4 Job Postings Requiring Front-end Developer Skills

Creative Navigation LLC via Creative Hotlist 

Creative Navigation LLC, based in Loveland, CO, is on the lookout for a senior level designer/developer. This is not a job for a developer who is just starting out, but it's helpful to keep an eye on what skills companies are looking for while building up a portfolio. Loveland sits next to Fort Collins, home of Fat Tire beer and other tasty New Belgium brews.

Manzama via Craigslist

Manzama, in Bend, is looking for a front end web developer. They prefer an onsite worker, but might make an exception for the right person. Their list of technologies used is pretty extensive, so a beginning web developer might not have enough experience for this position.

Upsource via Craigslist

Located in Portland, OR, Upsource thinks pretty highly of themselves as a company to work for. It does sound like a pretty cool position. They are looking for a badass senior web developer with extensive design and coding skills, so non-badass beginners need not apply.

Kodak

I didn't realize that Kodak was still in business, but I guess they are plugging along after the implosion of the film industry. They are looking for a developer to work on one of their product lines. It would be interesting to see what they have in the works. They are looking for a minimum of 4 years experience or a bachelors degree.

4 Web Forms That Are Doing it Right (or Wrong)

St Charles

St. Charles' find a doctor form gives a variety of options for searching, but keeps it simple and straightforward. An advanced option button can be clicked to search by gender or alphabetically. The large text boxes and bold lettering are a good idea, especially for a hospital, as it makes the form useable for those with declining eyesight.


Deschutes Brewery

The contact form on the Deschutes Brewery website includes a beer quality option. Overall I would say the form is done well, but I think the beer quality option could remain hidden unless the user clicks a button or checkbox to add this option (like St Charles did for their find a doctor form).

Google

Google's advanced search option has helped me out many times, and it sure would have made life easier if it had been around in my grade school days. I like that they include search tips along the side of the form.




Ikea

Ikea's profile form is simple enough (although it could be better designed). My problem with it is that they ask the user to enter both their email address and password twice (the email is definitely overkill). I find the redundancy annoying and unnecessary and I've noticed that many websites have started to do away with it because there are better ways to verify information.

4 Web Sites Breaking a Usability Checklist Rule

I decided to pick on some local websites for this blog post, so here we go...

Identity

I would not know that the Phoenix Framing and Art Supply website was a picture framing business (based on the home page) if framing was not included in the business name. The site could use a prominent logo and clearer message on the home page. Another red mark: the colors (orange on black and lavender) are jarring, make reading difficult, and make me want to leave the site as quickly as possible. 

Navigation

With just a bit of shifting, the home page for Pure Care Dental of Bend could be significantly improved. The logo should move to the upper left, and the navigation menu should be placed across the top of the site. The menu is very hard to locate in its current position (below the photos), so just this small tweak would greatly improve this websites usability.

Prominent Logo

Bend Bulletin should do away with the banner ads across the top of their site. The ads compete with their logo, and make it harder to locate. The ads should be moved to the sidebar, so the logo takes a prominent position for instant recognition.

Scannable Content

The home page and about us page, at the Gear Fix, could use headings and/or emphasis to make the content easily scannable. A timeline would also be a good way to add a visual storyline and increase the readability of the about us page.

4 Examples of Simple and Stylish Navigation Menus

Jessica Hische

I really like Jessica Hische's sub-navigation menu. It includes snippets of her most recent projects. Her designs are very colorful, so the navigation menu feels very bold and fun. Her main navigation is very simple, but I think it is effective and suits her style.

Jen Gotch 

Jen has a creative, playful menu that I really enjoy. That being said, it is not a very effective menu because one must return to the home page to navigate to another area of her website. The menu is fun, but it really should carry through the entire site to help it flow

Frank Sturges Reps

Frank Sturges has a very simple, left floating, drop down menu to navigate through the artists portfolios. I really like this menu format, and love the site in general. Besides the artists menu, the rest of the information is right on the main page, which keeps the site from feeling overly cluttered.

Nike 

I'm using Nike as an example again, because the navigation menu is very stylish and effective. They have a lot of content, and this menu format keeps things feeling tidy and organized.

3 Web Sites and Their Wireframes

The New Yorker

I occasionally visit The New Yorker, and thought it would be a good fit for this project. The website layout is very minimal, with the emphasis placed on the pictures and headlines.

Nike

Nike uses large, dynamic rotating images on the homepage, along with a few simple sections. The interface is very simple and clutter free, so the bold images are key.

Wired

I love the Wired logo, and I think the website does a good job of supporting its bold, graphic style. By keeping things simple, Wired keeps the focus on their awesome content.

I used Photoshop to create all of the wireframes.

4 Web Sites Where Images are the Star Attraction

Peggy Sirota

Peggy Sirota's photography website is simple and playful. The website is very clean—allowing the images to stand out—and pops of color add a bit of playfulness against the stark white background.

Getty Images

I worked for a time doing stock photography editing, and I found Getty's website to be the most user friendly out of the many stock photography sites I worked with. It is easily searchable, and the images stand out nicely against a simple white and black interface.

Dwell

A continuation of the magazine, Dwell.com is all about modern living. This is another site where a simple white background, and a clean design allows the images to stand on their own.

Pinterest

A social networking site, Pinterest is all about sharing images and inspiration with your followers. The site makes it easy to find and follow people who's aesthetics & interests are similar to your own. The search engine is a good starting point, but I think the best way to find people with similar taste is to follow Pinterest's links to people who have pinned the same images as you.

4 CSS Properties that Intrigue Me the Most

Border-image 

Customized borders are a great way to make a website more unique. Unmatched Style discusses the border-image property and links to a few more resources for getting started. It seems like a great jumping off point for creating custom borders. 

Gradients

I'd like to learn how to create and fine tune gradients using CSS. CSS 3 files has a good overview for getting started. I also found this gradient generator which will be helpful for playing with color combinations.

Multiple Backgrounds

Layering backgrounds seems like a great way to add flavor and depth to a website. Mozilla Developer Network has a short tutorial for getting started.

Transitions 

Some web pages benefit from a little bit of movement, so I think the transition property would be a fun one to explore. Web Designer Depot discusses using simple transitions to add a bit of movement to the page.

4 Online Resources for Learning More about CSS

Shay Howe 

This site has a good section on getting to know CSS. The basics are covered for beginners, and more advanced topics are also offered for those who wish to continue their training.

Lynda.com 

Lynda.com has a number of videos dedicated to learning CSS. It is a subscription based site, but you can pay for one month and watch unlimited videos during that time.

Mozilla Developer Network 

Mozilla offers several tutorials through their developer network. They have a section devoted to CSS—beginning through advanced—to help aspiring developers get started.

Code Academy 

Code Academy has numerous tutorials devoted to CSS. They walk you through code examples, and allow you to make edits and try them out via their website.

4 Examples of Websites I Like

Brain Pickings 

This website has a blog format with the most recent articles at the top. The design is clean, simple, and easy to navigate, which makes it a pleasure to return to and read the latest articles.

Khan Academy

I recently began using this website to brush up on my math skills. The site has a clean interface, is easy to navigate (bold yet simple math graphics guide you along), and does a good job of tracking where you have been/left off and guiding you forward. I like the interactive features, and timelines that display your progress alongside the tutorials.

MOMA

The MOMA has acquired a massive collection of artwork over the years, and I love that they have made it available to the public via their website. It is easy to search and browse their collection, and I think they have done a great job of organizing vast amounts of information into a user friendly interface. 

Rifle Paper Co.

As an artist, I am always keeping an eye out for artists & craftspeople that do a good job of showcasing and selling their wares online. I like this site because it has a lovely design, a simple interface, and the shop integrates very cleanly into the site.

3 Reasons I'm Learning Web Development

Compliments my previous degree & hobby

I have a Bachelors degree in commercial photography, and I have fallen in love with fine art painting. I have designed and updated my own website and blog multiple times, and I have found that I really enjoy cracking the code to make the sites look and function the way that I want them to.

To make myself more hirable 

Unfortunately I completed my degree in photography just as major changes were happening in the industry—digital cameras were becoming king (and making competition more fierce), microstock was changing the game of stock photography, and day rates were shrinking. After graduation I found work doing creative direction, assisting, photo editing, and retouching, but, when the economy tanked, my job went with it. I was living in California at the time, but Oregon had been calling my name. My husband was feeling jaded about his own job prospects, and was ready for a change, so we packed up our bags, moved to Bend, and staked a tent while we looked for jobs and a place to live.

Luckily we were able to find work that would get us by for a while, but, when I once again found myself unemployed, I decided it was time to make myself more employable. After considering my options, I decided that web development seemed like a great fit. So here I am.

I really enjoy using different parts of my brain

Art is what I am really passionate about, but I love the challenge if writing/editing code. I've found, surprisingly, that there is a creative aspect to coding as well. I am really enjoying this new career expansion/direction, and I'm excited to see where it takes me.