I'm an Artist and a Thinker.
The best of both worlds.
My name is Ilia Levinson and I'm a web consultant. I've been living in Vancouver, BC for over 15 years and have done everything from web development, graphic design and tech support for individuals and businesses. I am currently working as a freelancer and studying computer science in school.
I aspire to one day to complete my studies and run my own web development studio full-time that will provide me with the freedom to travel the world and meet interesting people. I enjoy working with all kinds of people and and I love taking on new challenges. I push myself to learn something new everyday and expand my knowledge with every single project that I involve myself with.
More than just good looks...
I believe there is a fundamental difference between being an effective UX designer and Graphic Artist. As a UX designer I strive for usability over just good looks by putting myself into a potential users' shoes to imagine how well the effect would be received rather than just focusing on making something look pretty. This is especailly true for websites that have users returning frequently. All of these seemingly ornamental effects tend to lose their appeal rather quickly and become unnoticable when the primary user focus is accessing the content they need as easily as possible.
"Good design, when it's done well, becomes invisible.
It's only when it's done poorly that we notice it."~ Jared Spool
That said, it's important to note that form and function can co-exist together. While the goal is to create a compelling user experience via straightfoward navigation and proper use of whitespace & layout, this isn't to say that we can't use design to enhance the experience.
In a nutshell...
While I have many talents, I have compiled a summary of all the essential skills I possess:
- Professional Web Design
- Front-end Programming
- Back-end Programming
- SEO & Social Media
- Print Design
- Systems Analysis