Featured Profile &
Interview with Silicon Salley
 SS:
when and how did you first get online?
After spending 10 years
in the Child Welfare field, I needed a change. I began to spent
a lot of time on the internet and my curiosity took over. I
needed to know how all of these websites were created and my
artistic self needed an outlet to thrive. I began studying html
and graphic design and started my first personal website out of
these teachings in 1998.
SS:
what did the web look like then?
To me, the web looked
new and exciting. I knew I could design sites better than what I
was seeing, for the most part. The web was a fountain of
knowledge. You could learn anything and ultimately do, almost
everything. Since then, the web seems to have been catching on
to most businesses. Web content is gaining more appeal, more
interaction and are actually meeting the needs of their business
and their clients.
SS:
when, where and how did you get involved with design?
Designing has always
been a part of me. From smearing baby food on my high chair, to
oil painting. Website design is not much different except for
the number of programs you need to learn in order to create your
art piece and the medium to which it is delivered. Not quite as
easy as picking up a brush, and you certainly do not need to
optimize an oil painting to hang on the wall.
SS:
what role does your own site play in your design work?
Testing, testing, 1, 2,
3.... My site has been the main testing ground for both design
and programming. It is now on its fourth different interface
since it was first born.
SS:
what programs do you use to design?
Illustrator, Image
Composer, Photoshop, 3D Studio Max, Flash
SS:
what browser do you prefer to view on and why?
Internet Explorer is my
preferred browser. It tends to display things preciously as
sites are intended to be displayed. Netscape is too particular.
SS:
one site you wish you could take credit for?
www.elance.com
- this is a flourishing site, that continues to grow and change.
It is completely database driven and interactive and builds a
solid community of both buyers and sellers.
SS:
what are your favorite design resource sites?
webmonkey.com,
flashkit.com
SS:
not only do you design for the web but you also do logos,
illustrations, FLASH and print work. which is your favorite area
and why?
My favorite area is
complete web design, because you can integrate all of the
components of design, such as logo design, illustrations and
FLASH. Websites bring all of the elements together and that is my
most satisfying feeling of accomplishment.
SS:
what has been your favorite job/client to date and why?
The Child and Youth Care
Association of Alberta www.cycaa.com
is one of my favorite clients. They are a non-profit
organization for Child and Youth Care Workers in Alberta. I have
generally been in charge of creating and maintaining this whole
site and for building and maintaining the online membership for
this site. It has been exhilarating to start with a seed, an
idea and watch something grow and flourish into a specialized
community based web site where you actually hear from its
participants and where the participants are very active on the
web.
 SS:
does katzeye go beyond design (i.e. admin, maintenance, hosting,
etc.)?
KatzEye Designs has
taken on a total care perspective when it comes to the internet.
Design and websites are only a small part of the needs of
businesses. KatzEye Designs acts somewhat as a virtual office
for some clients - creating marketing brochures and
presentations, business cards and letterhead, photography, video
production and printing, just to name a few.
SS:
how is a website costed out?
Website costs are
tallied based on the clients budget(s) and needs, as well as the
needs of their clients. The type of hosting required, the type
of information they want integrated onto their site, the level
and depth of design they desire, and the intensity of their site
in both design and maintenance. Although KatzEye Designs
generally charges on an hourly basis, it has been helpful to
provide clients with a total project cost. After several years
of designing, quotes are now mostly on target. It takes a while
to learn exactly how long it will take you to complete various
tasks.
SS:
how many employees do you have working for katzeye?
KatzEye Designs is
solely run and operated by Catharine Haney, however, we have a
number of sub-contractors to help pick up the load when the
business becomes very busy. I like the challenge of having to
balance and juggle a multitude of clients and tasks on any given
day, and sometimes wonder if I would get bored working on just
one site and only one site.
SS:
what were you doing before you started designing?
Before designing, I
worked in the Child Welfare field. I started working in
Residential treatment centers for emotionally disturbed children
and youth and ended as a Manager for a Therapeutic Foster Care
Program, boasting more than 60 beds, and being a Therapeutic
Foster Parent myself.
SS:
what is your educational background?
My educational
background consists of a diploma in Criminology from Mount Royal
College (1990), a B.A. in Criminology (1992), a diploma in Child
Psychology (1994), Fully Certified Child and Youth Care Worker
(1996), Healing Touch Certification Level 1 (1998),
Self-Employment Program (1999).
SS:
have you seen a change (slowing down) of the number of clients
regarding web work since the market took a down turn?
KatzEye Designs has been
flourishing over the past couple of years and has not
experienced a decline in the number of clients. Our goal is to
provide an all-inclusive service to our clients. Our client base
is very good and keeps me busy. I don't actively advertise
KatzEye Designs. All clients come from word of mouth and
referrals of our current client base.
SS:
will the web always have a function?
The web will always have
a function. If anything, it will always be the information
highway.
SS:
if you could build a site and do design work for anyone - who
would that be and why?
I would like to build
and design a site for my parents. They are both entrepreneurs
who have spent several years doing what they do best. They have
some great ideas for a website, and it is not based on your
typical "Get Rich Scheme" that most website owners
wish for themselves. It is based on free services that are
geared towards building a complete community unique to the
internet.
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| CATHARINE
HANEY |
Catharine
Haney is a self-taught and
self-motivated entrepreneur of the
Internet industry. She created KatzEye
Designs in 1999 and found her interest
in visual creation at an early age.
"....I could never pass a fogged up
window without sticking my finger out
and drawing on it. For months on end I
would draw the same character over and
over until I perfected it. I'm sure my
parents became sick of receiving
hundreds of pictures of Garfield and the
Smurfs. I use to walk through alleys and
pick up other people's junk to make
magnificent creations (you would be
amazed at what you can make with
shingles). From the beginning, I was
always an artist, always
creating...."
When KatzEye Designs first introduced
itself to the Alberta market place,
Catharine was the company's only
marketing resource. She single handedly
promoted the organization to the market
through cold calls and to her own
contact network. Despite the constant
surfacing of new Internet related
companies KatzEye Designs prevailed, as
a result of Catharine's personable
approach, and, her vision of a Website
Design Company that went beyond the
Internet. An organization that could
provide Internet, Advertising and
Marketing services, for clients, at one
source. Today, KatzEye Designs persists
entirely upon 'word of mouth' marketing.
The company's reputation for service and
effective site development has created a
perpetual demand.
"....word of mouth seemed to travel
fast, and within the first four months
of my business I was now dedicating 100%
of my time designing and developing
websites rather than making cold calls.
Clients truly are your best form of
advertisement and repeat business. So,
instead of pouring time and money into
advertising, I focus on making sure I
have happy clients...."
Her peers in the industry have also
noted Catharine Haney's websites. Her
award winning sites include:
Golden Web Award Winner 2001-2002
www.katzeyedesigns.com
www.havanarepublic.com
Western Web Excellence Awards:
www.katzeyedesigns.com
www.havanarepublic.com
www.lynnroseheights.net
Cool Site Awards:
www.circlesofrhythm.com
www.stocktribe.com
Mrs. Haney's Internet education is the
result of self-teaching techniques
including reading and on-line tutorials
and seminars. Her recent attendances
include:
The Conference on Web Site Development
and Design,
Calgary, Alberta
CompuMaster
July 2000
And
Self-Employment Seminar
MKS Learning Center
Calgary, Alberta
1999 - 2000
Most of all Catharine's work speaks for
itself, check out some of her best work
at the following sites: www.katzeyedesigns.com www.havanarepublic.com
www.lynnroseheights.net |
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