Andi's World, Web Design
July 20th, 2010
We don’t get many web industry conferences around these parts. Hell, we don’t get many conferences around these parts. So I’m supremely excited that Front End Design Conference is going to be right here in our own backyard this Friday, July 23 (at the downtown St. Pete Hilton).
What is Front End Design Conference? It’s a conference geared toward the design of websites. The visuals and aesthetics that make web-based communication possible. The ideas and strategies and thought processes behind why we click where we click (and how to make people click). The “why is this green” or “can we move that next to this?” of building a website. Believe it or not, good web designers don’t just throw things on a page and call it a day. There’s a why and how and a best practice schema to which we adhere in order to help guide visitors and influence click behavior. Gasp! So much to think about! 
Not a web designer? The Front End Conference line-up really encompasses web-based communication of all sorts – not just web design. The topics are relevant to anyone with a website who wants to learn more about how to use visual communication to get a point across or influence action. Marketers, bloggers, small business owners – there’s information relevant to all of you.
Topics include:
- Learning to love ideas: Brainstorming 101
- Taking your designs from wireframe to design
- The art of self-branding
- Design in the details
- CSS organization and workflow (ok, this one might be geared directly toward web designers)
- Fuel your brand (but this one is great for anyone!)
- Principles of UI design
Conference organizer Dan Denney put together a great lineup and an exciting weekend of events. There’s an awesome after-party planned at the Lobby in downtown St. Pete. On Saturday, stick around for a Tampa Ignite meeting at Studio 620. Sunday, he’s got a guided photo walk around downtown St. Pete – sure to be very cool.
Learn more and register:
See you all there! We’ve got a big contingent representing Big Sea (and their own amazing talent) so please say hello.
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Andi's World
March 11th, 2010
(Not that I’ve ever been.)
But this year, I really really wanted to go. I am running a web business, working on social media plans, engaging daily with new technology and testing new ideas – I really should be at one of the top interactive conferences of the year, right? And the music – oh the music!
This year has been big for Big Sea. Like mega-uber-big. So it wasn’t in the cards.
Just to make myself feel better, here are a few reasons I’m not at SXSW this year. (I’d make a list of why I should be there but it would be waaaaay too long.)
- I opened an office! Big Sea grew and grew beyond the scope of my back deck and home office. I found I needed better separation of work and home life, and needed people around me too. I’m an extrovert, after all. Anyway, opening the office meant new computers (and of course, they can’t be anything but Mac), rent, all of the expenses I didn’t have when working from home. Financially, it didn’t make sense to spend a few grand on the conference this year.
- I have a 15 month old daughter. I know my husband and parents are more than capable of caring for her in my absence, but I would miss her! Ok, this isn’t a really strong reason, but it’s a contributor.
- We are swamped. I had 4 new client meetings this week, am trying to push 2 HUGE development projects forward to launch April 1 and simultaneously finish 2 fairly large design projects. In addition, I need to keep up with the numerous and ongoing needs of all of my clients. New web content or features, eblasts and ideas galore. Not that this ever changes. I’m always swamped, and I always feel guilty taking time away.
- I’m afraid of flying. Nope, not true.
- My cat needs to get her tonsils out. Also no.
- It might rain. (I love rain.)
So I’m out of reasons, and the first three are pretty lame. I should be there.
See ya next year!
Tags: social media, SXSW, travel, web conference, web design conference
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Andi's World
February 19th, 2010
I learn so much every day. The profession I’ve chosen (or did it choose me?) is in an industry that is always changing. Add that to working with fantastic people that challenge me to think harder every day, and I’m in a constant state of “aha!” moments.
My biggest learning this week: Think it all the way through. Design. Content strategy. New opportunities. Site structure and implementation. Be clear about what’s next.
A few golden nuggets of the week:
- When someone approaches you with a golden opportunity, understand that in most cases, they’re expecting the same in return. One hand washes the other, so to speak. This can work for you or against you – but think it through from both perspectives.
- When you’re designing an interface, it’s ok to break UI rules if it works best for the user – especially when no one else is going to use it.
- If you’re going to try to do something different, to be bold, be sure to think through the entire implementation – not just the homepage. Where do we go from here?
- We all have to make compromises and need to learn what to fight for and what to let go. This is a hard lesson when it comes to design, but we need to remove emotion from the equation and keep it as impersonal as possible.
- Even if you think something looks awesome, if the colors remind someone of a childhood trauma, it’ll never fly. (That’s ok.)
It was a week of big lessons – but I anticipate there being a lot more “hey here’s a cool JQuery technique I tried!” next week as I get rolling on actual design and coding again.
Tags: lessons, lessons learned, UI, Web Design, weekly lessons
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Andi's World
February 13th, 2010
It’s been a hectic week.
More than that.
It’s been a hectic few months.
Big Sea is busier than ever. Which of course is a good thing (make that a great thing!) but I find myself forgetting to pause. To step back. To close my computer and to turn off.
When you work for yourself, it’s hard to find an off switch. Emails come in and you respond – because it’s not really work, it’s just finishing a conversation.
I don’t even think of it as something I’m expected to do or as work, really – but I’m starting to realize it’s consuming me and affecting my relationships with my family, my friends, my self.
How do you do it?
Do I start setting a schedule of ‘work time’ and commit to keeping my laptop shut (and iPhone off) during the off hours?
I don’t feel obligated to work after-hours – I do it by choice because I really love what I do and am invested in my clients’ success (as cliche as that sounds, these projects consume me).
I need to take some time to unwind so that I can recharge Not a vacation (although that would be awesome), but a daily/weekly change of habit. What do you do to unplug?
Tags: relax, turn off, unplug
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Andi's World
January 29th, 2010
If your website has more than 5 static pages, you need to think long and hard about where you’re going to host your website.
You’re entering into a relationship that is going to last a very, very long time because seriously? Moving websites from one server to another is a pain in the ass. A serious headache. Incompatible versions of PHP? Check. Out of sync SVN repositories? Check. Inability to render filetypes? New IP requiring reissuance of SSL? Folders of uploaded assets not committed to the SVN repository?
Should I go on?
Everything we’ve encountered is a small problem unto itself; together they form a huge headache and a couple days of troubleshooting.
So my warning is this: a web host decision is a much bigger commitment than you might think.
- Do a little research and read reviews before you make that commitment.
- Find out how their customer service responds to issues.
- Is their default server setup compatible with the software you want to utilize (i.e. WordPress)?
- Does your web design team have any advice?
And if you take nothing else away from this warning, just stay away from GoDaddy hosting. Please.
Tags: annoyances, irritants, servers, web hosting, website services
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Andi's World
December 31st, 2009
I want to take a moment to say thank you to everyone who’s been a part of Big Sea over the past few years.
To our dear clients, our fantastic colleagues and our creative, talented friends. It’s been a big year for Big Sea - a year full of new beginnings, growth and the struggles that come with that – and we’re poised to make 2010 a more stable, prosperous and adventurous new year.
We’re working hard to build a web shop that excels in both function as well as fashion. To learn and grow and build our own knowledge so that we can guide our clients with both experience and expertise. I can honestly say that I think we’ve got one of the most talented pools of designers and developers in the area right now – a group that is passionate about web usability, is willing to take creative risks and always keeps an eye on the site’s true goals.
I’m thankful to everyone that’s worked with us over the past year – Adam, Dave, Keith, Tony, Charlene, Maria, Laura, Nate, Joe, Toni, Peter, Eric, Jason, Matt – to help deliver web-based solutions and creative projects and just kick-ass websites whenever possible.
I’m excited to see what 2010 brings as we are really gelled and getting really good at asking the right questions; delivering the right solution – and hopefully doing it with kindness and integrity. There’s a lot of room in this market for a web shop that’s not in it for the buck alone. We’re passionate about the web – about programming, about designing, about making the web a more fun and friendly place.
So thank you, to everyone. We look forward to working with you in 2010.
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Andi's World
December 21st, 2009
Hey there!
We’re looking for a fulltime 60-day contract PHP developer to work with us in our downtown St. Pete office. The project is custom enterprise-level PHP/MySQL. You will work on a two-person team in conjunction with an experienced front-end web designer. More details about the position will be made available to candidates that meet the criteria below.
If we like you and you like us – and your performance is up to par, there’s a fulltime position available.
Location: Gorgeous downtown St. Pete, or, if you’re really dedicated, you can work from home.
Start Date: ASAP
Required Skills:
- Expert PHP programming experience
- Expert MySQL database experience
- Basic CentOS / Apache server administration
- Basic FTP, E-mail, backup and security experience
- Expert HTML, CSS, JavaScript and Ajax front-end experience
- Intermediate API integration experience
- Intermediate Google Maps creation via JavaScript, API
- Intermediate experience using version control software, i.e. GIT, SVN
Please send me some links to your work and and resume with experience and references.
Email jobs@bigseadesign.com
Tags: developer jobs, php job, web development job
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Andi's World
October 29th, 2009
Looking for an experienced PHP developer to work from home or in-house – your choice. Must have experience with intricate, custom code, Javascript, etc – the works. Email me if you’re interested.
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Andi's World
March 26th, 2008
I leave today for San Francisco for the American Academy of Advertising’s annual conference. Wish me luck!! I present my research on Saturday at 1:00 pm (Cali time).
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Andi's World, Social Media
March 10th, 2008
I’m excited to be presenting a paper at the American Academy of Advertising’s 50th Anniversary Conference this year. The conference runs from March 26-30 and is in San Mateo, California – right outside of San Francisco. I’m also a ‘featured graduate student’ in their 50th Anniversary newsletter, which was just published. Exciting!!!
Thank you to the Zimmerman Advertising Program (ZAP) at USF, who are generously sponsoring my trip! This will be an exciting little vacation while I learn about all of the great research going on in the world of advertising.
I’m presenting a paper entitled ‘From MySpace to Brandspace: Elements of Brand Sponsored MySpace Profiles.” Together with Dr. Kelli Burns, we analyzed 50 different brand-sponsored MySpace profiles to find elements of successful social networking by advertisers. If you’d like a copy of the paper or the presentation, just let me know.
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