About

My name is Heather Onnen and I'm currently pursuing a career in website design and development at Kansas State University. I'm 18 years old and I've had a passion for coding Web sites for several years. I have high expectations of myself and I believe that I can be an important asset to potential clients.

What's special about my work?

No two users on the Internet are the same. This is why it is very important that your Web site is usable across a variety of browsers and monitor resolutions. I test every Web site that I make in the following browsers to ensure compatibility:

As I've said, I also test for cross-resolution compatibility. I test every Web site that I make from a resolution as small as 800x600 pixels to as big as a widescreen 1280x800 pixels. Even if a particular user's resolution is smaller or bigger than this range, I code all my Web sites in such a way that they should look fine in those resolutions, too.

Unlike competitors who may use such programs as Macromedia Dreamweaver to code their Web sites, I take the time to "hand code" every line of code of every Web site I make. Programs like Macromedia Dreamweaver often insert extraneous code that does nothing but make your Web pages take longer to load. Users will spend less time waiting and more time looking at your Web site.

I take much pride in validating my code according to the World Wide Web Consortium's standards. Clients' Web sites will be validated under XHTML Strict or Transitional, depending upon their preference. (XHTML Transitional offers some leniency for the client, such as allowing the use of link targeting.) XHTML and CSS validation helps in ensuring that your Web site displays correctly in different browsers.

If you're interested in viewing my work on various Web site projects, please visit my Web site projects page.

What about my media projects?

I have extensive experience working with Adobe InDesign and creating print publications. I was layout editor for my high school's literary magazine and I worked closely with the other staff members, literary magazine sponsor, and printer in order to make the magazine look it's best. (Photos of the finished magazine, as well as my other media projects, can be viewed on my media projects page.) Just as with my Web site projects, I take pride in ensuring that everything works and looks as it should.