<-- Pick a color, any color. Web Design: Skills
I enjoy the process of building websites, and I have my favorite tools to do so. The vast majority of my imaging and design needs are met with Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator, along with my Wacom tablet and stylus. My artistic skills, as well as my handy new Canon camera, lend themselves to all sorts of ways to spruce up an otherwise dull website.
For coding, while I can use a WYSIWYG (such as Dreamweaver or Frontpage) if I have to, I prefer hand coding. My preferred tool is Vim, or Vi Improved, which works wonderfully as a text editor no matter what language you may be writing in. I use XHTML with CSS when coding a design. I strongly avoid using tables except where appropriate, though sometimes it can be unavoidable. I keep my code as validated as possible and ensure that it meets Section 508 standards, thus being accessible to everyone. I try to keep my file sizes small and my server requests as low as possible (taking full advantage of CSS sprites as needed), while still making a site aesthetically pleasing. MySQL is my database of choice, and PHP is my language of choice. I have recently started working with CakePHP.
My favorite blogging software is Wordpress, as I find it flexible and easy to template, with a range of useful plugins. My current preferred CMS is Drupal, and I am also familiar with a range of e-commerce software. I have worked with Jquery as well as YUI to enhance sites with advanced javascript.
I am currently self-employed as a web designer, and have previously been employed, doing web work, for the following: Internet Connection, Partnership for People with Disabilities, and Virginia Commonwealth University School of Nursing.