Saturday, March 14, 2009

"I'm looking for a world with more options"



3 things today that make me think "barf."

1. I have a friend who works for a company with an unsightly website. I was recently asked to help them. This has happened twice before from other companies who say that they want me to do their site, and then they renege. So I was optimistically pessimistic about the endeavor.
Existing site one and existing site two.
Now, they are a very good company that do plenty of business and it's all well and good. But those sites, not pretty.
I made landing pages, so that the first thing you see isn't their entire inventory index.
New site one, new site two. Those are just landing pages, but I was giving a feel for the direction I was planning on going with the entire site.

And then the email comes back that all the boss really wants is a new banner.
Now I think to myself, that is not going to cut it. The banner isn't really the problem.
But then I come to this point where I'm at a crossroads. I either tell them the truth, that they are more or less wrong, or I say "what's it to me if they want to go on in Ugly World? Why rock the boat?"
The designer vs. the peacemaker.
Barf.

2. This Easter I had a plan on how I was going to do the live painting this year for our church services. It was from my own brain, and I was pretty proud of myself for thinking of it. I told my boss and I couldn't quite read whether he thought it was a good idea or not. And then I got an email from him asking if I could do this instead.
I'm saddened by it. Because a) that would be a hack on something I feel that alot of people have seen. And b) I felt like he didn't trust my own idea. And c) I'm not going to do it.
Barf.

3. The dogs can't hold their pee anymore. And it isn't just the curtains or a stray plastic bag that gets peed on these days. They leave puddles in the bathroom 2/3 of the time. And I step in the puddle right in front of the door almost every time. Do dogs have prostates?
Barf.

5 comments:

laura said...

those things would have me barfing too. i really like your ideas for their site. they are MUCH better & more professional looking. you can tell the owner of the site my opinion. :)

Anonymous said...

1. Not even worth working for them if they do not agree with you, not like you can really use it as a sample work if the people have to go back to the ugly site.

2. Are you gonna share your idea for the painting? Do you ever volunteer your services/talents for other churches?

Anonymous said...

Here is the honest to God truth about business owners - especially webcentric businesses that have only recently gotten into the game: They don't and probably won't get it. If they are coming from a world of visual spew they just won't like going to a simple search site.

I haven't PHP'd in a while, but maybe you could do some database with rotating (top to bottom, or l-r) with PHP image pops or something?

I dig sand art, but that's so not the tradition - not that WG is super into traditions. We got stuck with doing cardboard testimonies on Christmas. I had mixed feelings about it - everyone who doesn't use you-tube was super touched. Everyone who did was thinking "I've seen better ones than that".

Sad about the dogs. Our female dog does the same thing. Pretty sure she doesn't have a prostate, she's just a pain in the ass that I can't get rid of...

yet....

My Mid-Afternoon Daydream said...

Hmm, they want you to draw sea monsters in sand for the Easter service? Wow, what will they come up with next...I'm sure it will be vastly original and groundbreaking!

Sorry for the sarcasm, what can I say? Hope you can find a way through it that doesn't leave you with a squidgy feeling...the more I see, the more relieved I am to not have to make those decisions anymore - you've got more patience than me Charlie!

Unknown said...

1) just do the banner and leave it alone. your sites are awesome, but she maybe is thinking "don't fix it if it isn't broken" or something like that.

2) ya, don't do it. I'm sure your idea was cool, but some people aren't ready for your coolness yet.

3) just keep them outside more/ a lot. that's what i do!!