RED LINE STUDIO BLOG » Website Design

TadTrimnell.com Web site re-design finished!

Matthew — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 03:44:44 +0000

Done, done, done! A long time coming, finally completed with the redesign of my brother’s Web site, www.tadtrimnell.com. As a nonrepresentational abstract artist, this was an image intensive project with many hours of Photoshop editing to get the job done. Plus a bit of JavaScript knowledge to modify the gallery and get it to behave. Please check out his site, look around, and buy some artwork!

Austin Lake Chiropractic Web site finished!

Matthew — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 20:02:28 +0000

Just finished uploading the completed Web site for Austin Lake Chiropractic! This is my first paid Web site project and I’m feeling very good. Learned a ton building it and really enjoyed the challenge. I am also a patient of Dr. Lynes at Austin Lake Chiro. He is amazing! Helps keep me feeling good and on the road during all of my race training. If you need an adjustment, pain relief or just aren’t feeling quite right surf on over to the site and contact Dr. Lynes!

One last Java Script hurdle

Matthew — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 22:35:10 +0000

So I finished all my Java Script projects for the semester last week…until I got to class on Monday and my instructor tells me that Project 3B isn’t working so he cannot grade it. I pull out my thumb drive, open the web page, and it works flawlessly. Double check that the proper file was uploaded to the school server, which it was, but it doesn’t work there. Not in Firefox, not in IE.

Two days later and lots of grumbling I figure out a fix. The fix of course doesn’t work locally, only when I upload it to the server! I still do not know exactly what is wrong but kinda have a clue. The project involves writing and then reading a cookie. The cookie tracks how many times a particular person has viewed the page and loads a different photo for each subsequent visit. It appears that the cookie the server writes is quite different than the one from the local machine.

My instructor hates cookies. Now I understand his feelings. If anyone out there has some knowledge about cookies (and I don’t mean the chocolate chip kind) I would greatly appreciate your enlightenment. The page works properly now, I would just like to know why!

Semester almost over.

Matthew — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 15:56:52 +0000

So the semester is finally winding down. All of my Java Script assignments are completed. The next couple of weeks should be pretty easy except for the final.

Now back to working on the Red Line Studio site! I uploaded Phase I last week, now I am just refining it a bit and preparing for Phase II, which will include the Java gallery.

One of my classmates, who is a wiz at Flash, is networking some of us designers and developers so we can start getting work. He used to sell insurance so is just the kinda guy to drum up business. I’m excited about having someone else find me work so I can focus on designing!

And finally, the website designer and developer students at KVCC have started their own student organization called Valley Devigners. We just started the organization so our website will not be up until the fall semester. I’m really excited about being appart of this group. It will give the designers and programmers an opportunity to interface outside of class and potential work on some projects together as well as offer a contact point to the surround communities. Appartently, quite a few job leads come through the school but there is no official way to deceminate the information!

Goodbye 2008, Hello 2009!

Matthew — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 16:27:53 +0000

So much happened in 2008 I am feeling a bit overwhelmed coupled with a great sense of accomplishment. December was a whirlwind up to the moment I fell on the ice Christmas Eve! I just started running and knew it was very slippery out but I fell anyway, directly on my left hand. It still hurts, making it difficult to type. Therefore, all my plans to redesign my website over Christmas break went out the window. I did get the template and CSS page done but the copy is killing my wrist. In fact, I need to stop typing this post but I really want to get something up. I have a chiropractic appointment today so maybe the doctor can fix me up. My friend Doug has his own practice, Austin Lake Chiropractic, and does amazing things! It is healing, just not fast enough. Also, my shoulder has not been the same since the fall.

My plans for 2009:

School, school, school
Finish my website redesign
Continue to build my website design business Red Line Stuido
Take more photos (my good friend Robert gave me a pinhole camera for Christmas I can’t wait to use!)
Spend time at the beach on Lake Michigan (I really miss San Diego sometimes)
Find a hiking or running partner
Read more! (so hard to do while in school)
Run the Borgess Half Marathon in 1:30:00.
Run the Chicago Marathon in 3:50:00 (if I can get registered)

There really isn’t enough time to fit everything in but I’m sure going to try.

Happy New Year everyone!

Snow, school, and work oh my!

Matthew — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 05:32:50 +0000

Yes, winter is upon us. It snowed this weekend…while I was out on my 10 mile Saturday run. Ugh! The snow itself doesn’t bother me so much, it is that cold, penetrating wind. So unbearable and it makes me soooo cold. Just don’t want to do anything but stay inside and sleep. At least I feel good! Swimming 2 days a week too at KVCC. So nice to have free access to a sports center. And very few people use the pool during open swim which is a nice change from the Bud Kearns Pool I used to swim at in San Diego.

Soooo much going on right now. School is really consuming me with only 4 more weeks left until the end of the semester. And the work load seems to be doubling. But it will all be over soon. I’m only taking 2 classes next year! I’ve inquired about a position at the photo lab so I think I will at least have access to a dark room. That will be a relief. I really cannot fit in another photography class for awhile but just couldn’t bare not being able to print. Working in the lab will not make me rich financially but will definitely provide priceless instruction on the finer arts of photo development and printing and access to a great scanner.

I am now working for Gazelle Sports in Kalamazoo doing data entry for their switch over between inventory tracking systems. I have a ton of experience doing this for Adventure 16 so they pretty much hired me on the spot. It is a part-time, temporary position which works out fine with me. Especially the discount! Great people, great store, love to run! But it is hard to fit everything in to my schedule. My work on the Austin Lake Chiropractic Web site has slowed because of it but was able to get the First Visit page done this week and another should be done by next. Love my XHTML class right now. I learn something useful everyday we have class and am looking forward to the JavaScript class.

Hope to have some new photos uploaded soon. I have another assignment due next week and need to start working on my portfolio. There should be something good in there to share.