Shapelike.com

About Me

Nutshell: I like bikes, cameras and computers.

For the past few years I’ve helped develop and run a bicycle shop in Toronto, Ontario. That experience has taught me a lot about problem solving, efficient workflows and effective marketing on a shoestring budget.

Before that I worked in the commercial photography industry as a retoucher and assistant with some very talented people who helped me think purposefully about design. By being part that process I learned how to bring projects from concept to completion and the delicate art of client management.

I’m a computer geek and have been since I was a child. Initially computers were a focal point for my curiosity but eventually they became a creative outlet as well.

Hi, I'm Mike Clark (avec Helmut doing laps).

Oh, Hello There!

My name is Mike Clark and I’m a web designer living in Toronto, Ontario. This site is my venue to experiment with new design ideas and web development techniques.

If you browse through this site you’ll find use of XHTML, CSS and Javascript and Flash (PHP is working its magic behind the scenes as well).

I’m a fan of standards-compliant design and try to keep usability in balance with style and aesthetics. Sometimes that’s easier said than done but I always find it rewarding when a project achieves what I’ve planned.

What Have I Been Up To?

Cycle Therapy | View Site

This site for a Toronto bicycle shop uses XHTML and CSS to provide new and returning customers with a great source of information about the shop itself and different featured brands.
Piece by Piece | View Full Design Image

This is a front-end design for a tutorial website and is themed after classic anatomy illustrations. It uses the client's colour palette and as per the brief makes a creative push toward a unique appearance.
2008 Southwestern Ontario Cyclocross Series Race Calendar | View Site

This mini-site serves as a race calendar for the 2008 Southwestern Ontario cyclocross race series. Events are represented separately from holidays, etc. and the featured images are from previous races.
Pattern Icons | View Full Set of Icons

The concept for these vector icons is ... you guessed it, different patterns. Houndstooth and argyle are easily recognizable. The final pattern is of a carbon nanotube structure (yes, I'm a nerd).
Weather Widget | View Site

This fun little Flash (AS3) weather widget dynamically retrieves the current weather conditions for Toronto and overlays them with an appropriate icon on a live image of the downtown Toronto skyline.
Ultraviolet Portraits | View Full Set of Portraits

This portrait series is inspired by forensic ultraviolet photography. The technique I developed exposes existing skin and pigmentation features that are invisible to the naked eye.