My name is Zechariah and I’ve been involved in graphic design since 2000, when in college I began creating video game character “skins” for an online game I was playing at the time. Finding I had a real passion and natural knack for digital design, after much contemplation, I decided to change course from my official major and pursuit of a degree in Media Communications/Public Relations, and instead jump headlong into what was really driving me. After enrolling in web development and graphic design classes, being recruited to the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society with a 4.0 GPA, and earning the credits for seven certificates in Web and Graphic design, I knew I had found my true calling.
ZM Designz website with help from JA Sugite
I’ve been creating graphic designs and websites for nonprofits and business since 2006. Since that time, my services have really grown to emphasize and encompass offering my clients the benefits of a unified and comprehensive brand presentation for their business. My background and education in psychology/behavior, media communications, public relations, and of course design have really equipped me, ensuring my clients are poised to present the most appealing, compelling, and professional face of their business to the customers they serve— one that calls them to action. With a near perfect feedback score on oDesk.com, whether it’s brand consulting, design, or both, my clients know they’re getting top-notch, integrity-driven service and support. I appreciate every opportunity to serve, and each of my clients walk away knowing their highly valued.
ZM Designz Website’s birth
When it comes to how my current website was birthed, it’s funny. I've been meaning to update my website for some time now, but unfortunately a busy schedule doesn't always lend itself perfectly to taking time away from your clients to do something for yourself. As my priority has always been to my clients, my website refresh seemed to be moving farther and farther away, and I was beginning to wonder when it would ever happen. After months of a splash page on my domain stating “I’m updating my brand experience. Please check back soon,” I decided something had to be done.
Falling in love with JA Sugite
Love at first sight with Joomla template - JA Sugite
This is when I decided to take a trip on over to Joomlart and check out the roll out of their latest and greatest template. As soon as my eyes hit the page, I knew JA Sugite was the one. By the way, for all you designers out there, I think you know the feeling and moment I’m speaking of. Something inside just says “this is it!” As I began to take inventory of my response, I realized that the fresh, light, clean interface of the design was the magnet for my eyes.
As designers, I know we can sometimes have tendency towards showing off what we can do, creating complicated and detailed designs, but as we’re all continuing to learn, the growing trend is in the elegance of simplicity. With so much visual noise and bombardment on the internet today, visitors are looking for a reprieve and a place to rest their eyes while finding the information they’re looking for. This template had that all-important fundamental dynamic. Kudos to the JoomlArt designers who are transferring this trend to their designs.
Production time was incredibly faster than anticipated. Download of the quick start package to official live launch of my website was three days! Granted, by design, my site is small and doesn't overwhelm you with loads information, but three days is still pretty darn quick when balancing clients at the same time.
This is really a testament to this template’s intuitive interface and excellent forum support, which is yet to disappoint. Changing the branding scheme to support my business’s identity was quick and easy, with most of the work already completed by JoomlArt developers, and my portfolio pieces were easily transferred over to the pre-built presentation. A custom CSS file with some color changes here and there, minor padding and margin adjustments, and a few tweaks later, the site was ready to roll. Perfect for a designer with a busy schedule!
In Summary
To be very candid, if you have limited time and are in need of a professional quality website, one that’s current in design trends, and you need to get it out quickly, look no further. With the myriad of template providers, I keep coming back to JoomlArt because their designs are extremely attractive, their template configurations in the backend are well thought-out and intuitive, and their customer support is excellent. What else are you looking for from a template provider? JoomlArt has it all.
My thanks to JoomlArt and other fellow colleagues that have brought my site ZM Designzs into the spotlight. I’d love to meet with you in the comment section to talk about my site and the development process.