The work grinds on

It's amazing to look at my blog and realize I haven't updated it in six months. I've further whittled down my project list to something more manageable.

• Redesign danielboyle.net
• Several blogposts, including an entry on employee sustainability.
• One comic project
• Blog redesign - to match any changes on danielboyle.net, possibly converting to a wordpress backend

My portfolio redesign takes precedence here. While I'm still incredibly happy at Organic, there's always a nagging voice in the back of my mind that makes me worry - never mind that my site is virtually the same as it was in 2006.I converted it to ActionScript 3 some time back, but functionally, it's the same. My goal is still to produce something that feels like a natural evolution of myself as an Art Director, and create a richer experience for non-Flash users. I still love Flash, but my head is - technically speaking - more interested in creating a more universally accessible experience. My own internal limitations that lead to the development of the current site in Flash don't really exist anymore - or at least now they're in the realm of conquerable challenges.

The next few projects are where it gets hazy. I want to write more - there are a few common themes I rant about at work, and I feel that a few people may enjoy my thoughts, or at least get a laugh out of my failures to adequately express myself.

The comic is an ongoing project where I struggle to re-learn to draw. There are good days and bad days.

The blog re-architecture is a hard choice. I may simply shut down my existing blog, and build a new wordpress system from scratch. Quite frankly, I'm not thrilled with Movable Type anymore. It's slow, clunky, and the new versions don't impress. Wordpress on the other hand, offers some really interesting functionality - for free. Also, a redesign won't cut it. As I spend more time thinking about the ideas behind Cooking for Nerds and my design exercises, the more I want to spin them off into a tumblr-style blog, though maintained on my own server. I also want to share more of my renewed interest in photography, as well as my occasional illustration work - which, right now, will all get pushed together.

Where am I now, after 6+ months of alternating silence and delays? I think I've finally gotten over my creative block, and am getting back to the business of making. It feels good.

Cooking for Nerds – Preliminaries

It's no secret that I happen to have a little bit of ADD when it comes to personal projects. As of this entry, I have 4 projects running: 2 comics, a portfolio redesign, and a cooking site. The comics are interesting challenges – I'm a decent illustrator, but I've never done anything besides one–offs or short series, and never had to maintain a consistent style. Also, I haven't drawn regularly since college. My portfolio redesign is an experiment building a site optimized for iPhone/iPad-style touchscreen browsing using jqTouch and my current site's portfolio assets. The cooking site is a larger endevour into content creation.

Coming Soon (again)

I have to put my plans to restart the Cooking for Nerds section on hold, but for a great reason – my company wants to produce something similar as an iPhone app for a potential client. How great is that?

So what's next, then? I'll continue the poster/book cover design exercises because they're so fun. I'm also going to work on an iPad and iPhone optimized version of my portfolio using jQTouch (a version of JQuery optimized for the iPhone, with additional functionality to mimic a native app). Last, I'm flexing my gritty/noir illustration skills by working on a graphic novel with a friend.

A Canticle For Leibowitz

According to TVTropes.org, sometimes a moral leaves no room for subtlety.

Upcoming

I hate leaving this idle for so long, so I feel like I should mention that I'm moving forward with a redesign and content strategy for my Cooking for Nerds site, in addition to creating another book cover. I think I am going to work on either A Canticle for Leibowitz or Count Zero next.

On a quick note, I randomly discovered that my non-flash portfolio was broken due to an un-encoded ampersand. You can't just have a random & floating in an XML file and expect PHP to parse it correctly – it must be encoded as &. Obviously, this error didn't exist when I launched the site, but it crept back in somewhere.

Flash on the iPhone (part 5 billion)

Given the current “Adobe is blocking HTML5 / No it isn't” silliness, it seems like the inability of the iPhone (and, eventually, the iPad) to play Flash content is coming to the foreground again.

X-Plane Redesign (Redux)

I finally finished my fictional redesign of X-Plane for the iPhone. My first effort wasn't bad, but it was little more than a reskin. As I thought about it further, I thought of changes to both the controls and the organization of the app itself that would dramatically improve it.

As I stated last time - I do not have any connection with any X-Plane project. This is not something you should expect to see coming to the app anytime soon. This is just a design exercise.

Snowed In, and Being Productive

One of the upsides of a foot of snow is that when you're not busy shoveling, you're inside trying to stay warm. What better way is there to stay warm, than sitting in front of a warm computer, updating your portfolio? Many.

But I had six Bank of America projects, one Merrill Lynch project, a Chrysler design study, and one bit of pitch work for Budweiser to add to my site, and now is as good a time as any. Check them out at danielboyle.net.

What's Next

I have a few projects going on right now...

• First, I am going to update my portfolio. I haven't updated it since I started at Organic in June of 2008. That should say how happy I am to be here. Still, I don't want it to look dormant. I have a bunch of work for Bank of America and Merrill Lynch to post, plus some concept work for pitches. I'd love to share the site I'm current working on (pet care), but it's still under production and (I think) NDA.
• I'm still working on a redesigned UI concept for the iPhone version of X-Plane. It's just a design exercise, not an actual job, but it's a nice challenge. I finished the wireframe and interaction design, and am about ready to start pushing pixels.
• I keep noticing a small but steady stream of traffic coming here after searching for "cooking for nerds." I plan on restarting that series, but expanded into its own blog, with a custom design and a heavy emphasis on design and information, as well as the food.

I won't be bored anytime soon, I think.

Dreams of Flight