My Agnostic Future

Written by craig coffman

I've been hearing the same, sad tune coming over the airwaves as of late. Though this is not a dirge, it is the unfortunate beat of a war march. The battleground this time is the battlefield of devices. We all know them. We all use them. We even champion a few. Wouldn't it be nice if we could all just get along?

Read more: My Agnostic Future

Social Equity is You

Written by craig coffman

Since posting this idea last week as part of the Web ME.0 concept, I have been asked a few times about the term Social Equity. It seemed to be coming up often enough that I wanted to start working through a full description. Now, this idea in a state of evolution, so I cannot give you a concrete definition. I will provide a sense of the term.

Read more: Social Equity is You

Social Equity and Web ME.0

Written by craig coffman

What if everything we thought about how the web worked was wrong? Suppose we had been duped into believing things are intended to work one way, when it really should have been another? That might very well be the situation. This space is still so new, how could the rules be clearly defined? Particularly when change happen so frequently and new terms come around daily to keep us spinning and confused. I think the time has come to reassess what we've experienced to date. I think the time has come to take the internet in directions it needs to go.

Read more: Social Equity and Web ME.0

Omaha Yoga and Bodywork Center

Written by craig coffman

When Omaha Yoga & Bodywork Center came to me, they had a site which was functioning, but not functional. It also needed a graphic overhaul. I worked with Susi Amendola with the goal of providing a visual interface to convey the serenity and warmth of their services. The result was a soft palette using the colors of the chakras combinied with an open layout. This lead to an experience more akin to what a visitor encounters from attending the center.

Role: Design, code, logo development
Visit Omaha Yoga & Bodywork Center

Properly Saved Web Graphics With Photoshop

Written by craig coffman

OxideDesign, is here in Omaha, recently posted a very brief and useful article about how to save graphics properly for the web using Photoshop. I must confess that I was not aware of this method, but have tried it and agree that what you get is much closer to what you see. Granted, there will be some loss in image quality if you start optimizing below 100%. However, the colors hold much better than not doing these steps. The best thing is you do not need to buy Fireworks, which does make very nice images. In fact, there is a commment talking about this point. Four easy steps. Learn and enjoy.

The Page Group

Written by craig coffman

The Page Group is a marketing & branding firm located in the Washington, DC area. In 2008 they wanted to update their image. They had been online with the same site for far too long and, since I was serving as their Web Manager, we set to work. The work was a collaboration of design, web expertise, and messaging. The result is a beautiful Flash-driven site.

I took care of the coding, working with them through the motion and transitions. They were very keen on having lots of sliding bits and reveals, which were none too easy to pull off. In the end, though, the site pulled together with a sense of elegance and grace. Subtle clues towards places of interest and unobtrusive undertones.

Role: Design, Flash, actionscript, css.
Visit The Page Group Site

Minn Kota Motors

Written by craig coffman

Minn Kota Motors was in the process of developing a truly amazing site. They were trying to push the boundaries in both design and function, utilizing Flash, AJAX and some fancy CSS. I pitched in by creating the Flash for the Advantage section. I was responsible for writing code to parse JSON, dynamically include images and files as well as build out a navigation system. When all was said and done, one of the best names in Motors had an impressive site.

Role: Flash for this section, light styling.
Visit Minn Kota

University California, San Francisco, Police Department

Written by craig coffman

The University of California, San Francisco, Police Department needed someone to take their design and incorporate it into a Joomla CMS for ease of updating. I was charged with this task. I created a Joomla template, wrote the CSS and configured the Joomla CMS. They were even gracious enough to let me weigh in a little on the design.

Now they have an up-to-date site and and easy to manage system for thier content. It doesn't get much better than that.

Role: HTML, CSS, Joomla CMS.
Visit UCSF Police Department

George Washington University Publishing

Written by craig coffman

George Washington University wanted an updated site for their Publishing department, allowing them easy updates and an RSS aggregator. The result was building a template for the Drupal CMS and adding the requested features.

Role: HTML, CSS, Drupal CMS, light styling.
Visit GW Publishing - NO LONGER ACTIVE

Scotts - Osmocote

Written by craig coffman

Scott's Osmocote had some Flash requirements wherein the site would randomly choose an image and the associated content on every load. As well, they required a Flash Video intro, with a custom interface, dropped into the site. There was also a need to have some CSS work done to complete the site's design.

Role: Flash pieces, light styling.
Visit Scott’s Osmocote