A couple of weeks ago, Tony Chester of OnWired needed a background illustrated for a fishing website. I had a great meeting with Tony and his team. They had a clear idea of what they wanted and how to execute it. Unfortunately, the client went in a different direction. I got the message the next week, but not before I got started. I thought it was such a great idea, i had to see it through to the finish.
When I was researching this project, the first thing I did was to Google the term “parallax”. I had noticed a tweet earlier in the week about a jQuery plugin, so I was familiar with the subject. I found a site with a simple JavaScript tutorial on inner.geek.nz. I don’t know JavaScript, but this project jump started my education. My ultimate goal is to learn jQuery, but every book on the subject says that one needs a solid understanding of JavaScript first.
I thought that my fishing portfolio was a perfect application for this parallax effect. Please check it out. If you decide to create a site using this technique, please feel free to drop a link in the comments. I would love to see it! Feel free to hit me up if you need help. If I can do it, I KNOW you can!

This month, I have had the honor of building a portfolio website for the prolific designer Allan Guy. Working on other artist’s artwork tells you a lot about that person. You view the artwork in much closer detail than if you were just passively walking by. Perhaps you have walked by the work of this artist before.

Allan specializes in premium branding for the quality goods market and resides in my old stomping grounds of Manassas, Virginia. I have always loved the designs of labels and packaging. So much so, I often buy products just for the label! Allan’s beautiful work is of this caliber. He has worked with some of my favorites, such as Bacardi, Dewar’s and Kalua. If you have ever had a fine Virginia wine, then chances are, you probably have already seen some of Allan’s handiwork.

I met Allan Guy while working on his Manassas Museum T-shirt design. Clients often ask me to separate complex designs for screen print, and Allan’s design featured historic paintings of portraits and Civil War battles in a beautiful layout. You can see this design in the website’s “Assorted” section. Check out his work at aguystudio.com and prepare to be impressed!