An imaginative, enthusiastic & experienced developer with 6 years industry experience in LAMP, Ruby on Rails and Web Front-end.

Hi, i'm Steve and I've been making websites for quite a long time now!

Whatever your requirements, I am happy to find a solution that works. I offer a complete set of skills so we can build you a full site that is totally stable and extremely flexible.

I can work with your own framework or system of choice (e.g. Codeigniter, Wordpress) or build something totally new from the ground up or anything in between.

If it's help you want and inspiration you need I'm always keen to bring new ideas and good coding to your project.

See I am Developing
View my full portfolio >>

Skills

(Click on an item for more detail)

Essential Skills

  • Time Quoting

    I always consider all necessary stages when quoting for a piece of work.

    (But still keep in mind that this is an artform not a science!).

  • Budget Awareness

    Often project scopes will change and require a reassessment of the budget for a given piece of work.

    With your budget in mind, we can work together to make sure things stay on track.

  • Documentation of Work

    I regularly make clear notes on all my work through both documentation and comments within code.

    This helps you clearly understand my work processes.

  • Multi-Browser Testing

    Having a site look and work great in one or two browsers isn't enough.

    I make sure my work passes all checks in the the browsers you require.

  • SEO

    Even if I am not writing your site content, my understanding of Search Engine Optimisation is vital in building the structure of your site.

  • Compiling Reports

    Understanding how visitors use your site is vital for progress.

    I am able to produce clear reports on your visitors, in whatever format you require.

  • Email Marketing Tools

    Often email marketing is done via an online service such as Mailchimp, Campaign Monitor or PURE360.

    I am happy to work with you to manage your email campaigns using your tool of choice. I have particular experience with PURE360.

Languages

  • PHP

    I have 5 years experience using both PHP4 and PHP5.

    I have worked with bespoke Object-Oriented systems as well as open source frameworks such as Code Igniter and Cake PHP

  • AJAX

    If used properly, AJAX can bring a smoothness to the functionality of your website.

    I have a lot of experience (mostly using jQuery/PHP) of using AJAX within sites.

  • MySQL

    I work with MySQL databases everyday both through a desktop client and the command line.

    In this I have 5 years experience, including complex queries.

  • HTML

    From HTML 4 through XHTML and now into the brave new world of HTML 5, I have worked with this technology for over 6 years.

    Although anyone can build a basic webpage from scratch, it takes an experiential understanding of HTML to properly format a page using semantic, well formed and meaningful markup.

  • CSS

    There are a myriad of ways to stylise the same element with CSS.

    Only an experienced hand, however, can do it with economy and and understanding of scope and inheritance

    CSS 3 is awesome!

  • Javascript / jQuery

    I have worked with Javascript for 6 years now but it was only when I moved to the jQuery library that my skills advanced.

    jQuery allows me to achieve amazing and subtle on-screen effects with ease.

    I am a big jQuery fan!

  • Ruby on Rails

    In Ruby I have found a human-friendly and more efficient alternative to PHP as a scripting language.

    In Rails I have found a fast, powerful and quick-to-build framework.

    Whilst I have no commercial experience using Ruby on Rails to date, I am keen to work more with it, having used it for a few of my personal projects.

Software

  • Photoshop

    Despite not offering a design service, I have come to know Photoshop pretty well and am now quite proficient with the tools (and indeed the vital keyboard shortcuts!)

  • Illustrator

    My understanding of Illustrator is perhaps more than a developer requires!

    For the past 2 years I have worked alongside designers who use it as their preferred tool (over Photoshop or Fireworks) for creating web-layout designs.

  • Flash

    I do not pretend to be a Flash Guru but am confident using it for basic interactive animations.

    I enjoy Actionscript but have not had enough chance to work with it yet.

    I have also built 2 full sites in flash.

  • Code Editors

    I started my code journey with Dreamweaver, but like most developers, ending up using something lighter.

    I use Coda for my project work, alongside BBEdit for quick edits or merging code between servers.

  • Office Applications

    What kind of a computer expert would I be if I didn't know how to use Microsoft Office?!

    I also use the Mac iWork suite and Openoffice on Mac and Linux.

Other Skills

  • Linux

    Websites can be tricky things and often require an understanding of the inner workings of a server and its software in order to solve problems.

    I know and use many Linux commands in my work everyday (Ubuntu).

  • Mac OS X

    Mac OS X became my operating system of choice after I tried it out 4 years ago.

    It is elegant, it is simple to use, everything integrates and works the way it is supposed to!

    Since switching to a Mac, I have a faster more streamlined workflow.

  • SVN / Git

    I have used Version Control on mulitple projects.

    I have used both simple and branched structures of SVN with my PHP work as well as Git usage with Ruby on Rails.

  • Microsoft Windows

    My first forrays into the world of web-building were done with Windows XP over 6 years ago (before my transition to the mac).

    I have nearly 20 years experience using Microsoft Windows (from version 3.1 right up to 7!)

  • Accessiblity

    An understanding of accessibility is vital for any modern website.

    Talk to me about your requirements.

  • CSV Data

    Quite often (despite best practice) data is transported around as CSV or XLS files which can be tricky to use, especially when dealing with databases or if badly formatted.

    I have a lot of experience in getting this done right.

A brief history of me

For full details download my latest CV in .pdf or .doc

Full Site Build

With structure and scalability in mind, I can build you a full site that is both stable and flexible.

I can work to your own framework or system of choice (such as Cake PHP or Wordpress) or build something new from the ground up.

Whatever your requirements, I am happy to find a solution that works.

Site Refresh

After a while a site can start to look stale, despite having up-to-date content, and will need to be redesigned or restructured.

Building a site that is fresh and new, whilst working with exisiting structures, functionality, data and content can be tricky to get right.

I am happy to work with you to find and realise your new vision for your site.

Content & Maintenance

Websites need constant maintenance to keep them fresh and snappy.

Quite often, sites built without a CMS need a simple content update here or a new widget there.

I am happy to work on your existing websites, just contact me for a quote

Full Support

Tech language can often be confusing and verbose.

Having been in the industry for 6 years, I understand it's workings pretty well. Experience is a natural teacher.

Perhaps you need advice on whether to build a new site, update your existing one or to simply use an online tool?

I am here to help you make these decisions, just get in touch and ask me about my consultancy service.