A little about me
February 2004

My interests are eclectic—but I like the fringe. I guess it was all that early training I got as a science nerd. I’m always more interested in the TV shows that rarely survive a season, the bizarre music, the movies no one’s heard of. Granted, I don’t live on the fringe, so I sometimes must rely upon mainstream reports (e.g., Wired). But if you want to find me, look for the “alternative” label.

My background in computers is deep, if inconsistent. I played with modems when you still had to stick the phone handset into rubber receptacles on the modem, and my first computer was with a TRS-80. I got into programming when everyone seems too, the preadolescent years.

But my patience was limited, and I drifted away until the Macintosh was introduced (I was 16). I gravitated toward it, even as I clung to hacker-ish traditions that it was “just a toy.” Computers in college were beasts only used for writing papers, though by the time I had to write my thesis in biochemistry, I gave up on MS-DOS and got a Mac.

I’ve been a Mac person ever since (and will be until the demise of Apple—the real one, not the one predicted every six months or so in the media). Thankfully, my other passion, graphic arts, allows me to indulge in the best GUI operating system in existence today.

My passion for visual presentation has always been with me, from my wonderful 7th grade science teacher who let me make the school’s banners to my volunteer work on the Genesee Theatre Project.

With the arrival of the web in 1994, I found a place to combine my love of computers and programming with my enthusiasm for visual design—once graphical browsers arrived on the scene (betcha didn’t know the web started without pictures).

Several years ago I began developing my skills in web design, creating sites and consulting for free. I settled in an under served niche, the small business (or non-profit) that has had little experience with graphic designers. While large budgets give unparalleled freedom to explore one’s creativity, I find incredible satisfaction in bringing good design to the greater community.

Over the past years I have found a great need in my community for general graphic design, too. While designing letterhead or creating a logo doesn’t have the web’s challenges of interactivity, even in this modern age it surrounds our daily lives and can have a far greater impact.

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all original content copyright Margaret A. Martin, 1999-2008