Today I will be starting a new feature here on the blog in which I will introduce you to people and blogs and websites who I have found to be of value to my education and life experience. Whether I follow them on Twitter or subscribe to their blog’s RSS feed or have interacted with them in some other way, these are people that I am getting to know and want to encourage you to do the same. In keeping with the spirit of previous posts on this blog, I want to try to bring to the forefront those that for one reason or another are not as well known as some of the more “popular” in their field.

This feature will appear at least once if not more per week. When I am recommending someone on Twitter it is a direct replacement of my previous #FollowFriday posts that I used to do each week, thanks to the bit I wrote a couple weeks ago about #FollowFridays Are Like Flowers At A Funeral. That got me to thinking I should recommend others as I am inspired by them, rather than waiting until Friday. Then I decided to expand outside of the Twitterverse and include many others that are becoming a part of my online life in some way.

The idea here is that there are countless avatars and websites and icons and blogs. But every single one of them has a person or people behind them. Get to know the person a little bit and you will be all the more interested and invested in what they have to say and share.

So today I am pleased to introduce you to Jack Franklin, a 17-year-old web developer who was born and raised in Falmouth, England. This young man got into coding at about 13 when his dad decided to start a part-time Web Design firm. He taught himself HTML and CSS before getting bored, and then moved onto PHP.

“I guess what I liked so much about PHP is that you know that the entire website is working on your code. It also means I can customize third-party applications much more, being able to decipher the code and then rewrite it so most times I can get anything to do exactly what I want it to (with a bit of a struggle in between, possibly!)”

Jack is currently at College studying A-Levels in Math, English and Computing in the final year of two spent at college. After Uni he doesn’t really know what he wants to do, but he’s hoping to land a job as a junior developer at a web firm or something before deciding in which direction he wants to go.

“I’ll hopefully, if my grades hit what they should, be headed up to Bath University (where the Carsonified guys hang out!) to study Computer Science there for 4 years, with one of those years being in the industry.”

Besides HTML, CSS and PHP, Jack has also taught himself Javascript, which he says “is great fun, as it gave me an excuse to play more with front-end stuff, and also led me to jQuery, one of the best Javascript libraries out there.”

Jack has recently taken the position of Editor of the magazine/blog at TheWebSqueeze.com, a “useful resource filled to the brim with web design articles on business and computers to web development tutorials on topics such as CSS, PHP, Javascript and much more.” Here’s how he tells the story of working his way into that position:

“I started writing for a (now gone) magazine called Creative Coding and ended up as the Assistant Editor there. In early 2008 it all fell apart and the Editor of the magazine and some very influential people (@lchad, @karinne and @JacobHaug) left to form The Web Squeeze. I stayed in touch but it wasn’t until a bit later on, desperate for cash (as all students are), I started doing the odd article for them. I focused mainly around jQuery but also branched into some HTML, CSS and PHP from time to time. It became clear that people liked reading my tutorials and that folks like The Web Squeeze were happy to publish them.  I started writing more and more until just a few weeks ago they started looking for someone to be the editor of their magazine/blog. So I went for it – kind of my dream job – getting to write my own articles but also help others do the same and get the same joy out of it as I did. A few days later, deep into the night I was told I managed to get the position. Since then it’s been great, I’ve been much more motivated to write articles and the magazine is growing in popularity with every passing day.”

Jack started using Twitter when he started doing more development work. He says “it was fantastic to get advice and help when I was just starting out with PHP and Javascript – although I’m sure I must have pissed a few people off!” I don’t know about those early days, but I know since I’ve been following him he has been interesting, entertaining, funny and helpful. He also writes really useful tutorials.

Jack, Mom and brother Sam

Jack currently has dreams of reaching 1,000 followers by Christmas. Would you consider checking out his profile and following him to give a nudge to his holiday? Also be sure to check out his self-designed typography-based site at http://www.jackfranklin.co.uk, where you can see his portfolio and latest projects, including get2meet.me, the first site to act as a social feed aggregator (yes, the very popular card.ly and myonepage.com came into existence a few weeks after this one). Finally, pay a visit if you haven’t already to TheWebSqueeze.com. I subscribe to their feed and find lots of useful web development information, tutorials and a helpful forum.

If you are interested in being interviewed as a part of this series, please let me know in the comments, or send me an email. If you have any questions or comments for jack, be sure to comment below. Finally, if you are not already, would you consider subscribing to this blog so you don’t miss any future updates? You can either subscribe to the RSS feed in the reader of your choice or you can receive the blog updates along with my Delicious bookmarks in your email inbox by filling out the simple little form at the top right of the page.

Thanks for taking the time to get to know Jack. I’m sure that if you start to follow him a little more closely from this point forward you will enjoy him as much as I have.

This is the second installment of a new feature here on the blog in which I will introduce you to people and blogs and websites that I have found to be of value to my education and life experience. Whether I follow them on Twitter or subscribe to their blog’s RSS feed or have interacted with them in some other way, these are people that I am getting to know and want to encourage you to do the same. In keeping with the spirit of previous posts on this blog, I want to try to bring to the forefront those that for one reason or another are not as well known as some of the more “popular” in their field.

The idea here is that there are countless avatars and websites and icons and blogs. But every single one of them has a person or people behind them. Get to know the person a little bit and you will be all the more interested and invested in what they have to say and share.

So today I am pleased to introduce you to the bilingual husband/wife team of Teylor Feliz and Holly Lamarche, creators of one of my favorite new discoveries in the design/development blog world: AdmixWeb.com.

AdmixWeb was created in October 2008 with the purpose of providing information regarding all the latest and greatest technologies, topics, and applications available to use in web design and web development and to improve the web through blogs, postings, feedback, and comments. They feature bi-weekly original articles and tutorials on web development, design, freelance, business, and programming.

Teylor Feliz is a XHTML/CSS/JavaScript fanatic from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, and currently lives in Lafayette, Louisiana, where he is preparing to start a Masters in Computer Science. For more than 10 years, Teylor has been emerged in the computer programming, design, and development world, including 2 years of teaching computer science. Teylor loves doing freelance web design and programming, as well as preparing tutorials and articles for his blog, AdmixWeb. He also loves surfing the web for other great articles and posts about design and development, which he posts in the Community News Section of his blog, or he tweets to share with his followers. You can view Teylor’s personal portfolio at teylorfeliz.net but be sure to check back soon for more recent work. He also was the developer on most of the projects at VDK.com.do and the designer on a few too.

Teylor’s wife, Holly Lamarche, works with him as a writer and editor for the blog, though she works full time as an attorney in Louisiana. Holly lived in Santo Domingo for two years, where she met Teylor, and there she taught at a local private High School, and learned a lot about the interesting Caribbean culture. She has a personal interest in computer-based design, graphics, and art.

In their spare time, Holly and Teylor are passionate about going to the beach, watching movies, (especially when they are in 3-D), traveling, eating Dominican cuisine, reading about computers, walking their retired greyhound, cooking, and of course spending time with each other and discussing their next post for the blog! They share their home in Louisiana with the aforementioned greyhound and two cats.

Be sure to check them out at www.admixweb.com, add them on Twitter: @teylorfeliz and @judgeholly, join their Facebook group (AdmixWeb Design and Development Group), and connect with them on Linkedin.

If you are interested in being interviewed as a part of this series, please let me know in the comments, or send me an email. If you have any questions or comments for Teylor and/or Holly, leave it in the comments below. Finally, if you are not already, would you consider subscribing to this blog so you don’t miss any future updates? You can either subscribe to the RSS feed in the reader of your choice or you can receive the blog updates along with my Delicious bookmarks in your email inbox by filling out the simple little form at the top right of the page.

Thanks for taking the time to get to know Teylor and Holly. I’m sure if you invest some time in getting to know them and their work at AdmixWeb you will find it is time well spent.

I’ve been a subscriber to the CMD+Shift Design Blog for a few months now. I enjoy taking in the author’s writing style and I’ve found quite a few useful tips for freelancing and web design. I also recently started following @cmdshiftdesign on Twitter and have discovered much of the same value. So today I want to introduce you to Liz Andrade, the gifted, humorous, creative and design-community advocate behind CMD+Shift Design.

Liz Andrade of CMD+Shift Design

Liz lives in Seattle, WA, where she runs her one-woman web studio (CMD+Shift Design). She started art school as a Fine Artist but eventually succumbed to her closet computer nerdom and began a double-major in Graphic design. She has a post on her blog that covers this in more detail: Getting to Know Me, Part 1: How Did I Become A Designer?

After college, Liz worked for a Seattle company that designs and sells luxury presentation materials. She did sales and marketing for this company for a couple years before moving onto a staff design position at a small boutique firm where she worked in print and web design.

“It is with my experience in direct customer relations doing sales that I cut my teeth and learned valuable lessons that I would later be able to translate to project management in my senior design position and later as a business owner!”

Liz and Eric (her partner in crime of 8 years now) meeting Wil Wheaton at Emerald City Comic Con

I asked Liz to share some things she is passionate about. She said first and foremost are her family and friends, followed by the internet, web design, computers, web standards, code, pixels, problem-solving, listening to her clients, growing businesses through smart web solutions, learning, sharing knowledge, and community. She adds:

“I have strong opinions of music and movies and what I like and what I don’t like in both of them. You could call my a “snob”, and that wouldn’t be completely inaccurate.”

When I asked Liz why she is on Twitter and other social networks, she replied:

“I’m an internet nerd. I love any excuse to use the web, I like trying out new services and apps – it’s just fun! I like Twitter to stay in touch with the online design community, it makes things so easy. I have met a lot of great designers and developers simply through interaction on Twitter. The people who I enjoy the most on Twitter send out a good balance of helpful design-oriented information and more personal stuff that gives you glimpse into who they are outside of being a designer. I try to keep that balance with my own Twitter stream!”

Liz and Chewbacca

One of my favorite features on her CMD+Shift Design Blog is “Ask A Freelancer”, in which she fields questions about freelancing and shares her insights and experience. Her laid back, often humorous writing style is right up my alley, and I am sure you will enjoy getting to know her through her blog and various social network connections as much as I am. You can find all her social network links at http://lizandrade.com and of course you must check out CMD+Shift Design if you haven’t already. Take some time and get to know Liz Andrade, the person behind the avatar, and I’m certain you will enjoy exploring her websites and writings all the more!

If you are interested in being interviewed as a part of this series, please let me know in the comments, or send me an email. If you have any questions or comments for Liz, leave a comment below or visit her at CMD+Shift Design. Finally, if you are not already, would you consider subscribing to this blog so you don’t miss any future updates? You can either subscribe to the RSS feed in the reader of your choice or you can receive the blog updates along with my Delicious bookmarks in your email inbox by filling out the simple little form at the top right of the page.

The idea here is that there are countless avatars and websites and icons and blogs. But every single one of them has a person or people behind them. Get to know the person a little bit and you will be all the more interested and invested in what they have to say and share.

I have been following David Yarde (@dsmy) on Twitter for a little while now and recently started subscribing to HowsYourBlog.com so I could take in his thoughts and insights about writing, blogging and more. David is a self-professed “design junkie” who seems to have a lot of things going on and new ideas springing up all the time. He and his wife Angel (@missneela) run Sevenality, a web and graphic design studio located in the Kissimmee, Florida area. David’s an interesting, friendly guy who I thought would be fun to get to know a little better, so I invited him to be a part of this series so we all could meet the man behind the avatar.

"I'm the coolest Jamaican designer you'll ever meet!"

David got started on the path to becoming a designer at a young age, “during the Windows 3.1 era.”

“I would make things out of construction paper or spend hours in the arts and crafts section of whatever store I went into, so from that time onward I took every class in school I could related to design and psychology.”

David spends a lot of time coming up with new concepts and ideas, some of which get implemented and others that never leave the drawing board. He started HowsYourBlog.com with the intention of making it “one of the great pillars of information and relaxation for freelancers in the fields of design, writing, and web development.” I personally like that he shoots for not just providing information, but also relaxation. Freelancers tend to forget how much we need that.

Another project he is currently working on is called Wired Thinking, “an online magazine for young people to help them deal with issues they face today.” The site is currently under construction but will be live soon.

I asked David to share some of the things he is passionate about. He responded:

“Blogging, photography, nature and oddly enough cats. I actually have a weak spot for kittens…and oddly enough I don’t own one! Yet. Outside of work I love to just sit back and relax with my wife or head into the kitchen and cook something gourmet. I’ve been told that I’m a pretty good cook. I also love meeting new people, trying new things and most of all helping others.”

When talking about his use of social media, David says:

“I swore that I would never use Twitter until one day I got curious and signed up and now you can say I’m addicted. I’ve gained tons of resources and also given away quite the lot of resources there as well. If you’re not on Twitter then you’re missing out. I’m also on Facebook but mainly to keep in touch with friends and family.”

Be sure to check out David and his wife Angel on Twitter, on HowsYourBlog, at Sevenality, and be watching for Wired Thinking along with what is sure to be many more intriguing and interesting ideas to come. Take some time to interact with and get to know them and I’m sure you will be glad you did.

If you are interested in being interviewed as a part of this series, please let me know in the comments, or send me an email. If you have any questions or comments for David, leave a comment below or visit him at one of his websites listed above. Finally, if you are not already, would you consider subscribing to this blog so you don’t miss any future updates? You can either subscribe to the RSS feed in the reader of your choice or you can receive the blog updates along with my Delicious bookmarks in your email inbox by filling out the simple little form at the top right of the page.

The idea here is that there are countless avatars and websites and icons and blogs. But every single one of them has a person or people behind them. Get to know the person a little bit and you will be all the more interested and invested in what they have to say and share.

I don’t recall exactly how we started communicating, although I’m sure it was either Twitter or Facebook, but I have recently been enjoying getting to know Beth Daniell of Elizabeth Daniell Graphic Design (EDGD) through a few online conversations and interactions. Beth is a graphic designer who has made the shift to running her own freelance business and using social media to expand her networks and clientele. As we began conversing and sharing thoughts I knew she would be a perfect candidate for my friends and readers to meet, so I asked if she would be interested in participating in this series. She has generously taken the time to answer a few questions and share some insights into who she is. I invite you to get to know her and connect with her yourself so you can go beyond the surface and see who’s Behind The Avatar.

“Over the past 15+ years, I have found the inspiration for my design style through the cities I have lived in, the people I have met along the way and my love for all things unique. My education in various art forms is a concrete foundation for making me the artist I am today.”

Beth’s background is varied. Her search for herself spans many years and many cities, including Savannah, Athens, Orlando, Nashville and New York, but she currently resides in a small town called White, just north of Atlanta, GA. Although she confesses she’s not exactly sure how she ended up there, she claims Georgia will always be her home no matter where she lives.

Beth started out in high school working at a photo lab and somehow ended up in New York City accepted to the School of Visual Arts for photography. She continues:

“After moving up there I thought to myself, ‘What would I actually do with a photography degree?’ A bit culture shocked, I moved back home and this pattern repeated 3 times over the next year. Yep, 3 times. Finally, after many trips by trains, planes and automobiles along the east coast, the theft of my portfolio and sightseeing, I was back in NYC for good (or at least for 4 years). I discovered a great community college, the Fashion Institute of Technology, and an excellent program called Display and Exhibit Design. This was my new love. I ate, slept and drank that program for two years. It was a fabulous time and I learned so much but the jobs that were offered in that field were few and far between. It did however give me a few base classes in exhibit graphics, so in efforts to move forward and onward, I eventually went back to school to become a Graphic Designer.”

She says that even with as many times as she changed her mind, she loves her current profession as a graphic designer. After working in the publishing industry for several years, Beth decided to pursue a freelance business and established EDGD.

“Being my own boss is great. Sure it’s not easy and I still have a lot to learn, but it’s so worth the rewards and freedom of creativity. I love helping start-ups with their identity or helping an existing company refine their logo. I wake up happy everyday and wonder what type of project will come across my path today. It’s almost like getting little presents here and there.”

When I asked her what she is most passionate about, Beth put her family at the top of her list. She says they are all very close and try to get together as often as possible. Next she placed her American Bulldog Rita (Margarita), the biggest love of her life, but then quickly backpedaled and made Rita the second love, since her husband Cody is “technically” first. She is extremely proud of her husband’s service as an Army Ranger (1st Battalion 75th Ranger Regiment).

“I am also passionate about my ink drawings. I have been doing these probably since the early 90’s.  They started out as random illustrations and over the years have transformed into various shapes or abstract images. It is always fun to see what others think they resemble, similar to how an inkblot is perceived. Over the past year I have experimented in enlarging them on transparencies and then painting them onto canvas. They have really evolved and have become an exciting escape from my computer. I also love most aspects of the fashion industry, creating art with my hands (books, paintings, etc) and most anything vintage.”

When it comes to social networking, Beth says she’s fairly new to it, especially Twitter.

“I have been on Facebook (with a business page) and LinkedIn for about a year now and have gained more resources, information and clients than I thought could come from these types of networking. It really opened my eyes to a whole new way of thinking and I have received so much knowledge in my field and related fields from folks that are fresh out of school to Creative Directors and CEO’s. Twitter is a new one for me and so far, to be honest, it is taking me a bit to get used to and its idiosyncrasies. But, I do believe it is a powerful marketing tool as well an excellent platform to connect with peers in related fields and I am becoming more and more comfortable using it. The wealth of information and possibility of connections is unmatched right now.”

As a Twitter user (translated: addict) myself, I couldn’t agree more!

Please take some time to visit Beth’s various websites, portfolios and social media profiles. I encourage you to connect with her in these various arenas and get to know her, the person, as well as the artist and designer. I know you will find it is time well spent.

Elizabeth Daniell Graphic Design

http://www.elizabethdaniell.com
http://www.facebook.com/EDGraphicDesign
http://www.linkedin.com/in/elizabethdaniell
@EDGraphicDesign on Twitter

Edan Ink Designs (My Ink Drawings)

http://www.facebook.com/EdanInk
http://www.EdanINK.etsy.com

If you are interested in being interviewed as a part of this series, please let me know in the comments, or send me an email. If you have any questions or comments for Beth, leave a comment below or visit her at one of her websites listed above. Finally, if you are not already, would you consider subscribing to this blog so you don’t miss any future updates? You can either subscribe to the RSS feed in the reader of your choice or you can receive the blog updates in your email inbox by filling out the simple little form at the top right of the page.

The idea here is that there are countless avatars and websites and icons and blogs. But every single one of them has a person or people behind them. Get to know the person a little bit and you will be all the more interested and invested in what they have to say and share.

I first came into contact with Sarah Camp a few months back in a Thursday night session of DCTH (Design Community Twitter Hours), a weekly chat session on Twitter amongst designers and anyone else who wants to participate. I began following her on Twitter and eventually visited her website, only to be amazed at the incredible work Camp Creative Group does! Classy, professional, original and powerful web design and development, graphic design, and identity and branding are at the forefront of CCG’s portfolio, so I thought it would be interesting to learn more about the namesake, owner and “Design Maven” who fuels the fire and makes things happen at CCG. I asked Sarah if she would let us have a peek into who she is, and she graciously agreed to take us Behind The Avatar.

Sarah is officially the Founder and Art Director of Camp Creative Group, which is located in Blue Ridge Summit, PA. She has been a professional in the field for over a decade. Her work has been honored in several recent book publications: designing for a target audience in Market Smart, web design in The Big Book of Green Design, and a spotlight on CCG’s site in The New Big Book of Layouts. Her sites have also been featured in several design galleries, like thebestdesigns.com and cssheaven.com, and received rave reviews from critique sites like wecritiquedesigns.com. Sarah is thrilled for the recognition, and has a theory for the success of CCG:

“I believe that if you do what you love, things tend to fall into place.”

Sarah designs for myriad industries, from acclaimed performers in the entertainment industry, to technical support websites to a niche in children’s fashion.  Her natural curiosity and engaged approach propel her to design for a spectrum of clients.

“I am a firm adherent to the notion that not only can a designer create for any industry, but there is opportunity to learn and develop from each design undertaking.”

Beyond her training and years in the business Sarah’s presence on the design scene includes sitting on the panel for The CSS Awards. She is active on Twitter, Facebook and writes about new practices and design discoveries on the Camp Creative Group Blog. All this stems from her innate desire to grow and contribute with other artists.

“I love dialoguing with other designers in whatever forms technology affords – innovation emerges from this community, from the synergy, the exchange of ideas, but I believe that ultimately, by working together, we raise the bar for great design.”

Her drive to learn is also reflected in her other creative pursuits. Sarah’s interest in inspiration manifests in many forms – people watching, nature, laughter. As a musician (songwriting, piano, guitar, cello, vocals), she is both performer, and avid listener. Sarah is also an aspiring chef, and when her design day is done often experiments in the kitchen.

When she isn’t running Camp Creative Group, writing a how-to guide for online tools, developing relationships within the design community, or feeding her own artistic soul, Sarah also manages to dote on her husband – a brilliant biologist – and their two beloved dogs.

Camp Creative Group

http://www.campcreativegroup.com/
@sarahcamp on Twitter
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Blue-Ridge-Summit-PA/Camp-Creative-Group/96633675268
http://www.linkedin.com/companies/camp-creative-group

If you are interested in being interviewed as a part of this series, please let me know in the comments, or send me an email. If you have any questions or comments for Sarah, leave a comment below or visit her at one of her websites listed above. Finally, if you are not already a subscriber, would you consider subscribing to this blog so you don’t miss any future updates? You can either subscribe to the RSS feed in the reader of your choice or you can receive the blog updates in your email inbox by filling out the simple little form at the top right of the page.