Over the years, the print and web hemispheres of my brain have overcome their differences, and where once there was barbed wire blockades and police escorts, there is now a civil exchange of information between the two, and, dare I say it, a bit of collaboration and idea-sharing. To hell with print. To hell with web. Long live the document designer.

Robert Solomon has released an updated edition of his classic book on how to exercise strong client service. The 58 chapters criss-cross all aspects of the advertising industry, but the theme is relevant to any business interacting with clients — practice good customer service, and everyone wins.

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.