Chris Barnett | GD252 Blog

Wordpress For A Portfolio

// May 1st, 2009 // No Comments » // Branding, Promotion, Web Design, Wordpress

The more I learn about web design the more stoked I get about Wordpress. I have used the powerful back end of this blogging platform as a content management system on almost half a dozen sites now. When looking to make a portfolio to show off my websites and photography I am considering using Wordpress to help. Although I have just begun beta versions of the design for my portfolio I have found a link that convinced me Wordpress is the way to go. It is another great one from Smashing Magazine – Ultimate Guide To Using Wordpress For A Portfolio. Now all that’s left is to finish the design and organize my portfolio pieces. Really excited to finally have a portfolio, it’s been too long.

iPhone Inspiration

// April 30th, 2009 // No Comments » // Inspiration, Web Design

This will be a quick one. We have all seen galleries showcasing great web designs. There are hundreds of them out there now. After recently finding out I might have the chance to design and help develop a mobile interface for the TeamSnap site I went seeking inspiration.

Drumroll please…

CSSiPhone.com – Web Design Inspiration for the iPhone.

Dealing With Clients

// April 30th, 2009 // No Comments » // Jobs, Rants, Web Design

I had to rant about this one a little bit. We all know it’s hard to find a perfect client, and how frusterating it can be to work with clients who just don’t quite get it. Here is the situation:

A client comes to me wanting a website. I must preface here and say that his current site could not get any worse. As I began designing and developing this site we had a hard time communicating with each other. When I described to him how I was going to build the site he seemed to understand what I needed from him. That would be too easy… When it came time to get some FTP information from him he put me in contact with one of their “I.T.” guys. I came to learn that they “don’t use FTP for their website”. I was confused at this point because I didn’t know there was any other way of putting a site on the web. I was blown away to find out they were serious and this was one of the biggest warning signs from a client that has made me want to slowly step away from the project.

I dug through my bookmarks and recent happenings on the internet and came up with a few things relating to this topic. A written post by Jacob Cass called How to Talk to Non-Tech-Savy Clients, and Episode 29 – Repairing Client Communications from the Freelance Radio Podcast.

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Envato Empire

// April 30th, 2009 // No Comments » // Branding, Graphic Design, Inspiration, Jobs, Networking, Organization, Photography, Promotion, Rants, Tutorials, Web Design, Wordpress

When considering all the information that I come across on the internet most of the things I see are influenced by Twitter, and my RSS reader. This got me thinking… If I were stranded on a desert island and I only had access to one group of networked sites it would have be the Envato Network. I swear by their umbrella of Tuts+ sites for great tutorials for all my favorite applications. I have touched slightly on the marketplace structure of sites they have including the most recent and a favorite of mine, Graphic River. Another one of those, “Why didn’t I think of this?”, moments when seeing these sites that allow anyone to buy and sell design related goods and services. That’s not all… In case you didn’t have enough excellent content to expand your knowledge there is a handfull of other services they offer. From AppStorm, for everything Mac related, to the must have RSS feed for any freelancer, Freelance Switch. Stranded and alone, I could survive with the Envato Network. Do you know of any networks this diverse? I want to open this one up for feedback, maybe to see if anyone reads these things.

Portfolio Website

// April 23rd, 2009 // No Comments » // Branding, Inspiration, Rants, Web Design

I am way overdue for a site to show off my web work and photography. It’s finally time, but not without a little thought of what makes an effective portfolio site and research to find some inspiration. I came across a post from the You The Designer Blog on 7 Ways to Build Trust on a Portfolio Site. I especially liked the last two points that were made about explaining your design process and having a professional/custom site. I have a lot of websites bookmarked that showcase well designed and inspirational sites, but none like Foliostars.net. The site shows off only the best portfolio sites from around the web and is a great place to get some inspiration. Inspiration? Did I forget to mention a post from Nick La of Web Designer Wall on Single-Page Portfolio Sites.

TutsPlus Empire

// April 13th, 2009 // No Comments » // Graphic Design, Inspiration, Photography, Tutorials, Web Design

There are so many great places on the internet to look for resources, inspiration, and tutorials it can be a little overwhelming sometimes. Why not have everything you might need all under one roof? From graphics to web development, audio to video and more, TutsPlus has it all. Unless you have been living under a rock then you have most likely seen a few tutorials, or articles from one of the TutsPlus sites. I found myself learning enough from these sites it made sense to get a monthy membership and have access to bonus tutorials and other great resources. At only $9 it is hard to say no to such a great price on an endless amount of creative inspiration and knowledge.

Wordpress For Designers

// April 7th, 2009 // 1 Comment » // Tutorials, Web Design, Wordpress

Until I can find some time to put together a little tutorial for the GD252 class you might want to check The WP Video Series from the In The Woods Blog. They have just released day 12 of the series and have covered everything from installation and the admin panel to slicing PSDs and using widgets. These guys always put out great video tutorials and have even been helpful when I have had questions about web development. As always, if you are going through these videos and have questions about Wordpress find me in class or send me an email.

Creative and Colorful Wordpress Themes

// April 7th, 2009 // No Comments » // Tutorials, Web Design

Your Wordpress blog can look the way you want it! (Or better than it looks now)

A recent post on one of my favorite sites Tutorial9.net shows off some cool, creative, and colorful themes for Wordpress. The post was written by guest author Danny Outlaw who has written a few times for Tutorial9. Be sure to check out Danny’s blog as well. Something BIG is happening over there and is worth keeping an eye on.

Also, keep an eye out here on my blog this week because I plan on writing a little something that might help you guys out. You can look forward to a tutorial on how to install Wordpress, use a cool theme, and customize it to meet your needs.