Jason Ferris Web Design

I started my design career in 1997 as a deluded, self-taught ignoramus, armed with a stolen copy of photoshop and a rented computer. Once I had mastered the art of seamlessly superimposing my own head on to the bodies of porn stars I figured I was ready for the big time. I am a designer! Hear me roar!
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Captain's Log

THE ARRIVAL | SOME TIME LATER

I was going to prattle on and on with sci-fi references but I'm going to cut to the chase. Melbourne is tops! I've been flat stick for about four months working on short term web development contracts. The first contract was at RMIT and the current one is at EPA.

It's been a huge shock to the system moving from Byron Bay, to Mysore (India) then back to Melbourne. So far I'm digging the Melbourne lifestyle and we're fair in the thick of it. Our apartment is at the end of the busy restaurant strip on Lygon Street.

So this is where we are, life's running at full throttle and I'm on board.

TO BOLDLY GO | 01.MAY.07

I'm starting to look further afield for work. There seems to be some opportunities worth exploring in Melbourne. A friend of a friend is giving me the hook up with some temp agencies down there. Hopefully that will bear some fruit (and soon!).

We're getting more and more excited about the prospect of moving to Melbourne. Of course there's many things (and people) we'll miss from here. Melbourne is a far cry from our sheltered life in Byron, and in some ways I think that's a good thing. Ultimately it's opportunity we're looking for and that seems to be sorely lacking here right now.

Man! It seems like we were just in India last week. I'm really looking forward to having a home again. Living out of a bag is fun for a while, but eventually it starts to wear a little thin.

SHOPIFY FOR E-COMMERCE | 30.APRIL.07

I launched a new e-commerce project for a client today. It's the third e-commerce project I've done using Shopify, a new 3rd party, hosted shopping cart provider.

There are some shortcomings to the shopify service, limitations to product variations being the most significant. Overall though, it really streamlines e-commerce projects for me:

• I don't have to install or maintain a web application
• No SSL certificate or hosting required
• Plug and play with paypal (or Google checkout) eliminates the need for expensive merchant facilities
• Supplied template designs are slick and easily customisable
• Custom domain. If you prefer not to use the provided sub-domain (yourshop.myshopify.com) you can add your own custom domain (yourshop.com).

In the end, Shopify won't work for all of my clients. But for those with a limited budget, time constraints, and/or a limited range of products it really does seem to be doing the trick.