One of my favorite side projects is one that I have built to showcase the adventures I share with my son Brandon. Obviously the content is more near and dear to me then any of my other work. However, it functions in a way that really makes the sharing part quick and easy. Thus what ultimately makes it so functional for me. I originally intended on keeping a more standard blog, but never could seem to find the time to write up lengthy post’s about our experiences.
Recently I have been spending my down time working on a project that I have dreamed about since I was a young boy – To build up and semi restore a classic Jeep CJ7. Over the summer, I started this project and have been getting a lot of enjoyment both tinkering with it in my garage as well as driving it at every chance I get.
Another early 2009 site debut was for Kevin M Klein – aka the Marketing Mixologist. Kevin has worked with various media brands for the past 15 years – leading marketing, product and sales teams for print and online publishers.
Recently, I had the opportunity to create a new blog skin for SFObserved. A local blog that is a collection of thoughts, impressions and photos of a group of folks who call the Bay Area home. Started by my dear pal Kevin Klein – who is originally from Los Angles. Thus the last few years have been full of new experiences in this famous old city – new to him.
Recently, I enjoyed another fantastic collaboration with Andrew Mager to create a new site identity and blog skin for Roland Lazenby’s “Laker Noise“. Roland is the author or co-author of more than 60 books, most of them about sports. Among his works are several Lakers-related projects, including the bio Mad Game, The NBA Education of Kobe Bryant, and Mind Games, his Phil Jackson biography. Lazenby also teaches journalism at Virginia Tech.
Just before the weekend – Andrew Mager asked if I could generate a new more subtle wordpress skin for his blog. Apparently, he had been having some issues with some of his larger images not fitting in his previous fixed width site, and was also hoping to go for a lighter and more simplified look and feel. At first, I sensed that he was a bit shy about telling me that he had taken the previous design down. But it did not work for him, and my feelings are never hurt by the concept of change. A design system is supposed to be functional, thus if it is getting in the way of serving in the way it is intended – then by all means it needs to be modified or in this case – scrapped all together.
So this week the CBS purchase of CNET Networks closed and I am now an employee of CBS Interactive. Every company focused on growth as we are, is concerned with maintaining and expanding on the group of people that make that growth possible. Internships are a key method in finding passionate new players to the workforce – as well as an opportunity to give these folks the chance to show and fine tune their skill set in a professional environment.
This week Andrew Mager showed me “CSS For Lunch” – a new site that he had come up with. The goal is to get a group of talented tech producers to author various posts with the tips and tricks that they use on a daily basis. These can be quick rants that offer up an interesting method, yet can be both written or read on ones lunch break.
I am an avid student and evangelist of user-centered design principles - I have created or overhauled some of the world's largest online Business & Technology properties. My focus has always been on building functional design systems that creatively solve business problems. Solutions that convey brand & messaging, but more importantly, are intuitive to maximize the possibilities of an interactive medium. Any thoughts, opinions, or ideas expressed on this website are solely my own and not necessarily representative of those of my employer, CBS Interactive.
