Service
UI / UX DESIGN
As a trained visual communication designer with a B.A degree in brand communication, I bridge the gap between development and design.
FRONT-END DEVELOPMENT
WORDPRESS DEVELOPMENT
Oh, did I mention that I'm an avid WordPress Developer? I contribute to the Core as well as build custom content managed dynamic websites for clients
PROTOTYPING
Coming from a design and UX background, prototyping is such an important process in design and gaining an understanding of how users operate.
GRUNT
Grunt has optimised my workflows in more ways than one. Automating tasks saves invaluable amounts of time. From browser refreshing to compiling, concatenation and distributions.
ECOMMERCE
My tool of choice for online shopping is WooCommerce. Its light-weight, extendable and offers powerful functionality.
RESPONSIVE WEB DESIGN
I make sure my websites are tested on a number of mobile devices and resolutions in order to comply with tbe best and latest web technology practices
SASS
I've chosen SASS as my precompiled language of choice which I use in association with Grunt. Adopting a more programatic approach to front-end Development goes along way to understanding the back-end
JAVASCRIPT & JQUERY
Javascript is what makes the web fun and interactive, I maintain a great library of jQuery plugins that allow me to achieve great User Experiences
About Daine Mawer
A designer, dynamic trainer and developer
Daine is a mover and shaker in the world of Education and Web Development. Having achieved his B.A at Vega: School of Brand Leadership in 2009, Daine went on to take the web development industry by storm having worked for a number of Cape Towns most prized media and advertising agencies and companies. Daine is passionate and dedicated to the world of web development, having already made a considerable contribution in South Africa.
My Blog
From time to time, I like to write tutorials and articles on all things web
My Web Development Proccess
Developing for Web – Part 1
Over the years I’ve spent more time than most trying to find an efficient way to deal with clients. Its probably taken me more time to perfect than mastering Front-End Development, but its such an essential skill. Considering I’ve paid silly amounts of money to try multiple tools and SaaS (Software as a Service)’s, I feel like I have finally got to a point where I have a good system in place that:
a) doesn’t make me look like a complete noob.
b) Makes me look professional, efficient and passionate.
c) Gives me plenty of paper work and documentation incase the relationship goes sour or becomes nasty, which lets face it, has happened to the best of us.
Im going to divide this post up into 4 parts:
Business / Client Management
Designing for Web Interfaces
Developing Web Interfaces
Handing Over and Maintenance
Let me tell you though, that I only know these things because shit has gone wrong in the past. I’ve let clients down, beaten my self up, given up, tried again, been threatened with law suits, the whole 9 yards. BUT. Im still here, business is booming and the feedback; not only from my design and development but also the feedback that I’m receiving from clients is now more accurate and 100% more positive…if all else fails I could sit around a table with Tim Ferris and have a good chat about it.
The main motivation of these articles is to help other freelancers, be it beginner or experienced, or even help individuals in startups and agencies. You can always learn something from some one else. These articles are geared towards Web Development, but don’t make the mistake of thinking that it doesn’t apply to you if you’re an illustrator, jewellery designer or interior decorator. All creative freelancers need to manage expectation, and for that to happen, you need to know exactly what services you’re providing and how to keep your client living in the realms of the realistic world.
So, without further a do — go grab your favourite cup of coffee and read the first part!
Developing for Web – Part 1
Over the years I’ve spent more time than most trying to find an efficient way to deal with clients. Its probably taken me more time to perfect than mastering Front-End Development, but its such an essential skill. Considering I’ve paid silly amounts of money to try multiple tools and SaaS (Software as a Service)’s, I feel like I have finally got to a point where I have a good system in place that:
a) doesn’t make me look like a complete noob.
b) Makes me look professional, efficient and passionate.
c) Gives me plenty of paper work and documentation incase the relationship goes sour or becomes nasty, which lets face it, has happened to the best of us.
Im going to divide this post up into 4 parts:
Business / Client Management
Designing for Web Interfaces
Developing Web Interfaces
Handing Over and Maintenance
Let me tell you though, that I only know these things because shit has gone wrong in the past. I’ve let clients down, beaten my self up, given up, tried again, been threatened with law suits, the whole 9 yards. BUT. Im still here, business is booming and the feedback; not only from my design and development but also the feedback that I’m receiving from clients is now more accurate and 100% more positive…if all else fails I could sit around a table with Tim Ferris and have a good chat about it.
The main motivation of these articles is to help other freelancers, be it beginner or experienced, or even help individuals in startups and agencies. You can always learn something from some one else. These articles are geared towards Web Development, but don’t make the mistake of thinking that it doesn’t apply to you if you’re an illustrator, jewellery designer or interior decorator. All creative freelancers need to manage expectation, and for that to happen, you need to know exactly what services you’re providing and how to keep your client living in the realms of the realistic world.
So, without further a do — go grab your favourite cup of coffee and read the first part!
Business / Client Management
My grandfather, Graham Higgo who was CEO of one of the biggest food manufacturing companies, Reckitt and Coleman, you know, the mustard on your sandwich right now? Thats made by Reckitt and Coleman, so was the Purity baby food that you used to throw up on your mom.
He managed a multi-national company, not one pesky freelance client. He gave me 2 pieces of advice before he died that I will never ever forget:
“There’s no emotion in business.”
“Partnerships are the only ships that sink.”
The emotional side in this case is more important than the sinking ship and this is the first point I want to make. You are a better person if you don’t take things personally. Trust me, its almost impossible after working 16 hours on a project that was on quoted for 4. A project where you spend all night working, go to sleep when the birds start tweeting (irritation-deluxe) and you put your head on your pillow, dreading what your client is going to say the next morning. Why do we get so scared of clients? They’re not Godzilla, they aren’t going to breathe magical blue fire down your throat — theres a reason why they are with you and not an agency.
What creatives seem to lack is a guided sense of clarity and infrastructure. Its expected, we get so caught up in colour and form that any administrative thought is like being sucked into a black hole. Well, thankfully this is 2015. If you’re serious about any kind of freelance work, dont make the same mistake that plenty of clueless other freelancers have made. Get shit written down. Communication, Communication, Communication.
Now before I make my point, i’d like to make another point. Don’t be cheap. There are tools to help you…and guess what? You have to pay for them monthly just like any business. Few businesses can reach 100% profit of outlayed service charge. Technology is your friend, and if you’re:
a) a web developer
b) a freelancer charging a substantial rate
then I don’t want to hear any excuses. Your hourly rate is normally over 500% more than the average hourly rate for casual work. So shhh.
Motiv is a Creative Freelance Business Management tool. There are plenty of alternatives, but at a crisp $15 / month, you aren’t going to do much better. Its fully customisable in terms of branding, and offers time tracking apps for iOS and Android as well.
The most important thing about Motiv is that it takes out a lot of admin and as a freelancing individual, it keeps you safe.
Motiv works by allowing you to create quotes which you can send straight out of the app to your clients, this also means that you can setup a client and their details (CRM), create invoices, proposals and most importantly contracts. The app also allows you to see when clients have opened up emails sent, and they can electronically sign contracts making them binding in a court of law. Even more importantly, not only for your client but also for you…you can track your bloody time.
I’ve been working at a agency for the last 2 months on contract, and wow. Their influence on time tracking for profit ratio’s is crazy. But it makes so much sense. You dont want to rip clients off, but at the same time, you also dont want to be taken advantage of. Get into the practice of tracking your time. If you’re developer, do you actaully know how long it takes to build a WordPress site? Sure, the scope of functionality can change, but its worthwhile, and it makes you look pretty damn smart.
Everything lives in one clean dashboard in Motiv, nice flat design makes the whole experience better as well. The comments from clients I’ve had so far, have been very very positive. They like the idea of the app and the approach to business.
Contracts are super important. It keeps your clients expectations realistic and it keeps you safe from doing an unlimited amount of pissy changes that only serve to frustrate you and lengthen the project. Motiv has a good templating system and you can jump in and customise the language to your liking. Its not legalize either so it makes understanding the entire tone of contract a lot better.
If you’d like a good introduction you can watch the video here:
It goes with out saying that the way you speak to your clients is just as important. Use this software as a tool, but make sure your meetings and email / telephone communication remain just as professional.
The last point I’d like to make is about staying detached from your work. Its hard as a creative to detach from work so close to you, the work that you’ve put hours into, trust me, I know. I have a client right now thats been such a bozo, easily pinning blame, making excuses, being rude and unnecessary. Its an emotional reaction, not a professional one. You must remain professional all the time. Dont retaliate, it will only make things worse. As much as you want him to get hit by a bus tomorrow — chances are he wont. Stand your ground, especially if you have a contract in place. The old saying of “Dont let them smell your fear” always comes to mind.
I will leave you with one last quote:
“Either you run the day, or the day runs you” — Jim Rohn
The next article in this little series will talk about how, after I’ve finished dealing with the proposals, contracts and payments (I’ll speak about payments in part 4), I use online tools to serve design to clients with ease and receive feedback that is actually worth something to the project!
Your first step after reading this article:
Go sign up to Motiv (Im not getting paid to say that by the way), give the trial ago, and please tweet me if you have any questions: @dainemawer
D
FEXD – Front End User Experience Developer
I’ve found that in the web industry, a lot of job titles are so rigid. I’ve explained in previous blog posts about how the lines can blur between Front-end Developers and Back-end Developers. I think it’s far overdue that we introduce a more specific title. That of a “Front-end User Experience Developer”.
During the course of this article, I will elaborate on this new title of mine and how I see it influencing the industry, clearing up job specifications and helping companies hire the correct people for the job.
Lets first start off with the problem.
Every now and then, I jump onto job boards. I like to see what the industry is looking for in terms of experience and skillset. More often than not, I come across job advertisements that require Front-end Developers to be more than just Front-End Developers. In fact, according to the job spec itself, Front-end Developers tend to be required to know just as much as backend developers!! What can I deduce from this seemingly absurd predicament? HR really dont know what they are looking for. Similar to shooting fish in a barrel, at some point, after many pulls of the trigger, you will eventually shoot a fish. To me, this is a waste of time and energy.
As an HR person, if you’re looking for a Front-End Developer, it shouldn’t be a case of our fish in the barrel scenario above. Front-end Developers should be hired for their Front-end experience, not require years of experience in every possible PHP framework ever written or expected to know Object Orientated Programming and MySQL. Of course, you will get those who have experience in all of the abobe; but then you are looking for a Full-Stack developer, who will probably look at your job advertisement with a crude grin. Why would someone with such broad and competent skill ever apply to be a Front-end Developer?
Now that I’ve presented the problem, let us take a look at the solution
In my experience as a Front-end developer, I’ve always embraced the blurring of technical lines. I have a passion to learn as much as I can about the web. Anything from Angular to PHP, SysAdmin to Regular Expressions. Naturally, with limited exprience, I cant be proficient in all of these things. As someone who has coded up 100’s of HTML, CSS and JS files for websites, I want to make sure I put my skills to use – focus.
The majority of Front-end Developers I know are creative. They enjoy being able to be stimulated by the creativity that the front-end provides. Most, don’t like the back-end: It’s scary, confusing and incredibly overwhelming, requiring a far greater understanding of technology, the internet and the services related to those concepts. For the most part, I have found that 90% of my fellow comrades have begun developing a more acute understanding of user experience. Which makes sense right? When you’re so involved in making sure your page loads properly and efficiently, that you’ve accounted for users of different platforms, browsers, versions and more, are you not providing a better user experience? The answer is yes, you are.
So, what if Front-end Developers start to take on these more “abstract” concepts that move away from pure development? What if Front-end Developers begin looking at: Layout, colour, typography, visual language, spacing, interaction, harmony, symmetry, balance, contrast, negative and positive space, in order to create a better user experience? Not only consider them, but amalgamate these design principles into their development in order to create a strong bond between development and communication.
Let’s take typography: Often designers spend many hours selecting font faces. Even Steve Jobs had a serious interest in typography and how fonts could be selected by users on MacIntosh’s first word processors. Typography has a world of subtle information just waiting to be released. How different fonts provide for better legibility or readability, or how they can subtly give you a better understanding about the visual language or tone of the brand. What makes Front-end Developers so easily applicable to this situation is the fact that they understand how Web fonts work: Which browsers have a problem with certain fonts? If it’s better to user Google Fonts rather than using @font-face? How to get @font-face working on legacy browsers using Modernizr? Sound familiar?
I can even testify with regards to my own career how my insight in design, user experience and understanding of HTML, CSS and JS have benefitted the projects I’ve worked on. My peers have considered me more knowledgeable, more holistic and trust my opinion when we are critical of user-centric components. Though, I feel like I have contributed more than just my opinion on Front-end development, so without further ado:
I introduce to you the Front-end User Experience Developer.
Let’s run through a dry example of how a job advert would look like for this individual:
HTML, CSS, Javascript
- HTML: Using HTML5 and a semantic hierarchy of elements to build the structure for well thought out, search engine optimised websites that considered user experience at its very core.
- CSS: Using CSS3 to create visually appealing sites, with minimal server load.
- Javascript: Implementation of clean, accessible, light-weight and Object Orientated Javascript that provides for a better and well-thought-out user experience.
- Experience working in AGILE based teams – Using sprints, standups and spikes.
- Experience working with Version Control Technologies like Git and Bitbucket.
- Experience in UX based concepts. Considering Design Elements like Form, Shape, Harmony, symmetry, Typography, Colour, Layout, Flow, Hierarchy, Responsive Web Design, Load Time, Content communication and more in order to create a holistic experience for users.
With this snippet in mind, as an HR person looking to fill a spot in a company that requires a Front-End Developer, you can now hire someone who really fits the bill, that will be part of a team or work alone developing well-thought out, user-centric websites that not only have a considered and structured code base, but also have a well-thought out and analytical user experience which can be split-tested in an instant.
To me, this person is an asset. A person that I can rely on to make sure we’ve ticketed the boxes of two very closely related fields, not fields that require every specialization under the sun. Due to this individual’s closely related specialisations, he will be able to provide something very special. He could close the link between User Experience and Front-end Development. Meaning that not only would receive a great website that works unanimously across the board, but you would have considered the intricacies of user-centric design.
A few may ask: Where does visual language come in? Well, a graphic designer can still have influence over this, maybe they are better at choosing fonts or creating colour schemes than a developer would be, which is not a bad thing. In fact, they can fit in even more efficiently and practically than they would have in the past. Working side by side with someone who understands not only how to communicate with users but who can input on the design side of things and provide wisdom when it comes to the trickier aspects of design for web, like grids for instance – something that is totally overlooked by the majority of graphic designers.
I would be interested in hearing your thoughts and opinions on this article, so please feel free to get in touch with me and start a conversation at @dainemawer on Twitter and Medium, or you can use the comment section under this article on my blog as well.
2015 – What I Learnt
I’ve seen a few friends writing about their past year lately. A lot of them have written about how many parties they managed to attend, what countries they visited, the new car they bought or were given. It all seems shamefully shallow. I thought I’d give you a review of my year, but not from a work perspective, more from what I learnt from the situations I found myself in.
I’ve never been the type of person to go on leave at the end of the year and spend my energy and money trying to get into parties or finding parking at the beach. Its always been a time to reflect, get some down time, some alone time and gain understanding and acceptance as to what I’ve been through during the past year. So, here are 5 things I learned and have reflected on:
# 1. Life Isn’t Fair
Lesson
One of the biggest lessons I learnt this year: Life just isn’t fair. No matter how much you push, how hard you work, or how nice you are to people in your personal or working life, there will always be something that happens to throw you off course and put you down. Sometimes its when you least expect it. Sometimes its when you know for sure that you’re going to get the thing that you’ve worked for…and then you don’t.
Reflection
What I’ve learnt is not how to feel better about life being unfair, but simply just accept that it is. I am but one person in a world of billions. I have very little power over fate, destiny, plans, whatever you want to call it. The only element of control I have is to accept my situation.
# 2. People Are Fickle
Lesson
This has always been a sensitive topic to me. This year I found myself in a few situations where people were just so unreasonable due to their own selfishness and greed. No empathy whatsoever. All they were concerned about, was how they would fare in the situation (be it good or bad). I’ve seen a lot of people say on blogs: “Look after yourself first”, “Do what you want, always” – yes, there’s a certain level of truth in these statements. But, you have a responsibility to others as well. Its fine to do what you want and when you want to do it, but for the most part, you’ll just come across looking like a giant asshole if you consistently put yourself before everyone else.
Reflection
It took me some time to get my mind past this one. Sometimes you have to look at yourself. Harshly. Did I ever act the way Im describing above? Without a doubt, yes. If you asked yourself the same question and removed your ego – you’d probably come across a similar answer. The reflection here is that none of us are perfect. But we shouldn’t take people actions against us so seriously. The greatest gift in life, above happiness, wealth and even love – is to realise that every person you look at is no different to you. They all have problems, insecurities, bad points, good points. Don’t judge them on their actions especially if you are guilty of the same action. More importantly, if they treat you that way, remember what I’ve said and behave with understanding. You don’t have to like it, or agree with it, and unless they do something mortally wounding to you, walk away or continue to be in their lives, but still do it with empathy and understanding.
# 3. Don’t Buy Into Peoples Beliefs, And Don’t Force Yours on Others
Lesson
Don’t let people dictate to you their beliefs. I have a few friends on Facebook that post a lot about Christianity or they boil everything down religion. When you ask them for advice with something you struggle with, they bring it back to God or their religion. I’ve often thought this was so invasive, sometimes I’m even offended. Theres a clash of belief happening. You simply do not agree or for the most part its not that you do not understand the religion or the morals of the stories, its that you don’t understand the person. Thats okay and it must be left at that. Always.
Reflection
Ive realised that for whatever you choose to believe in, thats your right and yours alone. I may not be as religious as I once was, life and experiences have pushed me in another direction, to be more spiritual, seek enlightenment, understanding and find acceptance in the modern day world. Thats also okay. Its exactly the same for the other person that believes in another religion or path. Maybe they don’t believe in anything, again its not your right to challenge it. It works both ways.
# 4. You Live Life Once
Lesson
This old philosophy seems to be creeping up more and more with people. The world we live in has become very “easy” by which I mean, we no longer have to take a set path – we can go work on yachts, travel overseas, blog and earn an income and so much more. Hell, there are people earning a living from selling coupons. There are so many opportunities waiting to be taken up, that young people really don’t have a clue what to do, whats the right path to take or how it will effect their future. Its damn scary. So, many escape – they go find the adventure they want by working oversea’s or they totally reject the conforms of modern day society.
Reflection
The truth is, there is no right path. Society outlines a right path, so do your parents or mentors, but its whats right for you at the end of the day. Unfortunately, you don’t know what the right path is until you’ve travelled the wrong path – which is unfortunate. This is where many people drop off – life becomes about having as much fun as possible. If you look at Buddhist principles – its explained that the essence of having a life is suffering. We suffer. Everyday. By avoiding, ignoring or even trying to escape that simple truth by surrounding ourselves with material things or people, drinking, ignoring our health, and buying into the invincibility syndrome we just cause more suffering for ourselves and for others. Its a giant concept to understand, and I only really came across it when I was visiting Thailand earlier this year and speaking to Buddhists. Face the suffering. Learn how to live with it, not ignore it. Going out and partying every night doing drugs and drinking is not fun, its really just another form of suffering that you have managed to add to your collection.
# 5. Take Advice
Lesson
I’ve always considered myself to be a well-rounded, grounded individual. I am a web developer after all. I look at problems holistically and find a well-rounded solution that check’s all the boxes. I’ve come to apply that concept to my life as well. When I come across situations that I have little to no experience I look to my elders. Having humility is an invaluable trait. Don’t make decisions with so much impatience. If you’re young, you’ll want to buy the first thing you come across, but speak to someone whose done what you’re doing before, even a few times before, and you will start uncovering the real value of experience which you couldn’t possibly get anywhere else.
Reflection
You don’t know everything about everything. In fact, depending on how old you are, you probably know very little. The reasons why so many ancient civilisations survived and came to great power was the handing down of knowledge through village or city elders. Today, we have modern elders. Your parents or grandparents / family / mentors. They are a wealth of knowledge. Chances are they have been through what you are going through, they’ve felt the impatience, and (maybe) there was someone there to advise them. They are just returning the favour. Be patient. Collect the information and make an informed decision about what you’re doing.
Those were my lessons for the year! 2015 wasn’t the best year for a lot of people. Friends and family became ill or passed on. Finances got tighter, life became harder, terrorism gained a major point in the wrong direction. Make 2016 count for something.
Testimonials
My experience with Daine has been exceptional! It is daunting starting ones own business, and Daine managed to offer me wonderful support and made sure that all my questions and concerns were attended to. His quality of work and efficiency to get things done in the best time frame is outstanding. I will continue to use his service and recommend him!
My experience with Daine has been fantastic. He was able to answer all my questions, and take my rough ideas and translate them into a sleek, professional, and attractive but user-friendly website. His efficiency in getting things done was terrific. I would definitely recommend Daine to anyone looking to have a creative website.
I am technologically challenged. The genius that is Daine Mawer offered solutions to ALL of my limitations. Creating 2 impressive, streamlined 'exactly what I had in my mind' websites on my behalf. Fulfilling every daunting request of mine, always with a sympathetic smile. Thank you for your diligent, thorough and genius work Daine. Very much appreciated and respected.
Daine is a brilliant web master. He understands IT really well. If there's a glitch, he will find it in no time what's so ever. He's calm; he returns calls promptly and works fast! I would like to thank Daine for giving me the tools and guidance allowing me to understand my website fully! Cape Town Film Locations, needs updating constantly and Daine has given me a beautiful, simple, clean, easy to operate website. Daine is a true master of his trade.
Daine has totally revolutionized my company's internet presence through his technical AND creative expertise. Working with him is a joy and I hope to continue my association with him well into the future. Service like this is hard to find and I heartily recommend his offering.
Daine is a digital rockstar, having aided us in client and internal web development and cloud computing. What a champ!
Daine is one of the most creative designers I know, he has such a unique style. He has an eye for attention to detail and one can trust his recommendations at all times. Always delivers on time and exceeds expectations.
We were very satisfied with the work Daine did for us developing our bespoke built website www.currencypartners.co.za” after we opted not to go with a WordPress solution. The website requirements were both complex and functional, encompassing multiple secure user registration forms, live data feeds and information about our business. The end product exceeded our expectations and was not only beautiful to look at, but functional and user friendly at the same time. Daine was a pleasure to work with and delivered on time and on budget.
Daine is one of the best and most interesting designers I've ever met! Gde Traffic, needs some changes and Daine has given us a simple and easy to operate website.