John Arcadian
UI and UX
Web Designer
Frontend-developer
Author
Author
John Arcadian
Placing a single label on what I do has always been challenging. I'm often categorized as a web developer, graphic designer, project manager, UI/UX designer, or technology strategist. In most of my positions I fulfill multiple roles and I'm always looking for the areas where my skillsets overlap to help ensure a more complete and successful project.
I am also an award winning Writer, Game Developer, and Art Director with close to 40 books released for tabletop role-playing games like Dungeons and Dragons. In my free time, and for a few clients, I've been dabbling in video game and interactive experience creations as well as some lite animation work.
What I Do
Web Development and Project Management
I’ve been creating web experiences since the early 2000s, working in all avenues of creation from design to concepting to coding. Through my company Bee Zen Web Design I have helped many companies and organizations with their web presences. Outside of my own company, I have worked in full time roles for advertising agencies, multi-national companies, non-profits, librarires, and college universities.
Writing and Game Design
I’ve been writing and designing games since ~ 2002, but my passion for good stories and games is lifelong. I love tabletop RPGs for their stories, and their collaborative nature. You get to sit down with a group of people and work out the story together. It’s a unique medium, and one I enjoy enabling for others.
Art Direction
A lot of my work in the game industry is art direction. I work with companies to buy art and build the vision for their product, helping keep all the moving pieces moving and all the artists happy and well compensated.
Availability For Work
I am available for freelance writing, art direction, light video editing / animation, or graphic design as my schedule of current projects allow. I don’t maintain professional social media accounts and keep some accounts around only so the username doesn’t get taken. Reach out by email at arcadian@johnarcadian.com.
Skills
Coding Skills
- HTML & CSS
- PHP
- Javascript
- Jquery
- Angular
- SQL
- Database Management
- Twig
- Tailwind
- Wordpress
- Drupal
- Shopify
Design and Creative Skills
- Adobe CC
- Photoshop
- Premiere
- Indesign
- Illustrator
- CC Animate
- Print Design / Book Layout
- Video Editing
- Graphic Design
- Videography
- Photography
- Creative and Technical Writing
Testimonials
Every time that anyone on the Fuld team (and beyond) needed anything related to our website or technology in general, John was on the job and meeting our needs with amazing skills, amazing depth of knowledge, amazing patience, amazing flexibility, and amazing commitment to getting it done right.
John and I have worked together on several web development projects. The projects included a wide range of platforms, including wordpress and shopify and extensive integrations with systems such as ERPLY. At all times, John provided a level of professionalism and confidence that impressed clients and improved overall teamwork.
John combines great technical skill with a solid understanding of the needs of our business and customers. He’s super easy to work with, proactive, and quick to respond when crises —inevitably— raise their ugly heads. We could not have grown our online presence, and our ecommerce store, at the rate we have without his great work!
Featured Projects
Although I don't take on much work through my web design company currently, I have been fortunate to be able to work on a large variety of projects in many languages and development architectures for clients of many sizes. Alongside pure web development, I tend to branch out and create in many different mediums like motion graphics, video editing, and lite game development.
Interactive Online Map
A bespoke interactive map built on a pure js and css framework for the publishing company Kobold Press. Integrates map markers, pathfinding tool, information sidebar, mobile display, and search and filter functionality.
Backend Private Forum / Store
Built on a heavily customized wordpress framework, the develepors of the Bon Jovi Backstage Club brought me onboard to help troubleshoot code problems and fix design issues. I'd worked heavily in custom wordpress and my CSS, PHP, JS, and troubleshooting skills helped correct the small but critical errors occurring. With my contributions the group was able to meet the tight deadlines looming before them.
Motion Graphics and Video Editing
As a supplemental and last minute idea before a kickstarter I was involved in launched, I built a litely animated video to use as promotional content. Using a mix of stock resources, project art already acquired, and custom built graphics I added some animation to match the script and narrative already written. I've produced more motion graphics since, but usually in support of personal projects and events.
Ecommerce Site and POS Integration
Through a collaboration with their marketing company, I helped the owners of Mutts. and Co build and integrate many custom elements and coding around wordpress, shopify, their point of sale system, online calendars, custom fields for easy updating and manipulation of their content and special customizations for holiday sales and special events. I also created extensive training videos and documentation to help them bring their staff up to speed on the new system quickly.
Artificial Reality Game
Website Design & DevelopmentIn support of an upcoming project, Monte Cook Games wanted to build some interest through an artifical reality game event. With a timer, GPS coordinates to real world geocaches, scripts that updated content at triggered times, mysteries and hints dropped into the css and code, and many other features we engaged the many thousands strong community in the months leading up to the launch. We then revealed the next site which contained teasers, promotional material, javascript pledge calculators, and additional content locked behind further cyphers.
Kickstarter Mangement Solution and Integration
Fulfilling large kickstarters when you want to funnel the audience through your already existing ecommerce solution can be a challenge. For Monte Cook Games (a long-term client) I built multiple backend integration solutions and scripts that processed, conformed, and connected data from their kickstarters, backerkit, and other crowdfunding platforms into their existing woocommerce site in order to fulfill rewards there and help remove the pain from fulfillment.
Ecommerce Sites
For various clients I've built or modified complex e-commerce sites, often integrating auction capabilities, shipping fulfillment integrations, or helping with the data architecture and design to help businesses present their product in the most effective way. Going beyond the code, I have often helped strategize how best to implement certaion techniques to ensure a satisfied customer base.
Publications
Alongside my other pursuits, I have a humble career in the Tabletop Roleplaying Games industry. Here is a mostly up to date list of books and projects I've written, art directed, managed, or contributed to in a significant way.
Appearances and Articles
Here is an incomplete list of the various podcasts, presentations, or appearances I've done over the years.
