Hello World!

Welcome to the personal blog of Max Weir, I'm currently working as a web designer at Netconcepts in Auckland. My role is shared with two other talented designers Karen and Daniel who keep the entertainment and fun going non-stop. Netconcepts is a great company to be working for and I'm really thankful to them for giving me the opportunity to work here.

I think a big part of being a successful web designer is to have a strong understanding of good user interface design, sure there are plenty of web designers out there who can make things look pretty and flashy but they don't always get it right when it comes to designing for the end user. Most designers end up designing for themselves and not the client or their target audience. This has become the main focus of my design process, designing for the end user to me is really what makes or breaks a good website. David Martin from FI really sums up well: "Usability is the New Design"

My blog will cover various aspects of interactive and usability design as well as cover other forms of internet media and design. I'm addicted to playing Battlefield 2 and it's the main reason why I've taken so long to finish this blog!! So in saying that, there will be the odd game related post every now and then just to keep things interesting.

I'm quickly mastering the fine art of Table Tennis thanks to Netconcepts having a table for everybody to play. There are three teams that regularly challenge each other throughout the day, "Studio" team consists of me and Dan, "Dev" team is Jon and Tim and the "Marketing" team is Allen and Paul. Personally I think studio is best of the bunch, Dan's got a mean back hand and can use his mental tactics to put even the most hardened player off his game. I'm investing in my own bat which I'm yet to buy and I'm looking for something that has the most spin of any bat in existence.

A big thanks goes out to all who helped me with the production of this blog and big ups go out to Dan for sharing and guiding me with his expert knowledge of the fantastic blogging platform WordPress. So here it is "Level Opacity" I hope you enjoy the experience!