For most of us, there are certain tasks we do that never feel like work, because we are inspired by the mission, the process, or the subject. This flower gallery web design is one of those tasks. I created it about six years ago, inspired by the beauty of flowers beds in the Rio Grande Botanic Garden in Albuquerque, New Mexico. During the time I spent in the dry high-desert environs of Albuquerque, I felt a tiny bit homesick for the spring tulips and other flora of the gardens in New York City. The Rio Grande Botanic Garden took care of that. It was a true oasis in the middle of the desert. This web site was created as a personal project to promote this under-appreciated jewel in the heart of the high desert. You can see the original flower gallery web site here. -Don Peterson, Newark1 Web Design Studio.

This car will always be special to me. It was the car I drove cross-country (New York to California) when I first saw the wonders of Colorado, New Mexico, and Arizona. The first time I saw the red rock paradise of Sedona, the glistening White Sands of New Mexico, the historic artistry of Santa Fe, the spectacle of migrating Sandhill Cranes at Bosque del Apache Wildlife Refuge, it was in this car. I fell in love with the Southwestern United States in this car. When I finally retired it (at 200,000 miles), more than 120,000 exciting miles had been spent exploring every “nook and cranny” I could in the states of New Mexico and Arizona.

This car was made during an era when American cars had a lousy reputation. Yet I never had a single breakdown until after 200,000 miles. I kept the fluids fresh and did all the necessary maintenance on time. It kept on running. Most of my photos of New Mexico and Arizona were made during the time I owned this vehicle.

My old 1999 Mercury Cougar is seen here on The Jemez Mountain Trail, just outside of the Jemez Pueblo in New Mexico at sunset. We had some great times together!

What is clean web design, and why is it desirable? The dictionary defines the word clean as: free from pollution, not ornate or intricate, honest. These definitions can all be applied to clean web design.

Clean web design is free from pollution. In other words, any element that does not have a role in supporting your central message or product is eliminated from the design. It is very easy to fill a web site with visual elements that distract from the purpose served by your business web design. It is wise to make sure that all graphic elements and links to external web sites (including the vast array of social media), serve a beneficial purpose in your web design. If not, they can “muddy up the waters,” making it harder for the central theme of your web site to shine through. If it confuses, distracts or hides your mission, then remove it from the web design.

Clean web design is not ornate or intricate. There are standard protocols or “web etiquette” that must be honored in keeping things simple. Don’t invent new ways to navigate your website. Don’t hide your navigation and links in wittily contrived visual tricks. Don’t force people to spend time trying to figure out how your web site works. Use navigation tools and link structures that are simple, commonly used, and easy to follow. If it’s too complicated, they will simply leave. That’s bad for business.

Finally, clean web design is honest. It does not mislead visitors. Pages are clearly identified with simple titles and honest descriptions. It does not use tricks designed to lure visitors through misleading promises.

At Newark1 Web Design Studio (the creators of this blog) we excel at clean web design. The web design for a chocolate confectioner featured in this article is an example of  our work. It appeals to the senses while keeping functionality simple and understandable.  Please contact us through our web design portfolio if you want to know how our clean web design can help your business.

The Sermon on the Mount, one of Jesus Christ’s most beloved sermons, is the inspiration for this photo / poster. I added this quotation from Matthew 6:28,29 (the lilies of the field) to a photo I shot of a lily at the New York Botanic Garden over the summer. The fancy script is a free font named Scriptina (I get asked alot about that font). This image was shot with a Canon Rebel (1000D) XS and 50-250mm EF-S lens. Photo by Don Peterson.

The title says it all. New Mexico Truck. No where else have I seen a fondness for old pick up trucks quite as ardent as in New Mexico. I routinely see old Chevy and Ford pickups from the early 1960′s still in use as daily vehicles. They are an enduring part of the New Mexico landscape, like this old Ford pick-up truck seen in the Jemez Mountains near Albuquerque, New Mexico. This old truck ages gracefully in an equally ancient barn, covered with a fine film of red clay. From what I can tell, it’s a 1952 Ford F150 with the famous bullet grille. I have captured photos of this truck on a number of occasions in different seasons and light. Here is another photo of my favorite old New Mexico Truck on petersonlive.com. -Photo by Don Peterson, Newark1 Web Design Portfolio

I love simplicity. Take something complex and make it digestible, easy to comprehend. So, in that spirit, I’ve gone back to a simpler time in this redesign of stylepeterson.com. It is not fussy, but it works for me. It draws the eye to the focus of each page, the photography. I hope you like it! I will be adding more new photos in the days ahead so please bookmark us and return. Please stop by my web design portfolio if you need web design for your business or personal web site.

This promo for my web design studio is here for a good reason . . . We do great work! As the Creative Director for Newark1.com Web Design, I have helped many budget-minded small businesses and start-ups to create a compelling and hard-working online presence. We specialize in web design with consumer appeal. Our web design not only informs the mind, it touches the heart. We redesign existing web sites and can also design your first online marketing campaign.

However, for now until Feb. 20th, our web design becomes simply irresistible. We offer a 40% discount on all web design projects that are ten pages or less, until Feb. 20th! So, if you are a new entrepreneur or startup looking for a great web presence this is you chance! Visit us at newark1.com and contact us there. Move quickly of you’re interested because this is usually a very popular deal!

Our web design portfolio is located at http://newark1.com. Call our toll free number: 1 866 544 0550 (US and Canada) for a free discussion of your online marketing needs.

Pointillist Fall Colors, Branch Brook Park. Like a beautiful pointillist painting, this photo shows the shimmering, sparkling fall colors in Branch Brook Park, Newark, New Jersey. And, yes, this is a photo, not a painting! To get this effect, I used my 70-210mm lens and zoomed in on the details in these leaves from across a small pond. The telephoto zoom lens has the effect of flattening perspective. I stopped down the lens to F:13 to get as much sharpness as possible. However, the leaves were moving slightly, enhancing the painterly effect in this photo. Since the sun was popping in and out of the clouds, I waited until the sun was free of clouds and strongly illuminating the leaves before taking the photo.

How to capture beautiful fall colors

Many times other photographers wonder how I get so much color saturation in my fall color images. In most cases I add only a very mild amount of saturation in Photoshop. The big factor is simply waiting for the the best light to illuminate the scene before shooting. That can mean coming back early or late in the day, or, waiting for clouds to move so that my subject is in the best possible light. This photo is the result of capturing strong light illuminating a colorful subject. Simply waiting a few minutes for clouds to move can dramatically change the look of a photo.

Camera: Samsung GX 1S, Vivitar Series 1 70-210mm F:3.5 lens. Raw image converted with Raw Therapee 3.0 Alpha 1, AMaZE Demosaicing.

I’ll be adding new fall color photos to petersonlive.com. Visit me there!

Don