About Me

Hi, I’m Vince Law, a web designer/developer from Singapore.

When people ask me what I do for a living, I used tell them I was a web developer or a web programmer.

I stopped doing that and started calling myself a web designer because most people often don’t understand what a web developer does but they seem to be able to form a picture in their minds about what a web designer does for a living.

The terms web designer and web developer are often mixed up and people in general think everyone who knows how to create a web site must know how to design one. That is often not the case.

The Difference Between a Web Designer and a Web Developer

In short, think of a web designer as someone who creates web site designs and a web developer as someone who writes the source code to create a web site.

A web designer designs a web site with designing software like Adobe Photoshop and creates the layout and graphical elements of the web site. Most web designers are graphic designers with a focus on designing for the web. Other tasks include creating prototypes of the initial web site designs and the organisation of the content of a web site.

A web developer codes a web site with web development software like Adobe Dreamweaver to create a web site in HTML format so that it will work in a browser. Other tasks include creating databases and other programming aspects of a web site.

I’m 30% Web Designer and 70% Web Developer

It is rare to meet someone who is an expert in both web design and development. That requires someone who is both very creative and very logical in the way he or she thinks. Designing requires the use of the right brain while development work requires the use of the left brain.

I am more of a web developer than a web designer. There is a limit to what I can do graphically but I can do wonders with source code. I can’t create Adobe Flash elements, illustrations, icons and complex logos at the moment.

I can create some Adobe Flash effects in HTML, CSS and jQuery. The most common effect you see now is the use of a sliding panel on my home page. It looks as though it was made with Adobe Flash but there has been so much advancement in the field of HTML, CSS and jQuery that makes Adobe Flash unnecessary in many instances.

I make up for the lack of illustration skills by purchasing illustrations and icons from stock photo libraries like iStockPhoto.com and GraphicRiver.net. Sometimes, you can even find royalty free icons on the internet that can be used on your web site.

How and Why I Created Maverick Web Creations?

I wanted to use a word that would describe me and my work. The word “maverick” came to me after I read an interview with Lee Kuan Yew on the Straits Times (2 December 2003).

When asked what he missed out when he created the “Singapore system”, Mr Lee said the following:

“I didn’t know this when I started, I know this now – you need both. Your workforce must have the cohesiveness, but to make the big leap forward, you need your mavericks, your geniuses, your people who can think outside the box and say: ‘I can do it better, simpler’.”

That was how I came up with the name of my company. I wanted it to be simply “Maverick Creations” but the web domain name MaverickCreations.com is owned by a clock business. Therefore, I settled for the name “Maverick Web Creations” because I could secure the web domain, MaverickWebCreations.com.

I started my own business because I could not create the products and services I wanted to create by working in a job. I needed my own space to be creative and unconventional as I wanted to be. I wanted to create web sites /web applications that I owned and had full control over.

The Maverick Web Creations’ Mission

Enable small businesses and bloggers to have usable, cross-browser compatible, search engine friendly and profitable web sites that fulfil their business and personal goals.

The Maverick Web Creations’ Values

I place honesty, integrity and excellence as my core principles to guide me in my daily interaction with my customers.

Honesty

• I communicate clearly with as much detail as possible to let the customer make an informed decision.
• I never try to confuse you with big technical jargon to mislead you into thinking you are getting more than what you are getting.
• I do not rip off my clients by overcharging on my services.
• I do not use marketing gimmicks to manipulate you to part with your money.
• I never make promises we cannot keep.

Integrity

• I talk the talk and walk the walk.
• I do not get involved in businesses that are illegal, immoral and unethical regardless of how huge the profit potential is. Here’s a list of the types of businesses I refuse to work with:
  1. Weapons – Firearms, knives, bombs or anything that could be used to hurt someone else.
  2. Animals – Animal breeding, selling, killing, testing and any activity that harms animals.
  3. Intoxicants – Alcohol, wine, drugs, cigarettes or any other substance that causes harm to people.
  4. Human Trading – Maid agencies, prostitution, escort services, foreign worker trading or any other business activity that revolves around the “trading of humans”.
  5. Pornography – Nudity, sex and other adult related content.
  6. Others – I reserve the right to refuse to work with you if I consider your business to be conflicting with my values and beliefs if it has not been listed above.
• I am punctual for our appointments and complete my work on time.

Excellence

• I continually improve my skills and knowledge to better serve my customers.