Design Work
I design in several stages, from back-of-the-envelope sketches to fully realized designs in standards-compliant XHTML or PHP. I strive to make my design methods as flexible as possible, in order to meet the unique demands of every situation. Below I highlighted a few examples of my work from various stages in the design cycle.
Sketches and thumbnails
For almost every design project I utilize pen and paper techniques to brainstorm initial design ideas. At this stage, my emphasis is generating a large amount of ideas and starting to get a feel for layout options. The examples below are sketches for an interaction design project I presented with Noor Ali-Hasan.
Storyboards
Storyboards are extremely useful design tools for communicating progression through a space or process. I enjoy Scott McCloud's Understanding Comics and attempt to give my storyboards a comic-like quality. The example below is from the "Urban Markup" poster I presented with Noor Ali-Hasan.
Wireframes
For information architecture projects on which I have worked, a wireframe is often a useful design for communicating design ideas to business or development units. I developed wireframes during my internship at Travelocity, but I am unable to share them here due to the non-disclosure agreement I signed.
High-fidelity mockups
Often a higher fidelity mockup is needed to communicate more design details and to impart a sense of the look and feel of a design. I use Adobe Illustrator to lay out these mockups, and try to include functionality or usability notes. Below is a mockup I created for the Fitster project.
Standards-compliant XHTML & PHP
I've designed several websites for personal, academic, and professional uses. My designs emphasize usable, standards-compliant XHTML and CSS, a clean visual layout, and ease of navigation.
I started Design to Scale, my own web design sole proprietorship in August 2005. Design to Scale targets entrepreneurs, small business, and non-profits. I currently have designed sites for four clients.
Giant Step Management (2005)
Giant Step Management is an artist management and representation sole proprietorship with a client roster of seven visual, performing, and literary artists.
Janelle Lauer (2004)
Janelle is an amazing jazz and pop singer based in Cedar Rapids, IA. I designed, coded, and laid out her site. I also installed an OSCommerce shopping cart with an SSL certificate so her fans can (securely) purchase her CD online. Visit her site at www.janellelauer.com.
