Ryan Kinal
100 E. St. Clair St.
Warren, PA 16365
716.581.1000
ryan.kinal@gmail.com
Ryan Kinal is a programmer and web developer, specializing in JavaScript, HTML, and CSS,
with experience in PHP, SQL, ASP.NET, and graphic design. But beyond being technologically inclined, he is also artistically motivated, through music, lindy hop, and drawing in various media. Combining these interests and talents, he is a skilled developer with an eye for aesthetic design.
Try, Try Again
Monday, August 31st 2:37 pm
It's been said many many times for many many years, but it remains true: If at first you don't succeed, try again. It applies to so many activities and aspects of life, and web design and development is certainly one of them.
As I've mentioned before, I'm designing a site for R.K. Hite & Co., inc. I was referred by a friend who works there, I went in to meet with the owner of the company, and we came to an agreement. So, I went home and started looking through material and designing the index page. I had some ideas I wanted to incorporate, and some thoughts about what should be on the index page of the site. I hadn't been given much direction, so it was really up to me. What I came up with was this:
Unbalanced, not well thought out, and frankly pretty amateurish. I knew this, but I emailed it to both my friend (who is the contact point for this project), and the owner. They were, of course, unimpressed. I knew they would be, but I told myself they wouldn't, for some reason.
But then I scrapped that design, took a couple elements from it, and came up with this:
What. A. Difference. What happened?
Putting together the first design gave me a feel for what data was there, and what should be there. It allowed me to organize my thoughts and the content, and I was able to put that information to use in the new design. I opened up the design, got away from the closed boxiness, and added a couple gradients. I certainly took inspiration from a few sites I'd seen before, though I couldn't tell you which ones.
I sent it to Tim (my friend), and got the "wow" response that I hope for in everything I do. I also sent it to the owner of the company, though I haven't gotten a direct response from him in, well, ever. I'll be bothering Tim for some feedback, and I'd like at least second-hand information from the owner, as he's the one that I'll be billing for the work.
An aside, sort of
At a recent Lindy Jam, I was chatting with a long-time friend and dance partner about how we grew as dancers, and how we felt like we had stopped growing as dancers, for at least a while. We agreed that we each needed a little whimsy in our dancing (as she put it).
Every week, I look around, and I see people doing interesting little moves - breaks, stomps, kicks, slides - and, while I can lead some of that stuff, others are sort of lost on me. Theoretically, I can see how they're done, but when it comes to trying it, I end up too scared of mis-stepping to actually do so.
This gets back into the "try, try again" spirit of this post. Back when I was learning Lindy Hop, I would try things that I wasn't sure about. Sometimes I'd end up with a confused follower, other times we'd end up on the floor, but sometimes it worked. And that's how I became a better dancer.
Lately, while dancing, I've been doing that again. Some things don't work, and I have a feeling it might be because I wasn't throwing myself fully into the move, and thus not communicating effectively with my follower. But I've also thrown a little of that whimsy into my dancing, and I think it shows.
So, whatever you're doing, try something that might not work. If it does, great! If it doesn't, adjust for it, and try again.
Let's see if I follow my own advice.
- Laurie says:
- This is so true. Just when I think I am as good as I'm going to get in racquetball or piano/organ, one little ounce of extra effort takes me to the next level.