Timeline
6 months
September 2014 – February 2015
Context
Jake Holm, an independent film, released his web series titled "Those Who Can't Do" and needed a website to showcase his work.
Problem
I need a website where my web series will live.
Jake was working on his web series and needed a place for it to live online. He didn't have web development skills, but knew how he wanted his website to be designed, so he needed a web developer with whom he could work.
I want people to be able to find my other work, too.
Jake had other work that he wanted to showcase. To present his work that was separate from his web series, we decided to create a portfolio of all his work at a different section of the website.
Process
Design
Having a creative mind and a distinct vision for his web series, Jake knew the kind of design that he wanted for his website. It was my job to do the development and follow his designs while being given the freedom to choose font, colors, and other more nuanced style elements.
I'm most proud of the navigation menu, which I built to mimic the dock on Apple Mac computers that utilize the magnification-on-hover effect. I created the icons for it and built the functionality.
To accommodate his work outside of his web series, I created a section of his website dedicated to his entire portfolio.
Development
I built Jake's website using HTML, CSS, Javascript, and PHP. For the slideshow on the homepage, I used a Javascript-based plug-in called AmazingSlider. To assist with content layout, I used Bootstrap for its 12 column responsive grid system.
Updates
Jake's web series was running a per episode production schedule, so as each episode was completed, I had to add to the site.
Final Design
The website is live, so you can check it out to see it in its entirety at HolmMadeFilms.com.
Biggest Takeaways
- Complex and efficient code is better than simple and resource-intensive code
- Make an estimated schedule of development goals to stay on track
- As a developer, the best thing you can do for a designer is exactly what they want with meaningful suggestions peppered in