Mike Ball

Quiet Logger: HTML5 WordPress Theme

admin — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 19:53:17 +0000

Given increasing enthusiasm for HTML5, as well as my own interest in contributing to the growing library of open source resources, I’ve released Quiet Logger, a minimal WordPress theme typeset in Baskerville and coded with HTML5.

Features

Semantically sound and valid HTML5
Minimal, clean, and valid CSS 2.1
HTML5 support to versions of Internet Explorer prior to IE 9 provided via Remy Sharp’s HTML5 Shiv
A minimal, typographically strong design based on Baskerville
Free and licensed under GPL

A demo can be viewed at quietlogger.mikeball.us. The source code can be forked on GitHub, or downloaded here.

View demo »

GPCC News

admin — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 20:56:05 +0000

In the fall of 2009, I worked to conceptualize, design, and develop a platform through which the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce could more effectively publish its online content. News.GPCC.com integrates the previously disparate and isolated elements of the GPCC’s web presence — Youtube videos, Twitter content, Flickr photos, blog posts, press releases, and HTML newsletters — in a centralized platform. News.gpcc.com also helps streamline content developers’ work flow and affords the GPCC’s Communications staff increased editorial control over messaging. Additionally, the site offers automated archiving, improved navigation and information architecture, and integrates fluidly with the GPCC’s primary site, greaterphilachamber.com.

News.gpcc.com is built on a custom WordPress theme. It shares JSON-powered advertising and featured events modules with greaterphilachamber.com and aggregates feed content from Twitter, Flickr, and the GPCC’s event calendar.

GPCC graphic designer Nate Johnson took the lead type photo used in the banner.

Typeface Design

admin — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 14:56:40 +0000

I’ve been playing around with some typeface design ideas. Stay tuned for numerals.

Muscle Crap

admin — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 02:38:44 +0000

A few of my illustrations were featured in Muscle Crap, small book published by Salt Tooth Press in 2004.

OurPhiladelphia.org Launched

admin — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 17:28:09 +0000

Last month, Gabriel Farrell, Cecily Anderson, and I launched OurPhiladelphia.org for our client, Common Cause, a nonprofit, nonpartisan citizen’s lobbying organization working to promote open, honest, and accountable government. While we plan to enhance and grow its functionality in the future, we hope this initial iteration of the site proves useful in helping Philadelphians access information about local politics. Our goal is to help create an open, honest, and accountable local government that serves the public interest.

Functionality Overview for Philadelphians

Find a complete list of legislative representatives based on a home address search
Access representatives’ photos, contact information, and campaign donor data
Read in-depth reports about the campaign money behind local issues that matter to Philadelphians
Follow the site’s blog for articles, events, and Philadelphia news related to how campaign money works in Philadelphia politics
Register to create a profile, comment on reports and blog posts, and get a personalized news feed

Our Philadelphia was made possible by the Samuel S. Fels Fund. Its representative search tool is powered by Cicero’s API. The site is built on Django and is an open source project. Feel free to download its source code or contact me about using this software in your own city.

Read more about the project in my portfolio entry, follow Our Philadelphia on Twitter, or join Our Philadelphia on Facebook.

New Site

admin — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 17:07:02 +0000

This most recent incarnation of my personal site sports a new domain name, mikeball.us, as well as a WordPress back-end. Stay tuned, as I plan to open source its theme files for those who would like to implement a similar WordPress-based portfolio site.

Parcell Press

admin — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 23:43:32 +0000

I designed and developed the logo, identity, and ecommerce website for Parcell Press, an independent zine, art, and book distributor.

Our Philadelphia

admin — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 18:59:44 +0000

I recently partnered with Gabriel Farrell and Cecily Anderson to design and build ourphiladelphia.org for Common Cause, a nonprofit, nonpartisan citizen’s lobbying organization working to promote open, honest, and accountable government.

Our Philadelphia is a community website designed to provide information to Philadelphians about the role of money in local politics. The site features an address-based representative search tool, a news publishing platform, RSS feeds, user accounts and profiles, as well as an extensive database of local campaign donor information. The project was made possible by the Samuel S. Fels Fund.

Working under the art direction and project management of Cecily Anderson, I was responsible for logo design and branding, user interface design, information architecture, and front end development. Gabriel Farrell served as lead developer. The site is built on Django and is an open source project. Feel free to download is source code or contact me about using this software in your own city.

31 Portraits

admin — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 21:21:12 +0000

For Artclash’s 2010 Fun-a-Day show, I drew 31 portraits, one for each day of the month of January. The illustrations were compiled in Anthrotopography, a small, photocopied zine. Photos to come.

31 Patterns

admin — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 02:56:17 +0000

Nate Johnson, Kara Schlindwein, and I collaborated on this book of 31 illustrated patterns for Artclash’s annual Fun-A-Day art show. We created one pattern each day throughout the month of January 2009 and compiled our finished work in a handmade book. The patterns are designed to tile infinitely.

free103point 9 Transmission Arts

admin — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 02:24:58 +0000

Gabe Farrell and I developed this site for the New York-based transmission arts advocacy organization free103point9. I served as front-end developer while Gabe worked on the server-side programming. Although we were provided design comps for much of the site, I am responsible for designing a few of the site’s final features, including an event calendar.

The site is built with Django, CSS, and Javascript. In addition to brochuring free103point9, the site also serves as a transmission arts digital archive, hosts an event calendar, and houses free103′s online radio station.

Young Professionals Network

admin — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 18:34:05 +0000

The Young Professionals Network of Greater Philadelphia is an affiliate organization of the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce. Throughout the summer of 2009, I worked to redesign and redevelop the organization’s website. The new site features an updated design that more clearly represents its affiliate brand relationship with the GPCC, and also more effectively serves as an online center of community for YPN’s active membership.

The site is built on WordPress and features an event calendar, a blog, a member bulletin board, JSON- and XML-powered Flickr image galleries, as well as advanced editorial features through which content managers can promote YPN programs and events.

British American Business Council

admin — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 15:15:20 +0000

In the winter of 2009, I worked to redesign the BABC’s website in conjunction with the organization’s new logo and branding. In addition to user interface design and front end development, I was also tasked with integrating the new site to work with WordPress serving as a content management system. The site features a blog, an event calendar, and dynamic JSON- and XML-powered Flickr image galleries.

Because the BABC had limited access to adequate hosting resources, I also installed Ubuntu Server Edition on a spare machine and configured a LAMP stack on which the site can run.

GPCC

admin — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 14:48:26 +0000

From August 2007 through March 2010, I served as Web Designer/Developer for the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce. As Web Designer, I worked with the GPCC’s Web Team and Art Department to manage web presence, online branding, content architecture, and user experience. Throughout my time with the GPCC, I designed various web sites, web interfaces, features, functionality, and graphics for the GPCC and its affiliate organizations, working in XHTML, CSS, JavaScript, jQuery, WordPress, PHP, MySQL, ASP.NET, and Adobe CS4 software.

While Jeremy Beaudry is responsible for greaterphilachamber.com’s original design, my contributions include enhanced typography and CSS styles, various icon sets, numerous web graphics, slideshows, a member bulletin board, an enhanced member directory, as well as various jQuery-based interaction enhancements.

As the GPCC’s web presence grew significantly throughout my time as Web Designer, I also encouraged the organization’s adoption of various open source technologies, the most notable of which is the GPCC’s Linux web server, on which I installed and managed a LAMP stack hosting several sites and services.

Clap Yr. Hands

admin — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 02:26:45 +0000

Clap Yr. Hands is a zine I occasionally publish, usually featuring illustration and collage.

Taylor & Juliette

admin — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 01:48:17 +0000

I created a simple brochure website and letter-pressed invite for my brother’s wedding. The website and invite feature original illustrations, as well as a hand-drawn typeface created for the wedding materials.

Brainworms

admin — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 01:38:32 +0000

T-shirt design.

Redmond General Contracting

admin — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 01:34:00 +0000

In 2007, I worked with Philadelphia-based graphic designer Clint Woodside and his studio, Tomorrow, to develop a new website for Redmond General Contracting. Clint designed the site and provided me Photoshop comps. I was responsible for all front-end development. The standards-compliant site is built with CSS and PHP.

Books on Wheels

admin — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 01:23:09 +0000

Books On Wheels is a Richmond, VA based nonprofit that offers youth development programs via bicycle repair education and free book distribution. I was responsible for front end design and development, as well as integrating the site to operate with WordPress serving as a content management system. The site features an event calendar, Flickr photo feed, and blog.

Battles

admin — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 01:11:12 +0000

Battles: Sea and Land are two illustration-based narrative zines made in 2006