Projects
Island Holidays Redesign 2015
In the spring of 2014 an agreement was made with the client to revamp their existing website. The site had been working well but needed updating in its overall look, organization and page layout. A new page structure was designed to allow a more modular approach to content. Certain pages were reorganized completely in order to pare down the information 'above the fold', retaining only key details to permit easier browsing. There is also a new slant towards larger and more prominent photographic elements. Coding was completed by early January 2015.
Responsive Design
Following a series of strategic improvements in their online presence and a consequent return in their investment over the past two years, Park Print's website has been developed into a responsive design with the aim of attracting business from local mobile internet users who may have found their previous site too cumbersome. Strictly speaking, the site could be labelled an 'adaptive design' since each breakpoint displays a different layout, although those breakpoints are not set according to any specific device screen sizes. Significant work went into customizing and testing the slimMenu jQuery plugin to match the original desktop navigation but also provide a please mobile experience.
Interactive Floor Plan
The Vassall Conference Centre is a multi-purpose, fully accessible building for meetings, conferences and other events. As part of recent development work on their website, they required an interactive building floor plan and admin system to display color-coded rooms and tenant data in a dynamic popup box. The front end employs the excellent Imagemapster jQuery plugin to generate the image area map and core popup features. These were then customized to enhance the display and interaction, and a tenant list was also added. The information is dynamically loaded from a MySQL database, with all back-end coding in VB.net.
Website not yet available
Dual Language Website
The Greenwood Guide to South Africa has now been adapted to be a multi-lingual website, with a German version of the site now online. Following a re-coding of numerous parts of the application and employing ASP.net resources capabilities, the site now has the potential to display its core content in any European language. Even though the original user interface was not designed to display content in multiple languages, the relatively flexible layout allowed for moderate shifting in the positioning of elements. The online enquiry system had to be completely revised to cater for localized calendar data and email templates.
This Website
The site you're viewing is a responsive web design. If you view it on a mobile device you'll be seeing the exact same files that you do on a tablet or desktop, but the layout will adapt to the smaller screen size. It consists of HTML, CSS and Javascript (mainly JQuery). Standard CSS3 media queries are employed, plus conditional loading of Javascript files. The responsive main menu is a customized version of the slimMenu jQuery plugin.
Flash Microsite
Originally an extension to an earlier version of the Tensilefabric.co.uk site, 'Product Shapes' presented a range of off-the-shelf fabric structure products for resale in the UK. The client wanted a site that was interactive, intuitive and fun. The user interface allows easy navigation between product groups and simultaneously displays each group with highlighted photographic examples below. Object Oriented Actionscript 1.0 employed throughout.
View website* (requires Flash Player)
Google Maps Integration
For many years Greenwood Guides' maps showing accommodation locations were both plotted and generated manually. After a few years as their web developer I created a more automated system on ASP.net to substantially ease the pain, but the process was still a manual chore. Then in early 2012 a new system was devised, employing the latest Google Maps API (v3.0) in order to massively simplify the plotting task and allow much improved map integration across the website. An important step forward for the site and a definite benefit for its users.
Custom Shopping Cart
A current TensileFabric microsite is dedicated to their stylish garden canopy range with DIY installation. The key section of this site is the custom shopping cart (ASP.net) for the purchase of canopies and installation accessories. The canopies and fittings can be purchased independently of each other. The cart is integrated with the Paypal® 'Buy Now' payment system as the principal method of payment. A PDF invoice is also generated automatically and delivered to both parties as the alternative 'pay by check' option. Coded in VB.net employing Windows Stateserver.
Sound Movement
A music and dance performance agency based in Madrid, Spain, began their online presence with this site. Key elements are the original design, the Flash jukebox and the dynamic Flash sampler modules to load both mp3 music and mpeg video. Later projects for Sound Movement included a client-only 'intranet' site with a custom-built content management site and a number of microsites dedicated to specific artists.
View website* (requires Flash Player)
Fabricworks
A new department of TensileFabric required a simple but stylish website to present the different aspects of their business and show off some portfolio work to date. The project brief was quite open regarding the design so Photoshop was put to work to create some interesting fabric-themed imagery to enhance the basic layout. The decision to use black and white photos was to contrast with the overall contemporary design but also to emphasize the traditional aspect of working manually with fabric.
Gota a Gota (Drop by Drop)
Fundeso (Sustained Development Foundation), a Madrid-based NGO in Spain, required a site for their educational project about water and the environment. The users would be teenagers of local schools, so a bright, eye-catching design was needed. A bespoke CMS was built to add relevant PDF documents and news. After each phase of the project (photos, mottos and written articles) children's work was uploaded and a comments system provided. All the participating classes could then view the work of other schools, comment and later vote online for the best. The site was employed for two consecutive years.
Website unavailable for viewing**
Interculturanet
Following the successful 'Gota a Gota' collaboration, Fundeso commissioned me to revive their abandoned 'Interculturanet' website. Also aimed at adolescents, the design and logo needed to convey the spirit of international communication between people of different cultures, and was used by participating school children in three other Spanish-speaking countries. Due to the variation in IT facilities across these countries, the site had to be kept relatively simple, lightweight and functional. It featured basic custom forums, a news blog for educators and sections to display student work, all supported with a custom CMS. The site was active over two consecutive years.
Website unavailable for viewing**
Ciudadanet
This was the third website undertaken for Fundeso. A one-year, three-phase project with participants from various secondary schools and public associations across eleven Spanish cities. The objective of the site was to build awareness of the urban environment and stimulate ideas for ways to improve it. Custom blogs and forums provided the means for users to share their proposals and comment on the ideas of others. Educational material was also posted via a CMS and in the final phase two sets of short films created by participants were made available via a Flash module.
Website unavailable for viewing**
Flash Portfolio Site
This Flash site from 2003 provided access to the client's 3D graphics portfolio, with a good dose of interactivity thrown in to make the site engaging and memorable. Features a 3D (dynamically plotted in 3D coordinates) loading progress indicator and floating title menus and project descriptions.
Object Oriented programming techniques facilitated the production of an identical version in French (to view choose the French version via the link below).
View website* (Requires Flash Player)
