Website Design: University Research Laboratory
June 13th, 2008On this project, I worked with Terence Monks, Ph.D., head of the University of Arizona Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology. My job was to design an attractive, fast-loading website that combines the natural beauty of the Tucson area with information on his lab's research and training opportunities.
The nature photos used were from the University of Arizona's in-house stock collection. I created the Monks Laboratory personnel collage from photos that were supplied by the lab.
Tip: You can view more website design projects in my portfolio.
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Website Design: Biotechnology Management Consulting
June 13th, 2008Here are a few of the many accomplishments of Leon E. Barstow, Ph.D.:
- Created the world's first commercial DNA synthesizer, which is now in the permanent collection of the Smithsonian Institution.
- Developed and commercialized new products with sales totaling $200 million.
- Raised more than $35 million in capital for several small businesses.
- Managed the removal of a dangerous chemical plant.
- Taught and conducted academic research in the United States and Middle East.
A seasoned entrepreneur, Dr. Barstow founded and led three biotechnology companies involved in:
- Commercializing protein synthesis and purification technologies.
- Designing and manufacturing equipment for the automated production of peptide hormones by the pharmaceutical industry.
- Developing new drugs to treat immune-mediated diseases.
I developed a website for his latest venture, biotechnology management consulting. It's intended for senior executives and owners of biotechnology companies.
Because they deal with abstract concepts, management consulting websites do not lend themselves to highly visual treatments. While some designers try to avoid this problem by using stock photos, I believe that they give websites a generic look. And there's nothing from stopping a competing website from displaying the same photos.
Furthermore, visitors to sites like Dr. Barstow's are not looking to be dazzled by visual "eye candy." They are looking for information. And they’re more than willing to read every word on a website.
This website won an Award of Merit in the International Association of Business Communicators-Tucson Chapter's Cactus Quill competition.
Tip: You can view more website design projects in my portfolio.
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Website Design: Really Obnoxious Web Page Backgrounds
June 6th, 2008Looking for something a bit more interesting than the white background that's currently gracing your current website? How about something lively and different that will make your pages totally unreadable? After all, you didn't want those pesky visitors reading your copy anyway.
In the spirit of giving that has made the Internet what it is, I offer this unique collection of Really Obnoxious Web Page Backgrounds!
1. Filename: boxes1.gif

And here is the CSS code:
<style type="text/css">
body
{
background-color: #000;
background-image: url('boxes1.gif');
background-repeat: repeat-y
}
</style>
2. Filename: boxes2.gif

3. Filename: boxes3.gif

4. Filename: oddball.gif

5. Filename: planet.gif

6. Filename: quilt.gif

For backgrounds 2 through 6, here's how to write the CSS:
<style type="text/css">
body
{
background-image: url('boxes2.gif');
background-repeat: repeat
}
</style>
Tip: You can view more website design projects in my portfolio.
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Website Design: DNA Research Database
April 15th, 2008ChromDB.org is home to an internationally renowned database for DNA researchers. Based at the University of Arizona's BIO5 Institute, ChromDB includes information on more than 11,000 proteins from plants, animals, fungi, and other organisms.
The website's research team wanted a new look and logo for the site. Since this is a database-driven site, its pages are dynamically generated. So, my job was to build templates that would work with the database output.
After the redesigned ChromDB website went live, database administrator Karla Gendler said, "We are very happy with the looks of it. There are still some features that we are going to add but I'm just happy that I don't have to worry about website design anymore!"
The project's director, BIO5 Research Professor Carolyn Napoli, added, "For the first time in about six years, ChromDB has a sleek, informative and pleasing look to it."
Tip: You can view more website design projects in my portfolio.
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Website Design: Law Firm Marketing
February 29th, 2008Got a call from Dee Schiavelli earlier this week. Dee is a consultant who helps lawyers, accountants and other professional providers develop effective marketing strategies for their practices.
I helped Dee build her website last year, and she needed some training in how to update it. So, yesterday afternoon, we did a telephone training session. During the training, Dee created two new web pages and edited her home page copy.
Dee will be giving a legal marketing presentation to the Pima County Bar Association on March 27, and you can get the details on her site...
Tip: You can view more website design projects in my portfolio.
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Website Design: Saluting Feminist Lawyers
February 20th, 2008When I was a first-grader I had a fabulous teacher. I owe my love of reading to that lady, because she taught me how.
Toward the end of the school year, she made an announcement that disappointed the whole class. She said that she wasn't coming back in the fall because she was going to have a baby. Mind you, we weren't sad about the baby news, but we were sad to not be able to see her in school come fall.
That's just how things were back then. If you were expecting, you had to quit your teaching job.
The woman who won the right for teachers to continue to work while pregnant will be honored at a June luncheon that's being organized by the Veteran Feminists of America. I just finished the initial design of the event website, which you can visit by clicking on the screenshot below...
An update on my first grade teacher: A few years after her resignation, she went back to teaching. And there she remained until retirement.
According to my mother (who also was a teacher), my first grade teacher didn't get any pension coverage for the years before her resignation. An it wasn't like she wasn't working during that time -- I can personally attest to that.
Tip: You can view more website design projects in my portfolio.
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Identity Design: IABC-Tucson
November 28th, 2007Quite often, identity design is a team sport. Take, for example, the creation of a new identity for the Tucson chapter of the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC).
In 2006, IABC-Tucson set about the task of redesigning its logo, which was incorporated into the chapter's new website. The new logo was created by Julie Ray, a local graphic designer who had just joined IABC.
The new IABC-Tucson site design was created by Raim and Associates. I was in charge of developing and helping to implement the XHTML/CSS template on which the website is now based.
During this phase of the identity design, I worked closely with Paul Tumarkin, a marketing copywriter who serves as the chapter's webmaster. Paul also wrote the copy that graces the new site.
The new IABC-Tucson identity is also being used in the chapter's annual Cactus Quill Awards program. We're in the process of announcing the 2008 competition. To this end, I did the photography and design for the Call for Entries postcard:

- View the 2008 Cactus Quill Call for Entries postcard (opens PDF file)
- View the 2007 Cactus Quill Call for Entries postcard (opens PDF file)
If you'd like to enter the Cactus Quills, the IABC-Tucson website will have everything you need.
Tip: You can view more graphic identity design projects in my portfolio.
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Identity Design: Science Teaching as a Profession
November 16th, 2007American students aren't the only ones dropping out of school. Their teachers are leaving too. Poor working conditions and low pay are the oft-cited reasons. The dropout problem among science teachers is especially critical because they are hard to replace.
The Science Teaching as a Profession (STP) project is working to elevate the status of secondary school science teachers. Funded by the Research Corporation, STP is co-directed by Sheila Tobias, a Tucson-based educational consultant who wrote the best-selling book, Overcoming Math Anxiety, and Anne Baffert, who chairs the science department at Tucson's Salpointe Catholic High School.
Sheila and Anne are co-authoring a book based on their interviews with science teachers throughout the United States.
I worked with Sheila and Anne to:
- Design the website's look and feel, including its logo.
- Implement the site's content management system and show Anne (the site's manager) how to use it.
- Create letterhead, envelopes, and business cards for Sheila and Anne to use at interviews with teachers and educational conferences.
In addition to the design work, I shot the website's home page photo and did another photo shoot in Anne's science classroom.
Tip: You can view more graphic identity design projects in my portfolio.
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