Ritchie Linao

July-August Desktop Wallpaper

Ritchie — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 03:40:35 +0000

WOOT! Done with my latest desktop wallpaper for this July and August. The concept is more on a typo and grunge design. I plan this concept more about me being weird. I love my wanted poster and it fits on me looking bad/joker. Those black and white photos are from my old days with long hair. I miss my long hair but got no plan in doing it again. “Dako Kaon” it means that I eat a lot but that was before. And about my May-June Desktop wallpaper, I wasn’t able to upload the design. Maybe I was just too busy and don’t have enough time or maybe I was just too lazy. ^_^ Hehehe…

Good Web Designer But Bad With SEO

Ritchie — Thu, 21 May 2009 02:42:16 +0000

Today I’m going to discuss the a good Web Designer, Bad With SEO. How they get clients and what their life as a good web designer. The discussion is by topic and I hope this will help all good web designers out their. I also included my experience in SEO.

Website Gallery

For the past two years, I visited good looking professional websites from website galleries such as CSS Mania, The Best Designs, Best Web Gallery and other CSS Gallery sites. I noticed that most of their website is not search engine friendly. I developed a new website and the name is SEF Web Gallery. The website is featured from other websites except in other web galleries. I think they can’t add it up, so I won’t gain lots of hits and won’t get the advantage of adding new website in my site gallery. So that my website won’t be on the top from other web gallery on the net coz SEF Web Gallery focus more on SEO. It’s also really hard to market my site from other CSS Galleries coz my website is very dangerous to compete with their CSS Gallery.

SEF Web Gallery is a website that will help designers and developers around the globe to gain more traffic with the use of SEO. Do you know why the website is good for SEO? It’s because each profile of the designers and developers that are submitted at SEF Web Gallery has an option for users to choose which is the best keywords and add meta description for their website. I noticed that most submission are messed up submission. When they submit their website, the site details are not enough. The keywords are not good enough and the meta description is too short. It’s like they learned only the basic and they didn’t dig more about SEO. Others can’t submit because they have no idea about SEO. Other sites that are listed in my site are added by me but only a selection of appealing websites that is already optimized for Search Engine.

Website for Freelancers

There are lots of potential website designers around the globe but they lock experience when it comes to SEO. I don’t know if they can get clients for just being featured in the gallery sites. Even if they submitted their website to lots of gallery website, after 1 week or 3 weeks, the traffic gets lower and when the time comes, their website will gain very low hits, but I’m not saying all of them won’t get clients from time to time. Because most of them are members of websites for freelancers such as Get a Freelancer and Freelance Switch, and compete their rate against other freelancers on the net.

Referrals and Bloggers

There are other freelancers that gain lots of client by company referrals and through friends. Other freelancers are already famous because of their skills in writing a good article for their blog. So they get the chance of gaining more hits because their blog focuses mainly on their sideline just like Adii, Nick La, and Elliot Jay Stocks. But I don’t know if they really are good with SEO. Because every post they have is not optimize for SEO. For Adii, I don’t know if he really is good with SEO but when it comes to marketing strategies, he is an expert because people in the net already call him rockstar. Those types of guys does’nt need to optimize their website for SEO anymore because they already have lots of subscribers through their rss feeds.

Flash Websites

As I have notice, flash websites are weak with SEO. They don’t get lots of traffic except for websites that are popularly known such as 2Advanced Studio. Popular flash developers can get lots of clients from FWA. When it comes to money, flash developers has the higher rate. They’re the outstanding developer on the net when it comes to a professional corporate website.

My SEO Experience

My experience with SEO helped me a lot. There were lots of probable clients requesting for quotations. But most of them doesn’t have enough budget with the rate that I quoted them. They thought that it would be cheaper. They should know better if only they check my portfolio. It states there that I’m not a beginner when it comes to designing. They may able to fine web designers that ask for cheaper rates but, what will be the finish product? I’m pretty sure it will not look like it’s professionally done by a web designer. Is it worth it to opt for a cheaper rate? I don’t think so, coz If the service rate is cheap then the quality of the service is cheap too…..

In regards with my clients, I found them or they found me through Search Engine Website. They sent me email and request for quotations and ask questions about my services. I always replied them with truthful answers regarding my services and what they will get with the services they paid for. I don’t want to pretend that I know the project features they want me to do even If I have no idea about it. I just have to refuse for the projects rather than pretending. I am not after for the money they pay me but for the quality of my work and that I did it with justice.

Before, I was a member of Get a Freelancer. The problem is, members of the site always bid for lower rates and makes crappy designs. I quit with the site and started learning about SEO. Then, I’ve learned and gained lots of knowledged about SEO. My ranking with Google and Yahoo is moving up and hopefully to the top spot. A lot of the keywords were used that made my site on the top list. This really helped my site attract more clients. Which is an advantage because I’m not fond of searching clients from website for freelancers. The website that always at top list is my Dodski and it really helps me with my freelance career. If my clients exceed in the limit or if the project is hard for me to develop, I always refer the client to a friend of mine or shall we say my team mates.

Learn How To Illustrate Photos

Ritchie — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 05:07:11 +0000

Since I was still new at Adobe Illustrator I never thought of illustrating photos. And there this one time I landed on GoMediaZine with great Illustrator Tutorial and can’t even understand it too much because the tutorial is for advance. Until one time I landed on ndesign-studio and I was so happy that all of the tutorials he made using Adobe Illustrator was very simple and easy to understand. And starting that time I was able to enhance my skill in using pen tool and illustrate photos. And here in this post I decided to link the two websites that gives me inspiration to learn and enhance my skill in illustration.

Tracing a Photo

In this tutorial you will learn on how to trace a photo using Adobe Illustrator in just four steps.

From Sketch to Vector

Learn on how you can create a vector starting from sketch.

GIG Poster

Learn on how to create your own GIG Poster using Illustrator. This is an advance tutorial for you to learn coz there are steps that you are not going to depend on one Photo only and this is a good reference to enhance your skills.

Beautiful Vector Illustration

This tutorial is much more advance than GIG Poster because lots of reference that’s been use to create this stunning illustration such as the face, the background, the arm, legs and etc…

Learn Advance Photoshop Effects

Ritchie — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 03:50:35 +0000

Have you ever think of designing great photos with the use of Photoshop? It’s very simple, as long you have learn all the basics of Adobe Photoshop you wont have any problem in creating great effects just by using the basics. What you need to learn is to open your mind and think outside the box. Don’t just use tools to create realistic effect but use some thing more real. Creating your own cool effects by yourself without using good resources is a waste of time. Even if you have mastered the tools without great resource is not totally nice. I’ve notice everywhere here in my hometown that most of the photo editors are all just basics. Yeah they mastered most of it but can they create realistic effects with the use of the tools only without using materials? NO! Because creating stunning adobe effects requires good resource of materials such as textures, flames, skull, birds, house, castle and etc.. If you want to advance your knowledge in designing stunning Photoshop effects, I have compiled great selection for you to use as reference. You can imitate it if you want or just get some tricks on how the tutorials are made. And one important thing; learning the advance tricks of Photoshop is very useful for your career especially in web designing.

Sample Photoshop Manipulation

The Sample photos bellow is personally made by me. The first photo is made only Photoshop tools and no good materials that were use to make the undead effect. All of the photo effects are made without learning from tutorial websites. I was inspired to create those photo manipulations by my friend and from his affiliates.

Texture Reference

Bellow is the two websites that provide free textures for you to use. And if you can’t find textures that you want to use for your ideas, you can use google to look for good free textures or photos you can add in the design.

Tutsplus Advance Photoshop Tutorials

PSD Tuts provide lots of advance Photo effects tutorials for you to learn using good materials. The link of the image bellow will take you to their Photo Effects category and if you want to learn more for other advance trick in different category just select the categories drop down menu to choose which category you want to learn and advance your skill.

Pacquiao VS Hatton

Ritchie — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 11:10:34 +0000

The time is almost come and there’s only 32 days left for the fight to start. Who will win and which one will prove to be the best, Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao or Ricky “Hitman” Hatton? Can you still wait or not? Me can’t wait for the fight to start and it’s bad timing coz I’ll be in Camotes Island together with my cousins to have fun. I want to see how the outcome of the fight live but I think I’ll just listen in the radio. Hahaha! I wonder how will Pacman defeat Hitman with speed and strength.

My Inspirational Website

Ritchie — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 18:37:35 +0000

Even since I started learning new things on the web about XHTML/CSS, Web Standards and Web 2.0; I was inspired with the best websites that I’ve been visiting ever since and I really appreciated the designer/developer who made such great websites. This websites have given me the courage to move forward and learn more things through self study, getting inspired and be part of the web industry. As the time pass, many inspirational website keeps coming. There really are lots of things have changed me to think more outside the box and aim higher same as those web designer/developer who made such inspirational website. And now let me show you all the websites that I’ve been visiting ever since I started learning Web Standards and websites with great designs. Now it’s your turn to be inspired and think something that will help you in the near future.

Most of the website I inspire haven’t changed their design for a year already and all of them are still looking amazing. And most of them has great tutorials for you to learn such as CSS, jQuery, Photoshop, and advance WordPress integration. Those website with great tutorials are Web Designer Wall, Go Media Zine, Rubiqube, Stylize Web, Darren Hoyt, and NDesign Studio.

Adii

Avalon Star

Born Living

Darren Hoyt

Elliot Jay Stock

Frisk Design

Go Media Zine

Kulturbanause

Level Opacity

NDesign Studio

Pixel House

Rob Goodlatte

Rubiqube

Stylize Web

Wake Interactive

Web Designer Wall

My Freelance Life

Ritchie — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 16:04:08 +0000

I have tried full time freelance since last December and the only freelance work I always have is from an agency. I really can’t consume lots of time working. So I spend more of my time in having fun by playing games, design my own template, visiting inspirational websites, chatting, reading comics, watch movies and watching anime. Freelance is really hard if your client doesn’t know anything about the rate from a high class designer/developer. They only thought that freelance are very cheap and don’t know what is web standards. What makes a high class designer/developer have a very high rate in freelance; it’s because of Web Standards and the Skills in designing/developing a website. Most clients don’t have enough knowledge about freelance rate, that’s why their budget is very small. It’s really hard for me to lower my rates coz I don’t want to waste my skills and my acknowledgment.

Lot for Lease

Ritchie — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 06:43:04 +0000

My father owned a 9,132 square meter beach lot at Camotes Island Cebu, Philippines with 92 meters beach front. And I want it to be useful so I have decided to write this article as Lot for Lease coz we really need the lot to be developed. You can check the Picture bellow and it is at the beach with great and wonderful view on it. The lot is at the top of that big rock not the white sand, ok. And also in that big rock there is a cave underneath with running fresh water but I haven’t checked it before when I was at Camotes Island coz my father never talks about what’s in there. At my father’s beach lot, there is a light house in the other side on it and it does add a great view in the place. The white sand beside is owned by someone but I don’t know who it is. The lot is a great place to develop into a resort and Camotes is one of the great tourist spot here in the Philippines and there are almost lots of resort that is under develops and it is a great way to make a move and gain the opportunity to invest in such place like Camotes and it is only a 2 hours travel by Fast Craft from Cebu City. The island has enough sources of electricity and water. It has also an airport for small plane. If you want to know more information about this lot, just email me using my contact page or you can reply to this post.

Mar – Apr Desktop Wall

Ritchie — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 02:32:15 +0000

I’m finally done with my new desktop wallpaper for this March and April. The design is kindda look simple and everything works nice and the arrangement is perfectly fine. I don’t know if there will be changes in the design soon. My games are now updated by replacing two applications with World Of Warcraft and Left 4 Dead games. I have removed the My Documents shortcut icon and replaced it with Winamp to make it look like a multimedia in the area. Hehehehe ^_^… My Recycle Bin looks dirty because there are lots of flies flying around in it. And the special part is my Tag Cloud in the center and I love it .

Avoid Being Taken Advantage

Ritchie — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 10:29:28 +0000

You guys want to learn to avoid being taken advantage from a certain client? The tips I want to share from you guys that I have learned from Go Media Zine are 10 Tips to help designers avoid being taken advantage of, but they didn’t use that as title of the article. The article is entitled Don’t Be A Whore and I really learned some tips from them so that clients wont take advantage from me. Most of their tips are already in my knowledge and I comment in the article of something that they forgot to add in the tips and I was glad that one of the Go Media Fan replied and same also with Bill the guy who wrote the article. Take some time to visit their website and read the article at www.gomediazine.com.