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Matthew Willis

Front-End Developer
Graphic Designer

Personal Profile

Hi, I'm Matthew

I am an enthusiastic, creative front-end web developer and graphic designer in the LA area, passionate about combining design and technology to convey ideas and messages and create solutions.

I've been designing and creating websites and for many years, and print-based media for decades.

I love the challenge of conveying ideas and messages succesfully through the use of language, typography, images and color. I use HTML, CSS, PHP and Javascript to make web pages look the way I want them to and do the things I want them to do. Learning better ways to do that is an eternal journey for me.

Things I Do

  • Turn creative ideas, usually in the form of Photoshop or Illustrator images, into clean working websites.
  • Design brochures, logos and all types of printable media.
  • Use PHP/MySQL to create data-driven, CMS-based sites and web applications.
  • Plan, design, write and execute HTML email blasts and grow contact lists.
  • Offer myself as a helpful, clever, creative team member; I'm fun to work with and eager to continue learning, growing and sharing my knowledge and experience with others.

Personal Interests

When not designing or coding, I might be filling my time with any of the following:

  • I love to travel;
  • I make music by playing guitar and bass and singing;
  • I love playing chess;
  • I'm an avid snowboarder in winter and surfer year-round;
  • and I love photography.

Technical Skills

Excellent

HTML5 / CSS3

OK

jQuery

OK

PHP/MySQL

Excellent

Photoshop

Skilled

Illustrator

Excellent

Indesign

Experience

Front End Developer / Graphic Designer

Hoyu USA Cypress CA May 2011-Present

Website Development Graphic Design Email Marketing Coordinator E-commerce

Accomplishments

Designed and built all of the company’s product websites, including fat-hair.com, bigen-usa.com, bigen-barber.com and fat-curls.com. When joining company in 2011 transformed existing websites from table-based to Web 2.0, div-based layouts. In 2012, responsive mobile-friendly layouts.

Coordinated ecommerce. Using Amazon's "Seller Central" service, create stores and apply custom CSS to them reflect product lines unique branding rather than generic templates. bigenusastore.com, samystore.com and fathair.com grew to become significant revenue stream for the company.

Developed PHP/MySQL online surveys, contact forms, asset request forms and other web-based applications. Integrated Wordpress CMS engines into sites, as needed, so other team members could updates sections without knowledge of HTML.

Managed and developed company's customer email database. Planned, created and executed monthly html-email blasts to customers. Integrated customer sign-up forms on commerce sites, resulting in a 300% increase in contacts over two years.

Designed and coordinated printing of: brochures, leaflets, magazine ads, reports, business cards, product packaging artwork and other forms of printed media. Managed in-house photography studio; utilized photography skills to take all product shots used for marketing.

Web Designer

4 Wheel Online Tampa FL October 2010-May 2009

Website Design Graphic Design SEO
Use design skills, Photoshop, Illustrator and Dreamweaver to build, refine and maintain 4wheelonline.com, petstreetmall.com and other websites. Write marketing copy and otherwise structure web pages for SEO.

Independent Contractor

MW Designs Tampa FL July 2009-October 2010

Website Design Web developmentGraphic Design wordpress
Provide web and print design services to various clientele.

Graphic Designer/IT Support

Brown & Brown Insurance Clearwater FL April 2005-July 2009

Graphic Design IT Services Flash Animator
Maintain company website, www.bbpinellas.com. Conceptualized and implement clients’ print and web based communication materials. Create Flash based animations providing overviews of clients' employees benefit options. Design and produce print- and web-based promotional and sales pieces – brochures, logos, flyers, etc.

Education

Hampshire College

Undergraduate at Hampshire College in Amherst, Massachusetts.
Liberal Arts studies focusing in philosophy, fine art, computer graphics and design.

Amherst, MA 1990-1991

Ripon College

Began college at Ripon College in Ripon, Wisconsin. Liberal Arts studies focusing in philosophy.

Ripon, WI 1889-1990

Portfolio

  • All
  • Websites
  • Graphic Design
  • PSD Art & Photography

Let's get in touch