Flash Development & Animation

Once the outright rock star of the developers world, Flash was once the go-to tool for creating rich internet applications that was cross platform compliant. Sadly, and not pointing any fingers at people who ‘Think Different’ but the reign of Flash ended when Apple products refused it and HTML5 and CSS3 emerged. Alas, to this day, Web standards are a long way off compared with Flash in terms of functionality, ease of development and ubiquity.

I have a real soft spot for this tool and am delighted that while it’s reign as king is over, it isn’t dead by any means and a skilled user of Flash such as myself still holds an important place in development particularly as a very experienced timeline animator, as well as the use of ActionScript 2 and 3.

Facebook Applications

Rocketing in popularity due to Facebook itself, I develop games, quizzes and many other types of Facebook applications with PHP and MySQL for both the desktop and mobile environments. There are some beautiful intuitive app’s out there…and there are some shockers, I only deal in the former.

CMS Implementations

For new sites that require the content to be regularly updated, I often implement open source CMS solutions. I have experience with these, mostly PHP based, such as WordPress (preferred), Joomla, ModX and Umbraco (.Net) to name a few. These often provide the functionality required out of the box, and have a community of developers (I don’t know the collective noun for this…perhaps ‘a squabble of developers) that already provide additional functionality. Alternatively, I can develop new, non-existent…yet… extensions to add to the existing functionality. These products can speed up the development of a site – reducing cost while providing all the functionality required.

eCommerce

Selling online is increasingly popular due to the low setup costs compared to a physical shop. From Premium sports cars to Aunty Matilda’s hand knitted hats are turning to eCommerce. Open source products are providing a solution similar to the standard CMS products, and I have the experience needed via Magento, Shopify and WooCommerce.

Just Design

Designing

Web design can make or break a business. It is a first impression that will create a mental picture of what you do in about a nano-second. It’s the new shopfront of business and it can either be a dingy, old, tired and confusing looking place, or it can be a clean, cool, efficient, professional and striking presence that immediately sets the tone for your products, services and ideas.

Over my years as a developer I have gathered a vast bank of design styles and ideas, particularly when it comes to the user interface. I regularly collaborate with a number of excellent independent graphic, digital and interaction designers and agencies to generate the perfect design for my clients. I know my way around the key design tools, including Photoshop and Illustrator.

I work and collaborate directly with you to deliver the best personal experience, to understand your needs, to understand where you want to position yourself, and most importantly – for who! It’s personal service coupled with high quality design.

If you want to stand out then it’s imperative you have a great website. Devign understands that your site should not only look good, be easy to use and be fast – it needs to generate a return on your investment.

Whether it is a new site from scratch or a makeover of an existing site that’s looking a little dated and no longer delivering your needs, I can help you.