getelementby

I am a current student at the Art Institute of Dallas, majoring in a bachelors of fine arts in web design and interactive media. I love doing anything dealing with web design, or the Adobe suite. It's really a great experience learning, developing, and praticing my programming/scripting skills through multiple homework assignments. It can be very tedious at times, but I never really get tired of coding. I enjoy trying to solve problems, and finding the solution through code has such gratification when a project is complete.

Before I started learning web design, I was in the military. I served in the US Army for seven years, and got out as an E-5 (sgt). I was stationed in Korea for two years and stationed in Hawaii for three, where I deployed to Iraq twice. I spent a total of twenty six months in Iraq. Though I'd never thought of doing web design for a living, I always enjoyed playing around with HTML & CSS. I got out of the Army, Dec of 2009, and enrolled at the Art Institute Of Dallas at the beginning of 2010.

I love CSS, and HTML. However, I've really started enjoying working with a database, PHP, and MySql over the past half year. I like javascript alot too, there is just so much that you can do with it.

Design Philosophy

My approach to web design is all about the end user. When designing for the web, I believe the key principles are in keeping the brand message strong with a beautifully designed minimalistic approach. I believe the functionality of the site along with the design should strive for simplicity, and allow room for interactivity with the user. I think that thought provoking content, design, and functionality is the key that opens the door and allows the user to enter into your digital domain. I strive to balance interactivity in a way that allows the user to feel a personal connection with the site, and enhance their experience. I search for problems in any design that needs a creative solution, and work to implement beauty into the design and functionality itself. I strive to utilize progressive enhancement in my design, as an enjoyable user experience is my underlining goal.

Dwight D. Eisenhower, once said, “In the Army, whenever I became fed up with meetings, a protocol, and paper work, I could rehabilitate myself by a visit with the troops. Among them, talking to each other as individuals, and listening to each other’s stories, I was refreshed and could return to headquarters reassured that, hidden behind administrative entanglements, the military was an enterprise manned by human beings.” (Dwight D. Eisenhower)

I believe the same concept can be applied to web design. When I feel that I am fed up by problems in design, I can rehabilitate myself by talking and communicating with the end users. Talking to them as individuals and listening to their stories can give a clear representation of their user experience through usability testing. Then I can return to work, reassured that hidden behind every problem is an army manned by a sea of solutions.

-Glenn Powell