terrytoledo.com - web design, graphic art and illustration

Hearistic Partnering - Web Graphics

Gray’s Web Design - Yachats, Oregon - 2009
Adobe Photoshop, Adobe ImageReady

I was hired by a web agency to design the graphics for this communication company.  People interested in eastern philosophies and progressive values were the target market.  I was provided the heart-spiral logo and created the remaining elements on the site design using textures from royalty-free photography sites.  This site design took 2 hours.

UFOTV - YouTube Web Design

UFOTV - Venice Beach, CA - 2009
Graphic Design, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe ImageReady

On the skinning of UFOTV’s YouTube page, I kept the theme of ufotv.com. Although the heading contains the same slogans and logo light effects, the navigation tabs and body background was given a new look. The dark background makes viewing videos easier, and the grey tabs attract the viewer to the links but do not take priority from the logo. The UFOTV YouTube site can be viewed here: http://www.youtube.com/user/UFOTVstudios

Classic Clunker Online - Web Design

Classic Clunker - Los Angeles, CA - 2009
Wordpress, HTML, CSS, PHP, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator

This site was designed to display information, photos and videos of automobiles that survived cash for clunkers. I had to develop the site’s information architecture with a number of navigation techniques in mind. The automobiles can be searched and listed by use, make, model and location. The classicclunker.com site also includes a ranking system where visitors can rank their favorite clunker. In addition to the site-wide ranking system, the home page features a poll to elect the clunker of the month. All polls, galleries and content is now managed by the site’s owner using the wordpress content management system. All photographs in the site’s graphics are provided by the client, all illustrations in the site are done my me. The site also has a feedback/comment system and a contact page so viewers can submit photos of additional clunkers. You can view the site here: http://www.classicclunker.com

PDX Bridge Festival - Web Design

Boomtown Productions - Portland, OR - 2009
Wordpress, HTML, CSS, PHP, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator

PDX Bridge Festival is raising the bar for city sponsored events by closing a number of bridges to celebrate the 100th birthday of the Hawthorne Bridge. The website raises the bar for creative splash pages by asking the user to raise the bridge in order to navigate the website. I used an adobe javascript code to implement the animation of the Hawthorne Bridge. This site is a good example of simple, yet effective design. See the animation for yourself here: http://www.pdxbridgefestival.org.

dhavir productions - Web Design

dhavir productions - Istanbul, Turkey - 2009
Wordpress, HTML, CSS, PHP, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator

dhavir productions is a Middle Eastern production company serving the greater Portland, Oregon area. The site was designed with Photoshop and hand coded in HTML and CSS by myself. The code is WC3 valid. As CDs and DVDs are produced, the admins for dhavir will be able to set up descriptions for products in Wordpress. The second phase of the launch will include a basic Zen Cart installation which will allow customers to purchase products online. As we develope the site, I will be integrating the two php scripts to interact seemlessly. Currently the site will archive two important newsletters: The Portland Middle Eastern Update and Dhavir Productions Newsletter. The site can be seen here: http://www.dhavir.com.

UFOTV - DVD Package Design and Logo Design

UFOTV - Venice Beach, CA - 2009
Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop

With 2012 approaching, there is an increasing awareness of the Mayan Calendar. Attached to this new awareness, are various opinions on how this ancient system was developed and how it relates to our moment in history. The general response to this information has been fear, connecting the end of the Mayan cycle with a divine act of human extinction. In contrast to this, we have 2012: Evolving Perspectives on the Next Age. This documentary is an optimistic look at our opportunities at this tipping point in world events. The movie is divided into more than 12 short features covering grass roots movements that will influence our future societies. From alternative energy systems to Shamanism, the documentary will leave the viewer anticipating 2012 and the positive communities that will be created by today’s progressive movement. In creating a package for this concept, I wanted to address a number of points. First, I felt the DVD needed to be green. Not only for the environmental reference, but to address the technology mentioned in the film. Supporting the high-tech look, I placed the contributors on a 90 degree angle in front of the temple and behind it. The font for 2012 also adds to the technology look. The spiritual ideas in the film are represented at top and bottom (the moon and Mayan temple). Finally, to connect the Mayan Calendar with our current world events, I gave the temple the same lighting and color effects as the city skyline. In a sense, hinting that todays skyscrapers reach for a higher meaning the same way the Mayan temples did. The background of this composition is made up of a number of Hubble Telescope photos and photos of clouds. One of my favorite projects so far, look up the film on YouTube. It’s inspiring!

Star Autism - Discrete Trial Essentials Teacher’s Aid Kit

Star Autism - Portland, OR - 2009
Graphic Design, Illustration, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Streamline

Star Autism makes teacher’s aid kits aimed at students with autism. The DT Essentials kit was developed to help motivate participation in the class lessons. The package comes with 11 interactive and sensory toys which students will have the opportunity to play with as they complete their lessons. When a lesson is completed, the student earns a coin, after 3 coins have been earned the student may play with the toy. To make this process as simple as possible, I illustrated a store where the student may collect toy credits. I also did over 11 illustrations of toys that are placed on the store. The final element of the product is the package design. The background of the box contains many of the toys included in the box. The box also features the illustration of the store, a visual representation of the teacher’s kit.

Good Company Games - Board Game Package Design and Logo Design

Good Company Games - Tucsan, AZ - 2009
Illustration, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Streamline

Good Company Games has been contracting me to do web, graphic and illustration work since the company was founded. The original Cornerstone game has since won the Mensa Select award, Mensa’s organization has over 110,000 members worldwide who qualify by scoring in the top 2% on a standardized intelligence test. The game has been in high demand since winning and I was contacted to design the package for this follow up game. Cornerstone Essential has less pieces than it’s predecessor. A sticker will be added to this package to denote the player colors, buying a number of these smaller game sets will allow larger groups to play a single game. My illustration kept this in mind showing an endless horizon of towers. I hope this version is just as successful.

UFOTV - DVD Package Design and Logo Design

UFOTV - Venice Beach, CA - 2009
Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop

Dead Whisper is a documentary presenting contact and communication with deseased spirits. The authors’ communication is recorded and interpreted with help from computer software. With that in mind, I designed the cover to feature visual symbols of sound waves as they are rendered on computer screens. After modifiing an image of a scary building, I added wispy clouds and photographs of moving green and white lights. Without even reading the title, the viewer has a good guess that this may be a haunted program about sound.

UFOTV - DVD Package Design and Logo Design

UFOTV - Venice Beach, CA - 2009
Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop

Lapis Exillis is a documentary focused on the Holy Grail. The author explains why specific works of art may suggest the location of the grail. Two of the works (Shepherd’s Monument and The Shepherds of Arcadia) are featured in the documentary and used on this DVD cover. Although the documentary does not attempt to link these artworks by overlapping the images, I felt it reflects the spirit of the subject matter.

I also think the result is a bit errie, more so if I am the first artist to present these masterpieces in this manner. Regardless, the Knights of Templar cross acts as the heart of the piece, uniting all the characters involved.  The spine of the DVD package repeats the title of the movie while covering the last figure. This figure is revealed on the DVD disc and appears to be handing off a head to the kneeling figure. Without going into theories, the DVD art stands well on it’s own. An original piece that merges modern design with iconic fine art.

Hits coming from search engines are called organic visits. If you’re a business, however, you might as well call them new customers. Most businesses invest in a website to expand their customer base, unfortunately, without proper attention to SEO (Search Engine Optimization) a nice website can sit unnoticed.

Each click that leads to your website is a vote. These votes are weighed with additional factors and ultimately determine a page rank by a search engine. The process of ranking every website is so elaborate, an independent industry has developed to provide search engine optimization. Companies can now guarantee page rank results by adjusting html files and adding specific content. Optimizing a website can run up to $3,000 and can turn a business into a multi-national company within a year. For the best explanations, visit Wikipedia’s search engine optimization and PageRank definitions.

In Search Engine Optimization, Content is King

Search Engine Optimization often involves something that most web designers avoid. Writing copy. The content of a website will always be the main factor in search engine results. Search engines will read and analyze your content, determine common phrases and store the results among millions of other sites. Researching key words and including them within your content is a standard way to improve your stats. Keyword density in document text is most effective when your keywords appear more than 3% of the time. Anything near 10% may indicate keyword stuffing and cause your site to be flagged. A good way to check your site’s keyword density is to visit http://www.webconfs.com. Keywords that are used at the beginning of the document are also considered more important. Keywords that are used together are called key phrases and add extra value to a page rank, especially if the phrase is repeated on multiple pages within a website. I have been adding content to my site for over five years and have finally noticed the benefits in my page rank.

HTML Optimization

Using key phrases and words within the html is a science to be mastered. Links may be the most important part of html on your site. URL titles are also considered by search engines. Luckily, the content management systems I use to build my sites add URL titles, file names and meta data automatically. A website that names for html files with keywords will be rewarded with a higher page rank. There are a number of tags that can be labeled with key words. Here are a list of tags that I use to optimize websites.

• Title Tag - This is one of the most important places to have a keyword. What is written in the title tag shows in search results as your page title. The title tag must be short and words towards the front are given more emphasis.
• Heading Tags - There are 3 or 4 levels of heading tags that can be utilized on a page. Most content management systems will automatically put your page title in a heading page.
• URL Title Tag - This tag defines the box of text that appears when a pointer is moved over a link.
• Image Alt Tag - The images that are used in your site can drive traffic from image searches. Keywords placed in IMG ALT tags will add to the importance of those words.
• Meta Tags - These tags are typically hidden from view and give information about the content. These tags are becoming less important over time yet are still automatically filled out by most content management systems.

Outside Links to Your Site

You want more people to link to your site. Not only do you want more links, but you want links from websites that are popular and have a strong page rank. Links from popular sites will add points to your ranking. To find where backlinks are coming from, type in “linkdomain:www.yourdomain.com” in the search field at yahoo.com.

There are only so many things you can do to add links to your site, but here are a few ideas.

• Take part in online forums - If you have opinions or experience in a field related to your keywords you may be able to drive traffic to your site by helping others solve problems. The internet is full of forums debating politics, revealing scientific breakthroughs and defining history. Contribute to your online community and search engines will reward you for it. Just make sure to include a link to your website in each post and interested readers will want to learn more about you.
• Write articles for online magazines - Not only will this help your page rank, it can be profitable.
• Get involved with a nonprofit or your local government - Get involved and make sure your website is credited with a link. Links from .gov or .org websites have a better reputation and carry a stronger vote for your site.
• Get listed in directories - Having your organization listed with yahoo.com, DMOZ, citysearch.com or uscity.net and add more links to your site from other domains. Directories can also help drive new visitors to your site without using a search engine.

If you are placing a link to your website from an outside source, include it only once and it will become more important to the search engines. In any case, professionals always discouraged tricking the search engines. Chances are, Google has already thought of it. Attempting to trick a search engine with mirrored content, hidden text and high-jacked rss feeds will hurt your ranking and perhaps lock your website out of future search engine results. Manipulating computer language to benefit a specific web site ultimately makes the search engine service compromised. Organizations like http://www.seopros.org are working to expose hackers and standardize appropriate methods for optimizing web sites.

I find it amazing to follow the “wild west” of the internet. Ownership of copyrighted material is constantly a hot topic. Constructing a democratic processes to define computer language and protecting equal rights for each domain are causes I am proud to take part of. I hope the intentions of our communication will always trump manipulation when it comes to sharing information over the internet. Give me a call if you would like an free estimate on any of the services mentioned above.

A new service is available for 2009, I am now able to install and customize an open source application called Prestashop. It comes with a PayPal gateway, great web stats and some sharp effects. The admin control panel is completely customizable, so if you want the information architecture rearranged you can spend 10 minutes on the site map. Same goes for the storefront, too. I’ve tried eCommerce, Zen Cart, Magento and a number of other free applications but this is the best by far. Thanks Prestashop!

Take a look at my paintings, too! I now have a way to sell my artwork over the web. So far, everything in my store comes with free shipping. Check back often as I offer digital prints of past work, cafepress tees, stickers and my first comic book.

I plan on sending these postcards out very soon. Let me know if you would like a copy by sending me your address with the contact page!

Do you visit a number of web pages for information? Does it also relate to your web page? If so, you should think about offering posts from those sites on your website with RSS feeds. An RSS feed can add links and text directly to your site. Plus, it updates itself automatically! In fact, this post is an RSS feed found on my homepage and on the admin panel of all my client’s web pages. It’s a new way I can keep everyone up to date with new services that I can provide. If this sounds interesting to you, give me a call or send me an email and I will be happy to explain it more. Cheers!

Fine Art

Portland, OR - 2009
Acrylic Paint on Canvas

All three paintings are 20? x 20? and are available for purchase here or you can contact me here.

Sid Love is a “choose your own comic” with 25 different endings. Choose how the story unfolds…

• See squirrels driving giant monster trucks.
• Rock the guitar at your best friend’s party.
• Rip your boss’s arm off at work.
• Find love, adopt seven kids & go on the run.
• Get pulled into hell by a rotting zombie.
• Fight for your rights!
• Meet clones brainwashed to fight, work and die for their “god”!
• And much, much more!!

It’s up to you! Will the bad guys take over the world? Or will Love prevail? There’s only one way to find out, turn to page 3…

Sid Love is a choose-your-own comic written by me! (Terry Dunham)

Find sample pages here.

Buy it online here.

Retailers, contact me for a login and password that will allow you to purchase books at wholesale prices!

It comes with a free CD with music by me!

Some endings in the story continue on audio.

Songs are listed by their corosponding page number.

Download the Sid Love Album here.

I hope you are able to pick one up. Thanks for the support!

Triceratops

Self Promotional - 2009
Pencil, Ink, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop

This is a gift to my friend. The triceratops is inspired from an art car that I helped construct.

Bike Portland

Self Promotional - 2009
Pencil, Ink, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop

This was inspired by poster artwork by Echo Chernik, Adam Thurman and Emek. My art falls on the cartoonish side by default but I am expanding my style to more realistic images. This image marks the first step in that direction.

This was done with pencil, ink and photoshop.  This image is available for purchase exclusively (meaning I won’t use it for any other projects).  For $200 it can become your next CD cover or film poster!