http://www.loop11.com/pricing/
http://www.optimalworkshop.com/chalkmark.htm
http://www.usertesting.com/
http://www.userzoom.com/

$j('#various2').fancybox({'hideOnContentClick': true, 'hideOnOverlayClick': true, 'showCloseButton': true, 'scrolling': 'auto'}); /* use id of link for fancybox selector */

/* necessary to set if-statement within page ready or load event */

$j(document).ready(function() {
if(document.location.href.indexOf('#various2')>-1){ /* check for anchor text in URL */
$j('#various2').fancybox().trigger('click'); /* chain click trigger on to previously written fancybox declaration */
}});
$j('#fancybox-wrap').css({'margin':'20px auto'}) /* set css for wrapper; safari was centering the inline element to the position of the #various2 element, which was at the top of the page. This resets to 20px top/bottom and in the middle horizontally */

My link looks like this:

DJ Set Times Here

and my content is wrapped with:

CONTENT HERE

Easy, peasy.

• I keep all my professional work, including client files, on a separate hard drive partition so that I can easily and regularly back them up, let’s call it g:\
• Client files for web projects are organized as such: g:\clients\client-name\project-name , so that if a long-term client wants a site redesign, I can easily keep these separate rather than dumping them into a single public_html directory for each client
• My local testing server is pointed at a different partition, let’s call it h:\
• I want to be able to serve individual projects via the testing server, but only work on the project files

Naturally, I thought of unix aliases but I’m currently running Windows 7 so I tried shortcuts. Didn’t work. After a little digging, I found the solution: symlinks (which work in numerous OSes – thanks for the correction). From the command line, type:

mklink /D H:\target\directory\linkname G:\clients\client-name\project-name

mklink /D creates a symlink, or a soft link that is the Windows equivalent to unix aliases. The first argument is the directory where you want the link to be placed, and the second is the source directory. Easy as pie.

Be careful when deleting/writing content – the linked directory allows you to manipulate the original file!

Such typography, one comes quickly to realize, doesn’t suit all applications. In fact, it doesn’t suit most applications. The majority of typesetting isn’t done to draw attention to the text, but rather to make its characters melt their meaning with as little distraction as possible. It pays to know this—especially when that pay is coming from a client expecting your understanding of conventional typography to benefit her business.

That stated, listed below are the typefaces I most commonly employ. I use them for their stylistic range, completeness of character set, and most importantly, as a framework from which I can branch out and build more creativity—perhaps by employing or creating an entirely new typeface. No more delays. Here they are:

• ITC Garamond Std
• ITC New Baskerville Std
• Mrs. Eaves
• Futura Std
• Trade Gothic LT Std
• Helvetica Neue LT Std

I’d say I use these for 80% of the work I do. Other typefaces I might consider are listed below. Some are either related or variations of the faces above. Others are slowly building up to workhorse status, or are used in extremely specific instances.

• Adobe Garamond Pro
• Adobe Jenson Pro
• Avenir LT Std
• Univers LT Std
• Bodoni STD
• Frutiger
• Gill Sans
• Helvetica LT Std
• ITC Franklin Gothic Std
• Poetica
• Gotham HTF

What are your typographic workhorses?

Those processes are like a clingy partner in a relationship: important, but annoying. Luckily for design, a lot of them can be streamlined to take less time. Unfortunately, most clingy partners get canned. I streamline my process by using templates, standard documents, and content management systems. It’s that last one that this post is about.

After a long hesitation and with much thought, I’ve decided on a CMS to drive larger client sites, as well as sites that have the distinct potential to scale significantly larger. That CMS is Drupal, and here’s why:

• open source/license
• awesome development community
• awesome scalability, with throttling options for high bandwidth
• highly extensible through modules/hooks/api including functionality for:
  • blogging
  • wiki/taxonomy/hierarchy
  • forums
• both CMS and CMF (Content Management Framework)
• integrates jQuery natively
• scalable
• themability
• session control

Here are some of the sites that brought me to this decision:

• http://www-128.ibm.com/developerworks/ibm/library/i-osource1/index.html?ca=drs-#N1024A
• http://www.packtpub.com/article/2008-open-source-cms-award-winner-announced
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sfrfuCLH9sg&feature=related
• http://www.drupal.org
• http://dc2009.drupalcon.org/

I still plan on designing and developing for WordPress—but only for smaller and more static sites.