About Me
I am Brett Hoffman, a 26-year-old freelance front-end web developer, graphic designer, and internet aficionado with a huge range of experience in the creative field.
I formed Brett Strikes Back to stand proud as my personal brand, serving as both my professional portfolio as well as my personal haven on the craziness that is the web.
With skills all over the spectrum, I have never let the technicalities of an idea hold me back, and avidly works to learn new programs and skill-sets. I loves the creative industry and have been excited to work in a variety of specialities including; graphic design, web development, 3D modeling and animation, motion graphics, sound design, photography (editing & manipulation), and have a solid history of fine arts.
I am highly motivated and take great pride in all of my projects and accomplishments under Brett Strikes Back.
Personal Life
I currently reside in the capital city of Columbus, Ohio and live with my lovely wife, Brittani, and our hyper-active cat, Charlie (or "Charles" as I like to call him). We were happily married on May 21st, 2011 at a park in downtown Columbus and are happy to say we have our first child on the way!
I absolutely love eating. Some of my favorites are: Hawaiian Pizza, Guacamole, Bulgogi with coconut rice, and Steak Gorgonzola Alfredo, although I don't discriminate too much...
Humor and sarcasm are my stimulants of choice, and I make it a high priority to go into life with an open mind. I make a virtuous attempt to stay light-hearted in all matters. Being a geek, I thus automatically reserve my place in front of family and friends computers (and anything else even remotely technical) over all of my holidays, vacations, visits, and life...
So it goes!
Skills
Web Design / Development
Graphic Design / Branding
Motion Graphics
Illustration
3D Modeling & Animation
Sound Design
Apple OSX 10.4/5/6/7, iOS4
Microsoft Windows XP, Vista, 7
HTML5
CSS3
Javascript (working knowledge)
jQuery (working knowledge)
PHP (working knowledge)
MySQL
Wordpress 3.x
Social Media - Facebook, Twitter, etc.
Adobe Photoshop CS5
Adobe Illustrator CS5
Adobe InDesign CS5
Adobe After Effects CS5
Adobe Flash CS4
Newtek Lightwave 3D 9.6/10
Propellerhead Reason 4
Microsoft Office Suite
Apple iWork
Apple iLife
Apple Soundtrack Pro
Apple Quicktime Pro
Corel Painter 11
Google Sketchup Pro
Currently Learning
Pixologic Zbrush 4
Autodesk Mudbox
Recent Work
October 2011-Present, Freelance Contractor
I have been working full-time for Denison University as a web specialist, helping clean up backend code, QA the content on their existing website, and aiding in the development effort of the new website. I will be working with the team on migrating existing content from the Bricolage CMS to the new system Drupal 7 as well.
Other various tasks I also fulfill at Denison include managing the department's student web interns, monitoring and administration of the University's many social media channels and microsites, and meeting with office and department heads around campus to aid in general maintenance of the current website. The role I play is ongoing and constantly evolving.
July 2011-September 2011
This project is a collaboration between a fellow named Moritz Bruckner and myself. It is currently in an early developmental stage. I am working to design the entire UX — logo, branding, and layout.
December 2010-Present, Personal
I started designing and developing my personal website in December 2011 with the idea of creating a single location for my portfolio of work, online resume/CV, personal blog, and an easy way to get in touch with me.
A completely new version of this site is in development!
March 2011-Present, Freelance/On-Going
I was hired as a contract web designer & developer in March 2011 to re-design the BuckeyeBagels.com website, for Bruegger's franchise owners Mike and Deborah Salcone's three Columbus area bakeries.Following the launch, I continue to provide graphical updates, operate the promotional blog, and maintain the website in all regards. I also have an on-going working relationship working on advertisements and other promotional materials for the stores, including the 2011 and 2012 ads for The Memorial magazine.
April-May 2011, Freelance - DEVELOPMENTAL HOLD
Chris contacted me looking to have a personal portfolio site built for himself. Starting with a design concept he had come up with, I took cues from it and made it into something simple, attractive, and real.
I had the opportunity to work with Microsoft's Seadragon web interface for Chris' gigapixel imaging as well as coming up with solutions for making an easy-to-maintain website that doesn't rely upon a CMS.
It is currently under development and the development can be sampled here.
April-May 2011, Freelance - AWAITING IMPLEMENTATION
I came across a guy asking for advice on a website he created for his family's storage business that was seeing troubled times. Having had no web design experience, he created a website that was a great effort but just not right to try and save a business.
I decided to step in and offer my services and I threw together a modern design for him and sent it off and he loved it.
It is currently awaiting implementation and the design can been seen here.
April 2011, Freelance - AWAITING IMPLEMENTATION
I was hired as a contract web designer & developer in March 2011 to re-design the website, BuckeyeBagels.com, for Bruegger's franchise owners Mike and Deborah Salcone's three Columbus area bakeries.
It is currently awaiting implementation and the design can been seen here.
August 2009-March 2011/Present, Freelance
Sherri Hoffman operates her book design/typesetting company out of her home office and is a very accomplished designer with over 20 years of freelance and contract experience. She began teaching me all about her work and handing off various smaller projects on a irregular basis over the past couple years.
I have since worked on both book typesetting and layout as well as graphics design for a few books and have learned quite a bit about typesetting and book publishing in general.
Education
High School
2004 Graduate
Self-Learning
I have always been one who has loved learning and accomplishing new things, whether it be on a computer or just in life in general. I love being a jack-of-all-trades. This mindset of wanting more than what beginners are often handed—whether formally or on your own—is exactly the mindset that transformed me into the person I've become. It was during my formative years that I began directing my own personal education and learned many of the web and graphic design skills I still use to this day, which all my formal coursework has only cemented in me further.
Without my avid interest in furthering myself to be a better designer, developer, and artist, I believe I couldn't be where I am right now. This extreme drive to succeed in everything I do has carried me well over the years.