Web Design, Content Management Systems, Ecommerce - Tampa, FL - Springfield, MO » Web Design

The Askew Media website has been redesigned!

askewmedia — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 05:33:05 +0000

After months of hard work, I have finally finished the Askew Media Redesign. This is a major improvement from the last design. I am using clean, well organized, validated XHTML Strict code, CSS3, jQuery, optimized images, all on a WordPress blog format. Starting with the home page, I included an amazing, prebuilt jQuery Feature List. It’s lightweight and highly configurable. It work well in most recent browsers, including the dreaded IE6. Below the feature list, I installed jQuery toggle slider.

There are still a few tasks to be done before I can claim this website to be 100% complete. The ‘About’ page still needs to be recoded as well as the ‘Privacy Policy’ and ‘Terms of Service’ page. The blog page (obviously), search page, and archive page will also have a new layout. On the archive page, I will add pagination for easier page navigation. I also have plans to redesign the contact page using a new form system. I am currently using the ‘Contact Form 7′ WordPress plugin. However, recently I was searching for WordPress plugins to use for my latest web design project with WEDU.org and came across a very powerful, highly customizable contact form plugin by the name of cformsII.

Once I complete the pages mentioned above, I am going to build an HTML sitemap, optimize and compress both my CSS and Javascript files, and optimize my HTML code for faster page loading. Later, I am going to either search for a jQuery or AJAX gallery or build a gallery from scratch for my portfolio page. Effective immediately, Askew Media will also drop support for IE6. Come on web designers, lets unite and get rid of IE6 once and for all!

Some other plans I have for the site and Askew Media is to integrate a customer login system so that my clients can log into a web interface and request changes, make payments, download past receipts, etc. Within the next year, I plan to offer live video conferencing in order for my non-local clients so that they can ‘meet me’. And there will be many more useful features that I will add to the site and/or the overall Askew Media business model.

Big, big plans for Askew Media this year. Please feel free to leave comments, suggestions, critiques of the new website, or just say hello. I would love to hear what you think.

CSS Showcase Website List

naskew — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 04:40:27 +0000

As a web designer, I am constantly keeping up to date with the latest web design and graphic design trends. One way that I have managed to do this efficiently are subscribing to various CSS Showcase websites. These are websites that only display original and valid CSS and HTML website designs from designers all over the world. It’s a great way to stay up-to-date with the latest trends are and to sometimes find inspiration.

I have a rather large list that I view on a regular basis — but there are 1000′s of them out there and new ones are popping up daily. I have compiled a short list of my favorite CSS Showcase websites.

BestWebGallery	Boxed CSS	CSS Based
Creattica	CSS Design Yorkshire	CSS Envy
CSS Mania	CSS Evo	CSS Imagine
Design Snack	Mabucplus	Screenalicious
CSS Container	Creamy CSS	CSS Fresh Blenc
CSS Mix	Design Bombs	CSS Remix
We Love WP	WP Inspire

Blue Websites Roundup

naskew — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 11:01:14 +0000

Here is the blue websites roundup. This is a collection of my personal favorite websites using mostly blue in the color scheme.

Simple Flame – I think the colors used in this website are beautiful.

Tripingo – I like the background of the world map on this website.

Swell Surf Camp – The drawn fonts are what caught my attention of this particular website. And perhaps the fact that I love to surf myself.

Havoc Inspired – This website has a very clean, and simple look that makes this design standout to me.

PSD Themes – I found that the way that the individual posts are displayed on this website to be very nice.

Grey Websites Roundup

naskew — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 16:00:54 +0000

Here is a grey websites roundup. This is a collection of my favorite websites using mostly grey in the color scheme.

TMBLG – I really love this website and especially love the Tumbler User theme that is displayed on his website. Beautiful

Trevor Clark Photography – I dig the simplicity of this website. Simple as that.

Anderbose – One of my personal favorites.

DavidG.ro – The ornamental designs around the container of the content is awesome. I really love it.

Brown Websites Roundup

naskew — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 20:48:56 +0000

Time for the Brown Websites Round Up. This is a collection of my favorite recent websites that use a brown color scheme.

Wikilime – Its simple. Its attractive. What more could you ask for.

Paula Solanoy – Again, simplicity is beautiful. I really like the design on the top right header. And love the font choice.

Icon Dock – I chose this website because I like the shopping cart feature. You drap and drop the item you want into the cart area on the left. Very cool. I would love to learn how to implement a shopping cart like that into my templates website.

Hold Fire – The colors and clean simplicity is what attracted me to this website. The design and layout is beautiful to me.

Texture Lovers – I have to list this one as one of my personal favorites. It look amazing how this designer used all the different textures, the leather and fabric with stitching. I just love to look at this website. Almost looks as if I could actually feel the textures.

Creative State – Awesome graphics. Its fun. Its beautiful. Great website. And the websites in their portfolio are even amazing!

Daniel Gutierrez – I am usually not into websites that are all one color without at least a small splash of another color. But this designer pulled this one off well. Its all tones of brown. This is another one of my top picks. The cat graphic looks like its a cardboard cutout that you can take right off the page. Loves it.

Purple Websites Round Up

naskew — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 15:32:34 +0000

Archived; click post to view.
Excerpt: Every morning before I start my workday, I go through all of my RSS feeds and read latest industry news, business news, and review CSS showcase websites to keep up to date with the latest web and graphic design trends. At the moment, I currently have 63 RSS feeds that I go through, forty of those are CSS showcase websites. Yes, its a little time consuming going through all of these feeds, but its worth it because it keeps me in the loop. I have to say, there are some very talented designers out there. I have come across some engaging websites, beautiful graphic design and awesome design effects lately. So I am going to share a list of a few of my favorite websites in a series categorized by color… lets start with my favorite color, purple! Hope you enjoy! Design Phunk – This website is a very simple and clean website that still catches the eye. I really like the background and the transparency effect on the description and on the bottom of the page. I am not too crazy about the logo font, but the rest of the website is beautifully done. Very simple without any major distractions. Camp Creative Group – This is one of my favorites. The design is beautiful. The layout is excellent. Love the font choice. The design is amazing. They have it going on and they know it. Middle East Petrotech 2010 – It was the colors in this website that grabbed my attention. Yet, another clean layout. Not too distracting. Loves it. Miss Aerobik – I find the colors used in this website to be very feminine. I am sure that was the direction the designer was trying to go. And that is why it attracted my attention. Very pretty. MyGoLocker.com – I have always been drawn to bright, vibrant color, like in this website. The bright purple with a splash of contrasting green really makes the colors of this website stand out. I find that designers who use bold colors together, such as pure blue and pure red, usually cheapen the look of the website. I think that its best to use more calmed down tones and shades when trying to put pure colors together. But this designer pulled it off very well. I also like how the designer used the sun burst rays to draw the veiwers attention right to the center of the website, where the information is. Lisa Moseley – Love this website. The colors are beautiful and the layout works so well. Very simple, one page website. Everything is right there. Looking through her portfolio, she is an excellent web designer as well. Cat Club – The header and navigation bar of this website is very nice. I really dig the transparent hover navigation buttons. 365 Days of Astronomy – Two things I really like about…

The New Askew Media

naskew — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 17:25:02 +0000

Askew Media has gotten a makeover! Finally the new design is complete and the website is live. I am still working on the resources page, which will be a useful resource for web designers, graphic designers, web developers or anyone else who wants to know more about design and development. I will post articles to find the best resources out there available to web designers. I am also currently working on a resource website that will contain all of these resources, organized into one page for easy access. I know that I have about 500 boomarks saved in my Internet Explorer and Firefox favorites that I am constantly accessing to help with the development, testing, and promotion of websites that I build. I will organize them all on one pager with small icons, organized by catagories for easy access.

I am also working on redesigning the web templates stores and will be added new templates for sale every day. That should also be done soon. Be sure to subscribe to my blog for the new updates. Welcome to the New Askew Media!

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What is Graphic Design?

naskew — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 17:31:57 +0000

Archived; click post to view.
Excerpt: Suppose you want to announce or sell something, amuse or persuade someone, explain a complicated system or demonstrate a process. In other words, you have a message you want to communicate. How do you “send” it? You could tell people one by one or broadcast by radio or loudspeaker. That’s verbal communication. But if you use any visual medium at all—if you make a poster; type a letter; create a business logo, a magazine ad, or an album cover; even make a computer printout—you are using a form of visual communication called graphic design. Graphic designers work with drawn, painted, photographed, or computer-generated images (pictures), but they also design the letter forms that make up various typefaces found in movie credits and TV ads; in books, magazines, and menus; and even on computer screens. Designers create, choose, and organize these elements—typography, images, and the so-called “white space” around them—to communicate a message. Graphic design is a part of your daily life. From humble things like gum wrappers to huge things like billboards to the T-shirt you’re wearing, graphic design informs, persuades, organizes, stimulates, locates, identifies, attracts attention and provides pleasure. Graphic design is a creative process that combines art and technology to communicate ideas. The designer works with a variety of communication tools in order to convey a message from a client to a particular audience. The main tools are image and typography. Image-based design Designers develop images to represent the ideas their clients want to communicate. Images can be incredibly powerful and compelling tools of communication, conveying not only information but also moods and emotions. People respond to images instinctively based on their personalities, associations, and previous experience. For example, you know that a chili pepper is hot, and this knowledge in combination with the image creates a visual pun. In the case of image-based design, the images must carry the entire message; there are few if any words to help. These images may be photographic, painted, drawn, or graphically rendered in many different ways. Image-based design is employed when the designer determines that, in a particular case, a picture is indeed worth a thousand words. Type-based design In some cases, designers rely on words to convey a message, but they use words differently from the ways writers do. To designers, what the words look like is as important as their meaning. The visual forms, whether typography (communication designed by means of the printed word) or handmade lettering, perform many communication functions. They can arrest your attention on a poster, identify the product name on a package or a truck, and present running text as the typography in a book does. Designers are experts at presenting information in a visual form in print or on film, packaging, or signs. When you look at an “ordinary” printed page of running text, what is involved in designing such a seemingly simple page? Think about what you would do if you were asked to redesign the page. Would you change the typeface or type size? Would you divide the text…

Benefits of Having a Website

naskew — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 17:01:38 +0000

Archived; click post to view.
Excerpt: Whether you’re a small business or large corporation, it is more important than ever to have a website in the electronic age. A company’s website is how people perceive the way your company works. The quality of your products and services are determined by the care put into a company’s website. And living the this “information age” where phone books have become obsolete, people now look to the internet to find company information and research products before they buy. It is critical to be able to make that first impression with an attractive website. Right now it is said that any business not on the Internet now or in the near future is not only missing out on the rewards of this thriving industry, but is adding itself to the list of the forgotten. Less people even know they exist. And this is a shame because there are many businesses that have an excellent product or service that no one outside the local market will even know exists. Here are some of the benefits of having a website: Market Expansion Having a website can give increased awareness and exposure to a business’s products and services. These businesses can now greatly expand their markets to the regional and international markets. A business can become known beyond the local geographical barriers and be accessible to anyone that has internet access, 24/7. This encourages wider viewing and extended trading hours. According to a recent study, 75 million people worldwide use the internet. And of this 75 million, 60% have shopped online at least once. A web site enables you to reach out to this international audience which is confident about shopping online. In so doing, you will be able to attract business from customers all over the world, who would be unlikely to find you if you did not have a site. Cheap and Flexible Form of Advertising Businesses will save a fortune in advertising costs with a website. Although still very necessary, with print advertising there is limited space with what can be advertised. With a website, its like have a massive brochure that can showcase all of your products, services, sales, events and more. With print, it can be difficult and pricey to keep the printed materials up-to-date. With a website, this information can be updated 24/7, thus making it readily viewable to the internet viewers. A business create brochures, applications, flyers and even business cards and make them available for viewers to print directly from your website. This alone can save business lots of money. How many times have you handed out one of your flyers to watch it end up in the garbage a few minutes later? Having your flyers, brochures and documents available to print from your website gives the viewer the option of choosing whether or not they want your flyer. Improve Credibility A well-thought-out, professionally designed web site can add credibility to a small business no matter how young or small a business is. This adds value to your product and services, displays business…