zump.net
This website uses my own CMS system which makes it very easy to add, edit and re-order pages on a live site. Partly inspired by Wordpress it combines use of several technologies to make everything appear simple and seamless to the user.
such as Apache mod_rewrite, jQuery, TinyMCE, MySQL & PHP
Websites
Sims Reed Gallery
Miminalist print gallery website with a LOT of maths going on in the background. Extensive use of javascript/jQuery to keep things positioned at optimal sizes on any screen or window size/shape.
Trailblazer Travel Guides
A small, independent, specialist publisher. The aim of the site is to provide a lot of easily accessible information, largely excerpts from and updates to published guides; also details of forthcoming publications.
Not visible here is the administration section of the site which provides comprehensive control including the ability to edit pages and upload images directly in the web browser – no special programs or expertise required.
The admin side uses a lot of JavaScript to make updates really simple
Henry Sotheran Rare Books
Antiquarian book & print dealer. The basic web design was done by their own designer; I have optimised and reformatted it into a more accessible template with a neat "floating" menu. Keeping the book and print departments separate yet integrated has been very interesting, and I'm quite pleased with the search mechanism. The online stock database is syncronised with exports from an Access database (not mine) and most of the static content can be edited by the client through a bespoke content-management backend.
Manning's Musicals
Quickly developed using Wordpress open-source blogging site software repurposed into a simple content management system. Most of my efforts went into designing fluid graphics which automatically resize to any size screen, and to remove most of the unneeded blogging functionality.
Sims Reed Rare Books & Prints
As well as the visible web site, behind the scenes a bespoke Content Management System allows the client to edit almost everything. All the books in stock, and the catalogues, are syncronised with the database at the shop which I also created with FileMaker Pro.
I am proud to say it is entirely hand-coded making it uncluttered, quick-loading & easily navigable; not to mention "Standards Compliant" and search-engine friendly.
Hayton Associates
Not-as-simple-as-it-looks web site with full content management system to help the clients to keep it updated.
Jools Connell
Unique handmade jewellery.
Deceptively simple web site with a lot of clever stuff going on in the background. Images uploaded are organised and manipulated automatically by my PHP programming; you can't see the admin side here, but it's even neater!
Logo and business cards also designed by me.
Adventure Motorcycling Website
My first ever web site design was for Compass Star Publications (now defunct) who published my friend's book "The Adventure Motorbiking Handbook". In its fourth revision, this best-seller has subtly changed its name and publisher and has it's own website, maintained by the author. The "Trip Reports" section of the site was a nice idea but very unwieldy to navigate and to maintain until I redesigned it and built a database to keep track of it and to create the web pages.
NOW completely changed to PHP making it even easier to maintain and harder to delete by accident!
Databases
Sims Reed Rare Books & Prints
Two FileMaker Pro databases - the Book shop has quite an old system developed by someone else which I have gradually added to; my main addition has being to synchronise current stock and catalogues with the web site; also exports text for Quark Xpress.
Built a new FileMaker database for the Print Gallery to manage their stock. This also includes some neat exporting in several formats
Henry Sotheran Rare Books
Antiquarian book & print dealer. Their stock is managed using an Access database which is not my work, but I help in many ways with processing text files output from this. Particularly:
1. The web site is updated by importing, checking and translating exports from Access into MySQL. Some pre-filtering done with FileMaker, most work done by PHP on the web server.
2. Recently improved their printed catalogue production with a FileMaker-based application which uses PHP programming to track down any related images for each item in a catalogue. Outputs a text file for import into Quark Xpress with all required formatting, styling and image info.
Bloomsbury Auctions
I built the FileMaker Pro database which keeps their auctions organised: from cataloguing lots to selling them and calculating commissions & premiums.
The database translates their typing into very nicely formatted Sale Catalogues for print (using Quark) and also synchronises everything with the web site, for which I did a lot of the PHP/MySQL coding.
Books of Asia
Complete stock management, cataloguing and invoicing system built in FileMaker Pro, migrated from an old Access database. The client has some unique ways of organising things which has made it quite interestingly complex, especially getting the data out of the old system.
Exports text for book-search web sites; for import into Quark Express; PDF or RTF format.
Flu Friends
Web-based volunteer database.
Commissioned by Bradford PCT to enable local voluntary organisations to recruit and administer "Flu Friends" in the event of a wider outbreak of swine flu.
Staff at any site with internet access can administer details of volunteers in a centralised MySQL database and use a sophisticated search facility to find the closest volunteers to a particular postcode.