DEV Community: Dean Dellinger

New Design of EssayPay – How It Was

Dean Dellinger — Mon, 19 Feb 2024 19:27:20 +0000

From the get-go, EssayPay's been all about dishing out a slick and smart user experience. Clients could breeze through our wide array of services, no sweat. Being in the coding trenches, I've watched EssayPay shape-shift and vibe with our user's ever-morphing needs. It's been a rad ride!

Purpose of the Redesign

Our aim? Crank up the user-friendliness, turbocharge our platform's performance, and weave in some snazzy new features our peeps were itching for. This wasn't just slapping on some new paint; we were talking about fortifying EssayPay essay writing service for the long haul.

Identifying Key Areas for Improvement

First things first, we had to suss out what needed a tune-up. We dove deep into our platform, zeroing in on the UI, performance, and how things ticked. Watching how users interacted with our essay writing service, we pinpointed the snags in navigation and gave the site's look a hard squint. It was crystal that some bits just weren't hitting the mark with our users.

Gathering User Feedback and Data

By digging into surveys, feedback tools, and user behavior data, we snagged some gold insights into what our users were really after. This wasn't just about crunching numbers; we were capturing real stories of folks engaging with our platform. That goldmine shaped our whole game plan for the redesign.

Setting Goals and Objectives

We laid down some solid, measurable targets. Aimed to slash our site's load time by a hefty 30%, make navigating around a breeze, and boost user engagement by a cool 20%. The plan? Optimize our coding magic, spruce up the UI, and roll out features our users were hollering for. Ambitious? Yep, but totally key for nailing this redesign.

Addressing Technical Challenges

This overhaul had its fair share of brain-teasers. The biggie was shuffling our existing data to the new setup without throwing a wrench in our services. We took it step by step, keeping our data tight and our system steady. Then there was the juggle of fitting in new bells and whistles while keeping our code squeaky clean. That meant some serious planning and slick execution to keep our platform both beefy and nimble.

Implementing New Design Elements

Our makeover wasn't just about the nuts and bolts; we were jazzing up the look too. We rolled out a fresh, minimalistic style, all about ease and eye candy. Think snappy color schemes, crisp typography, and layouts that just feel right. Plus, we added some interactive mojo to make getting around a no-brainer. And yeah, we made sure this cool new look worked like a charm on any device.

Enhancing User Interface and Experience

We totally reworked the UI to amp up the user experience. Streamlined the whole deal with placing orders, hunting for services, and snagging support. Threw in some customizable features too, so users could tweak their experience to their taste. Every tweak and twist was all about making things as smooth and comfy for our users as possible.

Preparing for the Launch

Launching the new-look EssayPay was a major operation. We made sure everyone in the loop was on point and ready to rock. Our marketing crew got busy with a plan to give our users the lowdown on the upcoming changes, spotlighting all the cool new perks and features. Easing into the new design helped dial down any pushback and let users slide into the changes at their own pace.

Lessons Learned and Future Plans

This whole redesign journey was a masterclass for the whole squad. We got wise to the power of user-focused design, the need for thorough testing, and staying nimble with our strategies. Looking ahead, we're stoked to keep evolving, staying in step with the latest tech and what our users want.

- Final Thoughts and Outlook for EssayPay

Peering into the future, our pledge to deliver top-notch service hasn't wavered. The revamped EssayPay stands as a tribute to our commitment to innovation and top quality. We're buzzed to keep serving our users with a platform that's more than just a service – it's a whole vibe.

Graphic Design Courses Needed for a New Career

Dean Dellinger — Mon, 18 Apr 2022 10:42:47 +0000

Choosing an appropriate graphic design course assists ongoing employment in one of the world's most competitive fields.

Being a graphic designer is a dream job for many, but with a huge amount of competition in the marketplace it is critical to choose the right graphic design course before embarking on a career in the field. By researching the design school, choosing useful design subjects and analyzing course portfolios, one can increases the chances of employment immensely.

Research the Design School

Graphic design institutes and online graphic design courses will display glossy imagery and provide examples and testimonials of the dream jobs that their top graduating students have achieved. These schools are often expensive and rely on “selling the dream” to potential students to fill their quotas. Many graphic design courses are useful and have practical applications in the real world, but there are some that do not.

Choose a handful of design schools and ask the following questions to find out if their courses can assist in obtaining a new career as a graphic designer:

How many students (in general or as a percentage) obtained a job in graphic design after graduation and how long did it take them?
Are there many career paths in graphic design that can be followed as a result of completing the course?
Is it possible to learn a firm foundation in basic graphic design skills as well as the other subjects?
Is there any assistance for students to help them gain employment after graduation?

Choose Useful Design Course Subjects

The easiest way to obtain a great first job in graphic design when starting out is to be flexible, adaptable and to have broad knowledge of many subjects so that specialization does not hinder future career opportunities. Good subjects to choose include those which offer the most recent software or are subjects that are in high demand with employers. Unfortunately, these subjects limit students to using the latest software and filling the skill shortages in the market for a few years.

Great subjects to take include learning how to obtain a “designers eye”, a firm foundation in the knowledge of design principles and some additional soft skills such as illustration or web design. Choosing subjects like these will allow a broad application of learned skills, even when the latest software has become defunct or an employer wants to change to a new medium or program.

Build an Impressive Portfolio

Many people need to learn graphic design and obtain a qualification at a graphic design school before being able to perform on the job, however, employers will rarely look at qualifications and will often base the ability to do the job on a portfolio.

What is needed is an exceptional graphic design portfolio that will showcase the ability to design in a range of areas and mediums. Employers look for a person who is adaptable and flexible as well as a good designer; they want employees who can use lots of different software, can come up with ideas no matter what and can communicate effectively through design.

Ask the graphic design school if it’s possible to look at an example portfolio produced from the course. A good looking portfolio with lots of variety will assist the most in gaining employment in graphic design.

Start a New Career With the Right Graphic Design Course

Choosing the appropriate graphic design course is very important in obtaining ongoing employment in graphic design. The right course assists students to learn the skills to become a designer in any medium or application and will also assist with creating a good quality portfolio that will impress employers. An excellent design school helps students in gain a foothold in paid employment following graduation – allowing unhindered progression in the new career.

Start a Graphic Design Blog

Dean Dellinger — Mon, 11 Apr 2022 14:05:03 +0000

Using Blogging Tools to Promote A Designer's Services

Blogs are often seen as little more than an online diary, but they can be used as a powerful marketing tool for all types of businesses.
A blog can be a useful tool for a Graphic Designer. This can be a great way to showcase a Graphic Designer's work as well as a way to reach out and connect with other Graphic Designers and potential clients from around the world.

A blog used to be firmly in the terrain of technically inclined people, however over recent years free services such as Blogger and Wordpress have bought the writing and maintenance of a blog firmly within the reach of people with even the most rudimentary of technical skills.

A Graphic Designer can quickly set up a blog using one of the free blog services and start to share their words and designs with others without any form of technical knowledge.

Why Start a Graphic Design Blog?

There are many reasons why people keep blogs. For a Graphic Designer, some of the key reasons why keeping a blog will be beneficial include:

Showcase – a blog is a great platform to showcase work. This can include finished projects as well as work in progress or at the drawing board stage. The work can be viewed by people from around the world and if the blog owner allows comments, people can leave comments about a particular piece. This is a great way to receive feedback.
Connect with fellow Designers – the blog community is a great way to connect with fellow Graphic Designers. Not only is this useful for networking, but it can also be a useful way to learn new skills. Many graphic designers write how-to articles or tutorials on their blogs and this can be an invaluable source of information.
Portfolio – a blog can be a good way for potential clients to find out more about a Graphic Designer and their work. It can add a dimension that is otherwise difficult to achieve. Through a blog a Graphic Designer has the opportunity to show their credentials in a variety of ways.
Revenue – successful blogs can be monetized to bring in a revenue stream. The amount of revenue that a blog can generate varies tremendously. A blog can generate very small amounts of irregular income through to significant sums. This can be achieved through offering advertising, running programs such as Google Adsense or taking part in affiliate programs.

A blog can be useful to a graphic designer in many ways and, when used correctly, can be an important business tool.

How to Build a New Graphic Design Portfolio

Dean Dellinger — Wed, 06 Apr 2022 08:02:53 +0000

Tips on Growing a Body of Design Work to Show Clients

One of the biggest problems for a new Graphic Designer is finding projects to work on in order to expand their portfolio, without having a portfolio to show clients.
For Graphic Designers new to the business, building up a meaningful portfolio of work is a real chicken and egg situation. Many clients will be reluctant to agree to pay a Designer for a job without having the reassurance of a portfolio to look at. On the other hand, however, Designers need these jobs in order to build their portfolios.

There are some ways to get around this.

Work for Free

No-one wants to work for nothing but it's not at all uncommon in creative industries for those at the bottom of the ladder to work for free. The pay back is experience that can give a resume that little bit extra that raises it above the rest or practical pieces of work for a portfolio.

Finding desirable placements is not easy, but there are plenty of opportunities in everyone's day to day life to find someone who will take advantage of free design.

New Graphic Designers should think through their family and friends and shortlist those who work for themselves or within small businesses. These are the kind of people who will often jump at the chance of free design services. If a Designer is a member of a group or society, they may also need some graphic services.

Another alternative is to look for local charities that may need design assistance, as money will always be tight for them, and these can be particularly good in a portfolio.

Lurk on Graphic Design Forums

There are quite a few message boards devoted to design and many of these allow employers to post for designers. It's not unusual for many of these to be low fee projects or even no fee, but these can offer the opportunity of real practical experience. Such posts are often greeted with derision by established Designers, but for new Designers they can offer a chance to add a project to a portfolio.

One site worth looking at is graphicdesignforums.co.uk which has an employment message board.

Enter a Design Contest

Another website that is worth looking at is 99designs.com where Designers have the opportunity to enter design contests. This is basically a site for designers to offer work on spec, but these are real briefs and they do offer the chance of payment for the winning designer. For the losers there is the consolation of having new work for their portfolio and also the possibility of changing the text and entering their design into other contests on the same site.

For Graphic Designers just starting out, finding design opportunities doesn't seem easy, however, new Designers need to understand that producing free work while building a portfolio is an investment in their future. With a strong portfolio of designs, it will become much easier to convince a new client that it is in their best interest to pay for design work.

Graphic Design Careers and Job Opportunities

Dean Dellinger — Tue, 05 Apr 2022 19:01:24 +0000

Graphic design is a fast growing industry, because technology is at the front and always evolving. Graduates of graphic design have several career choices.

Having a graphic arts design degree can lead to a variety of career opportunities. Even if one is trained in fine arts, a major in graphic design can open up doors to explore other artistic opportunities. Having this variety of skills will make one more appealing on the job market, as one has experience with blending different academic genres. The position mentioned below cannot be found in every corporation, but the description explains what the roles and responsibilities are of each.

Hands-on Graphic Designers

Graphic designers, who actually do the designing, either by hand or on a computer, are hands-on designers. There are both junior and senior designers within larger corporations who work together to create graphic designs for clients. Projects and topic can vary greatly, particularly if working with an advertising firm. General responsibilities include selecting the color for the design, the size, the sounds and artwork that will accompany the design and additional animations and visuals. Graphic designers are responsible for presented the completed design with all the elements of composition to the art director.

Freelance graphic designers are individuals who work from home or under their own name. There are advantages and disadvantages of being a freelance designer. The advantages include working from home, setting own hours and choosing interesting projects. The disadvantages, however, can sometimes overshadow the benefits, as pleasing existing clients, finding new ones, dealing with rejections and working evenings and weekends can be tough in the long run. Despite this, many choose this route because of the independence and lack of corporate structures.

Web designers are not simply programmers that write and develop HTML or JavaScript. Web designers are also graphic designers, who build, design and maintain corporate websites. Modern site design is a must for today. Just compare this site, which brings you back to the old Internet, with the same website after the redesign. Web designers can also contribute graphics and maintenance to other companies, who may need graphic assistance. The daily duties of web designers can include writing and designing web page content and editing the work as it is produced. Web designers are also problem-solvers and are often hired to both implement and fix potential problems that might occur in the designing process. Thus, it is important than web designers stay updated on current web technologies, graphic design developments and programming practices to offer the best possible services to corporations and clients.

A videogame designer is another fun job where technology again lends it advanced hand. There are new websites, technical applications, video games, animations and electronic media created daily in the design industry. Because videogames often rely on graphic designs to give players the best graphics, there are often plenty of opportunities within the videogame design industry.

Graphic Design Director Positions

Art directors have the responsibility of the overall design projects. This includes reviewing and approving the work done by junior and senior graphic designs, which may include style, size, photography, audio and animations. Art director often review the basic layout design or presentation because they have direct contact with their own accounts and clients. They directly confer with the clients, the production teams and creative departments to make sure clients’ needs are met. Since they are responsible for their own accounts, art directors also work with clients to decide on technicalities, such as budget, approaches and techniques. When the design project has been completed, art directors are often responsible for presenting the final product to the client.

Creative directors do not work directly with graphic design, but may offer creative opinions or perspective on a design project. Creative directors are more focused on the marketing aspect of selling the design to potential clients.

Graphic design can be a rewarding career for those with a creative mind and a dedicated spirit. It is a career that suits those who works best alone in front of a computer, but can also suit those who likes to interact with clients and play a key role in projects.

How To Build a Website & Design

Dean Dellinger — Tue, 05 Apr 2022 14:01:53 +0000

Free Websites, Website Builder Software and Ways to Create a Website

A look at website builder services, free websites to help website design, and other ways to create a website.

Website design is a very big topic, and there are many conflicting opinions. At the same time, there are many hosts offering website builder services - software that allows the user to choose from several proven website layouts and designs, and then fill them with their own text. This article should help the reader evaluate the kind of website design that is right for them, and the various steps they need to take in order to create a website.

It is worth taking a brief look at the various kinds of web site that can be created, and the options available to the website owner.

How to Build a Website : the Options

There are four basic website design styles:

A Blog - an example is WordPress, or Blogger
Dynamic Content - a CMS, for example Joomla
Web 2.0 Platforms - example is HubPages

For those just starting out, options 2 and 3 are probably going to be a little advanced, as they require knowledge of HTML and web servers. This article concentrates on the other two approaches.

What is a Website Builder?

Essentially, it is a service that allows the user to build, and customize, their website from selected templates.

A web site is essentially created by linking pages together. A website builder allows the user to do this easily, but there are a few things to watch out for, even then.

For example, maintenance can be an issue. The user has to remember to update the menus and links between pages, even if it is done through a tool, it can still be a bit of a chore. Something that is hard to update may not be updated often!

To cut down on this kind of maintenance, the reader may like to look at some of the other ways to build their online presence.

Other Ways to Create a Website

Besides using an online website builder, there are some other ways to make a website, using tools that are easily found on the world wide web. For software solutions, a good place to start browsing is a repository like download.cnet.com. They will have listings of both free and paid software for editing web sites.

The first option is to use a web site editor to edit static pages. These can then be uploaded to the web host with an FTP (file transfer protocol) program. It is important to remember that not all free websites will allow the user to take this approach.

Another possibility is to use a general purpose blogging platform like Wordpress or Blogger. This has the advantage of being very low maintenance, as the publishing system really has only one option : write a blog entry, and then publish it. The disadvantage is obvious - the user has limited options.

Finally, a slot-in web 2.0 platform like HubPages can be used. This provides a halfway point between a true website builder, and a creative blogging interface with different modules that can be slotted in to provide content. These generally limit the website design options that the user has, but are an easy way to make a website quickly.

Free Websites and Web Hosts

A quick search of the internet will reveal that there are many free websites and free web hosts out there to choose from. The snag is, they are generally supported by some kind of advertising. For those unwilling or unable to pay for their web hosting, the best solution may well be to choose a Web 2.0 platform, like HubPages, where they can at least share in the revenue that the advertising generates.

These hosts, however, come with their own limitations, and special guidelines for content creation. Luckily there is plenty of support in the forums for those just starting out and hoping to take their first steps to create a website.