Curriculum Vitae

Name: Steven Butcher

Date of Birth: 29th October 1975

UK Address: 211 Southlands Road, Bromley, Kent BR2 9QZ

BKK Address: 7/52 Baan Sirirudee, Soi Ruam Rudee, Thanon Ploenchit, Lumpini, Pathumwan, Bangkok 10330

Current Role: Web Developer

Web Site: http://www.stevenbutcher.stevenbutcher.com

Email: stevenbutcher@yahoo.com

I have an excellent working knowledge of building Web sites using:

• HTML, XHTML, CSS, DHTML and JavaScript
• Web standards, usability, accessibility and SEO
• Best practices for the Web and eCommerce
• Basic PHP and MySQL

Further skills include:

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Critical attention to detail and consistency whilst staying aware of the bigger picture.
• Highly organised, self motivated and keen to take on new challenges.
• Adept at gathering, reviewing and proposing project requirements.
• Experience brainstorming ideas, investigating potential solutions, problem solving and proposing actions.
• Expertise in technical writing, simplifying sophisticated requirements/processes and producing clear flow diagrams.
• Enthusiastic and reliable team member able to work under pressure and meet tight deadlines.
• Comfortable and confident working closely with internal/external clients and third parties.
• Skillful trainer and mentor with experience producing induction material for new staff.
• Forward thinking fast learner, always demonstrating tact and professionalism.

I'm proficient in the following programs:

• Adobe Photoshop, ImageReady, Illustrator, Premiere
• Macromedia Fireworks, FreeHand, Flash, HomeSite, Dreamweaver
• Microsoft Word, Excel, Powerpoint, Visio
• Quark XPress

Here's a brief summary of my relevant work experience.

I currently work in the production team for Venda who provide eCommerce Web sites to a huge range of companies including Austin Reed, the BBC, British Telecom, Focus DIY, Hamleys, House of Fraser, Kurt Geiger, Laura Ashley, Monsoon, Panasonic, Pokémon, Robbie Williams, Sharp, Superdrug, The Body Shop, Virgin Megastores, Wickes and Xerox.

There were around 30 people in the London-based company when I joined. There are now over 200 staff worldwide, with a second sales office in New York and a production office in Bangkok. Venda has changed dramatically since I joined, and the rollercoaster experience has been enlightening.

The original production team of eight people is tiny compared to the 50+ staff in the Bangkok office. I was building sites from scratch when I started. I now develop the platform to streamline site builds and improve quality. I'm also currently based in the Bangkok office for two years to support the team who now build the sites.

My work at Venda over the years has included:

• Building top quality eCommerce Web sites using HTML, XHTML, CSS and JavaScript. We've had to stay on top of the latest eCommerce best practices, as well as Web standards, accessibility and SEO.
• Standardising a CVS template library that's used as a starting point when building any new site. The default functionality and design remains as customisable as necessary.
• Investigating gaps in the platform, proposing and implementing the best solution(s).
• Training and supporting new staff on best practices and in-house templates and tags.
• Creating thorough and consistent standard functionality documentation to teach clients and new staff about the complexities of the platform. I also created corresponding requirements gathering documents to aid clients and project managers.

Tiscali is a pan-European Internet portal with sites based in most countries throughout Europe. Tiscali International bought LineOne, World Online and Libertysurf, amongst other UK ISPs, in July 2001 as part of an effort to expand their European presence to cover the UK. I was the only designer from LineOne to stay within the new company.

As a member of the Webstudio team, consisting of designers and developers, my responsibilities included:

• Graphics and promotions for all sections of the site (content channels, marketing, commercial, registration), mostly using Photoshop, Illustrator, HomeSite and Flash.
• Designing and building a host of pages and microsites. These included marketing promotions, microsites for the latest seasonal events and blockbuster films and exclusive online services such as television listings, mapping and registration.

LineOne was one of the major UK Internet portals, with over 1.5 million members worldwide.

My responsibilities in the design team included:

• Producing banners and similar graphics for all sections of the site, as well as for external/offline advertising campaigns on behalf of LineOne and partner sites. The majority of my work was produced using Photoshop, Illustrator, Dreamweaver and Flash.
• Meeting strict deadlines and managing my time efficiently. Much of my work went live on the same day.
• Conceptualising and producing designs for anything from single pages to whole microsites (e.g. Valentine's Day, Election 2001).

I worked for the Press Association's weather centre, where I was promoted to acting senior sub-editor.

My work included:

• Designing and updating an extensive range of weather related layouts using Quark XPress, Illustrator, Freehand and Photoshop.
• Producing pages and graphics for a wide series of regional, national and international newspapers, while adhering to the style guide of each publication.
• Liasing directly with clients and suppliers of source data.
• Working in a team under constant pressure to meet tight deadlines on a daily basis.

Here's what I did before I got a full time job.

My degree course delved deeper into graphic design and illustration, including visual culture and the history of graphic media. I chose to specialise in scientific illustration because of my interest in science and natural history.

I developed a wide range of technical and aesthetic skills as well as an in-depth knowledge of zoology, botany, anatomy, ecosystems and other fields of science.

My foundation year was an excellent introduction to all fields of design that helped me decide what to study at the next level.

I specialised in graphic design which covered advertising, information design, page layout, brand design, photography, typography, print making, animation, illustration, 3D computer modelling and the history of art and design.

I took A Levels in Graphic Design (C), Mathematics (A) and Physics (C).

I picked up nine GCSEs in Art and Design (A), Mathematics (A), English Language (A), English Literature (A), Environmental Studies (A), French (C), Geography (B) and Science - Double Award (B, B).