Aether Design

After a long day of shooting the Nike 6.0 Lowers Pro in Trestles (San Clemente, CA), I grabbed a few dozen images to share. The waves were smaller than usual but the bunch from Brazil managed to pull some amazing air maneuvers. From 360 grabs to Superman, I captured it all.

My article A Guide To Seamless Website Redesign has been published at Noupe.com! Read about the article below.

An inherent problem with owning a web site is that styles come and go on the internet fast as (or faster than) the real world. A web site can look out-of-date very fast if it is not being constantly maintained. Do you need to refine your online presence? A web site redesign may be just what the doctor ordered.

It was a shame that comments were accidentally closed by the publisher, so the comments are low on this one.

In the recent months I have had the opportunity to work on many projects, but recently broke some new ground with a mobile website for Cheeseburger in Paradise. This was an exciting project worth mentioning due to the fact that it only catered to smart phone users in coordination with marketing efforts at their restaurants nationwide.

In a national campaign, Cheeseburger in Paradise restaurants partnered with beverage makers to run a promotional campaign using MS Tag. By scanning a flier at one of the restaurants 31 locations, users were directed to a video and additional information on contest entry. By ordering one of two signature drinks or joining in a photo submission contest, participants could win an all-inclusive trip to Cancun, Mexico. In addition, all participants qualify for a free appetizer card in the process.

The result of the campaign was great exposure to restaurant patrons, increased participation in the clients contest and the company’s first leap into the mobile realm. I am very proud of the campaign, the design and had a great time working on this project. Instead of doing a text only or downgraded experience, the website was packed with company branding and adjusted for landscape and portrait modes for iOS, Android, Windows Phone 7 and Blackberry. See the website design below.

During the last few years I have been fortunate enough to be a part of the Yelp Elite. This has increased my passion for writing reviews, put me in contact with other foodies and brought opportunities to party for free at Elite only events.

Why do you care? Some business owners and reviewers have no idea with Elite group of members exist and that Yelp partners with buisnesses to throw such events. Learning more about Yelp and it’s Elite members could help you or your business in the future. For more information, check out the links below.

• Yelp Elite Events: What’s the deal?
• How To Get More Yelp Reviews For Your Business

I have been busy the last few months publishing a few books for personal use on Blurb, which is an amazing cost-effective resource for self-publishing. If you would like to take a gander, I have included some previews below. Using their service has been an amazing experience and even more overwhelming to hold a “coffee table” hardcover book with your own photography on premium paper in your hands. I am happy with my recent work and it has sparked amazing conversation when people come over and open the cover.

I encourage you to view the books in “full screen” by clicking the  expand icon to the left of the Blurb logo in the preview.

I was checking the news this morning and was delighted to notice my article How To Make Innovative Ideas Happen is the first top news article listed at Alltop Web Design News. This is an amazing accomplishment for me, considering how many readers there are for both Alltop and Smashing Magazine.

It seems in addition to this, it has been passed on quite a bit through social media with over 800 Facebook ‘likes’ and 1500 Twitter retweets. Exciting news!

While this blog was never packed with posts, I find myself updating my Twitter and Flickr accounts with my latest actions and thoughts more often. I have jumped whole-heartedly back into photography and self-published a few books! This has been a grand experience and I hope to publish  more volumes in the future. You can find some of the beautiful images below.

In the near future I plan to redesign the Aether Design website once more as it is need of an effective way to showcase my photography with my other works of art. I feel that as a designer I am very well rounded and would like the expressed within my portfolio.

My article How To Make Innovative Ideas Happen has been published at SmashingMagazine.com! Read about the article below.

In one of his recent presentations, Frans Johansson explained why groundbreaking innovators generate and execute far more ideas than their counterparts. After watching his presentation The Secret Truth About Executing Great Ideas, my thoughts began to surface about how meaningful the presentation was regardless of a persons industry, culture, field or discipline. Anyone can come up with an amazing idea but how you execute the idea will determine your success.

I know it has been a while since my last update but I have been creating a few volumes of photography books, having my websites published in web design books, experimenting with Macro and HDR photography. As if all of that is not enough, I recently became a runner-up for a Hurley Clothing photo contest revolving around the Hurley Pro Trestles surf competition.

I had spent the day snapping away at the top surfers in the world on one of the best possible days for surfing at Lower Trestles in San Clemente, CA. I have been to a few competitions int he past and was just looking to get a few great shots with my Nikon D90. Out of the hundreds of images taken of carves, airs and athletes, the above image of Rob Machado stood out to me. He has been wearing those sunglasses in every interview and video for the last few months, so much to the point they are part of his image. Being able to see the crowd reflect off of his sunglasses made this image amazing. In one capture you have the athlete and his fans. View my Hurley Pro Trestles 2010 set on Flickr.

In my recent dive back into photography experimentation I went up to Huntington Beach to enjoy and shoot images of the Hurley Pro US Open and eventually made my way to the Hurley Pro at Trestles (San Clemente). You can find some of my photos from the Trestles competition below. My favorite capture is of Rob Machado wearing his Dragon shades.

[IDENTITY] This corporate identity package was created for a creative company. Included business card, envelope, letterhead, brochure, website and blog.

[IDENTITY] This identity was designed to be included as a company brand and remain on all marketing materials.

My article Creative and Unusual Layouts and Navigation Designs has been published at Noupe.com! Read about the article below.

In this article, we’ll showcase website layouts and navigation structures that really break the mold. The designers of these websites have seen dozens of clone websites out there but have sought their own way. The unusual website layouts and navigation that results can either be very successful and innovative or disorienting for visitors. You decide. When you browse the showcase, think not so much about functionality as about why you design and develop the way you do.

I have officially been published on the industry leading Smashing Magazine. My feature article “Getting Started With Content Management Systems” was published and four more articles are currently in the cue. I have been asked to become a regular author and have been approached by other industry leading online magazines to author articles. This is the beginning of new future that includes helping others build their talents.

Involved in site conceptualizing and design for internal pages and member profiles. The design reflects a smooth style and displays controls in an intuitive way. www.weresicc.com

Involved in complete site redesign and improvement of SEO results on major search engines. The new design reflects a lighter feel to the site including imagery that changes in each section and a more specific contact form design. www.socaldata.com

My article Getting Started With Content Management Systems has been published at SmashingMagazine.com! Read about the article below.

The need to update websites faster to keep content fresh has been ever growing. Ever since the first business owner wanted their Web designer to update their website faster, content management systems have played an important role on the Web. Why does this matter to you? How do you know if your company is ready?

Involved in art direction, organization of site information architecture (IA) and user interface (UI) design. www.JPRealtyServices.com

Involved in art direction, organization of site information architecture (IA) and user interface (UI) design. www.SDCDS.org

Involved in art direction, organization of site information architecture (IA) and user interface (UI) design. www.HighRhodes.com