Oliver Jewell has launched!
Posted on 1 December, 2020It feels like it’s been a while since I wrote about actual work stuff. Probably because I’ve been doing it instead of talking about it. See – miracles do happen.
Nevertheless, I do like to talk and I suppose it’s only right that sharks should break the proverbial drought.
Although it’s technically not sharks themselves, so much as someone who does boss stuff with sharks.
That’s right, colleague and friend (which I consider him despite his support of Liverpool F.C.) Oliver Jewell now has a website, built by yours truly.
It has information about and pictures of great white sharks.
I cannot fathom a single reason why that isn’t enough for you to pay Oliver Jewell a visit, right now.
But just incase you’ve found one, please do continue wasting your time here by reading on.
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Oliver Jewell tagging a great white shark. Photo by my other half, Anna Phillips.
Oliver Jewell – a shark person
I’ve mentioned Oli countless times across this website. We’ve worked together in Mossel Bay and Gansbaai, tracking great white sharks in both areas. I’ve provided figures and promotional artwork for many of his papers (including last year’s look a great white sharks swimming through kelp). He’s also helped me develop my skills in writing for research – no mean feat.
Oli has been after a website to showcase his skills and experiences for a while. As he now nears the end of his PhD, this has grown from a luxury to more of a necessity.
While we discussed the viability of a site powered by the likes of Wix or Squarespace, Oli wanted something with an original, distinguished aesthetic. This website was to be more than a CV of experiences. It needed to be content rich and afford Oli the flexibility he needed to explain his work in the most engaging way possible.
Custom WordPress Theme
The site itself comprises a bespoke theme powered by WordPress developed in HTML5 and LESS. Those words will mean nothing to most of you, but vague technical jargon is how I like to measure my own intelligence.
The last few websites I’ve built have employed a modular content approach. Essentially, I work with clients to establish what the most common forms of presentation for their information might be. This can be as simple as a text box to more complex, interactive 3D viewers. I break those down into data inputs so it’s easy as pie for clients to update and refine to their needs. Those inputs form the fundamental structure and I build the aesthetic around that.
In Oli’s case, it means he enjoys a fair amount of freedom in terms of how he tells his stories, safe in the knowledge that it won’t look crap.
Honestly, there’s bugger all left to say besides my enthusiastic encouragement that you go and check it out for yourself.
Oli provides a great insight into great white shark research which now spans over a decade. Whether you’ve a specific interest in the species or are just open to learning something about them that you didn’t know before – Oliver Jewell has something for you.
Enjoy!