Today, its the two year anniversary of the Katrina tragedy. I once again stray from the topic of design to write about my feelings as of today and give an update from my earlier post. First I want to assure everyone that my uncle is fine, it turns out that weeks earlier he had left New Orleans and went to visit is daughter further north in Louisiana.

The people New Orleans and Mississippi today aren't much better off then they were two years ago. The suicide rate is higher along with crime, there are still entire neighborhoods with no homes. There are people being poisoned to death by the formaldehyde soaked walls of their FEMA trailers. Trailers that weren't intended for long term usage, especially in such a humid climate. Yet only now the government has moved to start removing people from them.

Some people that think the people of New Orleans are looking for hand outs, that if they had better educations or the wherewithal they wouldn't be in that situation. But those people are wrong, Katrina and the flooding of New Orleans is a litmus test to how our government will handle national tragedies in the future. It wont matter how high our educations or incomes are, we too will be left out in the cold. The survivor's of Katrina and the flood are not crying for hand outs they are crying for a hand up.

So how am a feeling today? I am still sad & angry, but I am also hopeful. That as a people we come to understand that in order for history to not repeat itself in our neck of the woods, we must act now. Call you local agencies and governments and find out if they have a plan in place. A system setup to not only solve these issues but to inform the citizens of the necessary steps to take to limit the damage during the situations and after.

I don't mean to sound preachy or tell anyone how to live their lives. I just hope that we all take a good long look at this issue and ask ourselves, "what would I do."

I cant believe how long its been since I have written here. The Studio has grown in leaps and bounds over the recent months. All these new clients have been a welcome, and a relief. So of course I am going to share my recent projects here, since I never seem to have the time to update my portfolio. There have a wide variety of projects from lingerie to Land Rover parts.

Exotic Touch Lingerie is a combination of Victorian boudoir and Lady Marmalade.

CartOutlet uses color blocks in a modern palette in grids to represent what they sell.

The next site I worked on, Rover Renovations has a minimal look. It incorporates colors directly from Range Rover and design from classic British license plates.

Geeks on the GO has a simple design with vibrant splashes of yellow and incorporates a binary code pattern.

Most recently I completed SteakBrands, I fun site that uses colors of smoke and fire.

Its been a very busy few months for me and the Studio, but I can't complain. I have been very lucky in having great clients. As well as working on great projects, my most recent being a Lingerie website. I wont show it yet because even though the design is complete the inventory hasn't been added. When it has I will show the site some example of the template right here.

I can show you my prior work to date from my last update. In case anyone hasen't noticed I have worked on several Volusion Shopping Cart websites. In fact I am starting to get a reputation as an affordable option for customizing the free volusion templates for a relatively reasonable fee. To date I have completed 14 volusion template remodels, with additional work done on 3 other volusion sites.

The California surf Company site is a modern minimal take on water and fun in the sun.



The Crystal Images Technologies site has a corporate look with a little flair.



Sawyer Pond Outfitters site has a familey friendly company, with a emphasis on nature and the great outdoors.

Happy Holidays from the Studio!

Its been an extremely busy time for me lately, which is why I haven't found the time to post anything new here. But I have managed to find some spare time now, and thought I should share some thoughts and give you all some updates on the Studio.

What had started as some website template work for a new company has progressed into my largest client base. When RNR Inc came to me to work on there new Volusion cart based website I new very little about Volusion, but with each new site m knowledge and experience has grown. People started to notice my work and I started getting more clients.

In my last post I talked about Floppyeargear.com, since then I have done another website for RNR Inc. called StylenHome.com. The site features home decor items and is doing very well, take a look for yourself.


My next client was PureAcelleration.com a motorcycle parts retail site.


I was then contacted by Inkuprint.com to create a corporate friendly site for this printer ink company.


From there I moved on to handbags with Level21Inc.com, this site has brought me some attention and new clients.


Including the Humidor Vault, a website for the Discriminating Cigar Aficionado's.


From there I went to the chapel with new client BridalStuffOnline.com, they retail anything you need to make a wedding exceptional.


My next client was Able Kitchen, an enormous kitchen supply company that sells everything you could possibly need in your residential or commercial kitchen.


My latest client saw my work at Able Kitchen while shopping there and contacted me to work on there site, Crystal Image Technologies. Which is in he final stages of completion, along with some other projects you can see I have been busy.

Its been a great year for the Studio, I have been very lucky to have great clients. So to all my family, friends, and clients Happy Holiday's. I wish you all a great new year.

Floppyeargear.com Is Here!

It has been a while since I last posted something, thankfully I have been busy with clients. One of them being RNR Inc., I mention them in my last post. Well as I mentioned in that post I was working on a new site for them called Floppyeargear.com. It has been finished for a while know and has turned out to be as successful as Rocknrebates.com.

Floppyeargear sell all things pet related, at a reduced price. They have great products, so if you are a pet lover go check the site out, here.

NEW CLIENT!! ROCKNREBATES.COM

I haven't posted in a while because I have been very busy with a new client. Rocknrebates.com is a brand new website offering an outstanding selection of electronics at amazing prices. Then on top of a great price they give you an automatic rebate. They came to the Studio to customize a standard template to fit there "rockin" company image. Since the completion of the site they have had rocket sales and great feedback. One customer said, "...my initial impressions have been very good, especially with speed that the order shipped." He went on to list what he liked:

• Good, clean website design
• Great pricing
• Fast shipping
• Good email status with the order
• Good background info on the staff
• Based in Phoenix (for some reason, most of the firms I hear the worst about are all based in New York)
• Easy to remember company name
• Cool logo

Here is a look of what the final work.


I am happy to say RNR Inc has made the relationship with the Studio long term, with the soon to launching of another great site. Stay tuned!

Flooded Family

This post has nothing to do with design or my work, but I feel the need to vent about the recent tragedy in the south. My family is from Mississippi, and the tragedy has hit very close to home.
When my immediate family and I heard about the incoming hurricane we started making the calls. Trying desperately to find and remember all the relatives numbers in both Mississippi and Louisiana. I come from a huge extended family, my mother is the youngest of 18 kids and that's just on my mothers side. I spent the night before the storm searching the internet for my families phone numbers... An uncle in New Orleans, cousins in Baton Rouge. Grandparents, aunts, uncles, etc all over Mississippi. I found myself weeping as I scrolled through the list of potential family members who share my name. Are they related? Are they safe? And then the footage of the storm start coming on TV and I am further depressed.
As the days go by am find my self shifting between utter horror and sadness to fustration and anger. Where is the help? Why aren't being helped? Even as I write this I wipe the tears from my eyes so I can see what I type and I am angry. I am angry that we are one of the richest countries in the world and are responsible for some of the most influential inventions of our time. And yet we cant seem to figure out how to get food & water, medial supplies, HELP, to hundreds of thousands of people slowly dying from lack of shelter and water.
I watch the news and they talk about people shooting at rescue helicopters, and I say to the screen, "They aren't shooting at the helicopters, they are trying to get the copters attention in order to get help." It's not like flare guns are standard issue in homes. I watch police stop people from looting stores at gun point. Police who were taken from the rescue mission in order to protect stores full of food, water and diapers that people need. What about all the perishables going to waste in those stores, that those people in need could use. I am disgusted! I don't condone theft but in a desperate time like now can you blame them from taking what they need? I don't.
To my family in the south... We hope and pray you are well. May the Lord bless you and keep you. We love you.