There's a great deal of amazing software out there these days to help web design companies manage projects and build great quality websites. I'm always wondering what kind of cool applications people in our business are using, just in case one of them would be great for my own toolbox. So I want to take the opportunity to share tools our team uses on a day-to-day basis and give them some link love (as if they need it). Disclaimer: Any of the following desktop applications are for Mac, so PC users may be out of luck on some of them. Sorry, but not really since I love my macs.

Web Development

• Code- Textmate
• FTP- Transmit
• Design / Editing- Adobe Photoshop and Graphic Converter
• Debugging- Xyle Scope, Firefox Developer Toolbar, IE Developer Toolbar, Total Validator
• PC Testing- Parallels
• Quick and Easy Forms- Forms to Go
• Wireframing- OmniGraffle
• Proposals- QuarkXPress
• Dedicated Servers- Voxel.net

Web-Based Tools

• Content Management / eCommerce- Springboard (shameless plug)
• Website Monitoring- Pingdom
• Analytics- Google Analytics
• Email- Zimbra
• RSS Reader- Newshutch
• Flash Slideshows- Slideshow Pro / Slideshow Director

Administration / Management

• Getting Things Done- iGTD
• Getting Things Done Outside the Office- Jott
• Internet Merchant Account- Merchant Plus
• Password Management- KeePassX
• Backups / Syncing- Super Duper and FoldersSynchronizer
• Accounting / Invoicing- Quickbooks and iBiz

Cool Mac Utilities

• Chat- Adium
• Find a Hex Value on-screen- Pixel Tracker
• Screenshots / Screencasts- Snapz Pro X
• Prevent Apple top menu from burning into your display- MenuShade
• Copy/Paste Management- iClip

Thanks to the awesome software creators and providers out there! It sure makes my day much easier with software and services like this. Feel free to mention any cool apps I am missing out on in the comments!

We were recently honored to be featured alongside the world's very best designers in an article from Smashing Magazine, called "50 Designers x 6 Questions". This was an opportunity to share a little about web development and pass on some advice to fellow designers. For those that are interested, here are the answers we provided to the 5 questions in the article:

What's 1 typical myth about web-development (which is not true)?

That a great site can get you to the top of google. Developing an SEO-friendly site is only the first step in accomplishing a goal like that. Past the development side of things, there are tons of other factors involved. That's why we work with an outside company (VKI Studios) that is one of the very best, and I am thrilled to not have to worry about it outside of the code.

1 bulletproof method to get over creativity block

This is far from profound, but walk away. And don't leave one screen to go sit in front of another and watch TV. Go workout, take a run. Or do some errands. Just do something active for at least an hour that does not require you to think about work or look at your crackberry.

1 thing to do before starting a new project

Get to know your client. What drives them? What are they passionate about? What can you learn about their business that will help you create their ideal website? Who do they compete with and how can you appeal to their target market? It's also important to shake their hand if you can. If not, spend 20+ minutes talking with them on the phone. Make sure that you get along, and that you can work well together. Be sure that they are open-minded to your ideas, and that you can be a good listener to them. If something's not right about the relationship in the beginning, don't be afraid to cut it off and save yourself a great deal of hassle.

1 thing I wish I knew before I've started programming/designing

How much I would enjoy it! Developing websites is really hard work, and it's not always really fun. But in general I feel that working on different projects with clients in TONS of different industries always keeps the job fresh and full of new challenges. I also learned very quickly the value of a team. I work with two guys that compliment my skill set perfectly, and I would encourage those just starting out to always be seeking people to work with that are better than you at certain things.

1 common mistake you should always avoid developing web-sites

Shortcuts. This applies to design and code. I don't care if the client will never notice the subtle gradients or appreciate the beautiful semantic code. Just make sure it's something you can get excited about, and that you can learn something on each project. There's simply too much talent out there to ever think you know it all, so do things in your everyday work that are incredibly challenging and uncomfortable. That's the only way to keep getting better. Don't hesitate to spend much more time on a project solely for the purpose of becoming better. It's worth it!

1 tool or/and service/web-service I can't imagine my life without

iGTD, from Bartek Bargiel. Unbelievable. http://www.igtd.pl/iGTD/ Also, I wanted to mention that Smashing Magazine just celebrated their one year anniversary. As a result, they are offering some of the BEST books on web development (40+) for free to those that choose to write a thoughtful comment. Read their post to learn more about it.

Today is a really exciting day, as Project83 celebrates it's second birthday! This little design company has accomplished a great deal in our short time, and we have very exciting projects and announcements to look forward to in the future. A huge "thank you" goes out to our clients, who helped us grow into a web design company that competes with the very best in the business. With their help, we have done nearly 40 sites in two years, 21 of them so far in 2007. An even greater thanks goes out to Denny Swindle (middle in photo) and Jared McDaniel (right in photo), the other two guys I am honored to work alongside each day. It's been so much fun working with guys that challenge me each day with their abundance of talent, energy and work ethic. Here's to another year working on new projects and constantly learning along the way!