This spring I won the The David Rubin First Amendment Prize at the Newhouse Awards Ceremony for my work on Jerk Magazine this spring. I am truly honored.

Cheers, Newhouse!

One of my first jobs of the summer involved designing and coding an email ad for Threadstar LLC, a local business that specializes in making beautiful custom quilts and cute, warm mittens made from recycled, shrunken wool. Ann, the owner, decided to launch a new campaign for creating custom embroidered towels for grads, dads (Father’s day is just around the corner), or weddings/showers. Take a look:

Logo I made for joannesimons.com

Since designing my bro’s manly minimalist site, I’ve been eager to create the polar opposite– a playful site that incorporates more color and texture. And I got my wish. I’m designing www.JoanneSimons.com (temporary site up now), which is meant to function both as a personal professional site and a hub for her small business management classes. Granted, the word “business” doesn’t immediately conjure  up thoughts of “playfulness,” but by reflecting her personality in the design, the site will create an atmosphere that’s both fun and professional. More to come soon.

Spread the word– I’m now taking orders for websites. Get ‘em while they’re still hot!

Don't worry Belz, you're still my #1.

As of 7pm last night, the new and very much improved MattAllyn.com is now online. It took the better part of my spring break (after all, who needs vacations?), but it’s incredibly satisfying to see the final product up and running.

After designing the site in photoshop, I created the HTML and CSS web site. Then, to ensure my brother can easily update the site himself, I took those files and implemented a WordPress content management system.

I’ve never been much of a “tech” person. And despite the tedious and often frustrating task of coding a web site, I find myself oddly enjoying it. During some particularly engrossing coding sessions spent in front of the TV– and it pains me to admit this– I found myself ignoring Ice T and Richard Belzer on Law & Order. And that, my friends, is no easy feat.