Today's guest at shakin.ru - Randa Clay, famous designer from Dallas, TX, author of randaclay.com. I really like Randa's portfolio. I appreciate that Randa took time to answer my questions.
Can you tell our readers a little about yourself, what you do and where you’re from?
I am a freelance designer specializing in development of sites for WordPress. I live in the Dallas, Texas area with my husband and two boys. Aside from my main site, randaclay.com, I also have two other sites: freestuff4kids.net and mysocialbuttons.com, as well as a personal blog.
A typical day in the life of Randa Clay, how is it like?
I work from home while taking care of my two little boys who are 3 yrs old and 8 months old, so a typical day involves lots of back and forth between the computer and changing diapers and playing with the little ones. It can be challenging because I rarely get to finish a task in one sitting! On any given day I may be doing design in Photoshop, coding a WordPress theme, networking and commenting on other blogs, using Twitter, etc. I am a master at typing one-handed while holding a little guy on my lap.
Your portfolio is really impressive. How much, do you think, the overall design of a website can have on audiences in general?
🔥 Кстати! Я провожу платный курс по продвижению англоязычных сайтов SEO Шаолинь seoshaolin.com. Для читателей блога я делаю хорошую скидку по промокоду "blog". Тариф Про стоит не 41, а 35 тыс. рублей. Тариф Лайт не 21, а 17 тыс. рублей. Тариф Команда не 58, а 50 тыс. рублей. Для получения скидки пишите мне на globatorseo@gmail.com с темой "Курс" или в Telegram @mikeshakin.I think the design is extremely important with regards to the immediate impression a visitor has about the site and whether it's something that's worth their time. Attention to design and usability shows the visitor that you're serious about your site and that the content is likely to be good.
What are some of your favourite websites at the moment?
I enjoy Smashing Magazine, Veerle's Blog, CSS Globe, and let's not forget I Can Has Cheezburger.
Randa, what do you to get into a creative frame of mind? Any websites or places you like to go to get the creative juices flowing (online and off)?
For me, browsing web site galleries really helps me to get ideas when I need inspiration.
What are the tools you use, the ones you could never get rid of (softwares, apps, etc…) ?
Firefox with all the plugins, Photoshop, Illustrator, TweetDeck and Microsoft Excel.
What are your main tips for getting the best work out of designers?
The main thing is to give them as much information as possible. Find sites that you really like and sites that you really don't like, to help them understand your aesthetic. Then, allow them the creative freedom to create something wonderful for you. Don't put them in a box by giving too much direction and be open to ideas that they have. Be especially aware that just because you really like something doesn't mean it's the best choice for your brand or web site.
You can watch video about tornadoes in Texas:
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Меня зовут Михаил Шакин, я автор этого блога, занимаюсь SEO с 2006 года. Вы можете заказать у меня