GregoryBowers.com

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Background


Gregory Bowers is a designer, illustrator, artist, essayist, critic and perfectionist. He is an interesting combination of left and right brain thinking, resulting in creations that are both logical and artisitic. Below is mini-resumé of sorts. For a more comprehensive resumé, please request one.

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Gregory (Greg) Bowers

Salt Lake City, Utah Seattle, Washington-based graphic designer, illustrator
View Gregory Bowers's profile on LinkedIn

The Executive Summary

Okay, that's really vague, but shockingly that's what a lot of people want to see, and the following in-depth is sort of ancillary.

The Rambling Job Interview

Street Cred

I could use a lot of buzz-words and jargon to hype myself up and impress you by potentially confusing you, but I'll save that for if you ever ask me to explain the difference between kerning and tracking.

I've been designing web pages since 1997, and for pay since shortly thereafter. I am well-versed in HTML in it's various flavours (ie, I know the difference between html 4.0, xhtml 1.0 transitional, xhtml 1.0 strict, etc.) I've been styling html documents with CSS since before it was widely supported (I recall getting very frustrated in the Netscape 4 days). A few designers I know even call me up when they have CSS questions. I'm dabbling in Microformats. I understand the importance of specific style sheets for different devices (print style sheets for legibility and resource backtracking, handheld stylesheets for mobile devices... I actually surf the web via my BlackBerry, so I know how frustrating it can be). *With the introduction of v3 of this site, the print and handheld stylesheets are currently unavailable, but are forthcoming. Handheld styling has been removed entirely, and I've used this new site on my mobile, and it works very well. A handheld stylesheet will come, without doubt.

I'm not too shabby with Javascripting, and that whole AJAX deal (oh, crap, I just used the big buzzword). I know my way around PHP, but I'm not about to go write my own blog software. I did however hack the bejesus out of my current blog software and certainly made major revisions in several of the plugins I used.

I am a Mac-based designer. This doesn't mean I don't know PCs... I can build a PC, install different operating systems and probably know more about Windows than your average Windows-based designer (or sometimes your IT department). However, there really is a big difference in spending a day on a Mac as opposed to on a PC, and frankly, relearning CTRL instead of CMD really slows a guy down. I also know enough *nix stuff to get around on a server.

Software: Yes, I do know Flash. No, I will not design a site in Flash. Such a thing would anger the gods of accessibility and would end up in my being struck by a cleansing bolt from Valhalla. But I know my way around, and with a decent reference book, I can do some interesting things. But don't hire me as a Flash developer.

Photoshop. We have a long and storied history. Let's just say "This whole layers thing is awesome!" once came out of my mouth. Illustrator was picked up a little later on, and unlike a lot of "designers," I actually use it. A lot. I have a tendency to draw something myself instead of going stock hunting.

When it comes to web, I do it the old fashioned way—hand coding. You can keep your WYSIWYGs and Dreamweavers: give me BBEdit and an FTP client and I'm happy.

Can you believe I was certified by the Utah State Board of education in Drafting and CADD? Yes, that means I actually know how to freehand draft architectural and mechanical plans. My AutoCAD is pretty rusty, though.

I'm also fairly adept at the following programs (ie, I've actually been trained to used most of them): AfterEffects, DVD Studio Pro, Final Cut Pro, Sorenson Squeeze, Maya, Microsoft Word/Excel, Filemaker Pro, CoolEdit Pro / Adobe Audion. I'm a quick learner, and have a tendency to teach myself new programs/technologies.

Oh yeah, and I used to produce all the pre-recorded audio for a radio station while in college. But that was a few years back…

Tootin’ the horn

No, I've never won the Pete's "Gnarly Site of The Day" award or the "Official Interweb Awesome Page Award." Seriously, why do people tout these things? If I'm going to proclaim an award, it's going to be the OAIBBM.

Somewhat more relevant would be the fact that the marketing materials that I designed for Salt Lake Motorsports won the 2006 Best Dealer Marketing from Ducati. Or the fact that entries of mine have won awards at the University of Utah Digital Media Arts Festival (you know, like Festival Pick). Or that Novell lauded me as an "Honorable Mention" in the Young Network Professional of the Year (1999... ie, I came in 4th). Hell, I could even tell you that I'm an Eagle Scout, or that I paid my own way to devote two years to providing service to people in Australia. Or that my work was (along with a tacky photo of Regis Philbin) in an issue of Entertainment Weekly.

Awards are all fine and dandy, but I'd rather let people who've worked with me say some nice things:

Greg's style is like walking into a beautifully decorated mansion after living in the ghetto of the internet. His speed, clean code, and clean design lines are an inspiration. You can't teach people what Greg does naturally.

– Iris Jean Lowder, Director of Information Logistics, Seminar Central

People love [the shirts Greg designed for our record label]! They look great!

– Exumbrella Records

I hadn’t expected [he’d work] so fast!... [He has a] magic touch... Yes, Greg is fast.

– Chris Hansen, creator of FX.php

[Greg has] an incredible talent as a designer

– Emily, Marketing Manager, SoftwareMedia

We love the work Greg did for our CD Release. Everyone kept telling us how much they liked the design.

– The Brobecks

I've worked with:

And I'm spent...