Dave Who?

Yeah... this is me, sorry to disappoint I am an Art Director, Interactive Designer/Developer and Digital Artist. I am a “UI-Guy” by choice, it’s what I like, it’s what I do. I am well versed with any aspect of the user experience whether that be from a design, development, direction, management or marketing perspective. I pride myself on being able to see the big picture without losing the details and feel there is a place for both pragmatic and creative thinking with every project.

Thats enough of the elevator pitch. This site is the “un-design” of my portfolio to display some of my work. Rather than drabble on about myself or my work I’ll just hit on a few points in the Q&A below.

So whats up with the site ‘design’?

The design (or lack thereof) is really just so that I could have a simple way to display some of my work without getting so hung up on the ‘wrapping paper’. And lets be honest, designers are their own worst client and I’m no exception. I HATE doing work for myself because I can get hung up on trying to make it “too cool” or using all of the latest technology, when really all that’s required is an easy way to view the work. Thats why most designer portfolios get a redesign once a decade… because we suck as clients. Therefore I chose to remove the ‘must be the coolest design ever imagined’ requirement from the project scope.

Why WordPress?

Its easy to maintain, reliable, and does a great job of separating the data from the presentation so when the next decade comes and I want to redesign I dont have to re-enter all the data again. The hope is that by using this platform I will update/maintain my portfolio on a more consistent basis. Oh yeah, and its free… I like free.

Is this really all the work you could come up with after 14+ years?

Uhh no. I dont freelance much (at all) anymore but when I did, a lot of the work was under NDA/non-advertise/non-compete agreements so some of those projects cant be displayed. Other freelance work either isnt a current representation of my abilities, no longer online, or its just old. I do have a 9-5 (or more accurately a 7-6) job and do a lot of design and development everyday. Not everything I do daily is ‘portfolio material’.

Aren’t you just a ‘Flash’ guy, whats with the HTML site?

Granted, a lot of the freelance work I have done has been all Flash based, but let me be clear. Much like a mechanic isnt defined based on his toolbox, I am not defined by the tools I use. I think Flash was a great platform that allowed me to express an idea without compromise and deliver a more immersive experience than HTML could ever hope to do. That being said I was coding HTML/CSS/JS by hand long before – and during the time – I started working with Flash. Flash was just a tool, like jQuery is just a tool. I wont go into my disappointment with where the Flash platform has gone here. I will say that technologies will come and go, and if you are stuck being defined by any one of them you are doing yourself a great disservice.

Did you write every single line of code for this site?

No, absolutely not. I’m a fan of not reinventing the wheel and not too proud to say if a code library/framework has already been created to do something I want to do, I use it. Why anyone gets hung up on the need to write everything from scratch is beyond me. That being said, this awesome template of supreme eye candy you see before you (sarcasm) was coded by me. I did however make use of LESSjQuery, isotope, reveal, modernizr, jReject and colorbox libraries. I am also using the Diavlo Book, Lobster and Icomoon webfonts.

Wait a minute, are you a designer or a developer?

Do I have to be either or? I realize that nowadays people are choosing to become becoming more ‘specialized’ as an information architect, a Photoshop artist, an HTML/CSS coder, or a Javascript developer, etc.. When I started in this industry you were either a front-end or back-end guy. I have always worked hard to make sure I stayed capable of being able to deliver the entire UI. Whether it’s brainstorming, to concept, to mock-up, to art direction, and finally to production ready code I’m very comfortable with every aspect of the UI. If its on this side of the server, thats my gig. I think its important for the designer to be able to understand information delivery and usability when they are creating a mock-up. It’s equally important to understand if/how something can be coded while they are working in Photoshop. And when the picture has to become reality it’s inevitable that pixels will change when converted to a coded page/widget/application and therefore the UI developer/coder needs to understand what pixels can be altered without losing the integrity of the design.

It’s also a nice balance for me. I can float back and forth between Photoshop and code which allows me to not get too burnt out on either. Thats just the way I was taught and thats how I continue to progress in my career.

So this all tells me nothing, who are you?

I’m just a guy with a lot of tattoos that likes crayons a little too much. A father of two awesome kids, husband to a wife that lets me think I’m cool, a devoted Boston Celtic fan, youth basketball coach, horrible guitar player, wannabe mechanic, and all around nice guy (subject to change/debate/opinion). If you need more professional info feel free to check out my LinkedIn profile.

Hey you sound like a cool guy, wanna be Facebook friends?

Thanks but no thanks. Nothing personal, I just try and keep my personal life and professional life as separate as possible.

Still need more info? Really?? Ok, well feel free to shoot me an email.

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Laser Imaging & Design (v2)
Laser Imaging & Design (v2) 5.2010

Details:

Redesign the portfolio website for Laser Imaging & Design Inc. to showcase their laser etching work.

Type:

Website

Role:

Art Direction, Designer, Developer

Tools:

AMF / Remoting, CMS, Flash / AS3, HTML / CSS, Photoshop, PHP / MySQL, Video
View Project More Images
Aces Tattoos
Aces Tattoos 12.2009

Details:

Redesigned the website, logo and CMS for Aces Tattoos, Denton Texas' premier Tattoo studio.

Type:

Website,

Role:

Art Direction, Designer, Developer

Tools:

CMS, HTML / CSS, JavaScript, Photoshop, PHP / MySQL
View Project More Images
DR Horton
DR Horton 7.2009

Details:

Created a few design ideas for the D.R. Horton Home Builders website redesign. I was one of several designers hired to provide design concepts based on some client provided criteria.

Type:

Mock-up

Role:

Designer

Tools:

Photoshop
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82 Tattoo
82 Tattoo 11.2007

Details:

Created a complete brand identity to showcases the artwork for one of the top tattoo artists in Texas.

Type:

Website, Business Cards, Motion Graphics,

Role:

Art Direction, Designer, Developer

Tools:

AMF / Remoting, Flash / AS3, HTML / CSS, Photoshop
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Crucial Limit – Chapter Two
Crucial Limit – Chapter Two 5.2007

Details:

The redesign of Crucial Limit - my portfolio website and blog.

Type:

Website, Business Cards, Mock-up, Motion Graphics,

Role:

Art Direction, Designer, Developer

Tools:

3D, AMF / Remoting, Flash / AS3, HTML / CSS, JavaScript, Photoshop, PHP / MySQL, Video
View Project More Images
Travelocity ExperienceFinder
Travelocity ExperienceFinder 12.2006

Details:

Created a web application to allow users to shop for travel. We received 2008 Gold Magellan Award by Travel Weekly, and 'Innovator of the Year' Award from the Travel Industry Association.

Type:

Website, Application

Role:

Art Direction, Designer, Developer

Tools:

AMF / Remoting, Flash / AS3, HTML / CSS, JavaScript, Photoshop, Video
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Travelocity Hotel Checkout
Travelocity Hotel Checkout 3.2006

Details:

Converted the Travelocity Hotel checkout path to a single screen, Flash-based checkout.

Type:

Website

Role:

Designer, Developer

Tools:

AMF / Remoting, Flash / AS3, HTML / CSS, JavaScript
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The Village Church
The Village Church 11.2004

Details:

Interface design and content templates for The Village Church website.

Type:

Website, Mock-up

Role:

Designer, Developer

Tools:

HTML / CSS, JavaScript, Photoshop
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The Design Factory (v2)
The Design Factory (v2) 6.2004

Details:

This was the redesign of the website created to showcase the high quality graphic design work from The Design Factory.

Type:

Website

Role:

Designer, Developer

Tools:

AMF / Remoting, CMS, Flash / AS3, HTML / CSS, JavaScript, Photoshop
More Images
Laterras R. Whitfield
Laterras R. Whitfield 1.2004

Details:

Created a website for the famed playwright and actor Laterras R. Whitfield.

Type:

Website, Motion Graphics, Photo Manipulation

Role:

Art Direction, Designer, Developer

Tools:

CMS, HTML / CSS, JavaScript, Photoshop, Video
View Project More Images
Kustom Tattooz
Kustom Tattooz 11.2003

Details:

Created a complete brand identity and website for Kustom Tattooz to showcase the tattoo portfolio and artwork for tattoo artist, Chad Lambert.

Type:

Website, Business Cards, Print Media, Motion Graphics, Illustration,

Role:

Art Direction, Designer, Developer

Tools:

AMF / Remoting, CMS, Flash / AS3, HTML / CSS, JavaScript, Photoshop, PHP / MySQL
More Images
Laser Imaging & Design (v1)
Laser Imaging & Design (v1) 9.2002

Details:

The first version of the portfolio website for Laser Imaging & Design Inc. to showcase their laser etching work.

Type:

Website

Role:

Art Direction, Designer, Developer

Tools:

AMF / Remoting, CMS, Flash / AS3, HTML / CSS, JavaScript, Photoshop, PHP / MySQL
More Images
Solipsum
Solipsum 9.2002

Details:

A website dedicated a a new form of print based entertainment, the photographic novel, for photographer Dan Couto.

Type:

Website

Role:

Art Direction, Designer, Developer

Tools:

Flash / AS3, HTML / CSS, JavaScript, Photoshop
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The Design Factory (v1)
The Design Factory (v1) 6.2002

Details:

This was the first version of the website I created to showcase the high quality graphic design work from The Design Factory.

Type:

Website

Role:

Designer, Developer

Tools:

Flash / AS3, HTML / CSS, JavaScript, Photoshop
More Images
House of Chubby Tattoo
House of Chubby Tattoo 4.2002

Details:

The original brand identity and website I created to showcase the tattoo portfolio of Chad Lambert.

Type:

Website, Business Cards, Print Media, Mock-up, Motion Graphics,

Role:

Art Direction, Designer, Developer

Tools:

Flash / AS3, HTML / CSS, JavaScript, Photoshop, Video
More Images
Crucial Limit – Chapter One
Crucial Limit – Chapter One 2.2001

Details:

The was the first version of Crucial Limit, and the 3rd version of my online portfolio. Built using Flash 5.

Type:

Website, Business Cards,

Role:

Art Direction, Designer, Developer

Tools:

3D, Flash / AS3, HTML / CSS, Photoshop
View Project More Images