About the Designer

I spent a good portion of my life as an illustrator doing both traditional and digital illustration. As the Internet evolved, it became obvious that this was a powerful medium for showcasing my artwork to the world. I began building my own websites and gradually became more and more interested in web design.

Over the years I taught myself as much as I could about web design. The amazing thing is that web design is constantly changing and evolving so there is always something new to learn. I still consider myself a designer; however I have been spending more time learning how to make my websites more functional with development techniques including Javascript, PHP, and MySQL. I work as a full time web/graphic designer for optionsXpress, an online options, stock, and futures broker in Chicago, Illinois. I have also been freelancing in my spare time as well. Some of my clients have included: Bill Pozzo, Edward Eicker, and Cafe Salamera.

Aside from being a web designer, I have also done quite a bit of illustration as well. Some of my clients have included Mary Welk, Jennifer Knight, and Molex Inc.

Design Philosophy

In a time when technology is constantly evolving, it can become very easy for a designer to get wrapped up in the latest and greatest features that are available at their fingertips. Most web deisgners that are just starting out are eager to show of their skills, and as a consequence, throw just about every bell and whistle into their designs. The result is a poorly designed website that is designed to showcase of the designers skills, not taking into account what the user's goals or expectations are.

Over the past several years I have matured as a designer, partly because of education, but mostly because of experience. I've made it my mission to stay abreast of the current trends and technologies - but I know now that the latest and greatest isn't always that.

My goal now as web designer/developer is to focus on user experience - designing first for function and then for form. I've learned that a good website ultimately has to satisfy the user's expectations, not mine, let alone my ego.

My philosophy: Design for form - develop for function, but most importantly, design for the user.

"Design simple. Design smart. Design better." - Alan Eicker