]Great design - really got me wanting to explore what was on the site.

Thanks Phoebe, explore away. More coming.

Refreshing to see such a beautiful design.  Thanks for the overview… gives me ideas on what can be done with EE. 

With the Best Buy project did you do photography too?  or did you leave that up to other people?

Oooh… is it just me or does your picture have cross hairs right between the eyes?  If so, then you should create a flash target practice game.  Might give me something to do as I am browsing your site.

Not to imply that your site is boring to browse… but it would still be cool.

With the Best Buy project did you do photography too?  or did you leave that up to other people?

Best Buy had a studio and I also hired freelancers. I set up detailed photo guidelines for each product category then had two art directors oversee the actual shoots. We ran three shifts, three (sometimes four) shooting bays at a time and a round the clock staff of retouchers. Can’t remember off the top of my head but for the initial launch there were something like 6,500 product photos, 200,000 CDs and a myriad of other shots for other sections of the site. All shot in a two month period. That doesn’t count another whole photo shoot involving 600 people shots. There again, I set up the guidelines and had an art director overseeing it.
I also had a dozen or so project managers, one for each product category, that coordinated getting the actual products and working with the buyers/merchants.
So, no, photography was just one of my responsibilities, I had my hands full just directing it all :-)

Edit-Add: Lots of 80hr weeks.

Wow

EE 1.4 advanced conditionals…I get to streamline even more. Can’t wait to do a site refresh

Just read your about pages.  That is an awsome story.  Such a great line of experiences to build a career doing something you love.  Forging your skills in the fires of relentless projects, frantic customers, deadlines, and best works.  All culminating to the “big one” that gives you the ultimate test and the ultimate project. 

The story seems that everything has been just right.  You were around in the old school print industry, then caught the early wave of web design.  At that time web design was the leading edge.  All of that experience being built up for the dot com rush must have been a wild ride. 

I really have alot of respect for great web designers.  Graphic design takes alot of effort, and that effort really takes something out of you.  Then you have to turn around and switch your brain to logical thinking for the code.  The amount of creative energy that went into your career could probably fuel a small city for several years.  =)

The story is inspiring really, it reminds me of how I need to build my own story.  To take my current skills and lead them into that next rising tide that is about to explode.  These are exciting times, really there is not one explosion, but many explosions everywhere.  They all come together to create some very interesting results.

Thanks for sharing… and have fun with your new 1.4 toys!

Manofsteelsettle…You should consider screen writing or novels, you are turning my tale into a more exciting adventure than it really is. :-)

All culminating to the “big one” that gives you the ultimate test and the ultimate project.

I feature BestBuy on my site because it’s a recognized entity. But, it was not the ultimate or culmination of my career. I have other assignments I consider more challenging and complex. BestBuy was challenging mainly because of scope and timeframe.

At that time web design was the leading edge

Didn’t seem that way, still doesn’t. It’s just another medium with it’s own unique design/production requirements. As you build your career, remember that clients don’t care about the technology, they don’t in print and don’t with the web. The ones spending money usually want to accomplish something, the technology is secondary and the design is not just decoration.

Graphic design takes alot of effort, and that effort really takes something out of you.

I think any creative effort is somewhat that way. There’s that period where you are starring at a blank piece of paper or screen and have to do something with it. But, in most cases, you have facts, objectives, target audience, etc. that steer you in the right direction. Graphic design is after all, commercial art. I think fine art (art, writing, music) is probably more challenging. Doing anything truly original is challenging.

Thanks for sharing

Glad it inspires.

One of the reasons I enjoy the EE community is being around great professionals.  Everytime I have a conversation with someone at that level, I am able to learn something from it.  Everything from technical advice to general outlook on the industry.  Even small bits are sometimes very useful.  Again I thank you for sharing that.

At that time web design was the leading edge

Didn’t seem that way, still doesn’t.

I meant this in the sense that you were among the early pioneers of web design.  As you said in your “about” page, there were few people in your industry who could take those same skills and apply them to the web.  You had lots of geeks who could create something on the web, but not design professionals.  Today the industry is much more established and there is also much more competition.  There are now great web designers in every town.

However…

As you build your career, remember that clients don’t care about the technology, they don’t in print and don’t with the web. The ones spending money usually want to accomplish something, the technology is secondary and the design is not just decoration.

This is the most important, thanks for your insight.