Meet Commitment's web site designer
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Ann Sowers, Commitment's web site designer, talks
about her profession and shares her secrets for building a great web
site.
Commitment is proud to introduce our site designer, Ann Sowers, of Create A Graphic. You can reach Ann by email or visit her site Create A Graphic Introduction by editor Paula Fuoco Davis: For a long time, Commitment lacked one vital ingredient to the success of any online endeavor: a great web design. Would I ever find the right designer? I lamented. I interviewed various designers. I scanned the web, looking for designs that really wowed me, but nothing. Then I met Ann Sowers, of CreateAGraphic. Ann was intuitive, creative, and so extremely talented that it was scary at times. She quickly grasped the vision of Commitment. She was perceptive and always kept in mind the smallest details that can make or break the quality of a site. Ann has the ability to create beauty on a computer screen, which is no easy task. She was diligent, hard working, persistent--always flexible, ready to try something new. One could sense a a creative force within Ann that is steady, knowing and powerful. Rarely does one meet a person who is so artistic and yet practical, so willing to take suggestions and equally ready to offer ideas, one who is intuitive and truly cares about the finished product. Ann is a person of sterling character. The design and personality she gave Commitment is exactly what I envisioned, and we are so proud to work with her. Ann has a gift of knowing how to take an idea and endow it with beauty and visual pleasure. In this interview, Ann explains how to build a great web site and how she became a graphic designer and web site expert. How did you become involved in web design? What was it about web design that interested you? How did you learn web design? I took an advertising class in High School and worked for The Penny Saver when I was younger. I always had an interest in advertisement, but never really had the means to really learn it. I had my children 13 years apart and decided to stay home this time. I didn't want to miss everything with my last child like I had with the first. I don't know if it was pure boredom or the fact that I finally had time to pursue other interest, but I sat down and started teaching myself how to use the computer. One thing lead to another and I found myself drawn to graphics. I was asked to participate in a beta test to develop a home page. That was it, I was hooked. I realized that templates were limited and that there was a lot more to web design than I had learned in that short period of time. I purchased some books and started learning. I would like to interject that it took me 5 years to learn how to do good graphics where it only took a year to learn to do web layout. What does it really mean to be a web designer? What skills and talents are necessary? What is involved in web design? That can mean a lot of things to different people. To me it has meant a chance to be a part of a history making process. We are considered pioneers for the Web and it's a good feeling to know that one day my grandchildren can say "Hey my grandmother did that." It has given me the opportunity to learn but at the same time be home with my child when he comes home from school. I still have my working independence but am doing it my way. Skills and talents are a huge part of a site design. You have to constantly stay abreast of the every changing technologies associated with the web. For instance: Create A Graphic will soon be offering websites using Macromedia Flash. Talent always makes it better. There are a lot of people who can do good web design but can't make graphics. When you can do both it makes your business that much nicer. (If you can't do graphics don't let that keep you from doing web sites. Contract with a graphic designer for your graphics. I work with several people under conditions such as these.) There is a lot involved in web site development. You must know graphics, layout, cgi, java, etc or have means of bringing someone in on your project that can do what you can't. (As in the Commitment site, we married the talents of Robert Davis of Carpe Canus Web Technologies, Ron Graham of Graham and Associates and of course Create A Graphic.) We each had out own special areas of expertise and together we delivered an awesome site to the web. When you are designing a site, how do you go about turning an ordinary site into something spectacular? There is a series of events to developing a spectacular website. First you have to really listen to what you client is saying. You have to be able to get into their vision. You have to think as your client thinks. Be very flexible on some things but stand your ground on others. (By this I mean you have to be able to stand up for what you know will or will not work on a site. You find that most respect your knowledge and your guidance.) Second you must be able to take the word "This isn't what I envision or I would rather have it this way". You can't take someone's dislike personal. You have to back up regroup and go at a different angle. Research, research and research to really get to know the product or service you are designing a site for. You see other sites and you see how you could do something different to make it better. I guess the biggest step is having pride in what you do. If you don't like something then don't show it in hopes that it will get by. If you don't like it yourself then chances are others aren't going to like it either. How do you design web sites that stand out from among the thousands of other web sites? Before I begin designing any site, or even a logo I hit the web. I scour over the many sites that are of similar content or the same line of business. I really look at what they have done and make a list of good and bad in each site. I definitely will not place any of the bad on sites that I design. Then I take the good and think of ways to make it better. I put a lot of emphasis on user friendliness. To me that should be at the top of the list for what a site must be. Can you explain to us the artistic talent needed to design web sites. How do you create beauty on a computer screen? Is this difficult and challenging? I think anytime you sit down to create a graphic or a web site of any type it's a big challenge. After all you are holding a company or an individuals reputation in your hands. I firmly believe that you have to have a sense of color, program knowledge, and some God Given talent in order to design good graphics. It takes more talent to design good graphics than it does to design a web site. To me the real beauty of a web site is the combination of good graphics and great layout. To go step by step into how I design something is impossible. There are times that I sit down and do something and couldn't take myself back through the steps if my life depended upon it. Tell us about some of the projects you have worked on. What web sites are you most proud of? What has been your most challenging projects? I have worked on several web sites and graphic design projects. I think it goes without saying that the most challenging site and the most rewarding site to date has been Commitment. Commitment gave me the opportunity to say "Hey look at this, I can do this and do it well." To look at the site you would never dream that it was created from a home office. I feel that Commitment proves that it doesn't take a Large Design Firm to create a work of art. I have been doing some International work of late that has really been a pleasure. The work has come out of Brazil. The Brazilian people want web sites but simply can't afford the fees they would pay there to have sites created. I am really proud of every project I do. I did a spear for the Dept. of the Army's Longbow Apache Program. That spear is being seen by top Commanders all over the world on slides that are used to brief them on a particular project. They are all different and they all mean something different to me. Can you share with us ten tips for creating a great web site? A: 1. Recognize your audience. 2. Plan good content. 3. Plan your graphics around your content. 4. Make sure your site is user friendly as in navigation. 5. Don't go on and on about your subject. Keep it short and to the point. 6. Don't place graphics on your site that has a different colored background than your page background. 7. Don't use wild backgrounds and text colors that will hurt your eyes. 8. If you use buttons or image maps for links make sure you also place text links in the body of your page. 9. Don't have bad links on your page. 10. Try to update your site on a regular basis. How does your creative process work? How do you go about finding the right mood and tone for the web sites you design? How do you create designs that mirror the vision of those who hire you? Through music in most cases. I tend to play music to clear my mind of anything other than the type of design I am working on. If I feel as if I am getting no where then I walk away and do something else. In the back of my mind I am thinking. Then when something hits me I sit down and go at it again. What mistakes do you see many web sites making as far as design? In your opinion, what are some of the most detrimental design mistakes that can hurt a web site? First off is wild backgrounds and text you can't read. Then that is followed by graphics that do not have a transparent background (different colored background on the graphic). That basically is the first clue that an amateur is designing the site. Then you have sites that the page just goes on and on forever. There is no break in it. What other types of design work are you involved in? I do all types of graphic designs. Logos, invitations, brochures, fliers, e-cards, etc. What challenges did you face in starting your own web design business? How did you overcome these challenges? The first challenge was to prove to my husband that yes I could do this and I could stay at home and do this. Then it was convincing the World that I could design graphics and web sites. Convincing everyone was the biggest challenge. The way I did that was by doing several free sites for not for profit organizations. Many late hours of sitting up and just learning everything I could and discovering my talents. My second largest challenge was getting a Merchant Account being a home based business. Thankfully my bank realizes that home based business are here to stay and they are setting up my Merchant Account now. I was adamant in not wanting to pay the high fees that most home based businesses are faced with and my bank has been more than accommodating to my needs. When you first begin to work on a site, what information do you gather in order to create the best web site imaginable? The first thing I do is have my client look at other sites to get a feel for the different types of layout available and a good color scheme. Then I take the content of the site and spend time with my client learning their likes and dislikes. Where they want to go with the site, what they want to accomplish, etc. Then we start the main page. Everything else seems to fall in place once you get the crucial page together. What are some of your favorite web sites? I probably have my favorite site for different reasons than most. My favorite sites are because of their design. The first on my list is Toyota. I love their layout and how they change out their graphics daily. It's a very warm personal site. Believe it or not for content it's Commitment's site. I loved Commitment's article before I was ever engaged to design the site. I hate to say it but I really don't get a lot of free time these days to surf like I did in the early days of starting my business. What services do you offer your clients? I offer web design, graphic designs, hosting, web development consultations, CAG Web Art Shop. My Art Shop is all original web art that I have designed. This is basically for those who want to design their own site but for one reason or another can't design the graphics. I charge a $20 yearly membership into the site and this gives members free use of all graphics in the shop. Within the coming weeks I will be able to create Shockwave sites. I am still in the learning process and will not attempt to place a site on line until I feel confident in my knowledge of the program. So be looking for Create A Graphic's new web site. What do you enjoy most about your work? My freedom to be my own boss. The chance to really push myself to see exactly what my abilities entail. What makes you so successful as a web designer? I honestly believe it's my ability to communicate well with my clients. I listen, I understand and I just do it. I also charge a fair price for my work. I know what it takes for me to get the job done and I feel that I charge accordingly. You can reach Ann at webmaster or Createagraphic.com |
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