I spent the last month revamping my website. The site features a new services page, an improved portfolio, fresh testimonials and my Tech Tips for Non-Technical People. You can sign up for updates via RSS or Email and submit your own ideas for my Tech Tip section.

The content was written by fellow ideaXchanger Jenni Prokopy and my portrait taken by Rodger Ruzanka. Explore the site, and let me know what you think!

Design Feast is a go-to resource for students, professionals, educators and the design-curious—delivering relevant and diverse design content, creative voices and projects.

Read the latest designer interview with IdeaXchange member, Megan Coleman.

Just found this terrific “colour design” trends blog (love the Brits!) http://www.colourlovers.com/blog/2009/04/02/lesser-known-color-vocabulary-m-through-r If this is one that Lidia already shared in her newsletter, never mind. But I don’t see it in my bookmarks or Delicious so I think it may be one we haven’t shared.

Just noticed that we haven’t updated our blog. Jenni breaks her wrist and we all stop writing. What the…..?!#@*

I want to share this link cause despite the fact that most of us in this group are not mad for flash yet alone splash pages, this is just such a perfect branding example. Before you even see any jewels, you see satin and silver tones and hear a sexy jazz singer. Then the satin morphs to crystal clear water….and only then, a perfect diamond….

Personally, I’d make an exception in a case like this. Anyone else?

This could be the topic of the week if people respond….since we don’t have one.

Here’s an edited excerpt from an interesting blog item I saw today on Typophile, posted by web developer Nicholas Shanks (link to full post). While this is certainly old news to most on the (web) design front, I appreciated the reiteration of a valuable lesson in self-promotion 101: never lose sight of the potential client in everyone!

How Not to Promote Yourself to Potential Customers

I was looking around at the websites of typographers earlier today, and came across the site of one independent designer (whom I shall not name) which looked so broken on my computer I had to email him and explain what was wrong with his HTML and CSS, and how standards-compliant coding practices would rectify them. I am a professional web developer and like to educate others about web standards and accessibility, to help improve the web in my own little way. The response I got back, however, shocked me:

“These are all visual problems caused by your settings. The site was meant to be viewed the way I designed it. I won’t tailor the site to meet every possible variable of every combination of browser customizations.”

I reminded him that the only computer on which his site can “be viewed the way he designed it” was his own. I will no longer be recommending this designer to my clients.

You might not have noticed, but a few of our members are doing some pretty cool stuff online.

Matt Mayes has launched Give Good Web, a site for “web development ‘n stuff” the content of which is mostly over my head but whose design is gorgeous. You can pick your own color, and one of the options is orange? How can I not love that!

Amy Lillard is going blog-crazy over at her new site, Quiet Rebel Writer. I don’t know where she gets the time to write all those terrific articles AND server her clients but I’d like to know her secret. It’s my new favorite writing blog.

Andrew Huff’s creation, Gapers Block, just got a redesign that made it even better. And with all the new blogs like Drive Thru, Transmission and Tailgate, there’s enough to keep you busy for days.

I’m guessing more of you have cool new projects that I don’t know about yet, so chime in. What’s new for you?

Flipping through industry magazines, contributing to the blogosphere, and participating in trade organizations are a few ways to learn what’s going on in your trade. Litterateur talks about both the emotional enjoyment of experiencing a fellow artist’s work and the analytical process of discovering how it functioned. How do you learn from fellow creatives?

Most of the How to Write Web Copy articles I’ve read lately have said that using “click here” is old school. So I’ve been eliminating that call to action (although I really thought it wasn’t a bad idea to tell people what you want them to do….it works in direct mail!).

Now I get an emailing from Copyblogger saying that using “click here” can lift clickthrough rates by more than 8%.

Click here to read the article

So what is everyone else doing?

Just found this site where I’ve already spent more time than I should’ve…..Smashing Magazine — a weblog dedicated to web-developers and designers. Great color mix samples and tons of info.

Yesterday’s WS Journal had a terrific article on software for web sites that use e-commerce. Personal Journal section, 7/31/07. I’d share the article but I only have a print subscription (wouldn’t you think you could get online search perks if you’re a print subscriber!).

If you want to know how sites come up with you may be interested in this
recommendations, this is a definite read.

ChoiceStream is the software featured (and the company who placed the story, I assume).