Contemplating Yet Another Redesign
January 22, 2005
I read an article at a newly discovered web site tonight that got me thinking. It got me thinking about the purpose of my little web site here and rethinking its design. What particularly caught my interest with this article was this statement by the author about redesigning his own site:
Visitors clicking through the site will likely spend a very short time on each page. The homepage is what needs to tell them what the rest of the site is all about. If the homepage is a blog, they’ll assume it’s a blog site. If the homepage profiles the portfolio, they’ll know it’s a portfolio site. That’s pretty simple.
This being the case I decided to take some time to figure just what the purpose of this site is. Here’s what I came up with, in order of importance:
- To test things I’m learning
- To showcase the various sites I’ve designed
- To occasionally highlight something amusing or interesting I’ve found on the internet
- To post mine and others’ pictures
You’ll quickly notice that when comparing this list to the design and structure of this site, they don’t match up. The homepage is filled with content that is supposed to be updated regularly, yet because that’s not my main intention with the site, these are often neglected. The result is that the things I want to bring attention to are left in the background and overlooked.
The first question that must be answered now is what must be done? There are several things in my mind that need to be changed. First, secondary material needs to be removed from the homepage. This means removing articles like the one you’re reading as well as the sidebar. Second, the homepage needs to be dedicated to my work. There should also be a short explanation of what this site is. Third, I think a new design is needed in order to give my portfolio prominence.
The second question that arises is when will this all take place? Answer: your guess is as good as mine. Possibly over spring break — and no sooner. However, I have gone ahead and made one change in preparation for the coming redesign. The “Archives” section has now been renamed “Notes” because this is where I will keep notes on the amusing and interesting things I find on the internet.
Does President Kerry live here?
January 30, 2005
One sunny day in 2005, an old man approached the White House from across Pennsylvania Avenue, where he’d been sitting on a park bench. He spoke to the Marine standing guard and said, “I would like to go in and meet with President Kerry.” The Marine replied, “Sir, Mr. Kerry is not President and doesn’t reside here.” The old man said, “Okay,” and walked away.
The following day, the same man approached the White House and said to the same Marine, “I would like to go in and meet with President Kerry.” The Marine again told the man, “Sir, as I said yesterday, Mr. Kerry is not President and doesn’t reside here.” The man thanked him and again walked away.
The third day, the same man approached the White House and spoke to the very same Marine saying, “I would like to go in and meet with President Kerry.” The Marine, understandably agitated at this point, looked at the man and said, “Sir, this is the third day in a row you have been here asking to speak to Mr. Kerry. I have told you twice already that Mr. Kerry is not the President and does not reside here. Do you understand?”
The old man softly answered, “Oh, I understand. I just love hearing it.” The Marine snapped to attention, saluted, and replied, “See you tomorrow, sir.”
Jesus: The Reason for the Season
December 24, 2004
Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name JESUS. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.” Luke 1:30–33 (NKJV)
Site Redesign
December 4, 2004
I finally got tired of updating my old design. The code was messy and hard to work with and besides, I thought it was ugly. So here’s a fresh new design I whipped up last night. It undoubtedly won’t be permanent, but it should last longer than the old design. I also think I set a new record with this design. From start to finish, it only took about 6 hours. Overall, the design’s a little flat, but it will improve with time.
Update: Photo gallery has now been converted to new design.
Merry Christmas... Cards
December 3, 2004
I stumbled upon Andy Budd’s Christmas Card article today and it inspired me to make a card for my family. Here’s a sampling of some of the designs I came up with:
A Little Late
November, 2004
This is a bit too late for Halloween, but scary just the same.
Read this first
This is a car advertisement that was never released. When the film crew finished filming the car ad, the people who edited it noticed something moving along the side of the car, like a ghostly white mist.
They also noticed that the soundtrack had a strange low pitched sound as the mist appeared and disappeared (make sure your volume is turned up).
The ad was never put on TV because of the unexplained ghostly phenomenon frightened the production team out of their wits.
Watch closely as the car comes from behind the trees about halfway through the commercial. Watch closely and you will see the white mist crossing in front of the car, then follow it along the road…real spooky!
This will be shown on a TV this fall on a special investigations show. Watch closely.
Site Update
October, 2004
I made some small changes around the site this week, some of which are more noticable than others. A navigation bar has been put up top (a long overdue feature), a handful of wise sayings have been spread throughout the site, a couple browser bugs have been fixed, and last but not least, my Portfolio has finally been added to the mix. Enjoy.
New Contact Page
October, 2004
The new contact page is up and running. It’s short and sweet and all run by some nice clean PHP. This is my first use of PHP and I love it already. If you’re wondering about a certain technique used in my form (like how I made the fields change color) then put my shiny new page to use and email me.
Gallery Preview
September, 2004
A sneak preview of my Photo Gallery has been posted for your viewing pleasure. I know you’re all terribly excited about this and you’ve been waiting patiently to finally see these stellar photos, so here they are. When you’ve seen all there is to see (and there’s not much at this point) drop me a line if you like what you see.
Welcome
September, 2004
Welcome to my new home on the web. The purpose of this site is to showcase and test some of my web-related design work. As the site matures it will grow to include a photo gallery, a list of web design resources, and of course a page where you can donate to my noble cause. Thanks for stopping by.