1/6/08- bookcase project

Contain your shock, folks- i'm starting the years-overdue bookcase replacement project.

Contact

Here's how to get in touch:

Email's the best way to reach me: vtrullin@pantagruel.net. Please use a descriptive subject line to get around my overzealous spam filter.

If you’d like me to give you a call, simply send over your phone number and when best to reach you.

For the interested, or just paranoid, my public GPG key:

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Hire me

If you're interested in having me work with you on a design project, I'm always happy to discuss prospective work.

My professional background:

I've worn a lot of hats in my professional life. I've been an editor, writer, picture framer, QA lackey, QA lead, game tester, artist, graphic designer, web designer, web producer, information architect, and an art director. What can I say? I like learning new things, and have been working since I was nine (volunteer game tester for Infocom, not a sweatshop -- never fear). I also keep finding myself informally teaching newer designers, and someday, I'd like to do a lot more of that.

I think that good design is all about being invisible -- if a piece looks designed, then it's not really succeeding. The design should flow naturally from the project or object, not be pasted on top of it like a duct-tape Halloween costume. Not even if it has fangs. That philosophy's stood me in good stead: I've won eleven national awards in the field of university communications design.

You can see more at my LinkedIn profile. I'm in Orange County, California, but am available to work remotely.

What I can do for you:

Take a look at my portfolio to see samples of my work. My art gallery spans a few disciplines: graphic design, web design, illustration, and painting. My resumé's available on request.

What my clients have said about me:

“Val is a consummate design professional who can be relied upon to provide excellent service. She is a creative and driven individual who can multitask with expert skill, and can be relied upon to be prompt, honest and straightforward when communicating with others. Val has superlative knowledge of her field and I would not hesitate to recommend her in any art or design related capacity.”

“Val is an outstanding designer, methodical, comprehensive, reliable and capable.”

“Val was a consistently high performer with great energy for new ideas and a keen eye for detail and quality. Val was a valuable asset for us in our creative endeavors and in our day-to-day operations.”

Don't just take their word for it, though -- hire me and find out for yourself!

My rates:

My average hourly rate for the average project is $150. I'm also happy to come up with a flat fee pricing structure for projects; let me know what you have in mind, and we can work together to arrive at something we're both happy with.

Here's how to get in touch:

Email's the best way to reach me: vtrullin@pantagruel.net. Please use a descriptive subject line to get around my overzealous spam filter.

If you’d like me to give you a call, simply send over your phone number and when best to reach you.

finally, how to make proper tea

instructions can be found here, thanks to the BBC. now i think i'll go make a pot.