Digital Haven Designs is a freelance/contract based graphics and web design company, originally founded in 2003 by Heather Mims.
After relentless study of all of the various forms and principles of coding, web application and graphic design, I initially applied this knowledge to quite a few personal projects on a handful of domains I procured for my own use. For quite some time, I used these platforms to gain experience beyond simply developing an online presence through my technical skills. Through continued maintenance and upkeep, generating traffic in both conventional and unconventional ways and building strong, successful websites, I learned how to take the technical knowledge I already had and apply it, with quite impressive and unexpected results.
A famous movie once quoted "if you build it, they will come." Unfortunately, this isn't always true when it comes to visualizing and developing an online presence. Even some of the best, most well constructed websites cannot go very far to promote you and your product without a certain amount of knowledge and creativity when it comes to attracting visitors.
Positive recommendations and word-of-mouth go very far on the internet, for one thing. I learned this myself as my own website projects began to garner a reputation for me as a designer. Pretty soon, I was receiving numerous requests to build websites for both individuals and businesses, with no other recommendation than the domains I had already built for myself on a personal level.
In truth, I hadn't given much thought to the idea of going professional as a web designer at that time. It was something I had learned and applied myself to diligently, simply because it was a personal passion and one I very much enjoyed.
I kept receiving requests, however. Along with those, I began to learn what the average internet user who finds themselves needing an online presence goes through in trying to make it happen. Many turn first to large corporations, companies that charge an astronomical overhead and take what seems like an eternity to complete a job, charging extra fees for every correction or modification along the way. Others may ask a friend or colleague to design a site for them, with unpredictable results ranging from substandard sites to sites that never get developed at all.
I began to realize that there might be a very good place for me in the realm of commissioned web design. I could provide quality work, charge substantially less than the average corporation and work individually with each client to ensure their commission resulted in a finished project that they were completely satisfied with.
And that, as they say, is history. I've been doing professional web design for six years now and in that time, I've had the pleasure to work with a large variety of clients, all with very different needs and creative ideas. Please feel free to contact me and share your own!