Derek Conjar

I can’t say enough nice things about BatchBlue’s web-based customer relationship management software, BatchBook.  Its 37signals-ish ease of use — along with the killer integrations and brand spankin’ new iPhone app — make it a fierce contender for best small business contact manager.

However, it is blue.  Perhaps a bit too blue.  That’s not particularly surprising considering that the company’s name is BatchBlue, but it can cause UI-obsessed webworkers like yours truly to gravitate towards sexier CRM’s like Capsule and Highrise.  Determined to partake in the power of BatchBook without sacrificing aesthetics, I spit out nearly 400 lines of raw code and gave my favorite cloud-based contact manager a face-lift.

I finished up my dark and clean BatchBook theme and named it GrayBook.  Why, you ask?  Because BatchGray just sounds weird…

Here’s a screenshot of BatchBook’s Dashboard before I tweaked it:

And after:

And here’s a contact page prior to my tweaks:

And after:

How It Works

When you browse any well-designed webpage, a special collection of code — called “CSS” or “cascading style sheets” — controls the “look” or “styles” of the website.  The fonts, colors, and layout of this website are all determined by these simple lines of code.  Your web browser (e.g. Firefox, Internet Explorer, Chrome, Safari, etc.) reads the CSS and makes the website look pretty.

Since your web browser does the dirty work of interpreting code and beautifying web pages, you can change the look of websites by changing the code.  This is called a user style — several lines of raw code that change the appearance of a website within your browser.  It literally allows you to browse in style.

Although several web browsers support user styles, this tutorial only covers installation in Firefox and Chrome.  If you want to use my Graybook theme in another web browser and don’t know where to begin, post a comment and I’ll see if I can help.

Installing GrayBook In Firefox

To install my BatchBook theme in Firefox, follow these instructions:

1. Click here and press the big green button to install the Stylish addon
2. Once the installation is complete, restart Firefox
3. After restarting, click here and press the “Install with Stylish” button
4. Go to your BatchBook account and check out your new theme

Installing GrayBook In Chrome:

These instructions are almost identical, yet somehow slightly easier:

1. Click here and press the big blue button to install Stylish
2. Click here and press the “Install with Stylish” button
3. Wow, that was fast!  Check out your new BatchBook!

Simple enough?  If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions, let me know in the comments section.

Entreo is a local reggae artist that thrives on his Jamaican and American roots, which are a central theme of his music. EntreoLive.com includes a community, bio, blog, CD store, gallery, event info, custom flash animation, and the Joomla content management system.

The website is completed besides a couple shopping cart tweaks that require the client’s assistance.  It is likely to launch any day now.

All of my long-time clients know that my brand has changed a lot through the years.  In 2000, I started my web design firm under the name “Web Design Delivered.”  I quickly branched out into all other website services, including hosting, domains, maintenance, and marketing.  This change in services was accompanied by a name change to “Web Site Delivered.”

I’m finally at the point where I can expand to meet my original goal.  My clients know that I offer the best web design service in the area and beyond.  I deliver a phenomenal value, excellent support, and my trademark back-breaking hard work.  I am now ready to transform my company from a small web design firm to a state-of-the-art marketing company (that offers state-of-the-art web design, of course).

New AdVenture Media

My new brand will offer precisely what your small business or start-up venture needs:

• Complimentary marketing analysis and planning
• Website design and management (domains, hosting, design, maintenance)
• Graphic design (company identity, advertisements, logos, stationary, business cards, etc.)
• Marketing solutions (search engine optimization, social networking campaigns, etc.)

New AdVenture Media offers the edge your company needs to thrive in an economic downturn.  I’m working on its logo, branding, stationary, and an absolutely explosive website.  Subscribe to my RSS feed and I’ll keep you posted.

The Joomla CMS web design for Nu–Generations Ministries includes a forum, prayer center, info about the ministries and church functions, guestbook, photo gallery, and much more.

You can take a look here.

The Lacrosse Coaching Assistant is a collection of computerized lacrosse coaching tools created by the renowned local coach, Carl Runk. This website markets that product. He also has gotten a book published under the same name.

It features a content management system so he can easily make updates at the push of a button, along with a shopping cart and a great CSS/XHTML compliant theme.

The website is up and available here.

Lovette is a client of mine and owner of Lovette’s Lovely Links, which offers hair extension services.  Her new website is for her line of hair extension products, Lovette’s Lovely Remy.  Her website includes a shopping cart, the Joomla! Content Management System so that she can easily make updates, a flash gallery, and other great features.

You can take a look here.

You can now browse DerekConjar.com from your mobile phone!  I even have a unique site just for iPhone browsers.  Simply type DerekConjar.com into the browser’s address bar, and voila!

Update: I recently launched a newer version of the site and have disabled the iPhone version, since the new interface is even better for iPhone navigation.  Enjoy!

Today, I made the finishing touches to SecuredReturn.net, the online home of Southfield Properties LLC, a local real estate investment firm. The site features the Joomla! Content Management System, a member’s area, and much more. There are some parts of the site I was hesitant to design (i.e., the plain one-column layout and the pixelated banner), but the customer is always right.

You may view the website here.

I just finished the website re-design for Blondell & Associates, a law firm located in Essex, Maryland. Todd Schuler, a client of mine and member of the Maryland House of Delegates, is an injury lawyer with Blondell & Associates.

The site includes a beautiful template design, a custom-designed logo, the Joomla Content Management System, and some other cool features.

You can view the website here.