As I mentioned in my recent post: "OMG! It's alive!", this here very website has its own bespoke CMS (Content Management System) for updating portfolio examples, blog posts and all the content on every page.
I'm no PHP programmer, while my friend and colleague Graham (of behinddesign.co.uk) is.
And tis he who is to thank for all the PHP wizardry that's "going down" on my new site. Thanks Graham. Thraham.
Let me tell you more about this rather talented chap.
Our story begins many, many years ago, in a cozy little office above a chemist ...
Well, I say many years ago
... was about 2003 if my memory serves me well.
I had just come out of University and was struggling to find a design job ("We really like you portfolio but are looking for someone with experience" was a common response I got in interviews. Meh.).
In the meantime, I managed to get a part-time job with a little web company in North Wales. I knew nothing of web design. HTML and CSS was all Russian to me. My plan was to stay a year or so and learn 'web design', and also to tick that 'experience box' to get me into a design job in the city. Well, things didn't quite pan out that way (but not in a bad way), but I won't go into all that now - you can read about it in my post: "Let's talk about ... me!". This post is all about "the G" ...
I met Graham during this time. He was only 19, but already hand coding his own apps and websites, as well as conversing directly with clients, planning projects - the works.
I left the company to pursue my freelance work at around the same time Graham left to study advanced programming at University. It was during this time that we started working together more and more on projects - myself doing the design and HTML / CSS, and Graham providing PHP programming.
Our CMS system was born, and over the years has grown to encompass a number of very nifty modules, which include:
- WYSIWYG on page text areas that allow users to input valid, clean semantically correct content
- Blogging
- e-Commerce
- Picture galleries
- Services
And so to today
6 or so years on and we continue to work together. Graham's PHP is 'the power' behind most of the projects in my portfolio - the Wombats, Sing Songs, Dave Lloyd Coaching, Merit Golf to name but a few.
So, as a thank you, let me 'big up' Behind Design a bit. To summarise:
- A real commitment to advanced PHP programming standards (on a par with mine for design and html/css)
- Great project management skills
- Excellent back-end planning skills (and - like me - he aint no "yes man")
- Always delivers
- A man of integrity and honesty
- I'm sorry to admit, a pretty good 'Medal of honour' and 'Call of Duty' player
- I'm not sorry to admit, an utterly terrible 'Street Fighter 4' player :P
The second half of the 'thank you' will be for me to return the favour on all the work he has done on the back-end of this site, with myself producing all the design and html/css on Graham's upcoming new 'behinddesign' site (I've already done his logo and a very quick website). Will let ye'all know when that's done. It will be powered by the same system as my site - with some tweaks to suit Graham's specific needs.
2 birds, 1 stone. Well. 2 blokes, 1 CMS.
Right. That's enough back slapping. Wine and Champions League football on ITV is calling me ...
SAY STUFF