My Graphic/Web Design History » 2006

Women’s Leadership Network (2006)

John — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 05:57:11 +0000

The client trusted my vision on the design of this site and cut me loose to explore many options. I’m gratified that they picked my favorite out of the bunch. The target demographic for the organization is professional women in the Helena area in the 20-50 age range. The theme uses an analogous color scheme with blues and greens, giving it a harmonious, professional look. This site is a combination of WordPress blogs (2) and static HTML pages. Two blogs were used to maintain a separation for the web site admins and the members, who are allowed to post their own announcements (this separation can now be accomplished with various plug-ins on a single WordPress installation).

WordPress was used for the Announcements page and the Event Information page. The rest is static HTML using the same design as the WordPress theme. Each member was given an account in the Announcements blog and that data was used to create the Member Directory and customize the Contact Information page. Small scripting enhancements were used to tie the site together, for example, PHP is used to grab the three newest entries in the Event Information blog and post them on the homepage. Finally, the Membership Application page was tied into Paypal allowing members to pay their dues via credit card, without creating a maintenance or administration nightmare for the client.

New Zealand Journey (2006)

John — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 05:51:19 +0000

The focus of the New Zealand Journey project was to create a fresh new web site for their bi-annual tour for weaving enthusiasts. The target demographic was primarily women in the 40-70 age range. The implementation focused almost solely on ease of use. The design was created with images provided and approved by the New Zealand tourism site as well as the client’s personal collection. A highly customized e-mail form used to allow online registration, with a downloadable PDF version optional. There were also links to Paypal that allowed the participants to pay the trip deposit via credit card, with the balance due sent via a personalized invoice.

Sadly, they no longer hold these tours, but the site remains up with a final message.

Asian Arts Festival (2006)

John — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 23:05:29 +0000

One thing that drives me crazy is stereotypical design (I’m sure I haven’t avoided it completely). There are many martial arts and Asian design themes that have been done to death: the yin-yang symbol, the Japanese flag, Chinese dragons, etc. I pride myself on finding a fresh take on an old concept. Clean. Simple. “Less is more.” This logo and flier I designed for the event, epitomize this concept.

This was a project for a friend.

Interoperability Montana (2006)

John — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 00:47:36 +0000

Okay, I’ll admit this design is not going to win any awards but it was what the client asked for and it did end up on a buttload of shirts. I’m working on getting a picture of an actual shirt or swatch (I could swear they gave me one but I can’t find it). The only reason the logo is black and blue is the embroiderer needed a two color layout. Didn’t matter what those colors were. This way they could change the thread colors depending on what color shirt they decided to use.

Ah yes, the project. After we participated in several very successful regional radio interoperability projects around the state, there was a larger effort to in turn tie each of those regions together. Now a sheriff in Wibaux can jump on the radio and talk to a cop in Missoula. Pretty slick if you ask me. I didn’t have anything to do with the actual project besides creating this “patch” and several proposal covers and CD labels that were just too hideous to include here. The client loved them and that’s all that mattered.

Economic Impact Summary (2006)

John — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 20:42:47 +0000

Northrop Grumman in Helena publishes a summary of how our company and group of employees effects the local economy. It includes everything from education information to home remodeling dollars spent here. Most years I’ve designed a cover for the document, usually involving a theme of growth or partnership with Montana. After the purchase of TRW by Northrop Grumman in 2003 there were a more stringent set of guidelines for designing any corporate materials.

Again, a rather plain design. This year they said, “Do something with children.” Make sense as we create a lot of systems that cater to the needs of children, mostly child support enforcement and welfare related.