Today, I have officially been named the new newsletter editor for the Eastbridge Neighbourhood Association. The existing editor stepped down due to time commitments, so the position was announced in her last issue. Upon reading about the opportunity, I was sure to extend my services in print design to this organization that has organized several events for families in the Eastbridge area. As newsletter editor, I will be responsible for the layout and design of the quarterly newsletter. I look forward to being able to give back to such a great community. First edition of the newsletter designed by me will be released in September.
In other news, I have a lot of major projects on the go right now that will come to fruition in the coming months.
First and most of all, Saav Media has been hired by Crawford & Company as a designer to join their global applications team in designing a new user-interface for their existing internal application. This marks the first corporate partnership Saav Media has had and I look forward to the future successes that we will encounter together.
Second, I have been hired by the Bul Community Association in Alberta to design a community website that will be a media center for news and entertainment for the Bul Community.
Thirdly, for my volunteer position as Website Designer for the Atrium Media Group, I will be designing a website for the organization.
These projects have completion dates in the months of July and August.
Look to my Portfolio Section for the project profiles upon their completion and a list of my current projects.
Odds are, if you are running a PC, the browser you commonly use to surf the internet is Internet Explorer as it is pre-packaged with Microsoft’s Windows Operating Systems. If you are a Mac user like myself, then you may be using Safari as your default browser. Being a web designer, and having both a PC and a Mac, has allowed me to use all popular browsers to ensure that my designs are consistent across all platforms. For the majority of internet users, the reasons for using a particular browser is based solely on it’s convenience. If I am using Windows, why should I download another browser, when there’s one on my computer already? This rational and Microsoft’s clear monopoly over the personal computer has given them an unfair advantage in the browser environment. Wikipedia
So which browser should you use? I personally use Firefox, a browser developed by Mozilla. They have released their 3rd version of the browser which has received several rave reviews. Two prominent review sites had this to say about the browser:
“Firefox 3 touts faster rendering, a vastly reduced use of system resources…Most notable is that Firefox 3 includes many security-related features baked right in, such as the best of breed antiphishing protection, making Firefox the most secure browser on the market today… Firefox 3 remains our Editors’ Choice over Microsoft Internet Explorer and Opera.” - cnet Reviews
“Speedy performance, thrifty memory usage, and, in particular, the address bar that now predicts where you want to go when you start typing (what Mozilla insiders refer to as the Awesome Bar) firmly plant Firefox at the top of the Web browser hill, flying the flag of our Editors’ Choice for browsers.” - PC Magazine
I have just downloaded version 3, and I can tell you that I notice a significant difference in loading speed, not to mention a more streamlined look that matches the aesthetics of your Operating System.
If you want a secure and speedy experience on the net, there is no better browser then Firefox.
I have just completed my promotional brochure and it is now available for download. The file is in PDF format and is approximately 1.8mb large. Just to note, I love compression technologies, because without them, the brochure would be more then 100mb. Of course with compression, the images are not as crisp as they are on print, but they still turned out really good.
In terms of the design, I went with something simple, but eye-catching. As the brochure is a promotional piece, I made sure to showcase my corporate colours (red and black). Pages 2 and 3 were designed to be seen beside each other, but when you view them on your computer, the graphic will be cut and separated.
If you want to see the center graphic in all its glory, or would like a high resolution print of the brochure, just Talk to Me about it or you could download the web version Here.
That’s it for now, my next promotional piece will come in the form of a t-shirt, and it’s looking pretty solid.
Until then, take care.
Carlos Saavedra.
In the short time that this site has been online, the site has begun to enter into many prominent website databases that showcase the best CSS designs on the internet (sites built without tables). To be entered into these databases is such an honour and is a testament to my ability to design websites that are both beautiful and functional.
Here are a list of websites where you can find my site:
I often go to these websites for inspiration whenever I may get stuck without direction; these sites are a great resource for designers and to now be able to provide inspiration for other designers and to give back, is truly humbling.
Well, I promised something new and exciting before I left due to school obligations, and here it is. If you have been to my site at any time between January and two days ago, you will notice that there is quite a difference between what you saw and what you see now. The question you may be asking is, why would you design a whole new website after only 3 months? The fact is, as an artist, inspiration comes in many shapes and forms, all of which have influence in the way I design. Also, I find that I am my own worst critic when it comes to design. I am a perfectionist. I am usually able to find a few things here and there that I can change for the better.
“What moves men of genius, or rather what inspires their work, is not new ideas, but their obsession with the idea that what has already been said is still not enough.” - Eugene Delacroi
One of the largest design changes between the last design and this one is the fact that it is a lot more “clean” and what I believe to be a great example of white space. Text is a lot more easier to read against the white background, as well as the distance between lines is more spaced apart to ensure ease of navigation when reading.
I don’t want to get into too much detail in regards to the design because you can really see for yourself the care I put into designing this site. One thing that I wanted to bring to your attention is the “New Business Discount” and the “Charity Discount”. You can view them here. The business discount is for any organization that has been in business for less then 3 months. Starting a new venture is tough, but I offer all the services you need to market your business. Owners will also enjoy the fact that they receive 10% off the final cost of the project. The charity discount is for any charity looking to draw awareness to their cause. No matter what the project is, 20% of the final cost will be donated from Saav Media back into the charity.
Well that’s it. I hope you enjoy the new site, and be sure to come back regularly to see some of my new work and to read about my thoughts on the directions advertising and design are heading.
