CV / Resume

An overview of my skillset for prospective clients

I'm a web developer, programmer and author, specialising in front-end site development, with a particular emphasis on accessibility, and especially accessible JavaScript. With more than years' professional experience in the field, my particular interest is in building highly accessible user-interfaces, using standards-based web technologies.

I am highly skilled and experienced at front-end development using HTML, CSS and JavaScript, and regarded by my peers as an expert in these areas. I also have a great deal of experience with back-end development using PHP and MySQL, and with intermediary technologies such as XML and JSON

When you hire brothercake, you're not just hiring a person, you're hiring a wealth of hard-learned experienced, backed by a genuine passion and interest in producing the highest quality work, with a scrupulous attention to detail that is rarely found.

Through all my time in this industry, I've always practice what I preach — I don't merely advocate best-practice, I exemplify it in all the work I do. And this is how I've gained the reputation that I have:

  • a respected industry leader in the field of accessible web development
  • a frequent blogger, author and speaker, with several books published, and numerous articles, papers and talks on a whole range of web-related topics

Freelance and Contract Work

As a freelancer I've been involved with a diverse range of client projects, covering all the areas of web development in which I have experience.

My clients have included some of the most prestigious organisations in the world, including a multi-national manufacturer of network hardware, one of the largest telecoms companies in the US, a multi-national entertainment producer and distributor, several international charities, and one of the world's largest banks. I've also worked for numerous small and medium-sized enterprises in the UK, Europe, USA, Canada and Australia.

To give a few examples:

  • Design and development of bespoke browser extensions; for a major European browser vendor.
  • Development of iOS-compatible sliders and drag ‘n’ drop functionality; for UK-based developers of an online survey and data-reporting application.
  • Design and implementation of a file-menu system to be used inside a server management application; for a major US networking company.
  • Auditing the accessibility of the company's corporate site, then advising-on and implementing improved client-side template components; for a major US telecoms company.
  • Design and development of bespoke JavaScript menus and navigation systems for several international clients, including drop-downs, fly-outs, folder-trees, and most recently — an iPod-style paged menu with ‘you-are-here’ indication and transition effects, for an Australian government department.
  • Building a brochure site for a New York fertility clinic, including front-end templates and a back-end taxonomy and templating system.
  • Prototyping and proof-of-concept programming for a small UK business, who were in the early stages of designing an innovative web application, and needed a working prototype to prove it would work.
  • Implementation of user-interface components to be used within a CMS product; for an Australian software development company.
  • Consulting on accessibility during the development phase of a new portal site; for a UK media company.
  • Building client-side templates for several CMS-based e-commerce stores, including those of a UK health charity, a global conservation organisation, and a major multi-national entertainment company; all outsourced by a UK web design and e-commerce agency.
  • Countless hours and days spent converting PSDs into HTML and CSS templates! Most of these clients need code which is clean, well-structured and easy to maintain, to use as templates in their CMS. Since I have experience in server-side and client-side programming, as well as in writing and managing content to strict deadlines, I have a strong sense of empathy with the needs of people who write, maintain and work with Content Management Systems.

I could go on ... but this should be enough to give you a sense of the kinds of projects I can undertake, and the kinds of organisations I've worked for.

Recent Employment

My most recent employment was as a front-end specialist working for SitePoint, a Melbourne-based online media and education provider. I was involved in the technical and commercial development of SitePoint's online properties, technical writing and editing, and internal consulting on issues of accessibility, usability and best-practice. I worked for SitePoint full-time between 2007-2008, and now contract for them on a freelance basis.

Development projects I was involved in during my time at SitePoint include: the re-development and subsequent re-branding of SitePoint Design Contests and the SitePoint Marketplace (now 99designs, Flippa and SitePoint Market), research and experimentation into best-practice programming techniques, creating interactive tools and resources for other developers (such as Firefox add-ons), and ongoing upgrades and maintenance of sitepoint.com.

I wrote several feature articles for SitePoint, and numerous blog-posts, becoming known for my off-beat, sometimes contentious take on industry issues. I also contributed to my second book, The Art & Science of JavaScript, and began writing my third, The JavaScript Ultimate Reference.

So how can I help you?

Please do get in touch, and let me know what you need. My services are not the cheapest, but then you get what you pay for — professional, quality work that adds real value to your online estate.

A portrait photograph of me relaxing on a coach, in summer, with a laptop bag to my side and a thoughtful expression on my face.

What people say...

“wow, some great work”

“Without a doubt it's the cleanest, most well-commented code I've had the pleasure of working with, and I've certainly learnt lots from you/it”

“What makes you so good is that you do more than someone can envisage ... you play with a given task and create it how it SHOULD be made”

“You are very professional and great to work with”

“Thanks again for all your round-the-clock help. Things are shaping up nicely”

“Your customer service has been exceptional”

“This is incredibly high quality work all the way around ... I am now 100% sold on this whole outsourcing thing!”

“Thank you so much, James, for your patience and help”

“Your website looks like you could probably program a refrigerator to fly”

“Kickass script there b'cake”


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[brothercake] a round peg in a square hole, that still fits