It seems it is quite common and often asked of each designer what hardware, software, and apps they use regularly, and why they chose the route that they took.

My Main computer (Desktop in my office) is a Custom Built PC, built by myself. This computer runs Windows 7 and can handle just about anything I need it to and more. I know most designers are mac-only, but I’ve never been this way, and see positives and negatives to both. So attached to my main PC is dual Asus VH236H 23″ Monitors. These have done me well over the years, but soon will be time for an upgrade. I have a Logitech Performance MX Mouse which I absolutely love, and with that a equally impressive Logitech K800 Wireless Keyboard. Nothing too crazy in addition to this for hardware, 3 internal HDDs, and one External simply for backup.

My alternate (portable) computer, is a 2010 MacBook Air 13″ full upgraded. I also love this computer. It is the first Mac I’ve owned, and still am not a huge fan of the OS, but really enjoy the build quality of the laptop itself. With it I have a Magic Mouse which I absolutely hate because of the accelerator in it. It is simply too slow for me when trying to move around the screen, and I fight it more than get any use out of it (this is even after adding additional software to speed it up). That is about it for hardware for the Mac, nothing too crazy as it is my portable machine.

Now on to Software…

On the PC:

• Adobe Photoshop CS4 – raster imaging
• Adobe Illustrator CS4 – vector imaging
• WinSCP – file uploads
• Notepad++ – preferred windows code editor
• Google Chrome – my browser of choice
• Market Samurai – great piece for SEO & Marketing
• TweetDeck – for twitter of course
• Digsby – for chatting on AIM, GTalk, and getting email notifications

Now onto the MacBook Air:

• Adobe Photoshop CS4
• Adobe Illustrator CS4
• FileZilla – file uploads
• Coda – great code editor (I’ve found this is the biggest place Windows is lacking)
• OmniGraffle – Mindmaps & trees
• Google Chrome – yeah, again
• ColorSchemer Studio – great simple program for colors
• LittleSnapper – great for storing images and categorizing

To sync my client and personal site folders between my PC and Mac, I’ve found nothing works remotely as well as Windows Live Mesh (which many apple fanboi’s may not find believable), but this program works wonders and keeps all my folders I’d like it to synced between the 2 computers with no effort from me what-so-ever. I had tried 3 or 4 Mac Applications, and all left tons to be desired. Last, but definitely not least, I love 37Signals, and the Suite by them. Bascamp, Highrise, Backpack, and Campfire.

So that is about

Puma Realty Management isn’t your typical Realty Company. We wanted to capture that in the design of the site. Puma Realty Management targets college students and young professionals with locations based on proximity to the local Universities & Businesses. The Design is made to showcase not only the houses that Puma Realty has for rent, but also the company culture being local, small, and easy to work with. With the Functionality, Puma Realty needed an easy way to add new homes to their site, and through WordPress we created just that.

Absolutely love that ZooTool is now a Google Chrome App. I’ve always wanted to use ZooTool, but without owning a Mac I never had the chance. I’ve started using it to build moodboard-type pages for clients designs.

The book “Beyond the Twelve-Ounce Curl” is a book that explains in detail how to live a healthy, active life while still being able to enjoy hearty beers.

The challenge of this book cover design was to create a simple yet striking design and keeping its title and information easy to understand at a quick glance. Most copies of the book will be sold online, and users will often be scanning through thumbnail sized images so the title had to be strong and easy to read.

Running Man Illustration by Robbie Short

Puma Realty Management was looking for some brand identity within the local Real Estate market and wanted something clean, crisp, and different from other brands around the area.

If you haven’t noticed yet we’re making some evolutionary changes to the site. We feel its getting just a bit dated and wanted to make sure its easy to use, fast, and represents everything we do as a Design Company. Hopefully we’ll be finished here soon, but if you notice anything a bit whacky that is likely why.

Logo design for Staples Karate Studio. In this logo we wanted to give a hint at the oriental martial arts forms, while still keeping the style very easy to identify without knowledge of martial arts, or chinese characters or symbols.

This is a Logo created for the Short Track Pro Cup (STPC) Racing series.