So what is Are0h?
Are0h is a phonetic spelling of my nickname, Ro. The zero is a shout-out to my love of tech.
You're a tech person, huh?
I could say something super fancy and esoteric about my motivations and why I am into the things that I'm into, but to be honest, it's not complicated.
I just like to create. A lot.
I like using colors, shapes, and typography as well as functions and arrays to build out ideas. My favorite kinds of projects are when I can use both my design and programming skills to bring compelling, interactive, and most importantly fun experiences to life.
I have used these skills over the last 20 or so years to work for all kinds of clients such as BMW, TOTA, and Bassey Ikpi to name a few.
When I'm not doing client work, I'm always just trying to make the internet a slightly better place.
Talk about the services you provide.
Whew, ok. Let's break it down into buckets.
Graphic Design
My first love has always been designing, from print work, branding, and the web, I've helping companies and people turn their ideas into tangible realities for as long as I can remember. I've used a host of software over the years like Adobe's Creative Stuff, Pixelmator, Graphic, Figma, Sketch, etc. Haha, I'm not above breaking out pencil and paper and just sketching it out.
Web Development
My drive to create is what motivated me to get into programming so I could bring my designs to life on the web.
I started as an interactive with Actionscript (I know, RIP) and that experience blossomed into learning Javascript, PHP, NodeJs, and even a bit of Ruby. I like building super lean code so I tend to stay away from frameworks, but when I do use them, I don't mind front-end frameworks like React and Vue and on the backend, I love ExpressJS and when I'm using PHP, Symfony is a gorgeous solution.
And of course, you can't do backend work without understanding datastores, so I like using, PostgreSQL, MySQL, and the scrappy Mongo. Ha, admittedly, I'm partial to Postgres. It's just so easy to use.
System Administration
I don't like using third-party services (yeah, I'm THAT person) so I've spent quite a bit of time honing my server environment setup and maintenance skills as well.
I'm a Linux person that prefers Ubuntu or Debian as my operating system for web environments and I go with Apache or Nginx to serve sites. From here, I build custom environments according to the needs of the project. Just give an empty server with some space and I'll get it up and running. And, more importantly, I know how to fix it if something explodes.
Strategy and consulting
I've been building sites end to end for about a decade and a half now, so I am expertly familiar with the process end to end.
On the front-end, I can not only tell how to build a compelling UI and a fun UX but which tools can help you achieve a desirable result. I am comfortable with owning that process from ideation, wireframing, designing, and then implementation.
With years of experience figuring out the specific needs of clients, I am well-versed in building scalable strategies that make the development process manageable and smooth. I can identify trouble areas before they become serious issues that hinder the growth and progress of a project. Ha, I've seen a lot of stuff break, so I can help you not to that.
What else are you into?
Ha, so many things. I love video games, anime, great television, and reading. Wellness has been a big interest as of late, so I really enjoy lifting heavy objects on a regular basis. And I probably think way too much, but it's my thing.