December 15, 2010

For The Love of WordCamp / Speaking at WordCamp Phoenix

Over the past year and a half, I've dived into the WordPress community and have attended/spoke at various WordCamps. I am just so thrilled to be a part of this incredible community and even more thrilled that I get to share what I have learned and learn from others who are sharing. Growing with WordPress can't get better than this. The people that attend and speak at WordCamps are incredibly talented and I feel so blessed to meet, learn from, and help them in whatever way I can.

Some of these people I have gotten to know at various WordCamps over the past year and can truly call them my friends.  Thank You! You know who you are! I'm looking forward to making more friends in the years to come in this incredible community.

If you haven't been to a WordCamp, you should go. Talk to the people around you - see what they are working on. You might could help them with a problem and they might could help you. I guarantee you wont regret it. Also, If I happen to be there, say hi to me! ;)

WordCamp Phoenix

This January I get the awesome privilege of not only attending but speaking at WordCamp Phoenix. There is an absolutely incredible lineup of speakers and an awesome all-day design track. (I almost cried when I heard about this!) I can not wait. I will be speaking on CSS Tips. Come out to my talk if you are going! Here's the general lowdown:

CSS Tips

You've installed WordPress, everything is working how you want it to, you might have installed a custom theme or even your own theme, and now you're looking for something to either really make it stand out, or professionally refined. I have some CSS tips for you. From the real simple to the intense - designers and developers of all levels will walk away with something they can use. Here are some general topics we will be covering:

- CSS and WordPress
We all absolutely love WordPress - that's why we are here. (if you don't, come see me after) In this segment, we'll take a look at some CSS tips that directly apply to the use of our incredible platform. We'll be looking at different ways to refine the front end -  take a peek at some great WordPress site examples and inspiration - and go over some practical demos.

- CSS3
CSS3 is here and it can not be ignored! Yes we want some consistency in our site across all browsers, but there's nothing wrong with taking a wonderful design that works everywhere and adding in some subtle CSS3 pizazz. What a treat for users with updated browsers! We'll also address some tips on "faking it" in older browsers and fallback.

- Simple Takeaways
Think you know everything? We'll blast through simple CSS takeaways. You'll  probably end up using something in this list, or be reminded of things that you already know but are not currently utilizing.


If anyone has any particular tip that they would like me to include in my presentation, send them my way! Also, Thank you to the wonderful organizers at WCPHX as well as the sponsors! I can't wait.

October 15, 2010

Speaking at WordCamp NYC!

WordCampNYC – Oct 16-17I'm so excited for WordCamp NYC this weekend! There are going to be so many talented people there it is almost overwhelming! I feel so honored to be speaking amongst this incredible lineup. If you're going, come see me speak about Typography and Your Theme. If you live in NYC or just want to come to these other incredible sessions: All you need to do is Register for WCNYC today. Make sure to find me and tell me hello! :) Here is my session description:

Typography and Your Theme:

Believe it or not, generally WordPress sites are made up mostly of typography. This makes the relationship that these typographical elements have to each other very important. The New WordPress 3.0 default theme Twenty Ten has incredible typographical elements. In this talk I will be using a child of Twenty Ten as an example of customizing the theme’s typography. I will be going over how to plan these typographical elements out, their style and color, how to make a site/brand guideline for your Twenty Ten child theme to keep consistency, what different services to look at for your non-system fonts, typographical CSS tips and tricks, and how to account for every little detail and make sure no type element goes un-styled!

September 20, 2010

“Beyond the System Font – Advanced Web Typography” at WordCamp Birmingham

sara cannonI had the great pleasure of speaking this past weekend at WordCamp Birmingham. It was an incredible day with some incredible speakers! If you missed it, here are my slides on my session "Beyond the System Font - Advanced Web Typography." I will hopefully have a video of the talk available to you soon.

The talk covered:
– the current state of web typography/web font licensing etc
– the latest practices such as @font-face embedding
– a practical and applicable focus on how to utilize Typekit with WordPress.
– real-time typekit installation demonstration / how to change your h1
– application on mobile devices (ipad challenges)
– challenging and combating “FOUT” with js
– combating type crunch
– focus on supporting type foundries (no illegal pirating. buy licensing)

September 9, 2010

Speaking at WordCamp Birmingham

WordCamp BirminghamIf you've never been to a WordCamp now is the time to go! I'm really excited about this camp. I've even dove into the planning of it through designing, planning, pricing, and gathering sponsors. Speaking of, we now have some incredible sponsors (thank you to the platinum sponsors Vaultpress and MailChimp!) We also have some ABSOLUTELY incredible speakers. (I'm not going to miss Dougal Campbell or Andrew Nacin!) I also have the absolute pleasure to speak alongside this awesome lineup . Dan Gavin designed the WordCamp Bham W that I've put on the tshirts and badges.
REGISTER TODAY .. I'll even give you $5 off with this link!! Its going to be great! Really though: weather you are a non-profit, business, designer, developer, blogger, marketing guru, or social media connoisseur, you will benefit from this conference. My topic is geared more towards designers. Here's a description:

Beyond the System Font: Advanced Web Typography

Presented by Sara Cannon

Interested in pushing beyond the system font? Advanced Web Typography will cover:
– the current state of web typography/web font licensing etc
– the latest practices such as @font-face embedding
– a practical and applicable focus on how to utilize typekit with WordPress.
– real-time typekit install demonstration / how to change your h1
– application on mobile devices (ipad challenges)
– challenging and combating “FOUT” with js
– focus on supporting type foundries (no illegal pirating. buy licensing)

I'll post up slides after the event.. but really.. you should BE THERE!

Speaking about "WordPress and Your Brand" at WordCamp Birmingham last year.

September 9, 2010

WordCamp Birmingham Badges

WordCamp Birmingham is just around the corner! I'm so excited for this event, and have even gotten my hands dirty in planning it. WordPress Community Love!

If you haven't registered yet, you should do so NOW. Quick: use this link to get $5 off!!!
http://wcbhm10.eventbrite.com/?discount=%20wcbhm5off

If anyone is coming and wants these custom badges just grab one!

WordCamp Birmingham WordCamp Birmingham
WordCamp Birmingham WordCamp Birmingham

Props to Dan Gavin for the custom W!

June 17, 2010

WordPress TV: Mitcho Erlewine: Abstract Your Code

This is the video from my favorite session from WordCamp San Francisco. Mitcho Erlewine did a wonderful talk on abstracting code that really challenged me to produce better, cleaner, reusable code. Here is the video description:

Mitcho Erlewine discusses avoiding programming disasters by properly abstracting the code you write and how you can make sure to write code both you and others can reuse in the future.

Read my WordCamp San Francisco recap post

- sara cannon

May 17, 2010

WordCamp San Francisco 2010 Recap

I had the amazing privilege of attending WordCamp San Francisco this year. Having spoken at WordCamp Birmingham and WordCamp Atlanta on WordPress, I was thrilled to go to a WordCamp where I was just there to learn and absorb as much information in as possible.

I really enjoyed the sessions and absolutely loved meeting some of the really awesome people who attended. Personally, I was really challenged as a designer/developer to focus on themeing for future expansion and improvements, international capabilities, and for future sharing in the open source community.

One of the most informative sessions to me was Mitcho's "Abstract Your Code!" here is the description from the WordCamp SF website:

Abstract Your Code!
presented by Michael “mitcho” Erlewine

Writing code isn’t just about getting the job done, it’s about getting the job done right. In addition to being easier to read and maintain, one great advantage to writing properly abstracted code is that it is then easy to open-source it and give back to the WordPress community. Come learn about some best practices for writing portable, modular WordPress code and later open-sourcing that code as a plugin. Learn about the experiences of other programmers who have done client-sponsored open-source WordPress work and the benefits they reaped.

If anyone knows where there are videos or slides of that session.. I'd love to know and share it!

For those of you who were not able to attend, here's Matt Mullenweg's "State of the Word"

I would like to return to this mecca of WordCamp's next year if at all possible. A truly wonderful and challenging conference.

- sara cannon

December 15, 2009

Speaking at WordCamp Atlanta Jan 8-9

I'm speaking at WordCamp Atlanta!Thanks to some encouragement from Tammy Hart, I decided to apply to be a speaker at WordCamp Atlanta. I had spoken at WordCamp Birmingham in September and had a wonderful time. I always feel like I get so much out of WordCamp. Not only from everyone sharing so much of their knowledge but from meeting some incredibly talented people.

Coming from a design background rather than a programming one, sometimes I am a bit intimidated by speaking. When it comes to advanced php I feel like I'm more of a learner than a teacher - but when it comes to aesthetic, I feel like I have a lot to say. I am going to be speaking on something that is a passion of mine: "WordPress and Your Brand."

Brief Description of "WordPress and Your Brand":

"Utilizing WP technology to fit your brand, your look, and your goals"
We will be covering different aspects of WordPress and how it applies to company branding. We are going to look at good branding practices, examples using wordpress, and look into how we can give ourselves and our clients the best possible online presence. We are also going to talk about brand consistency online and offline, WordPress customization tips, and helpful Plugins.

"Adapt WordPress to your brand, not your brand to WordPress"

Anyone have any amazing examples of Design, Branding, or Interactive Branding they would like to share?

If you saw me speak at WC Bham this year.. its going to touch on some similar branding focuses, but it is going to be a million times better and very in depth talk about aesthetic, type, etc. I am so excited to hear all the other speakers and meet new friends in the tech community that weekend. Cant Wait!

sara

October 5, 2009

Wordcamp 09: “WordPress and Your Brand”

At Wordcamp Birmingham 2009, I had the privilege of speaking on WordPress and Your Brand. I have embedded the slides from the talk. I hope that some people were able to learn a bit about "adapting WordPress to fit your brand rather than your brand to WordPress." I absolutely loved Wordcamp and can not wait for the next one.

WordPress and Your Brand

View more presentations from saracannon.

Sara Cannon Wordcamp 09

photo by: Jason Wohlford

Sara Cannon is a UX/UI Designer, Former Business Owner, Creative Director, & Artist remote working in Birmingham, Alabama. 
Have a project I could help you with? Contact me at sara@saracannon.com.

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