Simple, Accessible Web Site Designs
I want to build simple, elegant web sites for artists, performers, small businesses and organizations. I strictly follow XHTML standards when constructing my web pages, and I employ CSS to control each site's look and layout. The combination of using valid XHTML and CSS makes my sites easy to build and maintain, and they load quickly and take up minimal server space. It also ensures that they look good in the newest browsers, are viewable with older browsers and portable devices, and will be accessible to people with disabilities. I eschew animations and gratuitous graphical content—partly to be fair to those who can't afford high-speed connections or blazing computers—preferring to allow the core artwork or message and elegant layout to do the talking.
You Are the Webmaster
My aim is to build a site that you can maintain yourself. This requires a moderate level of computer literacy on your part, as well as your own access to the internet. I will help you obtain your own domain name (www.yourowndomainname.com) and procure a hosting service (i.e. where your site is stored on the web). You will be able to add content to and change the look of your site on your own, without any special software.
If you are uncomfortable with handling your own site once I've built it for you, I am available for future maintenance, upgrades, and updates. But really, it's easier than you think.
Compatability and Accessiblity
Not everyone uses the same web browser program, and some browsers (Internet Explorer, Netscape/Mozilla, Opera) interpret the code for a web page differently than others. A web page that looks perfect in Explorer might have a major flaw that shows up in Mozilla, or for that matter in an older version of Explorer. This is a sad but true situation that will hopefully go away in a few years. In the meantime, web designers need to be aware of browser quirks so that their designs appear as intended; I check my designs in multiple browsers for just this reason.
Much like browsers, there is a large variety of monitors out there. My designs are fluid and scalable so they can be viewed just as easily on the 15-inch dinosaur at the library as they can on your fancy 21-inch flatscreen. Resize your browser window or change your monitor's resolution to test this. Go ahead, I'll wait.
Some folks can't see so well. This may be a symptom of trying to read all of those web sites with teeny-tiny text. I strive to design accessible, easily readable web pages. In addition, I use scalable text so that individuals can tailor the site for their own eyes without making the page layout go all haywire. Go to your browser's View pull-down menu and see what happens when you change the text size for this page.
Site Structure and Content—Form Follows Function
You and I will discuss the look and layout of the site, but you will be largely responsible for supplying the content (i.e. the text and/or artwork). The content must be established before any style work is done so that the site's structure fits your needs. See my portfolio in the sidebar for samples of various web site configurations.
From the Real World to the Digital World
I can do high-quality scans of your slides, negatives, prints, or flat materials to bring them into the digital format for web display. See my photography for an example of my film scanning capability. I can also shoot digital photos of objects that you want to display (all of my rustic woodwork pictures were done this way).
The Bottom Line
Please contact me to discuss your project. I will provide a free estimate. I want to perform a service that you feel is valuable for a price that we both feel is fair.
Domain name registration is $15/year with Discount Domain Registry, which is the registrar that I use. My hosting service is Successful Hosting, which has packages starting at $90/year for 25 megabytes of storage space. You do not need to use the same services, but I have had a good history with them since 2001. I encourage you to shop around or seek other testimonials as you see fit—there are cheaper services out there. If you currently have an ISP you may already have online storage space included in your account.