plainbeta

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.

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…

4 Lessons I Learned from a Bad Client

Over the past four months I have been slaving over a one month job. I am walking away with only the half I received up front. Though I’m out a lot of time and money, I have learned (and re-learned) several lessons.

1: Have a Contract

I normally require this - always, period, no exceptions. However. This web job was through a friend, and I worked with her throughout the entire job. Not going with a contract is now biting me in the butt.
Always, always, always have a clearly stated contract. That way, if you don’t get paid, you can have a judge to get your payment from the client. A clear-cut contract also removes grey areas like revisions, job requirements, and such.
A great guide for design contracts

2: Record Everything

Always make sure you have everything in writing. This way, you have proof of job requirements, time-lines, and other specifics for personal reference and if you end up hitting the courts.
To increase security on such matters, require an email (or some form of recorded instruction) before you do anything. If your client wants a revision, have them send you an email before you start the revision. That way, if they change their mind and claim they didn’t want you to revise the design, you have proof.

3: Have One Point of Contact

While this isn’t absolutely necessary, like a contract, it is helpful. With this job that screwed me up the butt, communication was a major setback. Several times I was told one thing by one contact, and another by her boss. Having multiple contacts also means more work to keep everyone informed.
Keep it simple. Try and converse with one person, and have that contact converse with the rest of the company.

4: Know Your Client’s Server’s Capabilities

If your client already has a web host or running server, don’t assume it is up to date. I was hoping to use Wordpress as a CMS, but my client’s server was running PHP 4.1.3 while Wordpress required PHP 5.0. A small mis-understanding such as that cost me many hours of work, and probably ended up to the client dropping the job - even though it wasn’t my fault.

It all comes down to clarity I guess.
Make sure you communicate clearly and efficiently and things should go smoothly.

I hope you learned something and are able to keep yourself from running into such trouble.
Good luck in all your design endeavors!

If it’s Not Broken, Improve It!

Warning… this may come across as a rant…

Let me give you a hypothetical situation.

You have a blog.
It’s a fairly nice blog…
Your blog has about 200 loyal rss subscribers and a fair amount of daily traffic. You update it 2 to 4 times a week and each post averages over fifty comments per post. The design is a free theme that is not very well known and you customized it to fit your blog - not perfect, but fits very well.
Pretty good right?
Now you can sit back and relax, right?

No.

Never settle for the mediocre.

Always strive to improve - no matter what it is - strive to improve.
If it’s a blog, hunt down more subscribers. If it’s a web site, add more content, features, etc to obtain a larger visitors base. If it’s a hobby, strive to achieve the next level!
Always strive to improve what you have.

How does this apply to design?
Simple.

Look at one of your design works.

Is a pixel off?
Could you add some effects?
Should some be taken away?
Could the content pack a greater punch?
Is there anything that could be improved?

If your answer to any of those questions is yes, then fix it.

Never settle for the mediocre.
Always strive to improve.

There.
Got that off my shoulders…