MoMA.org - Object : Photo
After changing my career focus in 2012 from building system engineering to programming I landed my first full-time web development job at Second Story Interactive Studios. One of my first projects was maybe the most complex frontend web application of my career. When I was presented the requirements I didn't know enough to know this project would be complex. As I reflect on it now, adding this personal note in 2021, what guided me through successfully executing this was always asking two questions: 1. what do I not understand? and 2. how do I reduce complexity?
"How do I reduce complexity" is maybe the one phrase I live by the most. This portfolio website runs on Google Sites is a perfect example. This phrase is useful for engineering things and also for designing a personal lifestyle; I should write more on that later. And as I reflect back on this project I remember this phrase enabled me to reinvest (because I didn't know this design pattern at time) a stateless render loop that emulates how React works. While this web application runs on BackboneJS it uses some odd, non standard approaches because when you're new to something you often reinvent the wheel. But the outcome is a rather reliable. Have a poke at the link below to see the web application in action. This is maybe the work I am most proud of in my career because of the personal struggle to overcome not knowing how to build something this complex.
" ...There is a newfound sense of openness and accessibility in both the collection itself and the way the museum has responded to it that is encouraging, particularly in the website, which allows everyday visitors to follow their own curatorial instincts and interests, rather than being led by a single omniscient point of view. This is undeniably one of the best photography shows of the year, not only because it dazzles us with astonishing pictures and teaches us something new, but because it signals an approach to scholarship full of curiosity, inclusiveness, and maturity... "
Overview
Role: Lead frontend developer
May 2014 - December 2014
Client
Employer
Technology
Require
Backbone / Underscore
JQuery
D3 / Topojson
Bootstrap
SASS
Awards / Recognition
HOW International Design Awards, Merit, Infographics, November 2015
W³ Awards, Silver, Websites: Art, September 2015
Interactive Media Awards, Best in Class, Arts/Culture, August 2015
Interactive Media Awards, Best in Class, Photography, August 2015
Creativity Media & Interactive Design Awards, Platinum/Best in Category, Infographic – Campaign or Series, May 2015
Communication Arts WEBpick of the Week, March 2015
Awwwards, Honorable Mention, January 2015
Press
http://hyperallergic.com/170957/mapping-the-material-and-social-histories-of-photographs/
http://www.inexhibit.com/marker/nyc-photos-t-walther-collection-moma/