This site was constructed for a Birmingham, AL catering company owned by successful restauranteur George Sarris of The Fish Market & Dodiyòs. The focus of this project was to translate their print menu into a web site that would showcase menu items, engage visitors, and take advantage of SEO and search engine traffic. Features of the site include an image gallery, slideshow, contact form, Google analytics integration, location-based information, social sharing, and email signup widget. Work performed in conjunction with Reliable Ad Group.
I am an experienced integrator and designer of sites that are functional, visually pleasing, content rich, and findable. I practice credibility-based design—always balancing user experience, what search engines see, and business goals. I also have experience in all aspects of interactive marketing, content creation, search engine optimization, social media, newsletters and email management, RSS feeds, and audio and video editing for the web. Subscribe to my feed for project updates, actionable/interesting information on web design, social media, and how digital media affects us.
Specialties:
Web design, web development, domain management, information architecture, content creation, video, audio, interactive design, virtual tours, screensavers, logos, web site optimization, keyword research, SEO, online editor, CMS, traffic analytics, email newsletters, search engine marketing, social media, open source utilities (including WordPress and extensions, forums, mail lists, photo galleries, ecommerce).
There is a lot more going on behind the scenes, ie freelance. Please visit Rustixs Interactive to see more examples of my work for freelance clients.
Taken at one of the Coastal Living Idea House shoots. I was there to assist the still photographer and shoot the virtual tour.
Bio
Gayle Christopher is a freelance interactive media professional in Birmingham, AL. Her path to this vocation was unconventional and proves the value of transferable skills. She holds a doctorate in physiology from Auburn University and has taught university level courses in anatomy, physiology, human health and web design. In her early career Dr. Christopher was a research scientist but has since filled a number of roles in digital media with a focus on content and design: Online Editor, Managing Online Editor, Interactive Media Director, and Web Designer and Developer, to name a few. Her employers include the Samford University, Coastal Living magazine, and Oakstone Publishing. She describes herself as practicing “credibility-based design—always balancing user experience, what search engines see, and business goals.” To see her outstanding portfolio of professional, clean, and visually rich and engaging work, please visit gaylechristopher.com and rustixsinteractive.com.
People decide in milliseconds whether they like your web page and will move on quickly if not. Good design is more important than ever for sites of all types. The way people see a web page or digital design strongly affects its utility and the meaning that they take away. Gestalt principles tell people how to perceive visual objects, what they mean, and how they relate to one another within the user’s experience. Design with these principles in mind to meet users’ needs and leave a positive impression.
Recently, I had the privilege of being a keynote speaker for April in Auburn 2011 at Auburn University. The presentation was on human factors in digital communications — specifically web pages and social media. I also included a brief segment on trending developments in digital media, but that portion is edited out of the deck below.
I really enjoyed my time there, the students, faculty and society members who attended, and would like to express my thanks for the opportunity, their kindness, and the reception I received. (Photo courtesy of Shanna Lockwood.)
I also had the opportunity to give an abridged version of this talk to the Birmingham Chapter of the Society for Technical Communications at their August meeting. I was very pleased to be asked to speak and enjoyed my time with them.
If you find this deck useful, please drop me a note. If you have questions or comments, I welcome those too.
Very basic starter site. Site has since been redesigned. [Account is inactive.]
“Not only sharp, efficient web design, but a full-service web company. Gayle reserved my domain name, set up hosting, set up my web site, and ensured search engine optimization before I even had time to think about it. She’s a Godsend to the time-strapped client.” Lynn Groom
This site was constructed for a Birmingham, AL catering company owned by successful restauranteur George Sarris of The Fish Market & Dodiyòs. The focus of this project was to translate their print menu into a web site that would showcase menu items, engage visitors, and take advantage of SEO and search engine traffic. Features of the site include an image gallery, slideshow, contact form, Google analytics integration, location-based information, social sharing, and email signup widget. Work performed in conjunction with Reliable Ad Group.
I am an experienced integrator and designer of sites that are functional, visually pleasing, content rich, and findable. I practice credibility-based design—always balancing user experience, what search engines see, and business goals. I also have experience in all aspects of interactive marketing, content creation, search engine optimization, social media, newsletters and email management, RSS feeds, and audio and video editing for the web. Subscribe to 
