Happy New Year!

Yes indeed, Happy New Year y'all! Let's hope that 2012 brings success, happiness and all round jolly good things to everyone. And not the end of the world. I don't think I'd make it onto the Ark, and I'm fresh out of aeroplanes to steal....

I haven't had much of a chance recently to work on personal projects, but when things settle down a bit I'm hoping to introduce some changes to Tom Mercer Design. At the moment, I'm working on a new site for an existing client, and putting together some thoughts for a new site of my own. Better layout, functionality, knobs and whistles, etc. etc. The question is, to build it myself from scratch, or to design a template in Joomla and build it there. Many things are making me edge further towards Joomla. It really does seem to be a fantastic platform for developing things just the way you want them. Tonnes of extensions and all that. We'll see what happens in the coming months I guess.

As well as that, there's a few ideas bubbling around in the ol' noggin regarding other personal projects, but it's too early to speak up just yet. The new job is going well so far, too. So all in all, a good start to the year. Hope you all have had a good one too :-)

See you soon.

Quick Update

Just a quick one to announce that, at last, this designer has finally cracked the safe that is the design job market and will in the coming months be starting a new artworker/web designer position at a lovely company in Cornwall.

This will not mean the end of freelancing etc. To the contrary, the freed up time that used to be spent pining over job sites, CVs and covering letters can now be used to refine skills, produce better work and give more time to those personal design projects that had previously been pushed to the backburner.

Stand by for, in the near future, a more varied portfolio, some shiny new websites and, hopefully soon, a new look and feel to my own site. Exciting times ahead. Watch this space...

New Work, New Challenges

Howdy doodly boys and girls,

First of all, many apologies for being a slow starter to this ere blogging m'larky. Must do better in the future...

As it happens, the reason I've been so absent from Ponderings and Doodlings is that, like many freelancers working in the design sector, during the summer months I have had to leave the comfort of my swivelly chair and work another job, where there is a much less plentiful supply of tea and custard creams.

But alas, the summer is now over. And I can get back to my swivelling, biscuit eating ways, staring blankly at 'untitled.psd' files waiting for inspiration.

...and I'm also glad to say that there's been a nice supply of work finding its way to my inbox, too. My portfolio will soon be updated with a lovely new website design for the Dyfi Osprey Project in Wales, and a new site will be coming soon for Ceredigion CCTV. The Osprey Project itself got a national airing earlier this week as well, as the beautiful birds appeared on the BBC's AutumnWatch show.

These jobs are courtesy of CCWUK, a fantabulous company based in Wales also, who have branched out into website design and are using me as a subcontractor. Marvellous!

I'll be back again soon, just wanted to give the blog a quick update. I'm now delving into the wonderful world of Joomla CMS and template designing. I'll let you know how I get on...

Welcome to Ponderings and Doodlings

Hello there.

If you are reading this, then you are reading the first blog entry of 'Ponderings and Doodlings', which is exactly that - a place for me to easily publish general ponderings, doodlings, new artworks and ideas that I have.

My name is Tom Mercer, and I am a designer, artist and illustrator currently living in Cornwall, UK.

Watch this space for future Ponderings and Doodlings...

Until then, ponder this: if the plural for 'mouse' is 'mice', how come the plural for 'house' isn't 'hice'?