About
Prologue
Hello! I am KC Thiruchelvam (full name, Thirukumaran KC Thiruchelvam). I am a web design & developer based in London, UK.
I have been building websites, as a hobby, since 1999. In 2006 my work turned to a more commercial nature, and the rest is history! I have been creating sites, since then, for small businesses and personal clients.
Most of my early work consisted of html only. However, as time has progressed, I have switched from old-school html & table-layouts to W3C validated XHTML & CSS, augmented with Javascript and, more recently, ASP.NET.
Front-end Development
I focus on creating standards adherent websites which are both usable and accessible and extend this to my AJAX applications. This is done to make it as easy as possible for a user to navigate each site, to access the content with zero frustration. By sticking to accessibility standards (Section 508 US Standard & PAS 78 British Standard), as well as the W3C Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), as many people as possible have access to the website information.
I code to the XHTML Strict doctype and ensure that sites degrade gracefully should javascript or stylesheets be disabled. This allows each site to be displayed correctly on all standards-compliant browsers (eg Firefox, Opera, Safari, Konqueror, Internet Explorer 7), future proofing each website. I also acknowledge that many users continue to browse with Internet Explorer 6 (damn them!), so I make sure it displays my sites correctly too.
I'm a firm believer in separating style from the mark-up, so I keep the XHTML as lean as possible removing any extraneous elements (unless otherwise requested by my clients). I have begun adding 'styling elements' via Javascript if those elements are simply required for aesthetic purposes. This means that each website can be fully redesigned without touching the XHTML, which is excellent for updating archived pages with a new look.
To see examples of my front-end development skills check out my Portfolio for my commercial work and be sure to visit my Showcase where I display skills that I haven't used commercially yet.
Back-end Development
Even though I primarily focus on the front-end, I have decided to expand my skill-set by learning to use ASP.NET and Microsoft Visual Studio.
I have recently completed the Developing and Implementing Web Applications with Microsoft Visual Basic .NET and Microsoft Visual Studio .NET exam, which is the first of three exams towards an MCAD certification. I am currently preparing for the second exam, Developing XML Web Services and Server Components with Microsoft Visual Basic .NET and the Microsoft .NET Framework.
You will soon be able to view an example of my ASP.NET abilities in my Showcase.
Graphic Design
I aim to make each site as useable as possible. To that end I use typography, colour and page layout to make each site easily readable, learnable (using standard navigation principles), efficient (have access to all pages within 3 clicks) and pleasant to visit (create a harmonised look & feel based around a client's identity/brand/image).
To see examples of my graphic design skills check out my Portfolio as well as the XHTML & CSS section of my Showcase.
Tools
I code in TextEdit/WordPad and Adobe Dreamweaver. In order to maintain complete control I prefer to code by hand.
For my graphic work I use Photoshop, Illustrator, ImageReady and Fireworks.