Dharma Kelleher Web Design logo
dharma
kelleher
web design

Extraordinary Websites for
Progressive Businesses

I’m Not Your Typical Designer

I didn’t go to art school and I didn’t major in computer science. I didn’t study web design in college because there was no web when I was in college.

On the other hand, I grew up learning the principles of graphic design from my mother who had her own graphic design agency. While I’ve had formal training in HTML and PHP/MySQL (in addition to my bachelor’s in journalism), most of what I know about web design comes from the dozen or so years I’ve spent creating websites.

I don’t play video games or collect comic books or eat cheese doodles. I’m not that kind of designer. I’m a tattoo-sporting, motorcycle-riding, gender-bending, mantra-chanting, meditation-practicing, punk-rocking, tee-totaling lesbian that’s not afraid to push the envelope in life and in my work.

Fortune Favors the Badass!

Playing it safe is for wimps. It won’t get you noticed and it won’t make you successful. To survive and thrive these days, you have to be bold, you have to shake things up, you have to be badass!

Badass doesn’t mean you are bad. In fact, it means you are doing great things. When I design a website or banner or logo, I push the envelope. I’m always trying new techniques, new tools and new approaches to create designs that challenge the status quo, set my clients apart from their competition and build their businesses. That’s badass!

I build websites for LGBTQ, progressive and alternative businesses because we know how to be badass! We live our lives taking a stand against the status quo and dedicate ourselves to creating a better world. My work is one of the many ways that I do that.

Skills

  • Web design
  • Logo and banner design
  • Search Engine Optimization
  • WordPress theme development
  • HTML5
  • CSS3
  • PHP/MySQL
  • jQuery/Javascript
  • Digital photography
  • Finding lost objects
  • Herding cats

Preferred Tools

  • Photoshop CS5
  • Notepad++
  • Firebug
  • WordPress 3.+
  • WAMP (local server)
  • Drawing pad and pencils (for sketching)
  • Panasonic DMC-FZ7 digital camera
  • Espresso (at least 2 shots)

Education

  • 2010 — College class in PHP/MySQL
  • 1997 — Corporate training in HTML
  • 1996 — Discovered world didn’t revolve around her
  • 1988 — Earned bachelor’s in journalism
  • 1966 — Head, shoulders, knees and toes

Related Experience

  • 2009
  • 2004–2006
  • 1999–2003
  • 1997–1999
  • 1989–1995
  • 1988–1989
  • Produced “Transgender Survival Guide” podcast
  • Created macros in VBA for Excel for Inter-Tel
  • Owner/Marketing Director for Pearl Exotics Trading Company
  • Published online newsletter for FINOVA Portfolio Services, Inc.
  • Produced shows for cable access
  • News Director for WTPO-AM

Don’t Believe Me — Believe What Others Say About Me

“Dharma Kelleher brings to her web designs what many of us aren’t blest with: superior right and left brain function. She developed an artistically appealing site that fit in with the professional image I wanted, and got all the widgets, pingbacks, plug-ins, permalinks and doodads configured to work perfectly for me. Kudos to you!”
~ author Char Bishop

“Top qualities: Great Results, Expert, Creative. I would recommend Dharma Kelleher to anyone looking for a creative, knowledgeable, and hard-working graphic designer. For my website, Dharma took what she knew about my product and my personality and built something impressive. She really puts her heart into her work.”
~ author Tina Wahl

“Top qualities: Great Results, Personable, High Integrity. LinkedIn told me I could only select three attributes that describe Dharma, but if I’d had my druthers, I would have picked all of them. She’s an absolute dream to work with! Innovative, quick, expert knowledge of CSS/Web design, fun–just all around super! I would definitely hire her again!”
~ Paula Berinstein, Mechnicality, Inc.

Personal Trivia

  • Grew up in small Georgia town
  • Came out of the closet in 1992
  • Identifies as lesbian and genderqueer
  • Moved to Phoenix, AZ in Dec. 1995
  • Got sober in July 1996
  • Married her wife in August 1998
  • Is a practicing Buddhist
  • Donated her right kidney to a stranger
  • Has three cats, two of whom she and her wife bottle-fed
  • Rides a 1998 Honda Magna 750cc motorcycle
  • Is a member of the Desert Dames Motorcycle Riding Group
  • Has four tattoos — a double venus, a labrys, a stylized butterfly and a crescent
  • Once put an entire spoonful of wasabi in her mouth
  • Hiked hundreds of miles on the Appalachian Trail
  • Explored caves in Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, and Arizona
  • Free climbed Phoenix’s 300-ft Papago Buttes in twice
  • Can recite both the phonetic (military) and Greek alphabets

Website and Theme Design

I have been designing websites for more than a decade. The sites I build are handcoded (no Dreamweaver) with a combination of HTML5 (structure), CSS3 (styling), PHP/MySQL (content and function) and Javascript (additional functionality). This insures that the code is clean and loads quickly in the browser.

All sites are checked on a number of browsers and devices to ensure compatability. It is with this in mind that I don't use Macromedia Flash on my sites, as many Apple products (e.g. iPad, iPhone) won't display Flash elements.

Whether you're looking for a brand new site or want to give your existing site a makeover, I can help you achieve your goals.

Search Engine Optimization

Search engine optimization (SEO) is an essential part of all of the websites I design.

Some people think that SEO is something added to a site. Not so. It's in every element of the site from web copy to page titles to image alt attributes and so on. And yes, keywords are a part of SEO, as well.

Logos and Banners

Maybe you're not quite ready for a fully-customized website, but are using a template (e.g. WordPress) that allows you to insert a custom banner at the top of the page. I can help with that too.

Whether you're looking for something reserved and professional or wild and crazy, I can design the banner to brand your business on the web.

Still trying to brand your business with a unique look? I can design a logo for you that conveys your corporate identity through the visual language of graphics.

HTML Newsletter Templates

Services like Constant Contact and Mail Chimp allow you to send HTML newsletters to your clients, prospects and associates. It's a great way to keep your business name on people's minds and give them reasons to visit your website.

However, creating a template that is unique and conveys your corporate identity can be tricky, especially when so many mail readers (like MS Outlook and Gmail) are so strict about what they will and will not allow. You don't want your newsletter ending up in people's SPAM folder!

I can design a HTML email template that will pass inspection and help generate recurring business.

Facebook Landing Pages with Customized HTML

A lot of companies have a Facebook Fan Page. But most are bland with no corporate identity.

Want to know a secret? You can customize your Fan Page to match your regular website with an HTML landing page.

What better way to set your Fan Page apart from the competition and drive traffic to your website?