I (Tyler Herman) grew up in Fortuna and have lived in Humboldt County (currently in Arcata) for most of my life. I started playing around with web design when the internet was young, before going to college to study design and pursue a career in the field. Currently I work at Humboldt State University, for the Marketing and Communications Department, building and maintaining websites for the college.

Along with doing web design for the college and freelance clients, I also work on my own web design projects, my personal design blog Couchable, and I am also working on creating a series of free courses for startups and small businesses on how to better understand and improve their own online marketing efforts. Along with web design I’m really interested in marketing and business in general.

I spend a ton of time in front of the computer so in my off-time I’m working out at the gym or trying to take advantage of any good weather we get here on the coast.

Working with Me

If you are thinking of contacting me about a project, here is a little bit of info about what the process will be like.

To start off, we will need to discuss:

• Goals and the purpose of the project
• A timeline and budget
• The materials need for the project to get started
• The deliverables to be handed off at completion

After we both have an idea of the extent of the project I can get you an estimate that will include: the final cost of the project, the items that will be delivered, and the time it will take to complete the project. If you have more questions about the process, feel free to contact me.

Design Process

I like to start each project by doing a little research on your business using any current marketing materials I can find, to get a sense of what your brand is currently like and what potential customers are seeing. Then it is nice to talk with you about your goals. I try to find ways to make the work I do translate into business solutions. Whether it is increased sales, getting product information to customers, improved customer service or just generally increasing awareness of your brand. The goals aren’t just to make a nice looking website, the goal is to meet and exceed your objectives.

A timeline, proofs and deliverables are something we can discuss before work commences so that we can stay on track, on goal and on budget.

Once we have an understanding of what your goals are, a timeline, and have settled on a budget, I go about creating the design (if a website) or producing the other marketing materials required.

For websites, I build responsive designs, which is a fancy way of saying the site’s content will respond or change based on the device (smartphone, tablet or desktop monitor) being used. I also build sites using a content management system, mainly ExpressionEngine. I’ve worked with Drupal, WordPress and a number of other CMSes and find ExpressionEngine to be the easiest to use and quickest for me to develop sites with. 

My Skills & Experience

I have six years of experience designing and developing websites professionally, and have been building websites as a hobby since the 7th grade. I have worked in-house, as a freelancer, and at a design firm, on projects for corporations, non-profits, start-ups, individuals, and companies large and small.

I am constantly researching and implementing the latest techniques, software and concepts in design and marketing. With regards to web design, I use HTML5, css3, and responsive design. I try to follow progressive enhancement and graceful degradation design principals whenever possible to make sure projects still function properly in legacy browsers.

New things I’m learning about and implementing are using SASS with Compass for styling websites and GIT for version control. Both involve using the command line which I’m getting familiar with as well.

I won’t bore you with all the details, but if you want to know more specifics, or wish to know if I can do a job you need done, I’ll be happy to talk to you about it.

Marketing Services

I primarily focus on building strong online presences via search, social, a strong web design, and online advertising. I’m always looking for unique ways to promote brands online.

Here are a few of the ways I can help promote your business:

• Local Search Optimization
• Online Advertising
• Social and Local Citation Profile Design
• Consulting and creating online marketing strategies
• Site or social updates and support

You can also see a list of services I provide.

If you’d like to know more about me or want to start on a project contact me.