The Austin TechCrunch MeetUp was a blast! Anytime you mix geeks and alcohol you know it’s going to be a party.

With CS3 right around the corner I thought I would post some cheat sheets for the Photoshop CS versions. Hope they help!

Adobe Photoshop CS Keyboard Shortcut Cheat Sheet

PC Mac

Adobe Photoshop CS2 Keyboard Shortcut Cheat Sheet

PC Mac

Adobe Photoshop CS3 Keyboard Shortcut Cheat Sheet

PC Mac

How did you get started as a web designer?

I started learning HTML when I was a sophomore in high school creating basic personal sites. A few years later I was stationed in Lemoore, CA when I a friend of mine introduced me to Flash. I picked it up pretty quickly and I headed over the the book store to buy a few books. After a couple of months, I started integrating Flash into my HTML sites. I started going door to door to local business hoping to get my first client. Two weeks later I landed my first deal, a wedding/flower shop.

What college (if any) courses have been most helpful for your career?

Everything I know has been self-thought, reading a lot of books and following tutorials. Trial and error has been the most helpful. I’ve been going to school on and off trying to earn my CS degree.

What are your specific responsibilities at TSEG?

As a Web Architect I construct and implement the technical design for the organization’s presence on the Internet. This includes the selection of Web applications’ hardware and software platforms, developing site navigation, and designing an application framework. I am also responsible for ascertaining system volume, analyzing traffic patterns and optimization for search engines.

What do you do during a typical day?

I start of the day by doing a ranking search for all of our projects. I am usually working on many projects at once, depending on priority. Most of the day is spent optimizing our projects by creating new content. Once a new project comes along, we begin with the build up process by designing and coding the site. My day can become very hectic since so many unexpected task come along. Anywhere from Flash banners, hosting issues, blogging, design work, java scripting, and site updates.

What skills are needed for your job?

Design Skills (Adobe Suite), Creativity, Time Management, HTML, PHP, JavaScript, Gamer

What is your typical schedule?

It all depends on your workload. Sometimes you can work your regular 40 hours a week, but most of the time I will work more than the usual. My schedule is flexible enough where I can have a “normal” life, yet if we have a huge project that needs to be done by next week, I will literally live in front of the computer for days.

Do you travel?

As a freelancer, traveling was part of the job. You could land a project from another city and have to meet with the client before you start working on the project. Since a lot of the work is done online, traveling time is slowly vanishing.

What are some example of web sites you have worked on?

Here is a list of sites that I have worked on, either with the build up or SEO.

What personal qualities do you think are necessary for someone to be successful in this occupation?

I enjoy what I do. Basically, the best thing is that you have to be understand and be able to adapt to web trends.

What is biggest challenge in your field?

Time. Trying to balance your time to finish all your projects and still have a normal lifestyle.

Do you have a lot of interaction with a certain occupation?

Depending on the type of projects, there is a lot of interaction between our clients and their particular field. We mostly work with Attorneys so we deal with many individuals in the law field.

What are the changes that occur in your field?

The Internet is constantly evolving and you need to know when new trends hit the web. Learning to adapt is crucial in this field.

Do you think women avoid technical careers?

I do not necessarily believe they avoid it, I personally have seen more and more women interested in the field. I would love to see more tech girls.

Do you work on any side projects?

Yes I do. I have a few projects in the works, I focus all my time on TSEG but I am slowly developing other projects on my own.

Do you do any freelance projects?

Since being with TSEG I have not done any freelancing. I have enough on my plate to keep me busy for a long time so me taking any additional projects would make my make my schedule that much more hectic. I would have to give up sleeping. Now that I think about it, I wish I didn’t have to sleep.

DesignM.ag created a great list of some of the best web design portfolios on the web. If you are looking for some design inspiriation, this is an amazing list that will help you with your next project.

Texelate

Pixeleden

Kyan Media

Fulspectrum Media

Spoon Graphics

Dawghouse Design Studios

Adaptd

Adit Shukla

Jeff Sarmiento

Rawkes

Darren Hoyt

Tony Geer

Octwelve

Finchley Web Design

David Hellman

Mark Forrester

Jason Reed

Squawk

Digital Mash

Alessandro Cavallo

Ganato Design

Cleverful

Design Disease

Mohammed Alaa

Jen Germann

45 Royale

Emotions by Mike

Continue reading →

I love FlashDen. I reminds me of the old Flashkit days where I would spend countless hours finding resources and downloading source files. FlashDen has compiled a list of some of the best templates one their site. Here are a few of the ones I like. Link to fill list.

Photo Showcase

XML Portfollio Template

Liquid Template

Corporate Template

Smooth Portfolio

Full XML Website

Video Template AS3 XML

Magazine Page Flipper

Black Flash Website Template

Cool Urban / Street Template

I am going to try and compile a good list of portfolios from some of my favorite design firms.

Pixel Criminal - These guys are just insane in the membrane! I love their work.

Brad Filip - I met Brad a few years ago. He is a great designer and can flash it up like no other.

Evan Eckard - Really good development.

Shiny Binary - Awesomeness!  They have amazing original designs and their vector is killer.

• N. Design Studios
• Zession
• Us Design Studio
• Lucuma
• I Love Dust
• Foxies
• Studio 7 Design
• Laura Barrett
• Jared Nickerson
• Jeffery Sarmiento
• Apostol Nikolay
• enStyled
• Lock Sin
• Hicks Design
• Sean Ryan Cooley

Being a web designer for the past 8 years, I have created a few “rules” that I try to follow when creating a site. The web is constantly changing and as a designer you need to be able to adapt to the ever changing world wide web. I have compiled a small list of the things that I try to apply when I create a site.

Flash Abuse

I love Adobe’s Flash, ever since the old Macromedia days, I have been using Flash on my sites. But there has to be a limit on how much Flash you are going to use. Flash can be a good tool to add some great animations and spice up your site but if its abused, you will kill the sites usability.

Do not Hide Content

I hate pop up. And most people will tell you the same. Try to keep all your content available to the user.

Clutter

You want to keep your site structured and organized so that your visitors can find what they are looking for quickly. The less clicks it takes for them to find what they are looking for the more they will keep coming back to your site.

Stop Using Reflections

I used to love the Apple reflection design, same goes for the glass look. But it has over used and bringing to get old. I think its time for a new original look.

Use standard text

Simple is better. You do not need fancy fonts to display content.

Update Content

Users want to see updated content, you want to make it easy to update content quickly and efficiently. Content is King and if you want visitors to keep coming back you want to have good quality content.

Use Web trends

If you look around the web, you will see that many popular site have a similar look and feel to their sites. Try to add some design and interface elements from popular sites. This will give your interface and navigation a familiar feel to your visitors and make it that much easier for them to find what they are looking for.

I just finished modifying the new theme and I can say that I am fianlly satisfied with the the design. At least for now. In the coming months I will be posting on the progress of 2 new projects that I have in the works. Everything is still in its very early stage but things are coming together nicely.