css

Style it Up

Designing for the front end of a website is one of my favorite things, and greatest focuses. There’s something about creating a beautiful usable interface that I that gives me a sense of satisfaction. It’s awesome.

trends

New Trends

Like fashion, the internet is always changing, and so is the technology being used. With HTML5 and CSS3, mobile devices, and an array of different browsers, I strive to stay on top of what’s new and where the market is going.

html

Web Markup

Less is more – this old adage also applies to the web. Clean code is good code, it helps load times, accessibility, and the end developer to make changes seamlessly. Trying to find better ways to code cleanly is a challenge I enjoy.

balance

Balance

I find balance a critical part of web sites. The portion of design and flashy widgets to the portion of usability, load times, and standards is a fine line that needs to be studied with each and every project.

growth

Good Growth

With the world wide web always changing, it would seem silly to hunker down and refuse to learn new things. There is something I find fun about learning new things, even if it means late nights, lots of coffee, and occasional sugar rushes.

plans

Plan it out

“Plan your work and work your plan.” My grandpa was known for saying that, and I love it. There are many popular workflows which all have their places. Without a plan, a website is destined to be in limbo for much longer than it needs to be.

Best Enterprises

Design, Development, Marketing

September 2009 - May 2011

My responsibilities were diverse at Best. I created and maintained the companies websites, created print and digital marketing pieces, and fullfilled most other “techy” things.

ad3pt

Design, Development, Marketing

February 2008 - August 2009

I began as an intern with ad3pt and was eventually hired full time. While there I was responsible for quick turnaround designs and websites, working in WordPress, Magento, and standard xhtml, as well as flyers, online banners, and print.

Jon

About Me

I’m Jon Best, a web designer and developer in Minnesota. I have a passion for making unique experiences online. My goal is to continually simplify the creative process keeping it pure, and eliminating all the muddled mess of extra steps and redo’s. I say let’s get it done right, the first time. I bring a fresh creative perspective to the table backed by proven work and experience.  Everyday my ambition is to learn one more thing, no matter how small, that I hadn’t known before. I am Jon, and the Web is where I live.

Site Inspiration

May 24, 2011

This site has been a work in progress for quite a bit now. With a number of layout changes, color schemes, tweaks and adjustments, it has been a tough but rewarding experience. One of the greatest challenges I found while creating the site is the minimalistic theme and process. It’s not the way I’ve normally created or designed in the past, yet after looking at many different portfolio sites and examples, the ones I seemed to keep coming back to were simple and elegant, putting an emphasis on the work and content of the site. I quickly became obsessed with this idea and wanted to master it. What I’ve noticed is with a minimal design, every layout and color choice becomes incredibly important, maybe even more so than with a more complex layout. Every item, and color must have a meaning, and an impact. The smallest tweaks and adjustments can change the entire demeanor of the site, how users experience it, and if it is likable and accepted.

I drew inspiration from two differnt types of designs, those of geometric, shape based designs, and those that werew a bit more graphic, with a painted look, depth of layers, and a organic feel.

The overall feel I wanted to convey was a very airy, open, endless design. It would make you feel comfortable and want to explore and scroll through the site. In the beginning of what I would choose as my final layout, I wanted to find a balance between white, greys, blues, and reds. Not a , patriotic theme (not that there’s something wrong with that), but more an elegance, with rich reds and subdued blues. Upon  feedback I found that many people found the blue headers “Web and “Graphic” too contrasting with the site logo, which is prominent and bold. It was also pointed out that the elegant typface for these headers was too different from the bold slate look in the logo. Back to the drawing board I went, I first messed around with the idea of red for the headers, I used about 10 different hex codes but it just seemed like too much red on the page, which was taking alot of attention away from the featured thumbnails, which was the exact opposite of what I had set out to do. I then began trying different greys, and found one that seemed to fit nicely. Next was fonts for these headers. Originally I had used Fertigo, which I really like. However it really didn’t fit the bold, boxish look that was going on. I first opted for a much simpler font, Calluna. I kind of liked it, and I kind of didn’t. In the end I felt like it didn’t command enough attention, it became lost in the sans serif mess of things. I then went for Adelle, after considering the slab serif type that was used in the logo. I instantly loved it, and after a bit of fidgeting  called it good (for now).

I also took a picture mid process one day with my cell phone, it’s probably not the greatest quality ever but I couldn’t let it go to waste I found it a bit funny.

 

Beautiful Motion Graphics

May 12, 2011

What can I say, I’m a junkie for motion graphics. I love the opportunity to do post editing work when it comes up, though it’s been few and far between, it’s always rewarding. Here are some cool inspirations I’ve found that I really like.

Stay Inspired.