Relaunch | The Athletic Nerd

17 West Productions in 2010

17 West Productions is about to get a big boost in the coming months.

You might say that things appear to be quiet these days. Today, I’d like to explain why.

Updates have been few throughout the summer but that doesn’t mean we aren’t working hard behind the scenes

Everything will make sense before 2010 wraps up.

Essentially, we are gearing up for a ‘relaunch‘ of sorts this winter with a ton of updates on the way.

It will begin with:

17west.ca

A complete redesign is in the works and construction got underway a few weeks ago. Preliminary designs are looking sweet and I can’t wait to show off our flagship site’s new look. I’m pretty excited as the current design is well over 2 years old.

Those who have been keeping track on this blog have probably noticed that I began migrating all of the articles and features from 17west.ca to The Athletic Nerd. The blog will serve as the central source of information for 17 West’s projects.

The new design incorporates the blog everywhere so you’ll always be up to date on our latest films.

The new look features a brighter and cleaner design with better graphics and a lot more functionality.

However, the redesign doesn’t stop there…

Our Twitter, Facebook and YouTube pages are also scheduled for upgrades to reflect the new look of 17west.ca.

One network. One style. Tons of work.

Why the redesign?

New movies!

The new design is due to go live around the same time we announce our next short film. For now, I’ll simply call it Eric Gamache’s dark tale.

We are hard at work developing the script and getting pitch materials together for the impending search for funds. The new film is truly going to raise the bar for us. Eric is a talented director and the material we are working on has us both pumped to move forward.

What else?

I’m also hoping to unleash the first trailer for The Climb, our latest short film we shot back in May. Post production will continue into the winter and I’m hoping to have the film completed and ready to go in Spring 2011. Why so long? I’m handling all the post myself. (Basically what I’m saying is, I have a lot to do.)

However, I still plan to have a trailer and possibly a clip or two ready for the relaunch of the site.

In the mean time, check out the poster we unveiled a few weeks back. Thoughts?

We will also be upping our coverage of Strings. A project we are co-producing in Sudbury, Ontario. Strings has been quiet lately but I assure you it’s on the way and we’re all excited and eager to proceed with the music/love story.

We are also beginning to develop our future projects to keep this momentum going once every thing launches in a few months.

To summarize, we are coming back in a big way!

Looking for updates?

Keep checking The Athletic Nerd for complete coverage on each of these projects. You’ll find all the details here with daily updates and original features. I’m also preparing for the Nerd’s 1 year anniversary with an entire week of posts dedicated to the milestone. I’ll also be previewing what you can expect as the site evolves in the future.

Back to work.

The Beginner’s Curse: Website Redesigns

April 19th, 2010 | Posted by jasonmckinnon in Design | Web - (0 Comments)

There is in fact a curse that plagues beginners when it comes to designing and redesigning a website.

I’ve been designing websites as a hobby for about 3 years now and I’m still completely obsessed and passionate about my sites. Now, I may have developed decent enough skills over the years but I’m far from many of the wizards out there.

When it comes to coding and back end work, I believe I’ve reached my peak and I’m okay with that. I went to school for television never had any experience working with HTML, php, CSS and all the other acronyms out there.

For me, improvements can always be made in the realm of design and layout. Teaching myself how to use Photoshop effectively was one of the smartest things I’ve ever done.

To date, I’ve designed and built 4 unique websites:

*Didn’t actually design the theme. Just customized it. (Thought I would be honest)

Each one carried their own separate design challenges and evolved my skills.

So what’s the problem?

My designs keep getting better and better as I learn new techniques…

Got it figure out yet?

It makes me want to redesign all the other sites again!

17west.ca had about 8 redesigns before it finally went live. I tinkered with the layout for about a year when it was all said and done. After the site went live, the design went through 4 MAJOR changes and revisions with new features and better graphics.

About a month ago, I redesigned jaymckinnon.com.

Click here to read about the relaunch.

It was a vast improvement over the first version but it made ericgamache.com look like it was made in 1982.

I’ve been working in Photoshop for a few weeks now experimenting with new looks and Eric’s new site is looking fantastic. It’s one of the most refined and professional looking layouts I’ve ever done.

Now, I want to apply this knowledge to my other websites. This is my curse…

Will it ever end?

Honestly? I hope not.

I use the word curse but it’s a positive thing if you are dedicated to the craft. The same theory can be applied to anyone who has a passion in life. This is why it helps to be inspired when you are being creative.

Each time I tackle a new look or create a new graphic I’m learning something new and I’m inspired all over again. I’m getting better at my own pace and when I look at the results I’m incredibly encouraged.

I’m free to design any type of layout I want whenever I want. It’s this freedom that keeps me coming back again and again. This won’t be the last website I build and it certainly won’t be the last I redesign.

It’s addicting.

Of course… This could backfire if I release the new look and everyone thinks it’s hideous… I’ll deal with that if it happens.

Check out more articles like this by visiting the DESIGN section.