Work
It's not a job. It's a calling.
As the lead designer for YouVersion, the Bible App, my work and my passion collide. I love hearing stories about how the truths in the Bible have saved people’s lives, literally and spiritually. YouVersion began in 2007 as a side project by LifeChurch.tv, one of the most innovative and giving churches I’ve ever known. At that time, I was a freelance web developer pitching in on that initial website release. I never would have imagined that today, the YouVersion Bible app, has been downloaded many millions of times across all our platforms including iPhone, iPad, Android, BlackBerry, webOS, and on the web. It’s blown me away. I am so humbled to be included among the amazingly talented LifeChurch.tv Digerati Team.
I started dabbling in web design in 2000 while working part time at Lifetime Ministries in Fort Worth, TX. At that time, I was in seminary studying theology and still dreaming about the direction God was leading me. At the same time I was studying Greek, I was becoming a geek. I found myself reading everything I could get my hands on about designing and building web sites. I was hooked. I realized God’s call on my life was using to tell the story of Jesus Christ.
I’ve also been a freelance web designer and web developer since 2002. I occasionally take on freelance projects on a case-by-case basis depending on my availability. You can view my portfolio.
Philosophy
I believe that compelling content is the most important element of a successful site. Period. I can’t make you a successful web site if you’re not going to regularly fill it with good content. A site is never done. A site is born, but you have to feed and nurture it to keep it alive.
A well-designed site will cause your visitors to think more about you than how your site looks, how it works, or how to find something on it. I want the site to disappear so that the visitor feels they are interacting with you, not your web site. I care deeply about the end user’s experience.
Skills
I’m usually asked about what my strengths are. I am a designer, a programmer, a writer, and a strategist. I enjoy using my left brain to craft clean, logical code. I use my right brain to design user experiences that are simple, elegant, and attractive. I combine the left and right sides to write compelling copy and create user-experiences that work for your audience and your organization.
I’m an experienced designer with Adobe Photoshop. I handcode in HTML, XHTML, CSS, JavaScript and XML. For all the dynamic database-driven parts of the site, I use PHP, a workhorse programming language that is often attached to a MySQL or PostGreSQL database and installed on an Apache/Linux web server. I’ve installed several different content mangement systems such as WordPress, Textpattern, and Expression Engine.
Services
- From concept to code, designing a brand new site or redesigning your existing site.
- Designing Mobile web sites and mobile apps
- Helping you get setup with a domain name and hosting company.
- Setting up your site in a Content Management System (CMS) such as Textpattern, WordPress, ExpressionEngine, or even creating one from scratch if necessary. A CMS lets you easily update and add new content to your site without having to learn HTML and programming languages.
- Designing and sending HTML or text-only email campaigns to your audience
- Adding audio and video to your site
- Copywriting
- Optimizing your site for better rankings in Google and other search engines
- Setting up an eCommerce site
Testimonies
What’s Been Said
"Andy is a true pleasure to work with. Andy is a great blend of creative, detail oriented, and just plain fast! He has played an instrumental role in the YouVersion user interface. Andy rocks!" - Terry Storch, Digerati Pastor, LifeChurch.tv
"Andy has totally earned the title 'Digerati Jedi' as part of our team. He joined our team as a user experience designer and front-end developer, but has quickly learned some back-end development and has become an all-around valuable asset to the team. He has exceptional taste for user experience design. He meets (and beats) deadlines consistently. He has an amazing capacity for learning new skills and disciplines. His front-end development skills are second-to-none and works very fast producing high quality code (and he's quickly learning back-end dev). Personally, he's a great guy. Trustworthy, dependable, flexible, and just plan nice." - Scott Magdalein, Project Manager at LifeChurch.tv
"Andy is a seriously talented designer who is always mastering new skills. At Fellowship Church, he produced incredible designs while quickly learning a new programming language. Now, he's become a terrific mobile designer. He takes his work very seriously and delivers every single time. In addition to his skills, Andy is dedicated, humble, and truly one of the best guys you'll meet. It was a joy to work with him." - Brian Bailey, "Glue Guy" at Gowalla (former Web Director at Fellowship Church)
"I just can't say enough good things about Andy Knight. When we knew we wanted to design a web site for our Children's Ministry, I couldn't think of a better person to do it than Andy. He did a terrific job taking us through the design process and the result was a website that we simply love. The web site has a great look and is so easy for us to update and maintain. Andy has also been quick to assist with questions long after the design was complete. I highly recommend Andy for your web site needs." - Mark Messick, Children's Pastor, First Baptist North Mobile and KidGrid
"Andy's concepts, creativity, design, and intuition were superb when it came to our web sites at Lifetime Guarantee. This is born out in the tremendous response we are still enjoying through each of our sites. His contribution was stellar.- Preston Gillham, former President, Lifetime Guarantee Ministries
"We, at Grace Ministries International, are so pleased with the look and feel of our new website. We were also pleased and impressed with Andy's knowledge and professionalism as he worked with our staff in the development and implementation of the website. He helped guide us through the whole process with patience and helpful information.- Scott Brittin, President, Grace Ministries International"Incredible! Andy's professionalism and expertise dazzled us at every turn. Easy to work with and diligent in the details, Andy exceeded all expectations. The website he designed helped establish our fledgling company in the marketplace and gave us a sense of direction and reputation. He remained flexible through innumerable modifications, and brought a spark of creativity and an objective viewpoint that we were otherwise lacking. We consider Andy a full-fledged member of our entrepeneurial team."- Jill West, Managing Editor, Syndicated Writers of America
