http://search.deviantart.com/?q=by:xSmidgex&section=today deviantART RSS for by:xSmidgex en-us Copyright 2009, deviantART.com Wed, 16 Dec 2009 15:08:45 PST deviantART.com http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss http://s.deviantart.com/minish/widgets/apple-touch-icon-precomposed.png http://xSmidgex.deviantart.com/journal/28330511/ http://xSmidgex.deviantart.com/journal/28330511/ Fri, 13 Nov 2009 10:59:03 PST
I was never a fan of this--I didn't think the changes were too sever enough to notice. But, staring at your monitor for long amounts of time, you don't notice that it's tinted just a bit green, or the contrast isn't what it should be.

Just a few minutes ago I took the time to calibrate my monitor, and there are tremendous changes! All of my art looks different--much, much better, even!

I suggest this to every artist that isn't already doing this! It's a huge selling point for your work, too. People may not know what "color calibration" is, but if you're promising you have that and others don't mention it... It makes you look better!

Color calibration.

Do it.

]]> *xSmidgex http://xSmidgex.deviantart.com/journal/27912938/ http://xSmidgex.deviantart.com/journal/27912938/ Thu, 22 Oct 2009 19:52:43 PDT I will be making Furcadia Website Templates available!

Having quite the sum of whispers on Furcadia about website commissions and also in response to my polls and templates, I will be producing free templates in the future.

I Need Your Input

Please take the time to answer any of these questions:

• Do you already have a website? (PLEASE post a link to it)
• What don't you like about your current website? What would you keep about your current website?
• What types of templates would you be looking for? (Character, dream, portfolio)
• What types of colors do you like / find attractive?
• Is your character (or dream) "gothic" / elegant / [steam]-punk / medieval?
• Is your character / dream "slave" / "pet" oriented?
• What pages on your website are most important? (Info, Picture Gallery, Guestbook, etc. Please list)
• What do you look for in a website?

Thanks ahead of time everyone!

The more feed-back I get, the better these templates will be.

So PLEASE:

• Send this questionnaire to everyone
• Post links to your current Furcadia websites--for any character.

]]> *xSmidgex http://xSmidgex.deviantart.com/journal/27837679/ http://xSmidgex.deviantart.com/journal/27837679/ Sun, 18 Oct 2009 18:00:57 PDT
I no longer need to sell lifers--I have a job. I'm the Marketing Director at Webfoot.Net. I'm still doing design work, both there and just for a bit of fun on the side. I have a few projects up my sleeve that I want to get done. If I start them, I'll post a bit of teaser info later. They will be Furcadia related, so. Keep checkin'.

Now, to move on:

Furcadians, what do you think?!

If there was a website that allowed you to pick a template (or download a template) to use for your Furcadia character, then customize it, would you do it?

Would you want it to be uploadable to that site, or would you put it on your freewebs site?

For those of you that own Dreams

a website is probably one of the last things on your mind that you want to worry about. What if you could place an application into this website, upload a template to your own spot on this website, and then upload your dream's / staff's / other misc info to this website with just a simple form? No more difficult to use than the way you place a comment on a journal entry!

Speaking of comments, We--myself and all other Furcadians that care about this subject--think you should voice your opinion on this journal, and then check out the poll so we can keep count!

]]> *xSmidgex http://xSmidgex.deviantart.com/journal/26835933/ http://xSmidgex.deviantart.com/journal/26835933/ Sat, 29 Aug 2009 19:17:39 PDT
THESE LIFERS MUST GO

Dragon - $120 ABO
Gryffe - $60 ABO
Phoe - SOLD to Kelsey. Thank you Kelsey. <3
Flox - $150 ABO

Prices may be haggled.

Whisper "Zehna" on Furcadia or e-mail zehna[at]me[dot]com.

You can also note me here.

(Note: ABO is Auto Buy Out. Feel free to haggle this price.)

]]> *xSmidgex http://xSmidgex.deviantart.com/journal/25414536/ http://xSmidgex.deviantart.com/journal/25414536/ Fri, 19 Jun 2009 11:52:02 PDT
I have a wide variety of various projects I am working on at the moment but one of the greatest is that I am now working for OP Digital [link] with a variety of web coding projects. This is great news, both for the experience, contacts and the buff to my resume! But, with that, I've also decided I am crazy enough to start writing a book.

Definitely a long time project, the book will include insight to web design itself--since you see so many coding books, but a rare handful of design books. Unfortunately I can't release too many details, but the book will be a few years in the making, as I'm currently drawing experience from the industry and will most definitely have to keep adding to it. In the mean-time, I may also begin writing a book something like "Dummies guide to web design," but geared more towards a younger crowd that begins that venture in middle / high school. And then, of course, there is that idea for "How to draw Anthros", but... being that just as large of a project and most likely won't draw in as many sales, that will probably come later.

For now, that's what's coming and what's going, but soon I'll at least be able to call myself a college graduate and have a bachelor's degree under my arm.

]]> *xSmidgex http://xSmidgex.deviantart.com/journal/25084458/ http://xSmidgex.deviantart.com/journal/25084458/ Tue, 02 Jun 2009 08:08:00 PDT
Whether you play the game or not, what do you think? This is the game I am talking about: [link]

Now... even just seeing the website, do you think that a better website and branding (or, all around image of their service/product) would help this company to bring in new people to their game?

I suppose I even want to ask, is corporate branding important to a company?

If not... why do people spend so much money on it?

I have tried several times to speak to those that run the company that produced Furcadia in order to work on their website and design a new one, since I think it would strengthen their "image" if they updated it with a new look. Do you think it would? If not, why? It seems like; however, they didn't much think it was important. I posted about it on another journal, and the person stated that most of the comments she was getting back wasn't what she was looking for, so she deleted the journal. It makes me feel as if everyone high up in the staff branch of Furcadia wants to sweep these kinds of things under the carpet, as if it doesn't matter or it is hush-hush.

So, that is why I am asking these questions.

What do you think?

----

Chelsi / Zehna
Web / Multimedia Designer & Developer
[link]
zehna[at]me[dot]com

]]> *xSmidgex http://xSmidgex.deviantart.com/journal/25084399/ http://xSmidgex.deviantart.com/journal/25084399/ Tue, 02 Jun 2009 08:02:48 PDT
Currently I have made a better "hold me over" portfolio instead of using my dA. (Thank God!) Because of this I won't be acting like such a "stiff" with my dA page anymore, looool.

A short journal, but it explains what I wanted everyone to know!

]]> *xSmidgex http://xSmidgex.deviantart.com/journal/24798896/ http://xSmidgex.deviantart.com/journal/24798896/ Sun, 17 May 2009 05:30:13 PDT
This is because, simply, my site now does not compare to my skills at all. My portfolio website currently, was created towards the beginning of my time at college. Since then, I have gained a lot of skill and do not wish potential employers to believe that, that is my current skill level. Because of this, I am choosing to show them my deviantArt instead of my current portfolio site, as it will not be updated content-wise until the new design is up.

Thank you for understanding.

If you wish to be informed of when my portfolio site will be up and updated, please send me an e-mail at zehna@me.com and inform me of that. I will be more than happy to add you to a list of those I will inform of when my current website will be available.

Again, thank you for understanding and I hope to hear from you.

------------

Resume: [link]

]]> *xSmidgex http://xSmidgex.deviantart.com/journal/22896267/ http://xSmidgex.deviantart.com/journal/22896267/ Fri, 30 Jan 2009 00:13:39 PST
He said: "Over all it is not bad but nothing new."

My friend and very talented classmate once told me: "Someone can sit there for months and attempt to create a unique, never before seen design. But, over all there will always be something like it somewhere. Even the most successful designers find inspiration in the websites they like and then take those components and incorporate them into their websites and customize them accordingly."

I can understand what he means by this. other web designers will know what I say when I mention: I have only been able to research and find layout structers that seem to work the best. To give one example: Navigation at the top, a picture in the middle, and three or an odd number (3 to 5) segments of information towards the bottom. Of course, there are many more; however, I believe that is more simple for almost everyone to understand.

I am an avid researcher of game websites, and will give another example of what I mean. Blizzard's websites... They are beyond stunning and are indescribable when it comes to their interfaces; however, the way they are set up is very simple, in the way of their informational and text positions. The Diable 3 website for another example of this: [link] . The artwork and interface, as stated before; breath-taking. But the layout... the position of text: you see this everywhere. So, is this to say that this website isn't unique? In the way of the layout, I would say yes. In the way of the interface... I would say no.

So, then, knowing these things: is it more important for a web designer to focus on layout elements more than the position of text, as long as you know what works and what doesn't? Does that make them "nothing new"? Clean websites... you see them everywhere, as long as many of their graphical elements (stripes in the background, for example). Tech-like layouts, with their glossy appearance and navigation. Does that mean they aren't unique? Perhaps over-done; yes, and I will admit if we create a website with these things, another website that is very similar is bound to show up. But, does that mean they should not be made? I believe there are different things and elements that we could put in that makes these elements semi-unique... but over-all, many of these websites work, even if over-done.

So, I wish to ask other designer's... what do you think about all of these things?

]]> *xSmidgex