About

Two defining facts about me:

1. I’m half-Canadian and half-Norwegian and I was raised in both countries.
2. I have an Honours Bachelor of Arts from Victoria University in the University of Toronto, with a specialist in Theatre Design & Production and a minor in English literature.

I made my first “website” (I use that term loosely) with Microsoft Publisher in 1998, and then progressed through a series of drag-and-drop site building programs. Around 2005 I ventured into the world of hand-written code and stylesheets, and I haven’t looked back. I started freelancing in 2008 and I’ve been doing this full-time since 2011.

I like nib pens, light roast coffee, alphabetizing my bookshelves, and raw code. I feel incredibly lucky that what started as a nerdy hobby turned out to be a marketable skill.

About Drollic

Drollic is mostly a one-woman show, but if a project calls for an extra hand, I’ll bring a trusted collaborator on board. I choose the people I work with based on both their skills and their personality. I think you’ll appreciate the combination too!

And if you’re looking for an explanation for the name:

droll·ic adj. [rare, 18th c.] Of or pertaining to a droll or puppet-show

Puppet shows strive to be visually interesting and captivating to their audiences, while backstage it’s crucial that the strings are organized, easy to use, and highly functional in the hands of the puppet master. Similarly, it’s essential that your website is attractive and engaging, and it’s equally important that the code is clean, standards-compliant, and built on a system that puts you – the website owner – entirely in control.

de·sign v. Decide upon the look and functioning of a building, garment, or other object

In theory, design should take both appearance and functionality into consideration. In practice, too often one gets sacrificed for the sake of the other. I believe in building well-designed websites in both senses of the word: visually and functionally. In short: useful design.

Recommended colleagues

If my availability doesn’t work for you (or you’re just looking for more options!), I highly recommend these fine folks:

Dara Skolnick and Melissa Jean Clark are two fellow friendly web folks working with entrepreneurs and small businesses. Dara can take on both parts of a design and development project, and both Dara and Melissa can bring your designer’s work to life through code (or recommend a designer to partner with!).

Colophon