Hi. I’m Dave Robb, A freelance designer from Ireland, now living in Seattle. I specialize in beautiful, functional design, and web development that works. I also head up design and web development for a company that provides cloud-computing solutions for the automotive repair industry across the US.
A 100% Authentic Irishman (from Ireland), I have spent the last few years splitting my time between working for a design studio that I co-founded, freelancing for my own clients, and climbing mountains. While on a trip to Washington State to climb Mt Rainier, I met Jeana, and spent the next year traveling between the US and Ireland to visit her, before we decided to get married.
I now live just outside Seattle with my wife, where I continue to work as freelance designer and web developer. I also head up design and web development for a marketing company that focuses on providing SaaS solutions for the auto repair industry across the US, enabling them to better manage and serve their customers needs, and run more successful, targeted advertising campaigns.
My broad skill set, built over 10 years of experience in the Web Industry, covers many of the areas that are critical to the success of a website or web application online today. I graduated with a First from the University of Ulster where I specialized in User Experience, Interface Design, Usability and Web Standards. A passionate advocate for accessibility and compatibility, I ensure that all of my websites can be accessed by as wide an audience as possible, regardless of location, platform or ability.
I not only specialize in front-end design, but also back-end development, allowing me to take on a diverse range of projects that many other designers cannot. I am an expert PHP/SQL developer and I am currently working on 2 separate SaaS projects that are being implemented using RoR. I also have experience developing my own APIs and am a skilled JQuery developer.
Last year I developed a PHP, MySQL and JQuery CMS that targets church websites, providing much of the functionality needed for a successful site, at a cost churches can more comfortably afford. While not strictly a web app, I plan to port it to RoR to increase it's flexibility as it's popularity grows.
I am currently working on 2 large SaaS projects that are in development/BETA. If you are interested in hiring me for a similar project and would like more information on these projects, please contact me using the form below (both projects are information and business sensitive).
My design work focuses on simple, clean and attractive user interfaces. Before starting any design, I spend time consulting with my clients to find out just what they want their new website to say about them, and to convey to their users. I then design sites that are not only easy use, but that are also memorable, and that visitors want to come back to.
I enjoy explosive use of color to grab the viewer’s attention, without overwhelming, or distracting from a client’s key message. My skills as a front-end web developer enable me to mould each design round best-practices of web development and use, something that often gets overlooked when working with separate designers and developers.
Though my niche is design for the Web, I have also worked on a number of design projects for print, and for branding.
I have a real passion for the development of functional websites that do exactly what my client’s expect them to do…and more. Believing that there is nothing worse for visitors than something that does not work correctly, or is hard to use, I constantly work to find new and innovative ways to solve problems.
A purest and perfectionist, I hand-write and validate all of my XHTML and CSS to ensure future-compatibility of my websites in all Standards Compliant devices. While I have experience with ASP.NET through the design studio I co-founded in Belfast, N. Ireland; my specialty is PHP development. I have developed a number of CMSs and CRMs for clients, both for specific, and for broad use.
I develop with JQuery on a day-to-day basis, integrating AJAX into my web apps and websites to enhance user experience. I am currently leading the development of 2 large-scale SaaS projects using PHP and RoR.
I strongly believes that a website should not be a one-time project, but that it should be constantly evolving, changing and improving to best serve a visitor’s needs. Realizing that most clients don’t have the budget to get everything done in one go, I manage my projects with the goal of getting critical aspects of a website online first and then building on these in future phases.
Not all projects start with a redesign and rebuild, and I have consulted on a number of projects with clients to help them choose the best direction to take when improving their website. Just a few hours of planning before a project starts can greatly change the outcome of the final product.
Likewise, I have also conducted usability studies on a number of websites to pinpoint key areas for improvement and redevelopment, ensuring that my clients do not spend money unnecessarily.
Some of my major studio clients were in the high-end travel industry, where Search Engine Optimization and Exposure are critical for business success. I have worked on a number of projects to help increase Search Engine rankings, from content and code re-writing, to setting up entirely new websites for specific content – all with excellent results.
I follow all the best-practices set out by Google when developing my websites. I have also consulted with clients to create long-term, SEO solutions and strategies. Because Search Engines are constantly changing how they rank websites on the Internet, I like to regularly work with my clients with whom good page and result ranking are crucial for their business.
I have also been involved in organizing and implementing non web-based exposure campaigns including print design, and social/viral media campaigns.
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