About

The best way to get in touch is always .

Just what goes on an about page? Well, for starters I’m taller than most people expect. Not freakishly or stoop-to-get-through-doorways tall, just taller than you’re average designer/photographer. I think freelancers tend to be tall. I’m not sure why that would be the case, but it sounds right. (The absence of any real statistic here gives me some freedom with the claim). Why, just this last year I met a fellow freelancer who I’d worked with for several years but had not yet met. Taller than me! Imagine. Of course, the tall thing does mean I need to stretch more and medically speaking I probably need at least twice the caffiene, but it’s not all bad. You can see more internet from up here, which can be helpful in my line of work.After some time spent perusing what the best in the business have on their about pages, it appears that this would be the time and place to tell you about books I have written, conferences I have spoken at and famous people I have met. After ten years of designing for web and print I’m afraid all I’ve collected is a long list of happy clients, but you never know … that might be enough.

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Furthermore ...

  • I made my first website in 9th grade.

    (1996, if you must know. )

  • I'm @laffan on dribbble

  • I idolize certain people more than is probably healthy. (And yes, I realize they're all male. It isn't that there aren't a lot of deserving women out there, mine just happen to be male. If you'd like we can have a calm, rational discussion about this over somthing nonalcaholic and decaffinated.)

  • I've kept a sketchbook nearby since early 2007. Even in the age of electric ink and killer dolphins (really) a sketchbook remains the best way to ease a thought out in to the real world.

  • For the first 17 years of my life, home was western New Hampshire. Why this becomes more and more important as I grow older is a bit mysterious.

  • [most of] This site is powered by WordPress.

    Well, Wordpress with a little help from TypeKit, jQuery and Tumblr. Everything was tied up in the pretty little package you see now using Coda. Credit for the little stuff you'll find in the stylesheets/scripts/etc.

  • A while ago I wrote the first chapter or so of a children's book that told the story of a rubber duck who runs away from home. It never really took off, but if you happen to own a publishing house, please do get in touch.

  • The umbrella logo was inspired by a Calvin & Hobbes strip which, like many Calvin & Hobbes strips, ended up informing the better portion of my adult worldview.

  • Nathaniel, #48 by Andrea Bailey is, to date, my one and only authorized portrait.

  • I'm /laffan on facebook

  • Houseboats in Toulouse look (something) like this.

  • To the extent that it's possible in today's digitized world, I enjoy making things by hand. Graphics, code, lopsided furniture, etc. It takes a little longer, but the payoff is enormous.