Journal

Snooch Phase 2 is looming

It’s been on my mind for a while. It was always part of the plan to include my portfolio and have a more generic section for CV stuff etc. I’m getting pretty familiar with MT now, my CSS knowledge has also increased. So, i’m starting to think about what i’m goign to do with Phase 2.

The site as it stands is a bit to “Bloggy” which I don’t like. It doesn’t show my design skill off very well, and i’m not the most interesting or technically adept author so it falls down there also. I think in terms of the direction of the site, it’s lost it’s way a touch. So, i’m bringing it back to what it should be. A portfolio (true with a journal, articles and resources too, but mostly these will be my benefit)

I’ve made the decision to do this properly again. So, i’ll be starting with mapping the content and structure. Defining Categories and Access Structure as well as cross-site navigation issues. From there i’ll begin wireframing the templates and begin prototyping, once the “white site” is working how I want it to in MT (hopefully version 3 will be up and running by then) I’ll apply the visual design. I’m goign to do my best to get it right with the CSS, or as right as I can in terms of ease of updating, validation etc. I’ll also be making the move over to XHTML Strict to get a handle on that (I think this site is almost there anyway).

So, that’s the plan. But first i’m getting married. I’m hoping to phase the launch over a period of a couple of months, but we’ll cross that particular bridge when I come to it.

Comments

Hi Mark
Just read your latest comment and would like to thank you for the content that you’ve put up on your site to date as for me personally it’s een an extremely useful resource.

I understand your need to express your design skills but hope that not too much of the content of the site will bes acrificed as it really is of benefit to people like me who are in their infancy of knowledge of CSS website design.

Anyway time to go now but before I do did you see BBC 1 Wales tonight, Paul Stokes was on as a Computer Consultant discussing the latest Cardiff born billionnaire, Michael Moritz who made his money through investing in Google:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/3676833.stm

Cardiff computer consultant Paul Stokes said Mr Moritz was an “extremely shrewd investor in internet companies”.

Graham Sanders's Gravatar

Graham Sanders
Sat 1st May 2004
at 12:57 pm

Thanks Graham. I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about the new Snooch site. I think it needs to be a balance of blog/articles/portfolio, with the emphasis on design.

I’ve been toying around with several cms’s for the new build, MT is looking favourable because i’ve invested a lot of time in learning it. Worpress is second on the list because of the additional functionality it offers over MT (although i’m sure MT will catch up soon enough)

Anyway, thanks for the comments and watch this space.

Mark's Gravatar

Mark
Mon 24th May 2004
at 2:21 am

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A picture of Mark BoultonI'm a graphic designer from near Cardiff in the UK. I've been a designer for over ten years now and primarily work on the web. I'm still partial to a bit of print every now and then though. I used to work for Agency.com in London as an Art Director before working as a Senior Designer for the BBC in sunny Cardiff. This was all before I took leave of my senses and formed my own design consultancy, Mark Boulton Design Ltd.

I've got a thing about grids and typography and occasionally ramble on about them to anyone who will listen.

If you're after simple, clean and effective web design; let me know.