Design Portfolio of Dundee-based Scottish web designer Miles A Cruickshank. Website design, corporate identity, logo and graphic design.
Flying Solo Website Design. Short Version.
I'm Scottish. I'm a web designer. These days I'm based in Scotland. And I design pretty cool websites. That all you need? So get in touch now.
April 2008 and my workload has eased a bit, basically due to my carefully honed technique of telling most of you to bugger off. So while I've still got this stuff in production, I'm now able to take on some new exciting and hugely lucrative projects.
You might still have to be patient for a few weeks, but if we have a chat I can convince you none of the alternatives will be as good (I ain't this busy because I'm cheap), so you'd better just wait.
Flying Solo Website Design. Longer Version.
So. Why are you here? I mean, I have to be, I work here. As a website designer, much of my time is spent, er, designing websites. Like these, for instance. It's what I do to pay for the stuff I like. (And I've got some really cool stuff. Most people who come to my office say 'wow!' and then try to steal something).
Current work in progress includes Vitavox (above)
Anyway, where were we? Oh yes, web design, graphics and stuff...
Graphic design. Website design. Awkward by design.
I've been doing this for a long time. Nowadays I think of myself mainly as a web designer. In the last century, I was mainly a graphic designer. Being a designer is great, people give you money for doing stuff you'd want to do anyway. So I've been a designer everywhere I've lived. Aberdeen. London. Glasgow. And currently, Broughty Ferry, the posh bit of Dundee, Scotland.
In the mid-nineties, I started to notice there were other things I could design, like CD-roms and websites. I noticed this because people kept asking me to design CD-roms and websites. Obviously I'm very perceptive.
Actually, being very perceptive makes me good at this, because I can think up loads of ideas and stuff you perhaps hadn't considered.
This means I will sometimes be a right pain in the bum and ask you lots of awkward questions, but I'm doing it to make your website better, so you'll just have to put up with it. I want your site to work just as much as you do.
What you really need to build a worthwhile website.
Some people have the curious idea all you need to design a website is some software. This is wrong. Even if you know what all the buttons do, you need rather more than that to build an effective site.
First, you need some beer. No, forget that, first you need a clear idea of who you're trying to build a website for (hint: it's not you).
Second thing is a clear idea of what you're trying to say. By 'clear' I usually mean concise. Get to the point quickly. Explain benefits, not 'processes' or 'philosophies.' You can tell them that stuff later if it's appropriate, but not if they've already clicked to go elsewhere.
Third, don't trot out the same stuff as everybody else in your market sector. You don't read it on other sites, so why would anyone pay attention to it on yours? The 'look and feel' of your site is important, but so's the content. And the language. What you say matters, but how you say it's a 'biggie' as well.
So. If you reckon you've got web design software which can handle those elements for you, then I wish you bon voyage.
Alternatively, if you think I might offer a better approach, have a look at the FAQ and portfolio pages or read what my clients think of my work.
If you're now quivering with anticipation at the thought of having a Flying Solo website, email, use this form or call me on 01382 731916.
So what's with the pebbles?
I live about 100 metres from the River Tay. At this point, it's about two miles wide, very near the sea. It's where I go a lot to realign my braincells. Mostly on foot, sometimes on two wheels (a bike, I've not yet been mounted on castors).
On this side of Broughty Castle (no, really), there's a pebbled beach, on the far side there's a sandy beach. Sand's okay, but I prefer pebbles - they don't get in your keyboard or your sandwiches as much... and they're easier to photograph.