We were stoked when Leah contacted us last week through our Driver Profile Website Special page. If you don’t know who this young lady is, then this image is worth a thousand words 
Her new site should be launched within the week, so all you drag race fans, keep your eyes peeled.
Every once and a while I’ll come across a website that is beyond repair; a website that makes any designer cringe with the idea of touching it. Well although v3t.org isn’t as bad as some, I still shake my head when I look through the code. Its littered with slices, iframes, and poor planning. But on the flip side, thats exactly why V3T has asked Studio Rhoad to fix it. Their original plan upon contacting us was just to add a job board and some other small features which normally isn’t is a big deal if a website is done correctly; or close to it. This one doesn’t fall into that category. Rather than wasting the clients time and money adding features that will only complicate it even further, it was determined that a full redesign would be the best route financially and time-wise.
The brainstorming process has officially begun on this project. And to start off, we’ll be presenting 3 different layouts to the client. Due to their budget, these layouts will be very simple yet easy to anyone to update. 2 of the layouts will be mostly HTML/CSS in association with a WordPress setup that will supply them with an easy and convenient way to update their recent news. Finally, the 3rd option will be made up entirely of a WordPress setup. This particular client will not be relying on us to keep the site updated or revised, so by using WordPress, they’ll be able to handle the dirty work themselves with little complications.
Im very excited about bringing V3T on board. The people there are great to worth with. However, if the work keeps coming in like this, we’ll have to start hiring more contractors. Lets hope that happens.
Ive often said that being a good designer is not completely about being creative, technical, or a genius. Its requires the combination of being creative AND knowing your sources. The graphic design field is incredibly flooded and designers are constantly releasing free and/or cheap solutions for designers. This includes website templates, type faces, video tutorials, build files, etc. Ive learned by utilizing these resources along with my creativity that I can not only complete projects faster but at a better quality as well. However, I noticed a void in the resource realm. I found myself visiting and searching dozens and dozens of websites looking for tutorials, resources, and news to keep me updated with happenings in the design field. And since Im on this blogging kick lately, I realized that I could take advantage of the situation. Thus, I created a website, www.iheartresources.com to fill that void. I Heart Resources is a single website that centralizes resources for not only designers but photographers as well. Further more, it has become my own personal resource database 
The site has only been up a for a couple of weeks now and frankly I haven’t kept it updated; that will come in time. My goal over the next few weeks is to build the site from the ground up while focusing on the graphics and layout. To be honest, a great deal of custom coding will have to go into the site, but Im sure it’ll be worth it. Stay tuned….
The last couple of weeks have been extremely busy regarding web design and development. B/C of my resent adventure into the 9 to 5 work force, Ive finally got the time to tackle some projects that have been on the back burner for a long time. And a lot of those projects just so happen to be for those close to me. Below is a list of projects, mostly Web 2.0, that Ive been working on. Each of them is an on-going project with seemingly, no end in site. But its the least I can do to show my appreciation to all the people who’ve have helped me tremendously in the past. Family > *
Alans Prints Etc. (www.alansprints.com)
This particular site is run by my dad, Alan Rhoad, and has only been live for several weeks now. The main purpose of it is to give him an additional avenue for selling prints from his eBay store. However, if you visit his site you’ll notice that he’s branched off into another “niche” category in which he is very familiar with; Auto Sales. With over 20 years of experience in automotive sales, he’s got plenty of knowledge to share with the world in hopes of helping buyers make better choices in their car-buying decisions. But don’t surprised if we create another site just for that subject in the near future. *hint*hint*
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“Cruisin With Dusty” (www.dustyrhoad.com)
I honestly can’t wait for Dusty, my uncle, to wrap his head around this project and take off with it. From here, the entire world will be able to read, watch, follow, and communicate with Dusty as he Captains his 46′ Sailboat across the ocean. Satellite internet, life-feed webcams, Twitter, among other tools will be utilized in order to accomplish this. And you thought “Survivor” was reality TV?! Ha!
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Female Racing News (www.femaleracingnews.com)
Out of all the blogs out of this list, this one has the most potential. I say that because popular blogs usually have a specific niche that it discusses or presents. The problem is that a lot of niche topics like making money online, politics, general automotive racing have dozens and dozens of websites to refer to, thus making the market flooded. So you’re probably thinking, “umm, dude, you just added another automotive racing site to the flooded market!”. Well… not quite. There are plenty of sites to research and follow automotive racing, but there is not a single news website dedicated to woman in motorsports; until now. Female Racing News has branched out from the roots of its parent company, Project Girl Drifter, to give enthusiasts a central location to research, learn, and root for woman (pro and grassroots) who are making news in the automotive racing industry.
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Life Less Complicated (www.lifelesscomplicated.com)
Written and ran by Amanda Martin, Life Less Complicated is more or less a personal blog for Amanda. She covers everything from day-to-day adventures to methods and resources for de-stressing. If you’re like me and pulling your hair out most of the time, you should give this site a read. You’ll be glad you did.
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Nick Thomas Racing (www.nickthomasracing.com)
If you are in the automotive world, drifting specifically, then you have more than likely heard of this guy. For the past year he’s been ripping through the amateur drifting scene and doesn’t plan to stop until he’s bumper to bumper with Tsuchiya. So needless to say, I was honored when he asked Studio Rhoad to build him a website showcasing his racing career. Nick’s laundry list of specs and stats are being compiled. But you can bet your sweet potato pie that the chaos will ensue shortly there after. In the meantime, feel free to check out his blog.
Oh… you thought I was done? Ha… not hardly. On top of building the new Studio Rhoad site and blog, Ive also got these projects coming down the pipe. Yes, I need a clone.
www.iheartresources.com
www.ryanridings.com
www.projectgirldrifter.net (redesign)
www.dvanz.com (redesign)
www.v3t.org (redesign)
and a partridge in a pear tree.
