What can I do?

HTML and CSS are the basic building blocks of a web page, and provide its structure and styling. I am fully proficient in current, standards compliant (X)HTML and CSS, and have a good appreciation of how best to use these for both accessibility and SEO.

Javascript provides what we might call 'user end' functionality for a web page. Examples you might recognise include the cool 'lightboxes' that open up on lots of sites allowing you to see larger versions of images, and the in-place form validations - 'Your passwords do not match' - that you see on many signup forms.

PHP & MySQL provide what you'd think of as 'back end' functionality for a website. They work behind the scenes to provide you with the content that you want, and are what can make a site appear different to different users depending on how they interact with it. I have been working with PHP and MySQL for 5 years, and am totally proficient with both technologies.

Content Management Systems allow you to update the content on your site without having to know anything about how the site is built. You simply go to your own private 'Admin' web page, enter the new text or upload a new image, click 'Update', and the new content is loaded directly onto your site.

I have built a number of custom CMS's of my own, ranging from the very simple to larger and more specialised, and I can adapt these for your use in many situations. I am also comfortable working using proprietary CMSs such as Drupal or WordPress as a starting point. As a last option, I will happily develop a brand new CMS for you to suit your own specific needs.

Image manipulation including work in Photoshop and Illustrator, is required in the design and build of almost all sites, and I have good skills in this area. These come in handy when making graphics, buttons and logos, or enhancing your digital photos.

Flash is the technology that serves up the YouTube videos you see every day, and I can build custom Flash players to display video content on your website, or incorporate YouTube-hosted videos into your site. I can also use Flash to build you simple animated banners, or more complex Flash-based widgets (which may even interact with a database).