Portfolio

I've been creating websites and web applications since 1997. In that time I've worked with all sorts of clients, built sites using a variety of CMS frameworks as well as from scratch. I've also created many side projects and experiments to improve my knowledge. Here's some of my recent work.

“Donovan is a purveyor of fine CSS and an absolute joy to work with”

Craig Lockwood, theweb.is

The Web Is...

The Web Is... is a unique web conference taking place in Cardiff, Wales and timed to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the web. I was solely responsible for the visual design, including logo and branding, as well as building and deploying both the teaser website and the full conference site.

Teaser website

Using modern CSS, and little JavaScript, The Web Is... teaser site was designed to be as small as possible while still being graphically impressive. With 3D CSS animations, inline fonts and even a full Mac Plus emulator, the site is quite unique.

Full conference website

Central to this responsive site was a long main page, giving information on each aspect of the conference. It builds on the visual themes of the teaser site, introducing a strong colour pallette and subtle animations. The aim was to create an air of quality, while allowing a bit of character and fun in.

Craig Lockwood, founder and organiser, also runs Cardiff's Founders Hub, Besquare.me and other great resources. He has been a terrific client to work with.

Converser

Converser provides an mobile app tool for businesses to create beautiful in-app messages.

As Director of UX, I was responsible for designing the Converser brand and software, and building the front-end also. I designed and built a consistently themed public website, blog site, and back-end software.

Public website

The site is modern and light, using SVG graphics to ensure it looks pixel-perfect on high-resolution displays. It's also fast, and designed to work across all sizes of devices.

Converser Blog

The Converser blog was about giving a voice to the company, to offer insights into mobile development and trends. Set up as a Jekyll blog, it can be hosted anywhere, can withstand massive numbers of visitors without issue, and is a clean, light responsive design.

Back-end

The back-end system allows the creation of in-app communications, made up of a series of views. The editor allows for editing in-place, without relying on separate form fields and the experience is tactile and easy to understand.

Emotional design

The Converser system is designed to be both powerful while easy to use, inviting and empowering. With bright, clearly labelled actions and in-place editing of messages, the admin area is as likeable as it is useful.