This is a very cool article from Dart Tiglao of Chalk Magazine, thank you I am very honored to be featured in your column. The article is originally published in the August 2001 issue of Chalk Magazine.
The article is originally published in the August 2001 issue of Chalk Magazine., p 78.
The Inday Factor – Indayworks.com
By: Dart Tiglao
“I’m no artist,” she says. But browse through her work and you’d think she’s lying through her teeth
Webmistress Cheryl Fuerte, known as Inday in cyberspace, can generate such fresh and inviting designs you’d catch yourself nailed down to a website of, say, an herbal health drink. Don’t knock it, she won a Web award for Noni Juice, and proudly for her personal site Indayworks.com
All accounted for, Inday bagged five national awards within three years-four from People’s Choice and one from the prestigious Web Philippines for best entertainment site DonnaCruz.com. Not a small feat. She currently does consulting and development work for VENN Cyberlink, Internet Cafe and Consulting Firm.
I begged for some free advise form the Web consultant and she let me in on a secret, “I try to see myself as the viewer of my work.” Simple enough? Try translating the goals and visions of a client into a usable and workable design, which she herself admits is always the hardest part in making websites.
Five years back when you first started, were you able to predict how big the Internet would be? No “technical prediction” involved, I just saw websites, got fascinated, and said to myself, “Someday I’ll put myself there on the Internet”. They don’t usually teach art/design in I.T.
What was your influence in making such stylish and readable webpages? Way back in high school, I discovered my creative skills by designing the classroom insignia, and our shirts and banners. Currently, I can say my influences would be magazines, other websites, and reading a lot of visual design books.
What are the important aspects of a good website? The list is never-ending, but the “collective x factor” would be: navigation, appropriate content, user-focused design, colors and laout, and loading/execution time. I always say, “If your grandmother can’t browse through your website then it is probably a bad one.”
Which programs are most useful? Dreamweaver, Photoshop, Fireworks, WSFTP, and don’t forget the “almighty text editor.”
What about this “Spherical Universe Theory” of yours? The macro universe, or the universe as we see it is comparable to the micro universe – the small-not-seen-by-the-naked-eye universe, sub-atomic bosons and mesotrons. But this initial theory has already evolved, and there’s not enough space for it in this article.
Post-edit: This magazine is published in full color but the remaining copies with me are my black and white photocopies. Anyone who has a full color copy of this issue, please do contact me!