automation

For 2 years I worked on the Fred Meyer Alaska eCommerce WebStore as a graphics specialist. In the very beginning I, along with six other graphics specialists, took images of product given to us to resize into a 400x400 pixel template, clean up images, if needed, and optimize them into small, medium, and large size images for the WebStore.

We were in complete production mode trying to meet a near impossible deadline to process as many images as possible. To accomplish this we automated as much of the work as possible creating Photoshop droplets (small applications with action scripts) and running batches of images through them. We met our goals and the WebStore launched July 2006.

image style guide

After a combined effort of processing approximately 10,000 images, it became evident to me that an image style guide was needed. Although the sizes of the images were consistent for the large, medium and small thumbnails, some filled the square while others products became lost in the sea of the background. A little quality control was in order.

I recommended to the eCommerce team to remove the image borders. I felt the pages would have more breathing space and not feel so confined. Most of the images were knocked out of their backgrounds to make the product "the star".

When a product is shown out of it's package it appears more appealing and shows more of it's intrinsic qualities. There are exceptions to this rule - e.g. the "Scott" towels as shown above. It can be expensive to photo shoot each product for an on-line store. Image acquisition is an art. I had the authority to acquire images from vendors web sites and Kwikee Systems, and photographed some product samples. The "Scott" towels is an example of a product I photographed.

http://www.kwikeesystems.com/data_distribution.shtml.

usability improvement

Originally, the Alaska Fred Meyer WebStore had a one color menu bar , as shown below. The only way a customer would have a clear knowledge of where she was in the site was to look at the red text on the menu.

To improve the appearance and usability of the WebStore, I created a color palette, one color for every navigational category. Now. customers have a clearer understanding of where they are within the site, which gives them a better overall shopping experience.

This is what it looks like when you are on a category page:

workflow solutions

Workflow procedures are critical for optimizing time and effort for web and print projects. I organized web files, contributed to procedural documents for new product Items submission, and helped develop standards for the image and marketing specialists of eCommerce. Some of the details of my contribution included:

• Established a naming convention for new images and work files.
• Prepared an image depository that included a folder structure to establish new work, work in process, and completed work.
• Prioritized work for the image specialists.
• Created an image style guide and requirements for vendor images.
• Worked out page layout templates in InDesign for printed proofing.
• Kept records and filed the hard copies of our projects.

web marketing

As with all web sites, it is important to keep the information and web pages fresh to keep customers returning. For fredmeyeralaska.com, the eCommerce team reviewed key category pages, swapped out main spotlight images to suit the topic and season, and chose featured products that represented the "One Stop Shop" philosophy of Fred Meyer Stores.

As Content Coordinator, I responded quickly with requests for new landing page spotlight images to represent the lifestyle of our target customer demographic. Ninety percent of the imagery created was lifestyle rather than product centered. I pulled resources from current print "people" shots and found suitable stock photography to promote the WebStore.

Here are two examples that represent the work I accomplished:

Fred Meyer Alaska Home Page

Clothing Category Page