Johnny Dodd is a staff writer for People Magazine who has traveled the world interviewing fascinating people, both famous and infamous. He is currently in Sochi covering the Olympics, and was on the Today Show this morning as a correspondent. We got this site up in a week in anticipation of both events (an Olympic feat itself). You can read more than 30 stories and read more about books he’s written on the site.
I used a raw wood background coupled with a typewriter font to contrast the difference between the experience of digital and analog. For the logo, I used a cool CSS trick that make it look like his name was being typed out. And we brought the Twitter front and center so he could issue dispatches from the road.
I love it when my clients return with ideas to redesign their site or somehow make it better. When I first designed Pamela Druckerman’s site, she had a new book coming out (Bebe Day By Day). Recently, she took on a role as a columnist for the New York Times, and wanted the site to help her promote articles as they came out. We brought the blog to the homepage. We also added pages for all the many translations her books have been published in–from the Ukraine to Korea.
And yet another site launch for this week–Mission Cycling! This might be my favorite site that I’ve ever done in terms of design. It was hella complicated (integrating Instagram, Strava API, WordPress), but entirely worth it. The end result is a dynamically-updated site that captures the spirit and passion of this cycling group and automatically creates weekly stats as they happen for members. And on a snowy Chicago day, the lush photography makes me miss the Bay Area just a little more.
Your Life SPRUCED is a New Orleans-based personal organizing service that does everything from home organization to staging to project management. The client wanted the site design to be as tidy and clean as her offerings, while having the copy reflect the personal touch she brings to every job. We kept it simple and showed off some inspiring before and after shots in the gallery.
The eBook I edited: BROKEN: Navigating the Ups and Downs of the Circus Called Work is now available. I’ve worked for months with the authors–Nate Burgos and Stephanie Di Biase on this project. A great read for anyone who has struggled with work dynamics–especially in a creative capacity–the book is both a shoulder to lean on and a tool to make things better.
HarperOne is an imprint focusing on religion, spirituality, and personal growth from HarperCollins. Over the years, I have done a ton of work for them–including this News and Pews this site (three years ago). The redesign launched yesterday, updating the site with a more modern look to entice younger readers, and integrating social media in a way that wasn’t available when the original site launched.
The article reads: Russian Tea Time is the kind of classic, white-tablecloth restaurant that helps old cities age gracefully. There’s nothing new here, just wonderful Ukrainian-style borscht ($6), Russian herring ($13.50) and Moldavian, Uzbek and Azerbaijani specialties on a busy downtown street. The tea service ($29.95) includes over 30 teas and a spread of sweets and savories such as Pozharski croquettes and rugelach, while the vodka flights feature house-flavored black currant, horseradish and ginger spirits. Just across Michigan Avenue, get a taste of the Art Institute of Chicago’s dizzying scope by dropping into one of its catch-it-while-you-can exhibitions, like “Art and Appetite: American Painting, Culture and Cuisine,” which surveys “the historical art of eating” through Jan. 27.
The eBook I edited: 