Gelfand Design » design http://www.gelfanddesign.com Wordpress Theme Development and Web Design Fri, 13 Jan 2012 20:51:24 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 Web Site Launch: The Forever Trinity Dream Foundation http://www.gelfanddesign.com/web-site-launch-the-forever-trinity-dream-foundation/ http://www.gelfanddesign.com/web-site-launch-the-forever-trinity-dream-foundation/#comments Tue, 28 Apr 2009 20:06:41 +0000 amy http://blog.gelfanddesign.com/?p=217 I’m pleased to announce the launch of my latest Web site project: The Forever Trinity Dream Foundation. The Forever Trinity Dream Foundation was organized in 2009 in memory of Trinity Rhyan Bright, who at the age of six was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor called a Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma. Their mission is to empower terminally ill children and their families to dream without limits by providing wish granting and monetary assistance. They serve the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area.

The Forever Trinity Dream Foundation is a wonderful organization to support. I urge all of you to learn more about Trinity and the Foundation at their Web site and Facebook Page. They also host an annual 5K in Fort Worth that you masochists—I mean runners—might be interested in attending. (100 miles on a bike I can understand. but 3 miles on foot?? Eh. Not so much.)
Trinity Rhyan Bright

Trinity Rhyan Bright

]]> http://www.gelfanddesign.com/web-site-launch-the-forever-trinity-dream-foundation/feed/ 0 Getting Over A Failure Of Imagination http://www.gelfanddesign.com/getting-over-a-failure-of-imagination/ http://www.gelfanddesign.com/getting-over-a-failure-of-imagination/#comments Sun, 22 Mar 2009 14:11:24 +0000 amy http://blog.gelfanddesign.com/?p=136 I’ve been sitting at my laptop working on a design for my new, forthcoming Hidden Mickey photo blog. I got nothin’. My throat is tightening up and my heart is starting to pound. How can I, the Infinitely Talented Designer, not come up with something brilliant in four days? No idea; it’s a freaky world. So I decided to take a break and come up with a list of techniques for overcoming designer’s block. (These ideas will probably work well for any kind of creative problem you’re trying to solve.)

  1. Browse Web site galleries for inspiration. One of my old standbys is CSS Remix, but I am a great fan of finding any random site about Web design and following a daisy chain of “Related Article”  links. You never know what might pop up.
  2. Start a morgue file. As you browse the Web (or thumb through magazines or walk by something interesting on the street), collect images of any visual element that strikes your fancy. Lots of people save their Web design morgue files on Flickr, but a manila folder full of clippings will work just fine, too.
  3. Take a hike. Or go cycling. Or hit the gym. Just get some fresh air and exercise. I tend to think of things while I’m walking around the neighborhood.
  4. Brainstorm and sketch. Set a time limit and force yourself to sketch six layouts, no matter how implausible or lousy you think they are. I usually grab a piece of scratch paper from the recycling bin and divide the page into six boxes. Then I fill those six boxes–no stopping at two or three.
  5. Try some reverse psychology. If you have a vision stuck in your mind of what you’re trying to accomplish, go design the polar opposite. Do something with a completely different layout, tone, or look-and-feel (no matter how garish, tacky, totally against your aesthetic sensibilities).
  6. Make a word association chart. I call these “bubble charts,” where I start with the name/subject of my site in the center of the page and draw a spider’s web of associations around it. Let your mind roam. Indulge in word play. Explore the emotions you want to evoke in your audience.
  7. Snort a few lines of coke. Just kidding.

Now I’m going to try to follow my own advice and see how it goes. Hope my next post includes a link to my new Hidden Mickey site. Wish me luck, folks!
UPDATE: HOLY COW, I THINK IT’S WORKING. HOORAY!

]]> http://www.gelfanddesign.com/getting-over-a-failure-of-imagination/feed/ 0 Austin Photography Group Presentation Resources http://www.gelfanddesign.com/austin-photography-group-presentation-resources/ http://www.gelfanddesign.com/austin-photography-group-presentation-resources/#comments Sat, 07 Feb 2009 20:06:28 +0000 amy http://blog.gelfanddesign.com/?p=108 Thanks to everyone who attended my presentation, Online Portfolios for Photographers. You can view the presentation slides at gelfanddesign.com/feb8presentation. I had a great time getting to know some of Austin’s most fabulous photographers and seeing their work. I hope that the information I provided, along with the following resources, will help you get started with establishing or enhancing your online presence.

So You Wanna Build Your Own Portfolio….

Inspiration

Promote and Sell Your Work

]]> http://www.gelfanddesign.com/austin-photography-group-presentation-resources/feed/ 1 Feb 8 Presentation: Creating an Online Portfolio http://www.gelfanddesign.com/feb-8-presentation-creating-an-online-portfolio/ http://www.gelfanddesign.com/feb-8-presentation-creating-an-online-portfolio/#comments Sun, 01 Feb 2009 23:31:45 +0000 amy http://blog.gelfanddesign.com/?p=74 I will be giving a presentation on creating and maintaining an online portfolio for promotional and commercial purposes at the next Austin Photography Group meeting on February 8 at 7:00 PM. The meeting is located on the third floor of Book People in downtown Austin. I’ll be talking about the benefits of an online portfolio, recent design trends, and options for establishing your Web presence.

The Austin Photography Group meets at Book People on the second Sunday of each month.

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