Portfolio
Blue Whale Arts
Details
- Category
- Web Design, Ecommerce, CMS
- Client
- Leah Reed, Blue Whale Arts LLC
- Date
- May 2010
Introduction
Client required an ecommerce website for her retail arts and crafts supply business. With well over 1200 products in their inventory, a sophisticated, database-driven website was needed to properly manage all the products, images and orders she would be dealing with.
CMS (Content Management System) software was the only option for such a store. Though there are various shopping cart and e-store programs out there, I decided to use Wordpress: a free, well-known and easy-to-operate software, traditionally used for blogging but can now be used for any kind of website.
Website / Frontend Features:
- Large homepage slideshow of featured product categories (client's choice)
- Customer login area with shopping cart contents at the top of every page
- Main product categories listed in sidebar
- Sub-categories displayed while viewing parent category pages
- Optional sales, notices and featured product widgets under menu / slider
- Each product can have both photos and video (photos enlarge via lightbox)
- Tell-a-friend, add-to-wishlist and image links to other items on product pages
- Products can also have price-affecting multiple choices for size, colour, etc.
- Wishlist management and faster checkout for registered users
Admin / Backend Features:
- Shop can be set up as standard (online) checkout or as an enquiry-only
- Choice of several payment gateways including Paypal and Authorize.net
- Multiple tax rules and shipping calculations (weight, order total, flat, etc)
- Email notification of new orders to owner, receipts to customers (PDFs too)
- Orders management and earnings overview (week, month, year and all-time)
- Registered users have no access to admin backend / Wordpress dashboard
- Optional inventory control including low-stock warning and sold out notice
- Automatic product image resizing (thumbnails, etc. auto-created)
- Optional gift certificates and single or multi-use vouchers
Blue Whale Arts Banner
Details
- Category
- Graphic Design, Web Design
- Software
- Adobe Illustrator (vector)
- Client
- Leah Reed, Blue Whale Arts
- Date
- May 2010
Introduction
Website banner / header created for www.bluewhalearts.com as a vector graphic (resizable without resolution loss). I have also isolated and forwarded various elements of the illustration to the client for use in printed materials (business cards, tags, flyers, etc.)
Cronan Motorsports
Details
- Category
- Web Design, static HTML
- Client
- Sean Cronan, Cronan Motorsports
- Date
- February 2011
Introduction
Website development for a race car driver (late-model stocks) requiring pages for news updates, racing and events schedule, driver and team bios, charity info and list of sponsors / links.
Website Features:
- Animated homepage slider of gorgeous car and racing pics
- Schedule page includes both animated event calendar and quick-view table
- News section offers several ways of listing an article (importance, age, etc.)
- Gallery features thumbnails with info on hover, photos enlarge with lightbox
- Twitter feed on the news page displays latest tweet plus number of followers
- Contact page has a form with spam-deterring captcha (math question)
Sheridan Technical Solutions
Details
- Category
- Web Design, CMS (Wordpress)
- Client
- Fred Lutz, Sheridan Technical Solutions
- Date
- April 2011, March 2009
Introduction
Wordpress-driven website for presenting the services and technical expertise of a building code consulting firm. The website also incorporates industry-related news articles and RSS feeds to help target key search terms and attract potential clients to their business. Initially created a static HTML website in 2009, and then a Wordpress redesign in 2011.
Website Features:
- Animated slider (with captions) to give quick, visual overview of the website
- Scalable contact forms throughout website with anti-spam captcha
- Widgetized footer pulls pages or news articles from other areas of the site
- Adjustable column widths (using shortcodes) to display text in various ways
- News page features regular articles plus automatically-pulled RSS feeds
- Articles can be sorted using categories and tags, much like blog posts
Powertex Canada
Details
- Category
- Web Design, static HTML
- URL
- www.powertex.ca
- Client
- Brigette Thompson, Powertex Canada
- Date
- April 2008
Introduction
The Canadian distributor of an arts and crafts sculpting medium required a low-cost, simple website to feature products and prices but without any e-commerce functionality. Also requested was a photo gallery, tutorial section, news or events page and a list of dealers.
Powertex Print Ad
Details
- Category
- Graphic Design, Retouching
- Software
- Adobe Photoshop
- Client
- Brigette Thompson, Powertex Canada
- Date
- April 2010
Introduction
Print advertisement required for insertion into the brochure/magazine of an arts and crafts show. The client wanted to quickly show an example of the most popular way the product is used; to create a "unique, outdoor sculpture".
Client had only indoor photos taken of the sculpture, so I retouched the original photo and combined it with stock images to place the sculpture outdoors. Printed size of the advert was 7.75" high by 4.75" wide @ 300 dpi resolution (standard print resolution).
Brigette, it looks great! Whoever does this for you is doing a great job! I see everything come through so I know good when I see it! ~ Judy Hampson, Events Coordinator, Coast to Coast Events
Powertex Trade Show Banner
Details
- Category
- Graphic Design, Retouching
- Software
- Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop
- Client
- Brigette Thompson, Powertex Canada
- Date
- April 2010
Introduction
Client required a trade show-style, 6' tall vinyl banner to display at the various shows and venues they attend.
I retouched and isolated a series of product photos onto a pure white background in Photoshop, being careful to enhance existing (or add realistic) shadows to the individual shots. The rest of the banner was finished in Illustrator and sent as a print file to the client so that she could have it made at a printshop of her choosing.
Cableguy Photos
Details
- Category
- Web Design, CMS (Wordpress)
- Client
- Mike Kiers, Cableguy Photos
- Date
- July 2009
Introduction
Client is a photographer that needed a website capable of displaying and managing a large amount of photos (averaging 600 - 1000+ photos a week!) along with news updates / blog functionality. He also wanted to be able to manage the site on his own, once it was up and running.
The result is a Wordpress website using an advanced photo gallery plugin to effectively organize and post the photos.
Website / Frontend Features:
- Blog on homepage displays the most recent posts
- Sidebar contains ad blocks, search field, intro text and newest photos
- Racing pics organized into albums then galleries w/ photo count under titles
- Photos initially shown as thumbnails, enlarges with on-page lightbox
- Can click onscreen to browse through enlarged pics or use keyboard arrows
Admin / Backend Features:
- Gallery plugin automatically generates thumbnails from full-sized pics
- Option for plugin to batch-create a transparent watermark on the photos
- Multiple ways to add photos like file browse, upload a zip file or import folder
- Creating a new gallery will auto-create the page it will go on
- Many related plugins available to extend functionality of the photo gallery
Nutmeg Woodworking Website
Details
- Category
- Web Design, E-commerce, HTML
- Client
- David Hornblow, Nutmeg Woodworking
- Date
- August 2008
Introduction
Static HTML ecommerce website developed for retailer of woodcarving / woodworking tools and supplies. Website offers only PayPal as a payment gateway and uses it's inbuilt shopping cart function. Nutmeg was originally both an online shop and brick-and-mortar retail store, but is now an online store only.
Website Features:
- 2-level, product menu in sidebar with a second menu up top for info pages
- Animated (javascript) slider w/ captions feature sales and other promotions
- Most products divided into sub-categories, displayed with thumbnail and title
- 'View Cart' button on all individual and multiple product pages
- Add-to-cart buttons can have same-price or price-affecting multiple choices
- Buyer checks out with PayPal and automatically returns to store when done
- Blog-style news page showing recent updates and event calendar / list
- Other pages include gallery, carving club listing and ordering / shipping info
Since hiring Lea as our web designer and webmaster our e-business has gone up and continues to go up with her continued support and input - Dave Hornblow
Creattica Retouching Contest
Details
- Category
- Retouching
- Software
- Adobe Photoshop
- Date
- July 2011
Introduction
My entry for the Creattica Photo Retouching Contest. The advice they gave for anyone entering the contest was, "Remember to keep your work natural, and don’t go overboard with the retouching. When it comes to post-processing, less can often be more!". I agree with their recommendation because it seems that a lot of retouched photos appear overdone, having that noticeable "photoshopped" look. Time to complete this retouch was a little over 2 hours.
( No, I didn't win :)
Flash White Out
Details
- Category
- Retouching
- Software
- Adobe Photoshop
- Client
- Katie Marsden
- Date
- September 2010
Introduction
Client needed a quick photo retouch to correct a flash spot on one of her sculptures. Approximate time required to complete was 15 minutes. Camera flash-created "white spot" in before photo (left), removed and filled in (right), with close-ups on far-right.
Book Illustrations
Details
- Category
- Graphic Design
- Software
- Adobe Illustrator
- Client
- Catherine Devine, Author
- Date
- October 2007
Introduction
Stitching illustrations and diagrams created for the book, Coiled Designs for Gourd Art - Schiffer Publishing, 2008.
