DATES:
March 2002-January 2003

SPECIFICS:
Graphic design for headers, copy editing, writing blurbs and headlines.

OVERVIEW:
I accepted a yearlong contract with AOL's Digital City local guide website after eleven months in the job market. The pay was a $45,000/year cut from my previous full time position, but it paid the mortgage.

Mostly I programmed various websites -- Denver, Orange County, Los Angeles -- in either categories (music, bars, sports & recreation) or on the "city main" pages seen by everybody who logged in from that city. I wrote short headlines, balanced content for a representative view both in terms of categories and geographic diversity (programming music around LA county can stretch the boundaries quite far).

Much more interesting to me was dreaming up graphical headers for photo tours and special features like San Diego Street Scene. Balancing colors, playing with fonts -- it was just like the good old days.