History
Pat Fortino
I started writeNowDesign in the spring of 2005 in order to provide website design services to individuals, non-profit organizations, and small and medium businesses.
After working for ten years in the computer industry, I realized that while most companies need the highly specialized skills of a website designer or technical writer, they don’t need them on a full-time basis.
Using Write Now Design, your company can get professional-level services and save money—instead of hiring a full-time employee, you pay for only the services you need.
Philosophy
Strunk and White say, “A sentence should contain no unnecessary words, a paragraph no unnecessary sentences, for the same reason that a drawing should have no unnecessary lines and a machine no unnecessary parts.”
At WriteNowDesign, we believe that communication, whether it’s an E-mail or a web site, should be simple. Elegantly simple. It should contain no blinking lights, no flashing text, no gratuitous graphics, unless it serves to convey your message.
Users searching online help for instructions don’t want to be entertained by clever writing or dazzled by extraneous graphics: they want to find out how to do something…quickly.
Similarly, when a potential customer visits your web site, they don’t want to be confused by moving graphics and pop-up windows: they want information that’s easy to find and read.
Does that mean your web site needs to be boring? That your documents need to be bland? No. It is possible to provide your user with the information they need within a simple and elegant design.
At Write Now Design, we design web sites that convey information using simple and elegant design. It’s as simple as that.
Experience
I have been building custom websites since 1996. My clients tend to be small or medium businesses who need a website update, or to add a shopping cart to sell their services online. I specialize in WordPress websites, and Ecommerce websites.
Before starting WriteNowDesign, I worked for 10 years as a technical writer and web site designer in the telecommunications and software industry for corporations such as Sun Microsystems, U S West, and Qwest.
At Sun Microsystems, I worked on an international team that developed a web-based account management tool. While on this team, I wrote technical documents such as Requirements, Functional Specifications, Use Cases, Installation Guides, Software Support Guides, User Acceptance Test Scenarios, Release Notes, and User Guides. I also helped design GUI application screens, conduct user acceptance tests, and present online demonstrations of the new software.
In addition, I designed a system that uses a single content source to generate print- and HTML-based documentation using FrameMaker and Webworks Publisher Professional. As a result, I was able to produce both a print and online user guide for the price of only one of these products.
At U S WEST and Qwest, I created and maintained project web sites and CMM-compatible document libraries for numerous projects. I also designed M S Word and FrameMaker document templates for the IT technical writing group.
Throughout my career, I have continued to learn new tools and technology to keep up with the ever-changing desktop publishing industry. As a result, I can provide my clients with the appropriate solution for their web site needs.
Personal
I have aways loved figuring out how things work. For example, when I was 13, I took apart my parent’s lawnmower just to see if I could put it back together. I had several panic attacks, but I managed to put the mower back together. And it worked!
Technical writing and web design require the same kind of skill, thinking, and tenacity: I have to keep figuring out how things work. It’s something I naturally love to do.
I try to balance work with play. The harder I play, the more energy I have for work. Each feeds the other.
Skiing, biking, hiking, and climbing with my wife and good friends. This brings energy into my life, and, consequently, into my work.