Amy Abatangle

Just finished mock-ups for a couple of content aggregators, All My Horoscopes and Scary Paranormal Videos. Both are just at the Photoshop stage, but I thought it might be interesting to share them early in the design process.

I will have to do the CSS and image slicing once more of the content is finalized, but it’s fun to already have a sense of what the sites are going to look like. It was also fun to work on such disparate sites right after each other. The feel couldn’t be more different. :)

I’ve been working on a number of creative projects recently. In addition to my amigurumi crochet blog and store, I have also started selling jewelry that I’ve been making. I started making jewelry when I was in junior high and high school, then set it aside until about 2003 when I began making a few items for myself and for friends. I recently picked up the hobby again and am greatly enjoying it.

My line, Left Bank, is carried by Coupa Cosas in Palo Alto, CA and Renegade Handmade in Chicago. It’s a fun mix of vintage and modern elements. You can see my portfolio on my blog.

After finishing a couple of freelance projects, I had the opportunity to do a logo for my sister’s new handmade jewelry business, Jane & Josephine. She has a great post on her blog with pictures from each step of the design process. You can see all of the comps that I gave her, as well as the final product.

Check out her portfolio as well; prices are available upon request from Jane & Josephine.

Per my previous post, I’ve started a website for my amigurumi crochet hobby at AmyGurumi.com. It can be challenging to find time to design and craft new objects, but I really find it a relaxing and rewarding hobby.

I was lucky enough to have my submission to the Martha Stewart Easter Contest selected as a winner back in April. It was an unexpected accolade, and the Seagate GoDrive was a nice reward.  My next large project was for a gallery exhibit in the D.C. area entitled “Mortal Plush: I Am Not Your Toy” at Art Whino. The gallery will feature soft sculpture (“plush”) that expresses emotion. My piece is a pirate monkey (“Bronzebeard”) that hopefully expresses “weltschmerz” (world-weariness). The deadline was extended into June, and I just found out this morning that my submission was accepted. For those in the D.C. area: Opening reception on July 11, 2009 from 6:00 PM to Midnight at Art Whino Gallery 173 Waterfront St., National Harbor, MD 20745. There will be food, drinks and a DJ.

More info at amygurumi.com.

I recently completed another client project using WordPress. Due to the timeline and the client’s budget, I chose to source a freeware theme rather than create something from scratch. After scouting around, I came across CorporateMag, a slick but appropriate theme from WP Junction.

I spent some time modifying the theme to work for my needs, including removing the image carousel and changing the way that posts are displayed on the main page of the site. The way that the plugins were included was a bit wonky, but I think I’ve massage the theme sufficiently to produce a nice result. Just waiting to pour in the content once the client is ready.

I’ve found that modifying existing themes can take almost as much time as designing one from scratch. Sourcing attractive, professional and original themes can be difficult, and the quality of free themes is highly variable. There can be hidden pitfalls, especially with the implementation of sidebar widgets which is broken as often as not.

Here are a few questions to ask when deciding whether to modify or build:

• Does the client have existing imagery or a strong brand? Look for templates that are color rather than image-based or consider creating your own.
• How design-oriented is the project? If design is as important as content, consider working from scratch. You may need just as much time to source one or more options than you would to present a couple of variations on a theme of your own for your client to choose from.
• Does the design have to be absolutely unique? If your client has a problem with any other site using the same template, you’re better off starting with a clean slate rather than trying to strip down an existing template.

Regardless of your client’s preferences, it’s a nice exercise to review themes by other designers. There are some amazing free themes out there for implementation or just inspiration.