jakob's web studio - Web Design

Web Design or the Art and Science of Solving Problems (Part 1)

Sat, 21 Jul 2007 04:57:41 -0500

I sometimes refer to myself as a web designer, a term that to many people I meet means "someone who makes websites pretty". This is a rather narrow definition and one I'd like to extend and widen and put in context with what us web professionals actually do. This blog post, the first in a series about building websites (or solving problems the way I look at it), covers some of my own thoughts regarding the trade of building websites and how a web professional or web designer thinks compared to print designers.

The new super-improved KogVet website is launched!

Mon, 09 Oct 2006 18:09:51 -0500

The new website for the student association at the Cognitive Science program here at Linköping University was launched two weeks ago but I haven't gotten around to posting about it until now. It's with a great feeling of accomplishment that we finally launched this site and we're thrilled at the thought of all its new features and what it will bring to the association and the students at the program. Continue reading in my portfolio...

Drupal for Solid Lifeforms

Mon, 04 Sep 2006 13:32:28 -0500

A beginner’s FAQ and guide to one of the most formidable content management systems on planet Earth

Some of you who frequent my site may have noticed that I work a lot with Drupal and now offer Drupal-related services such as customization and design. If you’re curious about what Drupal is and what it can do for you, how you can build a better site - a site that’s easier to maintain using a state of the art CMS, this guide is for you.

Snowmania - the 720 ski club website is launched!

Tue, 22 Aug 2006 20:37:18 -0500

I am proud to announce the launch of the website of the 720 student ski club. The new website is a custom-built Drupal powered site that can easily be maintained and extended as needed and helps 720 keep its members up to date on the latest news and happenings.

Creative melting pot, eleven new designs

Mon, 21 Aug 2006 11:07:35 -0500

The last few weeks have been hectic, for several reasons. One of them is that I've been busy working on several projects simultaneously, two of which have been Drupal powered websites. I apologize to you my readers for the lack of updates but it has been a consequence of a lack of time.

Nine custom designs for Webbredaktören

Wed, 05 Jul 2006 06:09:22 -0500

I've been busy lately creating nine unique designs for Webbredaktören, a local company that is launching a breakthrough website setup service. What makes their service so unique is that it isn't just like any hosting or website package which usually includes just site building and hosting without any site maintenance, this service also includes your very own webmaster!

The problem with CSS and why designers think with tables

Fri, 30 Jun 2006 14:51:16 -0500

So called web standards-compliant coding using XHTML and CSS is being touted as the way of the future for web design and more and more people adopt the new methods and practices by the day. However CSS introduces a less than intuitive way to think about page layout which makes it hard to adopt and is also why web designers still use tables for layout. In this article I will cover some recent web design history, discuss why designers think with tables and why the CSS formatting model is not as intuitive as it should be.

All my styles will be upgraded for phpBB 3

Tue, 20 Jun 2006 19:50:35 -0500

Update: I have been forced to reconsider this decision, please see this post for more information.

I have been very busy recently as work and personal commitments have taken precedence which is why updates have been lacking. However due to the recent announcement about the first phpBB3 beta release I thought I should issue some kind of statement regarding what I'll do about my styles. They will all be upgraded, and it will be done in order of popularity, meaning Solaris will be the first style to be upgraded.

Some thoughts about design - it's mostly about ideas

Tue, 16 May 2006 20:56:34 -0500

A lot of people have asked me how I come up with ideas for new designs. While I can't offer a generic recipe for getting ideas and turning them into design solutions, in this article I've tried to express my own thoughts about working creatively. Interaction design research today is very focused on developing methods for establishing and creating so called design spaces that support the creation of good design solutions. I approach web design in a similar fashion however not necessarily in such a theory-based manner.

Help me make it into the web design book

Thu, 04 May 2006 16:18:08 -0500

I recently submitted my site to webdesignbook.net to hopefully make it into the book. If you like the design of this site and would like to support this effort and my site, please click the image below to go to webdesignbook.net and vote for me.

Can web designers truly make a difference?

Thu, 04 May 2006 12:47:29 -0500

As living beings, we are born, we grow up, live and die. During that period of time many of us would like to produce something that outlives us, and almost everyone wants to impact others such as family, friends and lovers. Some of us think the world is unfair and wish to do something about it, but can you do that, regardless of your profession? I believe you can and I'll tell you why, from my point of view as a web designer.