My Philosophy

Research

The most successful designs begin far before the sketchbook opens. With each project, I gain an understanding of the organization's history, structure, objectives and goals. This knowledge is critical to building a successful brand or image — one that will reinforce your organization's fundamental purpose.

Content-Driven Design

Although I love to create from scratch, the majority of my design work is a direct reflection of the content at hand. I believe the message behind the material will drive the design. For this to be the case, a solid understanding of your organization must be acquired. One of my greatest strengths is my ability to put your thoughts into a concrete visual form. This requires open communication between the client and designer, and I pride myself on being an active listener above all else.

Less is (usually) More

So much visual communication is over-thought, over-executed and over-done. I believe that clean, simple design can speak more powerfully than a cluttered page. This does not mean that design needs to be boring. In my work, however, even the most playful and energetic compositions are built upon a fundamentally simple structure. This allows the viewer to have an emotional attachment to the design. Initially, their attention is captured. They are then able to pause and absorb the message. Leaving, they feel a sense of accomplishment and connection to the piece of communication.

Be Honest

I am. Design should be too — whether fun, energetic, calm, happy, inspirational, classy, friendly, corporate, innovative, playful, prestigious, modern or humorous. An honest message will be appreciated and responded to positively by your audience.

Modern Web Standards

It's great to do things right!

Designing and building websites in compliance with Web Standards ensures many things. By separating content, presentation and behavior, sites are cleaner and easier to maintain. The use of Cascading Style Sheets ensures that your website looks the same across all browsers. The use of strict XHTML allows users of all ability levels to access your information. Semantically correct code allows search engines to correctly index your website, resulting in much higher search results.

Building websites in this manner shortens development time and makes troubleshooting easier, because the code follows a standard. Sites are built correctly the first time, allowing future modifications to be simpler, regardless of whom the developer may be.

Additional Info

If you would like to learn more about Web Standards, three invaluable resources are:

• World Wide Web Consortium | www.w3.org
• The Web Standards Project | www.webstandards.org
• Zeldman, Jeffrey. Designing with Web Standards, second edition. New Riders, 2007.