What felt like a revolutionary epiphany is really little more than understanding why inhouse design groups operate with an agency mentality. The concept is simple. Coming to terms with my character is not.

While I understand how Photoshop can get in the way of building web-based applications, for client work it is the single most important step in the website design process. Clients are paying me to craft the refinement and detail they expect in the final design, and working in a pure HTML/CSS world does not allow that visual development to happen.

Over the years of implementing Textpattern into client sites, I’ve always secretly pined for a simple way to customize the interface so it meshes with the client’s brand better. Recently, I was able to build off the work of others to create an easily editable CSS file that helps orient the admin section toward the company actually using the CMS and away from the default Textpattern look and feel.

My book Web Design and Marketing Solutions for Business Websites is going into its second printing. If you have not already bought a copy, you can request any chapter you’d like for review.

Everything is negotiable. Except color. And dignity.