Apt Design » Links

New Projects: Wenatchee Valley Chamber and AP College Football

Apt Design — Tue, 02 Nov 2010 03:28:42 +0000

I don’t usually write blog posts about finishing projects (you can just see them in my portfolio), but I’ve recently finished two huge projects that were a lot of fun and that turned out really great. Thought I’d let you know about them.

The first is for the Wenatchee Valley Chamber of Commerce. I’ve been updating the Chambers old site for a few years and was excited when they decided they were ready to move ahead with a brand new site. Wenatchee is one of the greatest places to live on the planet and I’m excited to get to help promote it. Read more about my work with the staff at the Chamber in my portfolio, or head straight on over to their new site: www.wenatchee.org

Another big project recently finished was for the Associated Press. I was brought in as one of the lead designers on a freelance team put together by Shane&Peter Inc. It was an awesome team for an awesome project. I got to work with some high-caliber designers, developers and thinkers and we put together a website which in now the source for news about college football and the AP Poll. Read more about the project in my portfolio, or go get your football fix at the AP College Football site.

Or, read one of these:

Writing Games

Apt Design — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 17:00:55 +0000

Its all about the fundamentals. No matter what sport you play, no matter what level you play at, you are drilled endlessly on the fundamentals. Athletes know everything builds on the basic knowledge and skills of their sport.

When I was a wee child of only 7 my dad started me on keyboarding lessons. He envisioned a future where everyone used computers all the time – and he was right. So, I was drilled on one of the fundamental basics of interfacing with computers – typing. Be a fast typer has been invaluable to me and my business over the years.

We spend so much time typing every day that even a small increase in typing speed could save us loads of time in the long run (especially if you are still hunting and pecking for each key, ahem). I’ve found a great and fun way to work on your fundamentals – get over to Addicting Games and try out Word Frenzy. Or, if rabbits and monsters aren’t your thing, try the classic Space Invaders turned typing game. However you get them in don’t forget the fundamentals!

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A Little Old? Yes. Still Amazing? Yep.

Apt Design — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 21:48:01 +0000

I’m currently swamped with work right now, so I thought I’d turn the “blogable” file upside down and see what falls out. Here are some great links which, though they may not be the newest thing on the internet, are still especially amazing.

Robot calligraphy

A robot that does calligraphy? Affirmative. This robot is rewriting the entire Bible, one character at a time. Next up: outsourcing all things that take patience to robots.

ISO50

If you ever need to get that retro feeling just head over to the ISO50 blog. They are masters at making the old seem new and the new seem old … making it all look good. Take this photo for instance, shot on a recent trip to Norway. Looks like it could have been taken 30 years ago.

Old Henson Creatives

Jim Henson was a super creative guy. In the 1960′s he made some commercials for Wilken’s Coffee. They precede the Muppets, and while they might not be ok to show on tv now, they are still brilliant.

This old barn

Here’s a great photo of an old barn in Waterville, Washington (very near my hometown of Wenatchee). The barn still has an old advertisement painted on it and is really cool to see as you drive into town.

The Future

This video is a few months old but has some stunning discoveries about the future.

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18 Beautiful Websites built with WordPress

Apt Design — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 17:00:14 +0000

WordPress was first built as a blog platform but has now developed into a full-featured CMS (Content Management System). It is easy to design in and develop for. Add to that its easy-to-use backend and scalability and you can see why more and more sites are being built using WP. Here are a few of my favorites sites built with WordPress:

Good

Might as well start with the best of the best. Clean and simple display of the content, with elegant and perfect design.

The Art of Catalin Bridinel

This site is a great reflection of the artistic content. The work is given plenty of room to breath against a watercolor-paper background.

Design by Slint

What? The layout on this site is incredible! Muted colors make help this complex site not become to cluttered. Simply amazing.

Web Designer Wall

You’ve probably seen a design similar to this by now. Unfortunately it has been copied over and over, but this is the orginal big artistic header.

Digital Photography School

A rich magazine style site, DPS makes great use of colors. The ways you can access their best content in the 3 lower blocks is very well done.

Silhouette Masterpiece Theatre

The background and image borders set a great stage for this fantastic art.

Subtraction

Clean and bold, this site was another design pioneer when it first went live.

More of Me

A great ecommerce shop that keeps clutter to a minimum – not easy for many online shops. Great name too.

Carolina Jesus

Carolina’s site is basic (but beautiful!). Some JavaScript and custom coding make it a very unique WordPress site.

Webdesign-ne.ws

Another grid-based design, this site removes all extraneous design to let the content take center stage. No way you could remember that address though.

The Westfalia

All about current reincarnations of the Van. Wonderful illustration and color scheme.

Astheria

It doesn’t get too much cleaner than this. The extra large type for the headers really draws the eye well.

Minimalissimo

Oh, maybe it does get cleaner. Look at all of that beautiful whitespace!

Function

One huge header. Just enough grunge on the rest of the page to balance all that black and keep things interesting.

2Fooo

A fun crafty little site.

Book Cover Archive

The blog here is nice, and built in WordPress. The custom-coded main page is where the real beauty is though.

Leavenworth Summer Theater

…What? I had to put at least one of my own sites in here. Little bit of grunge, little bit of depth, this site has been featured on many showcases and increased visitor traffic significantly.

Ecoki

Another site that manages to present tons of content cleanly and neatly.

So, there you have it. This is just a sampling of greatness – add links to your favorite beautiful WordPress sites in the comments.

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Want a beautiful website built in WordPress for your company? Contact me and lets get started on your project!

Or, read one of these:

Spoiled: 6 Apps that make Your Life Great

Apt Design — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 16:00:56 +0000

When I first got a Wacom tablet for working on design, I was in love. After just a few hours of getting used to using it I was working so much faster and easier. When I started Apt Design I knew I didn’t want one for my new office, I needed it. The price tag is up around $400, but the tablet helps me work almost twice as fast sometimes, so it was definitely worth it. I couldn’t work without it – I was spoiled.

Recently I’ve been spoiled again by an online application called Mint. Mint allows you to track and analyze your personal finances, and it does almost everything for you. After inputing some data about your bank accounts Mint automatically pulls in updated information about those accounts everytime you log in. It instantly gives you a snapshot of your current worth, how you are doing on your monthly budget, and alerts you to any strange or big movements in your accounts. When you are ready you can drill down for reports on all your transactions, including comparing your spending in certain categories to others in your area. The interface is remarkably easy to use and every part of the Mint website is beautifully designed.

I’ve been spoiled, and now going back to QuickBooks, which I use for my business finances, is like using an old DOS machine. Now that I know how simple, intuitive and beautiful finance software can be (even when its totally free!) it makes it harder to accept anything less. (Has anyone tried LessAccounting?)

As more and more applications move to the cloud and User Interface becomes increasingly important I expect I’m about to get spoiled more and more. Here’s what comedian Louis C.K. has to say about it:

Here are the 6 applications or websites which have spoiled me:

Mint

Super easy personal finance software. All-online, all-free. Intuitive and beautiful it takes the workload off of keeping track of your expenses and makes personal accounting fun!

Gmail

The best thing to happen to email since…anything. Threaded conversations, chatting inside Gmail, integration with Google’s Tasks and Calendar, 7+ GBs of free storage, and hundreds of more features. Once you make the switch to Gmail you’ll never go back. Plus now you can set it up via Google Apps or MailFetcher to be your full-time email client no matter who you have email with!

BaseCamp

The online Project Management System that keeps my business flowing. BaseCamp set new standards in ease-of-use and simplyfing online interfaces. I run everything through BaseCamp to set deadlines, track time, communicate with clients and more.

Awaken

An alarm clock for Macs, Awaken lets me wake up to any song or playlist on my computer. Much better than an annoying beeper. Awaken can also launch apps for you, be a countdown timer during the day, and put you to sleep to music.

Spaces

Mac’s brilliant innovation lets you have multiple workspaces on your computer. Keep all of your music applications on one Space, your work files on another, and 60 open web pages on another. Sure beats minimizing things to try and find what you’re looking for. Check out the demo here.

Pandora

How about an online application that creates personalized radio stations based on the music you like? Free (with ads), you should try out Pandora to hear old favorites and let Pandora introduce you to new artists based on your ratings. Its on all day in the Apt Design office.

Ok. How about you? What website or application has spoiled you – made your life incredibly easier and that you couldn’t imagine not having?

Or, read one of these:

Make Your Premium Services Wow

Some Links You’ll Love

Apt Design — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 17:00:57 +0000

As I spend time (ie – all day) on the web I come across quite a few interesting and amazing things. Instead of trying to write an entire post about each one I thought I’d throw a bunch at you all at once. Check out some greatness and let me know your favorite!

Stapleton

(via You Look Marvelous)

Could You Work 4-Day Weeks?

This article outlines one couple’s attempt. Not as easy as they would have liked, but certainly something to aspire to. I know a couple people trying this as well.

The Best Advice…Ever

Fortune outlines some of the best advice top business people, athletes, and politicians ever got. Like a to-do list of how to be great! (Here’s the best advice I got before starting my business.)

Super Creative Art

An absolutely stunning style which Wilhem Staehle has used to create a beautiful, though sinisterly funny, body of work.

Music Video

An innovative collaboration showcasing the power of a community of fans with webcams. My favorite music video since Feist’s 1234.

Or, read one of these:

Be Good

Apt Design — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 20:18:12 +0000

Remember when i said that people notice when you’re bad? But that people notice when you’re good too?

Well, some people have been noticing Apt’s new websites are pretty good. The new site I finished up for Leavenworth Summer Theater has been featured on some showcases of great web design, including:

And the new E3 website I created showed up here:

Our clients have been talking too. Check out the new testimonials from Eric, Jason, Susan, Allison and Blair!

So get out there this spring and be awesome! People will notice.

Or, read one of these:

my Passion Project

Apt Design — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 00:06:31 +0000

Today Apt Design is launching its newest venture – www.myPassionProject.com !

my Passion Project is a community-written blog that allows visitors to share with the world what they love to do – quickly, easily and for free!

A Passion Project is what you spend your extra time, money and effort on. Something you love to do. It may be a hobby, a collection, or a creation, but whatever it is you absolutely love doing it. Sharing it with the world on myPassionProject.com can be rewarding, empowering and fun.

I have been working on my Passion Project for the past few months, incubating it from concept to fully-formed idea to an actual website. I have had a blast designing it, developing it, and dreaming of its future possibilities. It has certainly become my Passion Project and I’m happy to finally let everyone see it.

There are already some amazing posts over on the site, so go check it out and be sure to leave some comments or submit something yourself!

Or, read one of these:

New Project Ahead

A Fight to the Death

Apt Design — Tue, 13 May 2008 23:02:26 +0000

Brand New is a website that reviews and critiques new and redesigned logos and identities. Always a good read, they are not always praising designs just because they are new or designed by a famous design firm. Recently they wrote about a logo tournament that ends with just one logo standing.

The tournament was judged by some of the biggest names in the design world. Though the reasons these logos made it into the tournament is a little unclear, the ensuing battle is spectacular. And while we wouldn’t necessarily agree with all of the decisions (we think Apple should have made it further – but we’re a little biased), the overall winner makes sense. Not only is Target’s logo brilliantly simple, their in-house design team has been winning awards (for things like this) across all media in the past few years.

Not everyone agrees with the results of the showdown; check out the comments on that post to get some other opinions. And don’t forget to tell us what you think about the fight to the death here.

- Check out some of Apt Design’s logos -

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How To Cook A Wolf

Apt Design — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 04:51:59 +0000

At Apt, we are always interested in websites that employ horizontal scrolling. Why? Horizontal scrolling is basically a huge no-no when it comes to web design. It is taught against in schools and railed against online. And for good reason, for the most part scrolling sideways is highly counterintuitive. At least online, where user experience is king and most people are accustomed to going down a page for information.

That makes it all the more beautiful when a website is created in a horizontal fashion and done well at the same time. Such is the case for a new website we found called How To Cook A Wolf. The site is for an (apparently) upscale restuarant in the Seattle area. Georgeous photographs, sparse type, and great layout make this site work. What makes it stand out is the navigation. Visitors have the old option of scrolling across with their scrollbar, but LookAtLao Studio has added JavaScript buttons that slide nicely to the sections of the site.

Makes us wish we would have thought of that.

Or, read one of these:

18 Beautiful Websites built with WordPress