cathie toshach polaroid picture

The following represents my current body of work. It may seem a bit eclectic at times, but I see it as a rather rounded approach to understanding and designing for people. People like you and me who crave information and don't want anything holding it up, hiding it, or overly complicating it. It can be pretty or even fun just as long as you give it to us straight.

You can also take a look at my résumé if you are so inclined.

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Ann Repp Bookbinding

2007 and 2008 |  (In Production)
Ann Repp Bookbinding Logo

Overview

Ann Repp is a professional bookbinder based in Chicago, Illinois. Her work includes exquisitely handcrafted albums, books, and journals. Ann has commissioned me to design and develop a website for her bookbinding business as well as complete a separate website for her millinery work. The bookbinding work will be used to promote Ann’s work as well as provide information to her customers on the processes, materials, and techniques she utilizes in completing each project. The website is expected to launch later this year.

No Comments | Categories: Web Design, Work
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Gourmet 47 Market & Café

Spring 2005 |  www.gourmet47.com

Overview

Gourmet 47 Market & Café is a specialty grocer located in the West Loop neighborhood of Chicago. In early 2005, to coincide with the grand opening, Gourmet 47 commissioned me to produce a website to feature its products and services. The website was designed and produced on a very short timeline in order to take full advantage of the marketing and attention that came along with the grand opening.

Screenshots

Gourmet 47 Market & Cafe - Home Page
Gourmet 47 Market & Cafe - Secondary Page

No Comments | Categories: Web Design, Work
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Olds Family Website

Fall 2003 |  www.olds-family.com

Overview

Olds-Family.com is a personal project developed in 2003 to feature genealogical information on the Olds family. The website features a number of ancestral profiles, images, and resources. Since it was launched, the website has seen little maintenance and has slowly slipped behind current web standards. I have worked at redesigning the website as a Ruby on Rails project but found the complexity of the genealogical data structure too much for my novice experience. I do, however, still plan to redesign the website, either by simplifying the data model for Ruby or switching to a content management system such as Drupal or Expression Engine.

Screenshots

Olds Family Website - Design Concept
Olds Family Website - Home Page Olds Family Website - Photo Album Olds Family Website - Person Entry

No Comments | Categories: Archives, Digitization, Web Design, Work
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University of Michigan, Shapiro Undergraduate Library

Fall 2006 |  www.lib.umich.edu/ugl
University of Michigan, University Library

Overview

During the Fall of 2006, I collaborated with reference librarians at the University of Michigan’s Shapiro Undergraduate Library to research, evaluate, and make recommendations on implementing an online “ready reference” tool for students. To gain better insight into the functions and services of the reference desk, I shadowed reference staff, completed online training, and ask questions to staff and students about how they viewed reference materials and services. Pairing this information with that learned through visual analysis, heuristic evaluation, and comparative evaluation, I concluded by making a number of recommendations on what essential components are required to implement a successful online reference tool. Additionally, I produced a hi-fi prototype of how the reference tool could be structured and integrated into the existing website.

Key findings from this study are available in a brief summary.

Tools and Methods

  • Online and On-site Research.
  • Visual Analysis
  • Heuristic Evaluation
  • Comparative Evaluation
  • Hi-fi Prototype
No Comments | Categories: Information Architecture, Usability, Web Design
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