Perform
Ask any web designer, personal portfolio sites can be an enormous challenge. I aimed at designing a simple website that was compelling, iconic, usable, and made me proud.
After it all was said and done, I had created a personal website that has received over 50,000 unique visitors and has been referenced on thebestdesigns.com, webdesignledger.com, minimalsites.com, siteinspire.net, onextrapixel.com, and cssline.com.
By devising a design with a relatively narrow main container, I was able to develop the site to be device agnostic. It responds to any screen dimensions to vertically and horizontally center the content.
ChargeSmart is a forward-thinking company out of California that is pioneering world class payment-related products. ChargeSmart Mobile is a partnership with Verifone that offers a secure, convenient way to accept debit and credit cards on your mobile device.
By working with the ChargeSmart team, I designed and developed the HTML/CSS for a landing page and sign-up process aimed at converting visitors to customers through a quick-and-easy signup process.
People want security, reliability, and usability when looking into hardware that can propell their business. My goal was to create an aesthetic the projected those values (which ChargeSmart and VeriFone certainly back up).
Seeing as the ChargeSmart Mobile website's purpose is to sign up people for a mobile hardware device, it goes without saying that the mobile version of the site had to be flawless. I built the site to be fully responsive in every way. All containers use fluid widths which make signing up at ChargeSmart Mobile a breeze on any screen.
Snapline uses the power of Facebook to provide product recommendations based on who your customers are and what they're interested in. I designed their entire brand, from logo to website and everything in between.
The information gathering process allowed me to understand that Snapline is centered around the connections between people. The "S" logo mark I designed was meant to epitomize that connection.
For the website, I developed a series of simple informational graphics that made the site design more unique while providing educational value for prospecting e-commerce retailers.
It can be cumbersome to pinch and zoom your way through informational graphics. So I built Snapline on a fluid grid that relies on the more natural vertical scrolling to keep everything at a legible size.
I was asked if I wanted to design and build a site that combines two of the things I love most: music and social networking. How could I turn it down? So I decided to take on the task of being the chief creative force for a website that connects fans, bands, venues and promoters with each other.
BandBook's free band management tools allow users to manage gig calendars, keep inventory, build set lists, etc. By carefully laying out the site Information Architecture in front of me and focusing on the needs of users, I used some User Experience best practices to inform global site decisions that go far beyond your typical typography and color usage.
As a result of the redesign from the original site, in one month's time the traffic increased over 200% and the bounce rate dropped from 71% to 40% for new visitors.
It was imperitive that BandBook be a site that users can access on-the-go. The management tools, messaging, and connections with fans all needed to be easily usable whether a band was at their computer or getting ready for a concert. Building BandBook on a fluid grid allowed me to really customize the experience in a way that is attentive to users' needs and capabilities.
This client had a love for minimal design but no firm idea of how that could translate into their own website. I stepped them through the information gathering process that helped them work through the loose thoughts they had put together around their company's brand. We worked together to determine the attitudes that District Consulting wanted to exude and came up with: confidence and professionalism.
I designed the site by starting from a minimal base and building out more unique elements only when they were absolutely necessary to the clarity and usability of the site.
I've got a long ways to go until I find the greener pastures of retirement. Luckily, that didn't seem to deter Spoke Marketing from asking me to work on a site that helped raise awareness for the services that SRR had to offer.
We sought to create an aesthetic that focused on assuring near-retirement-age folks that SRR professionals were the most reliable team to help them usher in their golden years.
While most of my projects are for clients from all over the place, it is always nice to be able to work on a website that is in your own backyard. It helps to connect the pride I get from creating websites to the love I feel for the community around me.
Washington University in St. Louis is an extremely well-respected institution in both education and research. I was delighted to be able to take aim at creating a cutting-edge website that raised the bar for research communities.
I worked with the client to review their existing site page-by-page and decide which kinds of information needed to be kept, revised, or deleted. By refocusing their brand and message for research scientists, I created a site that hopefully attracts the world's top talent to the exciting research that the Hope Center is publishing on a daily basis.
Cherokee Street is an amazing place in St. Louis. Full of diversity, ambition and talent, they needed a blog design that reflected their individuality and attitude.
Admittedly, I aimed for a completely different kind of aesthetic than I normally use in my work. It is always fun to try out new design styles and tactics in a way that challenges my conventions and helps me to define new ones. In this case, I experimented with a liberal use of texture and a muted color palette that contrasted with the clean typography that I try to use in all of my work.
The last version of this site was something completely different that what you see before you. Sure, it had its charms. Ribbons, texture, antique photography. The works. But as with all websites, we should deliver the information that is needed and cut what is not. Why are you here? Most likely, to look at the work. Do you need to read eight paragraphs about how HatBox got started a little over a year ago? No, you don't. Is it important to be able to find me on GoWalla? Are you kidding? I barely ever check in!
So it was time to make a change. I created the new version of HatBox (which you are viewing) to be straight-forward, use a fluid-grid, and showcase what I love to do: my work. Rest in peace, version one.
My name is Christopher Meeks and I run HatBox, which works with clients to build websites, mobile sites, and apps. I've been designing for the web since 2004 and take on projects of all sizes. I also employ specialized developers on occassion so that I can best serve my clients.
