Hi! My name is Dara, and I like: design, art, tea, clean code, and you.
I believe in the magical combination of fun and purpose.
By that, I mean doing something that’s so fulfilling that it feels like play, while also making a real difference in people’s lives.
You see, that’s exactly what web design is for me. My brain loves to solve all sorts of design, coding, and strategic challenges, and in the process, I get to craft online homes for awesome people that express who they are, solve problems, and look awesome and polished across all sorts of devices. Win-win!
I’ve been doing this for a long time — by ‘this’, of course, I mean designing and hand-coding websites, and by ‘a long time’, I mean since 1998 (aka the glorious era of Geocities). I’ve seen lots of web design and development trends come and go, and have a solid understanding of what works and doesn’t work on the web.
Armed with skills in design, front-end development, and critical analysis (hey, that humanities degree did come in handy after all!), I started my career working in-house as a designer and developer at a variety of interesting places including an art gallery and a university, and then worked for over a year as a front-end developer (all code, all the time!) at Jet Cooper, an amazing local user experience agency. All the while, I also enjoyed working with my own clients as a freelancer, and as of March 2013, I officially took the plunge into working for myself full-time.
I like working with all sorts of people, but I especially have a soft spot for creatives, small businesses, and people who love what they do and strive to make a positive impact on others. Does that sound like you? (Or even if it doesn’t exactly, do you think we’d get along great anyway?) Get in touch!
A few more useful details about me
Favourite music: David Bowie, Massive Attack, Björk, St. Vincent, Serge Gainsbourg, Leonard Cohen, Angel Olsen, Franz Ferdinand, The Smiths, Depeche Mode, and every piece Chopin and Debussy ever composed.
Favourite artists: Mucha, Toulouse-Lautrec, Van Gogh, Monet, Manet, Hiroshige, various Pre-Raphaelites, and Andy Warhol because he trollin’ way before the Internet was even a glint in the milkman’s eye.
Other things I do for fun: Paper and wood marbling, making cool stuff out of concrete, nature walks, tending to dozens of house plants, making stuff from outdoor plants (teas! tinctures! oils!), painting, and sometimes making cute things for babies.