Words cannot describe how excited I was when I was approached by an old college friend to design not one but two web sites for her. She had worked with a graphic designer to create the logos and color schemes and needed a web site to match the style and target market. The rest of the creative process what up to me!

I really love when my clients fully trust me and know that what I can do will not only meet their needs but exceed their expectations. They know I don’t do mediocre designs. There is enough of that out there on the internet without my help.

The first web site, Life Choices (designed by yours truly), is all about reaching, rescuing, and renewing all individuals at risk of unplanned pregnancies and STD’s. They want to find those in need as well as those who want to support their vision financially, spiritually, emotionally, and physically. They seek to raise awareness locally as well as throughout the country. It is a hugely successful organization and I am so proud to be apart of it.

The second website, teenCARE, is a program within the Life Choices organization. They are reaching teens and informing them of what it means to have sexual integrity until marriage and the know that is the best possible choice for their physical, mental, and emotional health. This isn’t your boring sex ed class in high school.

They came to me wanting a web site that not only got that message across but also as a way for teens, parents, and educators could find out more about them and their program. Teachers can go to the web site and sign up for programs for their students. Parents can learn techniques and conversations to have with their children. Teens can find answers to their questions and know that they aren’t alone in this fight against unplanned pregnancies and premarital sex.

When I first met with this Chris at Dr. Campbell’s office, I was told how badly they needed a newly designed web site with correct and updated content. As I sat in that meeting, my head was spinning with ideas. Ideas that would turn this broken and poorly design web site and turn it into something they would be proud to have.

Redesign projects are my favorite type of projects because it allows me to really show what DMP Web Design can do. I feel like 99% of local businesses want to have that professionalism but also have a contemporary design. They want content that makes sense and its easy to find. They want to be able to impress their site visitors but also inform. That is exactly what we accomplished with this new design. To find out more about this design, head on over to their web site and see first-hand, how it turned out: www.berrycampbell.net.

The Before and After

Before I go any farther, I want to emphasize this is in no way slander towards the previous design. From what was explained to me, their previous design was done by a patient’s husband and from the looks of the copyright information, done at least 5 years ago. This is just my attempt to show how much web design has come as well as how amazing I am at it! (Yes, I am a bit sure of myself!)

Home Page – Before

Home Page – After

The home page is the summary of the entire site with some necessary information for those who are quickly needing it (Ie: Phone/fax numbers, office hours, patient forms, etc). As you can see, its all quickly available and very easy to navigation to.

Illness & Discomfort Management – Before

Illness & Discomfort Management – After

On the old design, you would click an issue and it would pop up below. Nothing special. With some really cool jQuery techniques, I added a nice Lightbox to each of the links. It is easy to use and easy on the eyes. Once you click on it, a box appears and the screen goes grey. Once you click off of the box or close out of it, the screen returns back to the web site. Slick eh?

When I first met with Laura, office manager and wife of Dr. Chamberlain, she told me how she wanted to have a web site that was colorful and not the typical looking doctor’s office web site. She wanted bright colors; not blues and whites. At first I wasn’t sure how we could pull that off, but I must say, I am a huge fan of the design that we agreed upon! Everything came together perfectly and I am proud to put this in my portfolio. If you would like to check out their newly designed web site, head on over to: www.chamberlainclinic.com! For more screenshots of the design, head past the break!

Bettinas, owned by Leslie Robidoux, is a boutique located in Los Gatos, California. It is known for its urban, trendy, and diverse  styles and clothing designs. A couple of months ago, Leslie was forwarded my contact information and she is now one of my newest clients here at DMP Web Design. She currently has a web site but is wanting to update her site to better represent the style and tone of her boutique. Recently, I have sent over a mockup of the redesign (located below) and we are both very excited to see this project come together.

One of the many perks of my 9-5 job is that I get tons of design referrals (as well as unlimited Ale 8‘s). Over the past 6 months, I have gotten over 4 referrals and I am sure there will be more to come! Two of those referrals have turned into clients and I am proud to show a preview of what is to come. Both designs are Photoshop mock-ups and will be launched within the next 4-6 weeks! Check back here to see the finished design!

Chamberlain Clinic

Chamberlain Clinic is located in Winchester, KY. Home of Dr. Richard Chamberlain, they specialize in obstetrics and gynecology. They currently do not have a website and are looking for a website that is bright and colorful yet still professional.

Central KY High Risk Obstetrics

Located in Lexington, KY, Central KY High Risk OB is home of Dr. Berry Campbell. They specialize in high risk obstetrics. Currently, they do have a basic website but came to me wanting a more relevant and professional design that better represents their practice.

I am pleased to announce that DMP Web Design has just signed a new account: Willow Oak Baptist Church located in Mulberry, FL. The project is currently in the mock-up design stage as WOBC start getting the new and updated content together.  I will be creating a logo as well as a fully function XHTML/CSS website that will be able to grow as their Church grows! With about a late September deadline, both parties cannot wait for this project to come together! Check back soon for updates and for the launch next month!

Just what the design world needs, another “Tweets of the Week” blog entry. I find that most of these design blogs feature posts by themselves or by their affiliates. So I am taking my top 5 favorite tweets of the week and listing them in no particular order. These blog posts will be design inspired; ranging from my favorite free fonts to tutorials to freelancing tips/techniques. Feel free to subscribe to my blog or some of these amazing design blogs.

Making Money Designing Themes: What You Should Know

This is something that particularly caught my attention because in my 1 year plan, I am wanting to start creating themes and sell them. Knowing only the basics, this post gave some insight on where to get started and what to expect when it comes time to do so.

50 Useful Tools and Resources For Web Designers

Smashing Magazine is the king of resources for any designer. They do tons of research on their topics and provide a lot of meat in their posts. This particular post includes information on typography, coding tips and guides, bookmarklets, online tools and services, and links to even more resources. Great stuff!

26 Common Freelancing Mistakes to Avoid

This post is for those freelancers out there as well as anyone who has anyone who runs their own business. I personally have bookmarked this and avoid these issues like the plague.

Five Easy Ways to Vent Safely

Holy cow this post was specifically written for me. I get frustrated and these techniques are a great way to stay professional and to keep your cool!

50 Inspiring Examples of Texture in Web Design

You blankly stare at the screen wondering why those creative juices just aren’t flowing. You open Photoshop and you just wait for that perfect idea to come flying at you. But it never does. The longer you think the worse it gets. Maybe you need a little inspiration! You’re welcome.

Over the past few months, I have taken on a few new clients. Since then, I have let my own personal portfolio fall to the wayside. Although my attention should and always be focused on my clients, I have taken this week to fully focus on the redesign of my portfolio.

Probably the biggest addition to my web site would be this blog. It is something that I have wanted for a while and after reading numerous design blogs, it is highly recommended to have one. I plan on having tutorials, my favorite tweets of the week, personal designs, as well as random ramblings by me.

Again, thank you for checking out my portfolio. Feel free to subscribe, follow me on twitter, become a friend on Facebook, or just drop me a line.