You are a master! Thanks for sharing the progress with us. I'm still fighting with my blogger template. I guess I'm getting what I paid for, though, which is nothing. Enjoy the siesta, whenever it strikes.

jeje funny bro. thanks, man, muchas gracias. i hope you knock your blogger template the emmeff OUT!

the problem is, the original skin I used was from a programmer in Italy, so alot of the CSS sections were in Italian. It's been fun figuring out what hijinx the mezcla of languages has created.

jaja! that's hilarious.

Congratulations on getting that work behind you and good luck with the video projects. Maybe even get some extra sleep.

Ten ARYAN HUMANZ?!?!

or ten humans who are PRETTIER THAN LOU DOBBS?

Inquiring racists minds must know! :-p

Go ahead...make my day.

LOL

That PeaceMeditation site is really dreamy. You did a terrific job. It evokes feelings of calm and excitement about the cushions/product.

thanks RC.

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M, you are too much. i'd joke but at this point in the codinglivelongday my eyes are small desert suns.

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carmen thanks. that was the goal, i appreciate the feedback.

Very nice! I especially like the Citizen Orange one.

Work is good, that is having and doing work is good. Now if I could afford your services I would certainly would like a set up like the second and third screens, but in blue and more sci-fi. Alas I can't. Well my invitation stands, your welcome in my crib when ever you can.

thanks bro i never replied to that! hook me up with info. :)

Just need a valid email to hook it up. Same email as always?

that's the one, man.

Done.

Fierce designs, Nez, it's tha sweetness!

Had he been a web designer, Fritz Lang (Metropolis)might have created the citizenorange.com page. I mean that as a b-i-g compliment. The lines, the composition, the colors...Everything flows even though they shouldn't. Damn.. Now I feel like I want to break out the old movie and watch it again.

thanks kai!
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rafa, you should save up your cash. i like the sounds of a blue sci-fi project. ;)

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now peasant, i appreciate you citing detailed references but how could i make it through film school without knowing fritz lang! a compliment indEEd. gracias, my friend.

and to all, http://www.citizenorange.com/orange seems to be open at this point.

wow, just checked the Citizen Orange page -- it looks great! I'm a big fan of kyle's and am happy to see the site get an upgrade.

You are a real Renaissance blogger! ("Renaissance man" is so twentieth century)

i blog for revolution! and renaissance! until the coffee runs out!

Nice work! I'm looking forward to seeing Citizen Orange up and running. I love the gazing ball in the middle with the volcán. The whole thing is very pleasing.
There's a news blog I subscribe to, HispanicTips, and along with its name, the layout leaves much to be desired. I'll have to send him your way!

and thank you very much, nightprowlkitty. :)

Thanks janna. I think people sometimes think of design and budget for design as optional, or frilly. I dont think they realize how much design can enhance function and popularity. its the same reason we like to drive in cars that look nice or wear clothes that makes us feel sexy, or strong, or casual. and so we spend more on them, or spend more time in them.

there's one site i know called http://www.opednews.com. i designed only the buttons for their front page just those five (the folder tabs), but the entire site badly needs a unifying design. screams for one. the guy is always thinking function, and he really does a great job thinking of new ways to make the site work, but he completely does not think in terms of design. so the site is ugly and you dont want to be on the page. a site like that, if it could make you love the page feel, could get much more popular.

Tomás has actually featured my blog here and there. HIs is another one that has great content, but needs a unifying theme, and overall design.

thanks for your words and any word of mouth!

i'm wondering if you'd ever be willing to, like, share some of your toolkit with fellow designers or designer-wannabes. i know in this competitive industry you're probably not going to want to give away any "trade secrets" but a few helpful hints couldn't hurt. i actually think some of the stuff you do with backgrounds is - dare i say it? - revolutionary.

thanks r@d@r, and you know, i don't mind at all. anyway, people come along and figure out what you're doing and do it anyway! i was doing the gradient background thing for one thing, for years, and now i'm seeing it come into play in themes finally, so you know, that's how the whole internet thing works. i appreciate your words, just shoot me an email at nlxj[removethistext]ATtheunapologeticmexican[DOT]org and i'll throw you what i can, goodiewise!

no te ofendas ok? i didnt like the peace meditation all that much being someone who purchases things of that sort it didn't really speak to me, I love Xolografik Design and I love Latina Lista and Citizen Orange is sick. All about Race graphic up top I am not too fond of. I like the new JRH a lot more than the last one although the last one was super sweet as well.

thank you. what "last" one? how long ago do you mean?

Ihadira, one more thing i'd add. one of the first things we learned in art school about critique is that "dont like" or do like" is not so helpful. i mean, devoid of any further explanation, what do i do with that? you might have something very useful for me to know, a connection to draw between attempt and consequence, but with only "dont like" and "do like" i cannot make that connection. so...if you care about your opinion being helpful, or at least having the potential to improve work or be useful, it is good to offer specifics. especially when being negative.

por ejemplo, what does it mean to your personal aesthetic and in this case when something 'doesnt speak to you'? what does this look like or not look like, why? why, exactly, are you "not too fond of" the AAR header? of course the answers might lie in nothing more than a person subjective and inexplicable feeling. but then again, sometimes the answers are insightful to technique, or can help in even unseen ways, at least for next time. and sometimes not.

regardless, "that does" or "that doesn't work for me" says nothing to the designer in a way they can use or integrate or even mentally appreciate. not unless they are simply counting up votes. if someone is to comment on art (or "art") i'd rather know what affected them and what did not, and if they can manage to articulate it, why. especially why.

Well thank you very much for valuing my opinion, I did not express more because I did not think it would make much difference but since you have questioned what I thought I will explain my rationale: I am assuming that you came up with the logo and that is specifically what I do not like. I do not like the peace symbol or the m and it being so curvy, I do not like the watermark of the logo. I love the idea of the watermark and i love the layout and everything else about it. The colors draw me in but if I was going to buy a pillow and I saw the logo I would kind of think it was cheesey, I am so sorry to say that honestly because I hate saying mean things about someone else's work and it shouldn't matter really what I think since it all depends on what your customer wants not what a random person thinks. If you didn't come up with the logo then I guess it does not matter then what I think. I also love the sayings you put on every page I don't know if it was your idea or theirs.
As far as the top part of the All About Race, the graphic of the hand and the dashboard detract from the beauty of the design of the road with the sky maybe if it didn't have the dashboard or hand or maybe if the dashboard were orange instead of pink.

btw I am not hating on your work on the contrary I love your designs and your ideas and I enjoy reading your blog and I am glad I receive them on the daily

no, i understand. "hating on it" would mean just saying negative things with no deeper ideas.

hmm. "cheesy". jeje. well, yeah. that is a personal value/judgment, i guess. and again, "cheesy" doesn't really say anything substantive or useful. you know? "cheesy" is just an insult, it's not a specific critique based on anything that can be affected. i can tell you that the printer people loved it, actually every step along the way, printer, label makers, they were all really effusive about how much they liked it. (and not even telling me personally) so you know. some things are up for each person's interpretation, i guess. its all good. you should have seen the logo made by the guy who i replaced on that job! there were a few ideas i went into on that symbol, given the parameters i was given by the client. i am happy that i achieved them. did you feel it was "cheesy" in any way you can explain further? was it just using a 'peace symbol in the word "OM", or is it more? is it related to form in any way, or content? or some other variant that can be described specifically?

in AAR, the hand is an important part of the narrative of that image. so...detract? its a beautiful hand! and it's not an image about a road or meant to be one, so the hand cannot detract. it's an image about driving down a road. without the hand you'd only have a road. that's not the film i was making, as my old fundamentals production instructor would tell a critic of a film who said "i'd do it this way," he'd say "thats the movie YOUd make, though." meaning, that's not critiquing the movie as it is, and how it falls short of the movie it IS, or how it could be better as the movie it IS. but interesting comment. about distracting from the beauty. and about colors of dash. i think you just wanna drive fast in the country yourself!

its all good to ponder. even if it doesnt inspire any change in my approach. i have to follow my own eye...or the clients' when they disagree strongly with me. but its good to hear people's feelings. what i've definitely found is how many different thoughts you can get on similar things. i find honest, detailed emotional and psychological responses to art very often very interesting. sometimes helpful or revealing in ways you cannot see at the time, as i said.

thanks again. :)