Design
We were rather excited to complete this recent project for Monimos in Victoria, BC, a developer with a “mission to foster strong community relationships in order to provide future sustainable growth and development”.
This 3D rendering of a building project in Sooke was completed expediently, thanks to Google SketchUp and a 3Dconnexion Space Navigator controller… and several years of experience as an architectural draftsperson. It’s amazing how efficient and flexible modern architectural visualization tools have become. Since working with the original upFRONT software, which surely must be a direct ancestor of SketchUp, work has become fluid, immediate and direct. No more waiting to see a shaded rendered version, or carefully and slowly switching views.
It will be fascinating to see these same technologies applied to upcoming design projects. Do you have experience using SketchUp and the Space Navigator for design? Then please leave a comment!
After an extended renovation period, Lynda Monk’s Creative Wellness is live and online with Charles Buchwald & Friends.
Highlights of this project included:
- working with Lynda and her team to develop a custom WordPress theme incorporating the strong visual elements of the older site by Renee at earth spirit creations, to preserve the consistency of look and feel with Lynda’s existing print and digital assets
- using a variety of great WordPress plugins to increase the functionality of the site, from the sophisticated and customizable menu system, to the AJAX-powered client testimonials, to custom forms
- and most significantly expanding the control Lynda herself has over the site and it’s growing content.
We’re proud announce that Retail Marketing Group’s new web site has gone live! RMG’s Doug Muldoon came to Charles Buchwald & Friends to develop a site highlighting RMG’s extensive experience and expertise in the retail natural foods sector, and this site is the answer.
This Flash-based site features animated transitions, easy XML-based site maintenance, lush graphics and pertinent, targetted content. A special section highlights the work and services available to RMG’s Natural Factor customers. The portfolio section has a smooth custom slideshow to highlight print work, and interactive audio and video galleries for radio and TV portfolio pieces.
Debuting to correspond with the release of Doug’s book Effective Marketing for Health Food Stores, the site is available now at http://retailmarketinggroup.ca
Please have a look, and leave a comment here to let us know what you think!
Sites bases on the open source Content Management System called WordPress are becoming more and more popular with my clients. I find that the easy, quick and robust editing capabilities are a good match for many small to mid size organizations. In fact, this site is based on WordPress
One of the greatest strengths of CMSs in general is the way they separate the programming from look and feel from the content. This is great for teams, where the coding group can work on functionality, the aesthetes can work on the graphic design and presentation, and the writers can work on the content, all independently. This same scheme works well for smaller organizations, where they supply the content and ongoing updates, while I supply the framework and collaborate with them on the look and feel.
If you are using WordPress, this presentation layer is determined by a “theme”.
Finding a Theme
The look and feel is determined almost entirely by the “theme”. While it’s possible to develop a WordPress theme entirely from scratch, I find it complicated and expensive for most clients. It’s much easier to browse the many, many free or low-cost themes available and then customize one.
If you are looking for a theme to modify, try Google or Yahoo! for “wordpress theme”. Or look here for some template possibilities:
- http://www.elegantthemes.com/gallery
- http://themes.blogflux.com/tag/wordpress
- http://www.themesforblogs.com
- http://www.freewordpressthemes.com
- http://wpgarden.com
- http://www.themelab.com/free-wordpress-themes
- http://themeforest.net/category/wordpress
Please keep in mind that it is relatively easy to change the images and many of the colors in these templates. That is, a developer such as myself may insert a new logo in the appropriate spots, and change colors of backgrounds, menus, text, and so on. It is more difficult to change layout and typography, so those are the areas to pay special attention.
If I’ve directed you to this page, in search of a theme, as a client of mine, then please do feel free to browse the paid, professional (sometimes called “Premium”) templates as well. If you like one, I may be happy to purchase it to add to my library. Some are even free for non-profit organizations.
Found a Theme?
If you find one, or a few, that you like, please email the URL or the name so I can have a look at it. It will likely merit a bit of discussion. When we’ve settled on one, I’ll install it… then once we do some configuration, and we are off and running.
Otherwise…
If you not having success with finding a theme, please contact me. I’ve worked with many, many themes, and have a small library of my favorites. I can match your business or organization goals with a theme that will further those goals
If you are on a very tight budget it’s possible to acquire free WordPress blog space. The main disadvantage is that your web address is then in the form “yourname.wordpress.com”, instead of using a domain name. The other disadvantage is that advertisements may appear on your site. These are a liabilities for most businesses and organizations, so please think twice before going this route.
This is a fun, collaborative process! Please don’t hesitate to call or email with questions, comments, or suggestions. And please do leave comments below, as well. (I’ll be notified, and will respond via this system or email.
Have fun with WordPress!
Recently one of the charities in my community has been offered the opportunity to distribute some desktop computers. The catch is that they have no software included. Here’s my take on how to set them up inexpensively and securely, with some genuinely useful, basic software…
For the operating system:
Windows can be very expensive to purchase and maintain, but there are alternatives!
Ubuntu is a Windows alternative, and is very popular and becoming more so. It is focused on ease-of-use and stability. It’s a refreshing change from the complexity, expense and security headaches of Windows. More information is available at: http://www.ubuntu.com or http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ubuntu
Free DVD/CD’s are available from the development community at https://shipit.ubuntu.com or for a small fee at: http://www.ubuntu.com/getubuntu/purchase
The Ubuntu installation comes with a number of free software applications, including all the ones mentioned below.
For email and address book:
Gmail, Hotmail and Yahoo! Mail are popular web based email services. If you don’t mind keeping your email online, or you need to access your email from different computers or your phone, then these services are great. I prefer Gmail, but Yahoo! Mail is good as well, and Hotmail is very popular.
If you want to keep your email on your own computer and entirely under your own control then Thunderbird is a great email application from the same people that developed Firefox (see below). It’s more secure that the commercial alternatives like Outlook Express and Outlook… and it’s free! More here: http://www.mozillamessaging.com/en-US/thunderbird
There are add-ons for calendars if that is important to you, and other ways to make it do more. But it’s also great by itself.
For web browsing:
Firefox is a great alternative to MSN or Explorer. It’s very capable, easy to use, and arguably more secure that the commercial alternatives. There are lots of ways to extend it’s capabilities if you wish. It also works well with Thunderbird, mentioned above. Read more or get it here: http://www.mozilla.com
For “office” applications:
MicroSoft Office is expensive, complex, and only runs on Windows. OpenOffice is a community developed alternative that is distributed for free, and has a number of advantages over the commercial alternative. I use a Mac version (called NeoOffice) for all my word processing, spreadsheets and presentations. I have many “techie” friends that prefer it to Windows.
There are versions for Windows, Mac and Ubuntu. You can find out more here: http://www.openoffice.org or http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OpenOffice.org including where to download your own copy, tutorials and tips.
Beyond these basic applications there are many, many more for free, or very low cost. Look for “shareware” or “freeware” or “opensource”, or ask your tech savvy friends for recommendations. They are sure to have their favourites. There’s really no need to spend anything but time and learning to get a great, useful computer system and tools!
If you are not very tech savvy, have no fear! Once you are set up and running, all these programs are very friendly, stable and secure. You may want to have a techie friend or service provider help with setup. In my community, I recommend Derrick Vandervliet and his service, Bootacomputer. Derrick is knowledgeable, patient and friendly.
Here’s some innovative thinking from the Dutch firm SPRANQ: drill holes in your type to save ink. As they say, “After Dutch holey cheese, there now is a Dutch font with holes as well.” Sometimes simple things make a difference! Read more at: Ecofont | less is more.
Some bicycles are works of art. Some are all out speed machines. Some showcase new technology. The M5 Recumbents Carbon Low Racer is all three, and then some… and it’s a production bicycle.
In fact, it’s the lightest production bicycle in the world, according the manufacturer, M5 Recumbents. Extensive use of carbon fiber components, many of them designed and produced exclusively by M5, keeps the weight down.
The bike is light, stiff and aerodynamically slippery enough that it holds a number of world records. Just imagine if all of our daily transportation was this efficient and beautiful!
With help from Elegant Themes, buchwald.ca has a brand new look, feel, and functionality! A new template for the site, with some custom, in-house modifications, now provides for a cleaner, more functional experience. An associated Flickr photostream is now included in a special module. Readability has been improved, and there is an area, in progress, for highlighting recent work and portfolio selections or case studies. Stay tuned for more upgrades and evolution to come!
Do you like the changes? Are they for the better… or not? Please leave a comment and let me know!
The HangBoard project continues to hang on… a new user manual has recently been added to the offerings at hangboard.ca and there are other minor additions or changes to the site. The YouTube videos continue to rack up views and comments. Are you still intrigued by the possibilities of this new sport? Please leave a comment here, or at YouTube or Flickr and tell us what you think of it all…
Paul MacCready is one of the most creative and inventive designers I know. Well, I don’t know him personally, but I know of some of his projects, and one of my favorite stories is his leadership of the development of the human powered aircraft in the Gossamer series, told in the book Gossamer Odyssey. It’s an engineering adventure story of sorts, with insight into what it’s like to break new ground and do something relatively big for the first time ever.
Here’s an interesting talk, just a bit dated now, in which he relates,
“My goal is that the world be desirable and sustainable when my kids reach my age.”
It is, in turns, depressing, mind-boggling, wondrous… and ultimately inspiring to hear about his projects with super efficient vehicles, life-size pterodactyl models, and solar-powered airplanes to explore the stratosphere without poluting it… while serving as possible satellite substitutes.
Towards the end of his talk he says,
Over billions of years, on a unique sphere, chance has painted a thin covering of life—complex, improbable, wonderful, and fragile.
Suddenly we humans, (a recently arrived species no longer subject to the checks and balances inherent in nature), have grown in population, technology, and intelligence to a position of terrible power: we now wield the paintbrush.
To read more about him and his drive to make a difference in the world with “a pretty important toy”, see the entry about him at the MIT site, Inventing Modern America.
If you are interested in aviation (scale model or full size), efficiency, sustainability or engineering in general please check out the book, site or video… and let me know what you think by leaving a comment!