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web projects • • photography • print | |
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WEB
DEVELOPMENT
SERVICES BY JON SACHS
Here is list of
professional services I offer. I have been
careful to include areas where I am fully confident
of my abilities — hence,
no mention of my skills at shortstop
or lead guitar. |
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STRATEGY
Before I actually
design a web site I work out with you
what we're trying to achieve and why. |
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you
need it
Some typical questions we work through:
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ARCHITECTURE
Nobody builds a
building bigger than a doghouse without a set
of plans. And smart, detailed, workable plans
come from a process where experienced people
work through every aspect of the project before
anyone starts ordering lumber.It's hard work, but necessary, and enjoyable when you realize you are making web surfing more pleasant and productive for thousands of people for years to come. Planning is the creative problem-solving step where the great new ideas usually emerge. |
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it's
in the details
Sending a bulldozer
into a job site with no plan is like sending
designers and programmers to their workstations
with no plans. It might be fun to watch,
but not to pay for. |
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DESIGN
DIRECTION
I think most web
sites are ugly and also don't work
well, very much the way too many buildings
today are ugly and don't function well. (More
ranting about this in my Opinions page.)The way things look is important. The butterfly ballots of 2000 were a graphic design problem with historic ramifications. Fine Italian sports cars look like as good as they drive. The look of the thing matters for both practical and emotional reasons. Whose design is it? Mine or yours? Whose web site is it? Yours. Ideally, the design process is harmonious because you hire me because you like my other work and you trust me. On occasion I may disagree with a client about a design decision, in which case I still state why I think what I do, and then do what my client wants. It's not my site. |
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before
we get out the crayons...
Before I design a site I facilitate a design direction meeting where we work out the practical and aesthetic needs of the design. Practical issues discussed include:
Lastly, we look at other web sites to see what others are doing with the web that might be of interest to us. Once the input is decided upon and documented, the actual interface design process begins.
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INTERFACE
DESIGN
One of
the revolutionary aspects of the web is that
it is, after all, a graphical user
interface. So the interface really matters.The interface is a blend of practical needs, aesthetics and technology. A good one draws people in, a bad one sends them away. |
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got Wow?
I will work from our
agreed-upon design direction guidelines and
create 2 or 3 designs which we will review
together. I explain why I came up with
the solutions I did, and how they answer
the requirements we set out. Generally we
choose a single direction and then I refine
it.
Neither of these things
is necessarily easy to achieve, but not as
hard as it would seem judging by the fact
that most sites are both ugly AND hard to
use. |
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CONTENT
DEVELOPMENT
One of the reasons
you may choose to work with me is that I can help
you develop the content for the site, whether
it consists of words or images or something
more interactive, such as animation. |
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words...
I have written content
for a number of web sites — for example,
this one. Unless your content is gruesomely
technical or time constraints don't allow it,
it may make sense for me to do some or all
of your writing. My writing style—while tending to the informal and often wandering into humorous—may be just what you need. And I am able to control my tendencies, most of the time. Someday web content may leave the humble written word behind and move on to audio and video. Not anytime soon. Even in a future where Google searches both audio and video, you'd still need a good reason to use large video and audio files in place of written words — such as featuring a charismatic spokesperson or showing a product in action. |
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PHOTOGRAPHY
“A page without
an image is like a day without sunshine.”It's my quote, but I like it. |
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...images
I often handle
some aspects of the photography for projects
I work on, including anything from portraits
to product shots. Sometimes I do this because
I can handle it most efficiently—since
I know just the look I want. At times, a print-oriented
photographer may make a bigger production out
of a photo shoot than is necessary for images
that are only to be used at screen resolution.You can see my photography at www.jonathansachs.com and see some of my product shots in the Women's Craft Cooperative store at Rosies Place. |
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DEVELOPMENT
Now that we know what the
site is, who it's for, what
it looks like—it's time
to build it.But we also will have decided how to build it, depending on your needs. |
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building
the site
Most sites — though not all — need regular updating, and we need a solution for updating. The possibilities include:
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CONSULTING
I've been through
well over 100 web development projects, from
simple sites to elaborate dot coms. I can help
you figure out what what makes sense for you,
even if it makes no sense for me to participate
in the actual site development. |
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keeping
you out of trouble
Here's a sample list of topics where I could possibly save you a great deal of trouble and money:
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LECTURES
Perhaps you don't
need my help on a specific project, but you
want me to come in and talk to your troops.Over the years my lectures have been very well received as having a high content value, as well as being offbeat and entertaining enough to keep audiences wide awake. |
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topic
Topics I can speak about with some authority:
Topics no longer offered:
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web projects • • photography • print | |
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