A bit about…
My name's Chris Garrett and I've been working as a digital designer for over 4 years; planning, designing and building sites for an array of agencies and clients including The BBC and CNET.
Based in the Cotswolds, I specialise in designing web interfaces that provide a great experience for their end user, and building them out using best practices in terms of accessibility and future-proof development.
On the design side, I work with a range of tools from OmniGraffle for wireframing and information architecture to Photoshop for more visual design. I then use accessible and Search Engine Optimised XHTML and CSS to bring the designs to life.
On the development side, I mostly work with PHP and MySQL to build flexible, database driven websites. Depending on the scale of project, I'll implement a variety of frameworks, from Wordpress or ExpressionEngine for information focused websites to CodeIgniter for more interaction based projects.
Planning.
When I approach developing a new web application, I direct a large amount of my time and effort towards the planning stage.
Analysing what the user is likely to want from your web application and how they expect to get that ensures that your project is more enjoyable for it's users and provides them with a memorable experience.
The web is no longer constrained to the browser, it's breaking out through technologies such as Adobe AIR, the iPhone and even the Nintendo Wii. My knowledge of established and emerging digital platforms enables me to analyse what platform your project will perform and be best received on, enabling you to take your content to your users in the way that makes most sense to them.
Designing.
Design is where my true focus lies. With a mild obsession with typography and grid based design, I thrive on creating beautifully minimal layouts that blend striking color choices with palpable readability. All wrapped up in an intuitive layout.
I don't just design things that look pretty, however. Everything I design is geared towards telling a story. Whether that story be who your company is and what it does, or the story the user is about to make by following the paths of your web application.
I design applications for a wide range of devices, from a traditional desktop PC running Firefox, to the Opera Browser on the Wii or Safari on the iPhone. I have the experience to harness the power of each of these platforms and deal with the various issues they present.
Building.
With a huge interest in accessibility, I write beautiful and semantic XHTML that looks great even without CSS. I use microformats to ensure my applications are fully future-proof and have extensive knowledge of working with visually and physically impaired users.
I have a passion for writing lean and efficient code. Working mainly with PHP and MySQL I thrive on building modern and object oriented applications which work well and are easy to extend. I've been known to work with frameworks, including CakePHP or, my preference, Code Igniter where it speeds up development.
For content heavy projects, I work with Wordpress and ExpressionEngine. Wordpress works well for rapid builds, whereas ExpressionEngine has the scalability to tackle bigger tasks.