Some of my new creations!

07-30-2007

Since the launch of Justine’s site, I have been working nonstop! If I have been an antisocial beyotch, well, it’s probably because I have literally had to turn off Skype and IM to be able to sit down and concentrate for a block of time. I am really very pleased with the progress I am making since relaunching this site (I will be doing another design as soon as I find the time — my portfolio page is horrible and I need to get on that!).

Right now, I cannot think of anything I would rather be doing than working with my clients, making web pages, and just generally having a ball of a time.

Anyway, I can give you all a few sneak peaks at what I am currently working on:

1. Glo3.com.au

This is a really nifty Australian invention that utilises ozone to completely sterilise and clean boots. Obviously we wouldn’t be keeping it in our wardrobes because it is an industrial thing, but it can be used to dry ski boots, mining boots, and all sorts really. This site is powered by CMS Made Simple and I also illustrated the model on the front page, based on the client’s CAD drawings. Pretty nifty, huh?

Anyway, you can have a look by clicking on the image:

glo3.png

2. Anna Rose Photography

This is currently a work in progress, and one of the many photographers that contacted me after the launch of justineungaro.com . What’s great is that Jen is actually Perth-based and is sweet as pie… so its great! Anyway, because of issues with iiNet there is only a splash page up at the moment, but I think it gives you at least a sneak peek at the direction of the site:

annarose.png

3. Trista Lerit Photography

Another project that I am very excited about! Trista loves florals almost as much as I do, so she’s let me design something purdy and ornate. It is still only at the mock stage, but I thought I’d show you a sneak peek anyway:

trista.png

I am also doing a few other projects like a CD cover, but I can’t show those yet.

Oh, and I have been asked by the ABC to be profiled as someone with a “cool job”. Will tell you more when I know more!

CMS Made Simple: Where have you been all my life?

07-06-2007

I just want to get all geeky for a little bit and gush about a new Open Source CMS I have discovered, called CMS Made Simple.  I have been a big fan of Open Source software for years – I use Wordpress here, and have utilised many diferent solutions for different projects.

The two main Open Source CMSes - Joomla and Drupal – while both very powerful – are more often than not overkill for most basic sites that I produce. If you want a full blown CMS with loads of features, both of these will do really well. But I also find them immensely frustrating for many simple tasks. Most of my clients simply want to update pages, perhaps an image or 2 and a file or 2, and maybe want to blog. I was struggling to find a good solution, without hand coding my own or forking out tens of thousands of dollars.

Then, I discovered CMS Made Simple. No bloat, no hassle. As a designer it is flexible enough to make the sites look great, but also powerful enough to be infinitely expandable. And, to top it off, it is a beautiful example of keeping style separate from the content, meaning that it is really accessible to boot.

The best feature that I have found with the CMS is the ability to browse for add-ons (modules) from within the admin panel. One of the most annoying things about the bigger CMSes is finding the time to test and search for new add-ons, and I love love love that I can just click to install it, try it out, and remove it just as easily. Absolutely Fantastic stuff.

Because I am often a one-person development team, I get really excited when I find things that can save me time, and ultimately, save my clients money, and I think that CMS Made Simple is a project that I will throw my weight behind.

I have a few more that I want to test before I commit, but this one is very much a contender!