My New Project: LogoGala

LogoGala Logo

Since launching Nice Stylesheet a lot of other inspiration gallery ideas have entered my mind. When your primary skill set is HTML and CSS, it’s difficult to really see all of your ideas to fruition. I’ve got a few ideas that I think could be popular, but no means to develop them as I have zero experience with PHP or any other programming language. An inspiration gallery is not extremely difficult to develop when you’ve got ExpressionEngine helping out, so I figure why not? Also, by developing my own inspiration galleries I can kill two birds with one stone: I can feed my inspiration appetite without searching other galleries and feed my desire to develop new site ideas.

The Project

So, with that said, here’s my newest project: LogoGala. I’m still developing the site behind the scenes, but in the meantime I’m launching a little teaser. I’m allowing people to use their email to sign up to be notified once the site goes live as well as allowing visitors to help me out and send some logos my way so I can start building the gallery.

I realize that starting a logo gallery really isn’t that original of an idea as there’s a couple great galleries already out there, but I felt like the domain name that I acquired was solid and a little competition never hurt anyone, right? It would be different if logo galleries were already to the point where CSS galleries are today, but they are not (yet). There are so many CSS galleries out there that it’s really impossible not to see the same designs on each one. With a logo gallery, there’s more room for competition as to my knowledge, there’s really only two other galleries online at the current time. Also, at least one feature of the LogoGala will differentiate it from the others, so hopefully I can continue to build on that and develop my idea into something useful for everyone out there.

Thoughts?

Feel free to leave me your thoughts in the form of a comment below. If you have any ideas that I could implement on LogoGala, feel free to leave those as well.

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Improved Browser Standards = Bad News for Front-end Developers?

Over the past few weeks, the big news around the blogosphere has been the announcement of Google’s own web browser: Google Chrome. I really don’t want to discuss Google Chrome because for starters, it’s been done many times over and I’m sure you’re tired of reading it; however, the introduction of Chrome did get me thinking about how browsers are getting increasingly more standards compliant and how that could negatively affect others like myself who’s main skill set is front-end web development.

Is it Getting Too Easy?

Lets face it, HTML and CSS in and of itself is pretty easy. Sure, CSS can get fairly complex but majority of time, you won’t need to get that complex in your designs. Once you have a few basic techniques in your arsenal, it’s easy to apply those same basic techniques and develop some pretty amazing layouts that seem to be more complex than they actually are. The hard part with HTML and CSS development has always been getting your designs to look the same across different browsers; ok, well, one browser, Internet Explorer. When you’re first starting out, it seems like there are so many bugs that will completely ruin your design that there’s no way you’ll learn them all. You probably won’t learn them all, but with experience, you’ll learn the most common ones and how to avoid them. I think it’s something that no matter how much you read about the bugs, you only truly learn them with experience.

Every time a new browser is released, it seems to get even easier. Internet Explorer 7 isn’t perfect, but it’s much easier to work with than it’s predecessor Internet Explorer 6. With every new release it only gets easier which can’t be good for the front-end developers.

Separating the Men from the Boys

I can’t help but think that we’re headed for a day when all browsers render exactly the same way, or extremely close to it. When this happens, what else is there to separate the men from the boys, as the saying goes? Front-end developers already fight the “brother who does websites” and others claiming to be web professionals on the daily, so what happens when there are no bugs and no discrepancies between browsers that you’re average Joe down the street has trouble with?

Separate Yourself Again

So you find yourself in a situation where all browsers render identically and you’re having trouble differentiating yourself from the average guy next door, you’ve got no choice but to learn more technologies to expand your skill set and give you an edge over your competition. If you’re anything like me, you’re probably already doing this. Over the past few years I’ve really made an effort to learn some new things beyond just your basic HTML and CSS. Here’s some ideas for you if you’re trying to expand your skill set beyond HTML and CSS:

  • Content Management System (CMS): I think the next step from basic HTML and CSS is a CMS. Static HTML works for a small number of sites today. A lot of sites are going to require some sort of dynamic functionality and a CMS is a fantastic way to add that functionality without having to be a hard core programmer. I use ExpressionEngine and it suits my needs at the current time quite well.
  • jQuery: jQuery is a lightweight JavaScript library that emphasizes interaction between JavaScript and HTML. You can really do some amazing things with jQuery to spice up your designs like form validation, modal windows and the popular tabs for quick switching between content that you see everywhere today. I just started attempting to learn jQuery myself, so hopefully I’ll be able to follow up this post in a few months with progress reports as my skills improve.
  • Mobile Web Design: As mobile devices get more advanced, more people are using them for browsing the web rather than simply making and receiving phone calls. Whether we like it or not, mobile design will be huge in the future. It’s much easier to simply pull out your mobile phone and browse the web when you’re in line at grocery, or waiting in the lobby of the doctor’s office, so it only makes sense that front-end developers make a move toward developing their sites to work with mobile devices. I’ll admit, this is one area that I’m not real familiar with, but I hope to begin that journey in the near future. Mobile Web Design is suppose to be a really great book on the subject. Cameron Moll is the author and the last book of his that I purchased: CSS Mastery was great so I anticipate much of the same from this book.
  • Programming Language: PHP is definitely one of the more popular programming languages out there. This falls slightly outside of the scope of what a front-end developer should now, but we’re talking about expanding skills now and what better way to expand than to dabble with some back-end development as well? The best part is that there are a lot of great CMS’s built using PHP (like ExpressionEngine) so take a genius to see that if you’re using a CMS that’s been developed using PHP, you could definitely push the limits of what can be done with a CMS if you’re familiar with the language it was built upon. Another language that seems to be growing in popularity is Ruby. When you’re reading about Ruby, something about the most popular Ruby framework: Ruby on Rails is likely to be mentioned. There’s a lot of buzz surrounding Ruby on Rails today as it’s suppose to simplify a lot of tasks that in other languages are not so simple. Some of your favorite web apps have been developed using Ruby on Rails like Twitter.

A few additions from Ahmed who left a very appreciated comment:

It was late last night when I wrote this article and I believe that I had a slight case of tunnel vision when writing it. My main focus was on cross browser compatible designs, but there are in fact other areas in which front-end developers can differentiate themselves from the pack (besides the ones I mentioned above) like: accessibility, intuitive interfaces and typography. All of these things are important as well and with them, you can definitely set yourself apart from a lot of the competition. It’s also still wouldn’t hurt to learn one or two of the things I mentioned above as well.

What do you Think?

What are your thoughts on this? Are we as web designers and front-end developers going to be in for some tough times ahead if we don’t expand our skill set? Or do you see everything pretty much staying as it is now even with the browsers becoming more compliant with standards?

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Question: Is it Essential for an Inspiration Gallery to Have Ratings?

Last year I launched my second site: Nice Stylesheet. A while back, I decided to start development on a second inspiration gallery centered around logo design and I have a question that I’m hoping I can get answered here.

Are Ratings Really Necessary?

When I developed Nice Stylesheet, I set it up just like every other design gallery out there and didn’t really put a whole lot of thought into it otherwise. I still enjoy updating the site and have plans to expand on it but I’m wondering if a rating system is really neccessary for a gallery site? I know personally, when I visit a gallery site for inspiration, I’m there for one reason, that’s to soak up some inspiration, not rate the designs. I will occasionally rate some designs, but it’s just that, occasionally and it’s pretty evident that the same thing happens on Nice Stylesheet. For the amount of pageviews Nice Stylesheet receives, for each design to only receive around four ratings each when when I update, that proves that majority of people are stopping in to be inspired, not rate designs.

What do You Think?

What do you think? Are ratings a must-have on an inspiration gallery website? I think it’s definitely neccessary to separate the top designs in the gallery from the rest and have some way to display those and I do have a way to do that which doesn’t involve ratings, so I’m not sold on the idea that a rating system is actually needed.

Help me out by leaving a quick comment to give me a yea or nay on the idea.

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What’s In a Business Name? Everything?

Something I’ve been thinking about for quite a while is a business name. Ever since I started designing, developing and publishing my own sites, I’ve felt like I needed a name. Sure, I could simply go by “Deron Sizemore,” but a part of me feels like my design work and sites that I manage should be a part of a bigger entity. Plus, I just think it seems pretty cool to run my own “business” and be known as a business entity rather than a “guy doing some web stuff.”

Clients Take You More Seriously?

Although I don’t do much work for clients and try to stick to developing my own ideas, here lately it seems that the opportunity for client work has been arising more frequently. It seems that every time I turn around someone is inquiring about some sort of design or ExpressionEngine development work. Don’t get me wrong, I’m flattered that my work is looked at in such a positive way that people would like work with me, I just never set out initially to do work for anyone but myself. If I’m going to start considering more client work going forward, I’ll have to rethink my approach which I feel starts with a business name to operate under.

Abstract Names the Way to Go?

Everyone that runs a business and has faced the task of deciding on a business name has an opinion on what the best method. Is an abstract name the best way to go? A clean slate in which to carve your image. Or, is an informative name the best way to go? A name that describes exactly what you’re business is so that there is no guess work on the part of the consumer. Personally I’m drawn to the idea of an abstract business name. On one hand it seems like the easy way out. Just choose a name, any name for that matter and presto, you’re on your way with a new business name. Although it seems easier, I’m not sure it is. I could very easily just go with something like “Sizemore Design” and call it a day but I’m just not satisfied doing that.

Abstract but Not Too Abstract?

When I say “abstract” I’m not referring to a made up name, although that definitely falls into the abstract category. I think the name can be abstract but still has to use meaningful words and communicate at least on some level with your consumers. I think people relate with things that they can understand and choosing non-fabricated words will definitely help alleviate some confusion on the part of the consumer. Although I’m not much on the made up words, it could be a good conversation starter between you and the consumer about how you came to settle on your business name. To each their own, but I’d like to stick with meaningful words for my business name.

Here Are Some Business Names that I Really Like:

There are many more names I could have listed, but the above names are just a few that I picked out for the sake of this article. All of them use meaningful words that consumers can relate with. By simply looking at the name, it may not be immediately obvious what the business is or who they service, but all of the names are short, creative, catchy and easy to remember which if you ask me is the ingredients of a great business name in which to build an identity on.

How Did You Name Your Business?

Leave a comment with your thoughts on this topic and how you approached naming your business. There really is no right or wrong answer to naming a business, just personal preference. There are some very successful businesses out there with straightforward names that precisely describe what they do in the name. On the other hand, there are some successful businesses using completely abstract, made up names that may mean nothing to anyone except to the creator of the name.

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Kentucky Golfing is Now Live

Kentucky Golfing Logo

I just wanted to take a moment to introduce the reason that I’ve been virtually non-existent blogging here on Random Jabber over the last few months (I promise I’ll do better). My third site Kentucky Golfing went live a couple weeks ago and I’m slowing trying to build content and get some interest from local golf nuts like myself.

Take Note: This is What Not to Do

It’s really amazing that this site is finally online. I attribute it being online to my stubborn attitude. I am one of the most competitive people that I know and I hate to lose. Even though this site has been three years in the making, I was bound and determined to succeed and get my idea out there.

I bought the domain name kentuckygolfing.com in 2005 and started to gather ideas for the site. I wanted the domain kentuckygolf.com but it was taken and after contacting the owner, they wanted something like $5,000 for it if memory serves me correctly, so I told them to keep it. Kentuckygolfing.com in my eyes was the next best thing to choose from the available domain names that I could think of. At the time was really into TextPattern and I actually started to developed the site using TextPattern. I was really hung up on getting the “perfect” design rather than just getting it online and tweaking as I went and after around four design changes, I started development. To make a very long story short, at the time I just couldn’t wrap my head around TextPattern enough to do what I wanted to do with the site and luckily for me I stumbled upon ExpressionEngine (EE) because it does everything that I’ve ever needed to do with a site and it’s intuitive enough for a someone like myself who has virtually no programming experience to develop an awesome site. The only problem from that point was all of my ideas. Instead of setting up a simple blog and maybe an image gallery to start, I wanted the whole package and I didn’t go live with the site until I had the whole package developed. Given the chance to do this over, I wouldn’t go this route and I definitely wouldn’t recommend this route to anyone looking to publish their own site. The main thing to keep in mind is to just get it online and out there for the world to see. You can build on it when it’s live and getting traffic. Don’t do it bas-akward like me! I’m actually starting development on my fourth site: logogala.com and I can guarantee you that I won’t make the same mistakes again.

So, after a few more design changes once making the switch to EE and three years later here we are, the site is finally online and I’m left wondering where the site could have been today had I just got it online then instead of now. It’s fun to speculate what could have been, but it’s live now and that’s all that matters. I have to continue to move forward and just see where it goes.

Thoughts?

If you have any thoughts on the site, good or bad, feel free to leave me a comment and let me know. I’ve had one person tell me already that the login section in the header is off in FireFox 3 on Mac and I’m looking into that.

If you’re in Kentucky and into golf, feel free to sign up for an account and visit the Kentucky Golfing Forums and spark up some conversations.

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