05Transmissions
Field notes
Writing on frontend development: animation, design systems, performance, and the working life of a freelance developer in Chicago.
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Freelance developer vs agency vs in-house: who to hire for what
I have been the agency developer, the in-house lead, and the freelancer since 1999, and this is who to hire for what, with the cost math kept honest.
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Hiring a freelance frontend developer in Chicago: rates, red flags, and what to ask
What I'd tell a friend before they signed a contract with anyone, including me.
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How much does a website cost in Chicago?
Real ranges by project type from the person who writes the estimates, plus what moves the number and how to buy well.
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How I built this site's hero animation with GSAP
A breakdown of the contour field, the DrawSVG elevation stagger, the ScrollTrigger parallax, and the reduced-motion fallback.
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