Dear Winter: We're ready for ya...

The morning temperatures are in the teens now and we're ready to start getting our schralp on. The golf and mountain-biking seasons are dwindling, the sun sets early, and we've had a few dustings on top of the hills. So dear Winter, bring it on. Let's do this!

New Site

Just a small announcement: I launched a new portfolio site last week. I do that every so often when I want to re-invent my virtual look. There's some new content but for the most part the difference represents a shift professional in my self-image. Over the last few years, I've become less enamored with Flash, both in the user experience and as a professional design platform. I've never liked being lumped in with blatant Flash advocates. And especially since the advent of ActionScript 3.0 (Flash programming language) I've been less inclined to re-learn the language and have watched it fall out of favor with the design community.

The new site (although it's still being developed) is a more accessible and more accurately trackable, CSS-based site with larger, bolder graphics and ultimately more flexibility for me. Hope you like:

www.joe-art.com

Trip to Chicago

Last week I was in Chicago for a web design conference called "An Event Apart." The conference is kind of a big nerd-fest but it was very interesting for me and stimulating for my career. The topics ranged from the high-level creative process analogies (design as chess, websites as comic books, etc.) to the nitty gritty of CSS best practices, web standards, design critiques, and the future of the internet.

The main attraction were the distinguished speakers from all walks of the web design industry; names that would mean nothing to most people I know, but people of influence and unparalleled talent who's work, books and blogs are all a daily influence on my career. Long story short: it was cool.

I also got to visit Chicago for the first time. The first night, I walked from my hotel on the Chicago River, up to Wrigley field (approx. 5 miles) just to see it. The second night, I tried to take in a Chicago Blackhawks game but got there too late to get a ticket, after passing up the conference's happy hour. Oh well. Still a good trip, especially since it was paid for by FetchDog.