I discovered my passion for design at an early age, drawing and sketching away. As the years progressed, so did technology, and I took an interest in digital media and all things computer related. It wasn't until my 3rd year in college as an architecture major that I discovered my true calling in web and graphic design, it was at that point I decided to change things up and switch majors. I graduated from Lawrence Tech with a BFA in Graphic Design, with my senior thesis project focusing on an online educational interface.
My unique educational background in both architectural design and graphic design has helped me achieve a smart approach to my work. By that, I mean, I just don't start a design with the creative in mind (right-brained thinking). I take the time in the discovery phase of a project to research the competition, incorporate new design trends, and most importantly, discover the target audience. This logical approach (left-brain thinking), has helped me establish a process of nailing design mock ups on the first try. Less revision work, leads to a more efficient process, and ultimately a faster turnaround time, and that's beneficial to everyone.
When approaching a new project, my goal has always been to create something that blows the competition out of the water. I never approach a project with the idea of creating a "decent" looking website. My goal is to impact the entire web community by creating designs that not only look pretty, but allow for a very streamlined, user interface experience. My philosophy has always been "out with the old and in with new" and challenging myself with each and every project I produce, to get progressively better, on both a front-end design and back-end coding experience.
Without sounding too "techy", I'm proficient in XHTML, CSS, with some PHP and Javascript experience - and learning more by the day. The unity of good design practices, with an understanding in back end coding, has lead me to a more effective and usable web design ideas.
I am currently working as a front-end web/graphic designer for Synectics Media. We work with a variety of clients, both big and small, providing marketing services such as web design & development, web application development, custom email templates/campaigns, analytics & SEO techniques, social media, graphic design services and more. This position has opened my eyes as to how poorly most companies represent themselves on the web. Establishing a professional looking brand, both online and off, can dramatically increase the public's perception of that company, and in turn, lead to an increase in business and profit.
I believe design is the most important investment that a business will ever make, so do it right the first time.