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I am Shutting plainbeta Down

I have decided to shut down this blog. Though it’s not like I have a bunch of readers.

I will be moving everything over to my site Brian Purkiss .com.

It is currently under construction and is my priority for the summer, though it won’t take the whole summer. I will be moving my portfolio over there and will be posting every two weeks on the blog that I shall move over there. All of my important/popular articles will be moved over there with 301 redirects, so if you like what I’ve wrote for some reason, you won’t lose it.

Until then.

An Interesting Comment on Design Stealing

I received the following comment a few days ago and did not see it until today due to my Webhost kindly taking my site down for no reason. I feel that this is an issue that is very personal for many designers and is quite a strong attack on me, so I felt I should address it on an open forum due to the gravity of the issue.

I have noticed viewing your work that you seem to copy and use a lot of other peoples stuff. To claim yourself as being a web designer I would second guess a lot of your work. You are currently using someone elses Wordpress theme for your own site even. Also, your whiteboardframework.com website is using a ripped and stripped copy of WP-Coda theme… not even your own framework is being used on either of your sites…. That just plain looks bad… I am sure you really will not approve and post this comment, but you should at least read it and be aware that many others on other sites are talking about it as well. Figured I would be nice and give a heads up at least. Use your own stuff, make it and design it yourself. You will get further. I know your framework got made popular but in reality that itself isn’t even yours. It is a ripped down theme as well. Please be respective of other peoples work.
-Efril Mohgan
(who did not have the curtsey of leaving a valid email so I can discuss the issue)

First off, the theme I am using isn’t stolen.
It is a beautiful theme called Modern Clix designed by Rodrigo Galindez and is free for download on his Web site that I found via Smashing Magazine. I am by no means using a stolen theme for plainbeta.

The only reason I am using someone else’s theme is because I haven’t had time to make one, but I am trying to make time and am making progress - though it still needs a lot of work.

I am indeed in the process of building my portfolio and am trying to fill it with just my work and that is original as possible - which is why you won’t find the current plainbeta.com design or whiteboardframework.com design in there. They are both currently under development and will both be built on my Whiteboard Wordpress Framework.

Yes, much to my dismay, whiteboardframework.com is a stripped down wpcoda theme - which I don’t believe to be a violation for a few reasons. It is a free theme and there is even a downloadable plugin for that pop up. The design is completely my own and I tried to use as much of my own mark up as possible; just a very small amount of the code was by wpcoda, which I point out again is free for download.

Yes, the Whiteboard Wordpress Framework is a stripped down theme - but I built it from the ground up. The whole premise of it is a stripped down theme. My Whiteboard Framework is in no means violating any copyright laws in any way, I made sure of that.

If I am wrong in any of my reasoning, please point it out.
I want to remain above reproach and am working on my own themes as much as I can with my busy schedule.

Capture the Moment Photography Mark

Capture the Moment Photography mark
Capture the Moment Photography

Portfolio Item - Chuck Close, Three Page Web Design Project

This was one of my projects for my Web I class, which was kind of a joke of a class. Ultra basic stuff. Well, I guess it’s always good to re-learn the basics, right?

The project was to be a three page web site for a popular modern artist that included a home page, an about page, and a portfolio page. I designed the site on paper, then in Photoshop, and finally coding the site using XHTML and CSS. It’s not much of a site, but here you go. Continue reading…

Myriad Pro vs Helvetica

I was recently forced to choose between the popular fonts Helvetica and Myriad Pro. Both are great fonts, so it’s hard to choose between the two. Helvetica is used by just about everyone, which is almost a reason in of itself not to use it However, Myriad Pro is also widely used, and Apple uses Myriad; Myriad is the same as Myriad Pro like Helvetica Neue is to Helvetica.

Not wanting to choose one over the other for any reason other than my own, I decided to investigate. Continue reading…

The One Day Web Design Experiment

Good Morning World! As I promised, this morning I am beginning The One Day Web Experiment!

About the One Day Web Design Experiment

Today I am devoting my entire day to re-designing my blog, er, this site. I woke up ‘early,’ and instantly opened my sketchbook and got to work. I shall move into Photoshop and then into code as soon as possible. The purpose of this ‘Web design experiment’ is to see how far I can progress in one day on a single Web design. I hope to receive feedback on my designs and engage in discussion about the Web design trade through this experiment. Continue reading…

Tomorrow: the One Day Web Design Experiment

Wake up, brainstorm, design, develop, work until bed.

See how far I get.

My blog, plainbeta, is in a desperate need of a design of it’s own. I have been sketching and starting designs for quite a while now. Not a one of my designs has made it to the Web in a long time, that needs to change. I’m building my portfolio right now, and need my site to reflect the quality of my work.

So tomorrow, I am going to wake up early in the morning and instantly get to work with my Sketchbook, from there get into Photoshop, and then into code. Continue reading…



whiteboard - a free lightweight wordpress framework

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