Kicking and screaming is expected.
I've been creating design and the CSS & HTML behind it longer than doctors spend getting their PHD.
Some little girls want to grow up to be mommies, or doctors, or steam ship captains. Alright maybe not captains. The moment I saw a computer as a child in in the 1970's, I knew what I wanted to be. A nerd.
I've been fortunate to have watched the birth of CSS and web design, been there when it took its first awkward steps, and have been pushing the envelope in my own corner of the world to advance the art of design and code ever since.
What I'm good at
I am available for hire!
If you like what you see in the portfolio, and can offer a creative, growing environment,
What I Do
I create original graphic art.
I'm really good at the art of digital manipulation.
I build websites with hand-written CSS, work to keep the HTML beautiful, and pull tufts of hair out occasionally to make it all work cross-browser. (I'm looking at YOU IE)
Without all the flowery sentences, without all the frills, that's what I do in a nutshell.
There's a bigger nutshell coming, patience grasshopper. Hard to find shells that big, I tell ya.
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Who:
Independence Film FestWhat:
Branding + developing an events site with online ticket salesWhere:
Actual site no longer live.
Design featured on Design Meltdown's events pageWhen:
Launched Spring 2007Why:
A Film Fest coordinator needed a branded website to feature events calendar and ticket salesHow:
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Who:
Bee MeWhat:
Branding + laying out website in wireframeWhere:
Design was not usedWhen:
Designed late 2010Why:
A staffing company wanted a clean design.How:
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Who:
Royal Gorge Region / Colroado Tourism OfficeWhat:
Design with existing branding, layout, implementing into DrupalWhere:
www.RoyalGorgeRegion.comWhen:
Launched early Summer 2010Why:
Client had new branding and needed a new look to attract visitors to the area. Content completely controlled by client via DrupalHow:
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Who:
VistaWorksWhat:
Rebranding + portfolio developmentWhere:
www.VistaWorks.comWhen:
re-launched Summer 2010Why:
Design firm I worked for needed a new portfolio site, utilizing cleaner code and JQueryHow:
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Who:
Cile Chavez, motivational speakerWhat:
Design with existing branding + events siteWhere:
www.CileChavez.comWhen:
Spring 2010Why:
International motivational speaker needed an online presence. This site was not implemented into a CMS, therefore the CSS is left un-bastardized by generators.How:
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Who:
Assist2HearWhat:
Design with existing branding + e-commerce site implementationWhere:
www.Assist2Hear.comWhen:
October 2010Why:
E-commerce site for hearing impaired demographic. Client needed an easy-to-understand design and UI for older clientelle. Drupal run e-commerce site. Launced after I'd left VistaWorks.How:
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Who:
Elk Mountain Ranch, ColoradoWhat:
Rebranding + site designWhere:
www.ElkMtn.comWhen:
Late 2008Why:
Dude Ranch client wanted a rustic design. Hand drawn elements; site was created before our company used a CMS, so the code is uncorrupted, and pages were updated individually by hand.How:
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Who:
Rifle Chamber of Commerce, ColoradoWhat:
Rebranding + site designWhere:
www.RifleChamber.comWhen:
Spring 2010Why:
Chamber of Commerce needed a site to re-organize and, really, be dragged into the 21st Century. There was kicking. And screaming. Flash header designed and created by myself as well. Again, before the great CMS rush, so every page is created and coded. No bastard CSS here.How:
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Who:
The Sanctuary, ColoradoWhat:
Working current branding into site design for showcase site.Where:
www.SanctuaryBV.comWhen:
July 2010Why:
A religious vacation rental in Colorado needed a photo-centric design to feature their facility. Implemented into Drupal via our programmer; helped debugging the CSS compatibility issues that arise when dealing with generated code.How:
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Who:
Mineral Information InstituteWhat:
Reworking current branding + hand drawn site design + Flash intro pageWhere:
www.MII.orgWhen:
Launched early 2011Why:
Client wanted a hand drawn, cartoony/fun site for youth/child, teacher and parent demographic. E-commerce site implemented into Drupal; we handled the reorganization of the over 2000 pages, categories and shopping cart. It was a behemoth. Launched after I left VistaWorks, so take no responsibility for the code.How:
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Who:
Colorado RV ParksWhat:
Rebranding + portal website design and implementationWhere:
www.ColoradoRVParks.netWhen:
Launched Spring 2008Why:
Portal site owned by VistaWorks. The site was designed around an existing, custom programmed and archaic .asp data retrieval system. Manipulated the asp code, though can't claim I can write it. JQuery rotating header, manipulating the output information as pleasantly as possible.How:
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Who:
Colorado RV ParksWhat:
Working current branding + site designWhere:
www.SchultzFineHomes.comWhen:
re-launched Spring 2010Why:
Upscale home builder wanted a simple site to showcase their work. Again, created before our company jumped onto the CMS bandwagon, so the CSS is intact the way I wrote it. A dinosaur, and I'm finding, a rarity more and more. Rotating home page image, content organization.How:
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Who:
White Water Photography, ColoradoWhat:
Rebranding + E-commerce site design + shopping cart iconsWhere:
www.WhiteWaterPhotography.comWhen:
Launched early Spring 2010Why:
Photography company focusing on white water adventures/clients needed an unusual and unique design for their e-commerce site. Collaborated with our programmer to implement the design and original CSS into Drupal.How:
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Who:
Missing Pieces, private therapist and published author, ColoradoWhat:
Rebranding + Events site designWhere:
www.MissingPieces.orgWhen:
Launched Summer 2008Why:
Client wanted an "Apple"ish looking site a few years ago.How:
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Who:
FayLisa.com (myself)What:
Rebranding + site designWhere:
Possibly the next design for faylisa.com. For now, it's hiding on the hard drive. Sulking, most likely.When:
Still in the worksWhy:
FayLisa.com is my first portfolio site, and one which I tend to test out designs on a great deal. This is the latest potential re-design for that site.How:
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Who:
FayLisa.com (myself)What:
Rebranding + site designWhere:
In a room. A blue room. With no doorsWhen:
Design not usedWhy:
This is why the cobbler's son has no shoes. One of the many designs not used for faylisa.com, as the format, though interesting (always wanted to do a 'room' design), didn't fit the needs of a portfolio site.How:
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Who:
FayLisa.com (myself)What:
Rebranding + site designWhere:
In the nether of unused designsWhen:
Design not used, but site coded.Why:
See a pattern forming? Yeah, me too.
This design was the first I attempted to create around the horizontal parallax scrolling notion. Really fun to do, taught me a lot about unconventional navigation and how to think outside the box in terms of layout.How:
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Who:
FayLisa.com (myself)What:
Rebranding + site designWhere:
www.FayLisa.comWhen:
Launched Fall 2010Why:
The live version of faylisa.com, after many revisions during 2010 and a major move back to Canada. It's not perfect, and it's not long for this world - there's always a new design brewing in my head.How:
Who I am: the quick and dirty
is more cowbell.
And clean markup.
THAT'S what we need.
I've been designing and coding websites since 1998.
It's part of who I am. The rest of me is a novelist, snowboarding betty and a skater girl.
I've dabbled in college institutions for traditional design, the psychology of color and form, and computer sciences. Though I found I've learned the most from independent research and consistent self-teaching.
My education in web design and the css behind it is constantly evolving. My education in psychology took 3 years and, though I don't sit people on couches, it comes in tremendously handy when dealing with anyone.
I started my career in New York, freelancing and running my own small business for nearly 5 years. The accounting part took all the fun out of it. Since then, I've been travelling the continent, working for companies from small design firms to Universities, pursuing a challenging, creative work environment. I thrive on change, which is a good thing as this business is nothing if not constantly changing.
I truly love what I do for a living, and care that things are done right. After someone to get your site done in 24 hours and has no problem cutting corners to acheive that? Then I'm not your girl.
Point of Contact
We all know that technically, we can work from anywhere on the planet. All we need is a computer and access to the 'net.
That being said, I'm still shamelessly seeking a great work environment to call home. Aren't we all? A great enough work environment, and I'd move anywhere in Canda. I'm a fan of adventure like that.
Please shoot me an email if you'd like to see the official resume (you know, the secret one, kept in the vault. What, you don't keep a vault in the living room?).
If you're interested in hiring me for freelance, or if your office needs a designer who won't settle for second-best, by all means drop me a line.
For now, you can contact me at jack@13summers.com.
Until I get this form up and running.