Today, we are happy to introduce you to TemplateMonster's interview with an experienced freelancer who boasts excellent skills for the design and development of websites, E-Commerce sites, CMS Systems, and has more than eight years experience in graphic and web design. Ruann van der Hoff from South Africa uses professional approach when dealing with management at all levels. Check out his story and the experience of working with TM themes. By the way do not hesitate to download our free eBook PrestaShop Store Marketing.
Ruann van der Hoff is a motivated business professional with a diploma in web development, certificates in E-marketing essentials, and using Joomla templates for web development. Demonstrated history of producing accurate, timely designs and meeting deadlines.
Name: Ruann van der Hoff
Occupation: freelancer
Location: South Africa
Audience: all kinds of industries
TemplateMonster: Tell us a couple of words about yourself. How many sites have you already launched? Was this your first experience of the site creation?
Ruann van der Hoff : I am Ruann van der Hoff from South Africa with 40 sites being already launched to this date. I am the web and graphic designer. I only started working with Joomla and Prestashop these last two years, and these platforms help manage sites much easier.
TemplateMonster: Tell us a little more about your background. What were you doing before you started working with Joomla and Prestashop?
Ruann van der Hoff : I studied graphic and web design in 2004, working mainly with Adobe Photoshop and Freehand at the time. I only really got into web development two years after that. I had some HTML and CSS programming and mainly used Adobe Dreamweaver to design sites back then.
TemplateMonster: Tell us about your projects? What products/services do you provide? What is your audience?
Ruann van der Hoff : I have done a variety of projects ranging from e-commerce to online support portals to basic HTML sites. We provide web development and graphic design services, specializing in CSS, HTML, Prestashop, and Joomla. Our audience ranges from all kinds of industries. Anything from fashion to consulting. Here are some sites recently developed:
TemplateMonster: What helps you plan your workflow?
Ruann van der Hoff : As a web designer it is common to have many projects running at the same time, with a strict deadline it is easy to lose track of what needs to be done. I manage my workflow by defining the goals and deciding on content (Very Important). And pinpointing exactly what is needed on the site, I try and focus on the overall look and feel before working on the smaller stuff.
TemplateMonster: What kind of projects do you enjoy working on the most? Are those eCommerce or business web portals?
Ruann van der Hoff : I enjoy both! But I find e-commerce very fascinating.
TemplateMonster: What templates did you purchase?
Ruann van der Hoff : I have purchased a few templates over the years, ranging from e-commerce sites to cms sites. I usually sit with my clients, and we go through a wide variety of options and in the end they make the final decision and choose the template best suited for them.
TemplateMonster: What are the key factors that influence your choice of a ready-made theme?
Ruann van der Hoff :
- Responsiveness
- Look and Feel (Does the site work with a client's needs)
- How easy will it be to edit or add some CSS coding to certain areas if needed
TemplateMonster: What features of the chosen templates do you value the most? What should be changed/enhanced?
Ruann van der Hoff : I value the responsiveness of sites the most, the templates from TemplateMonster are usually great. Minor changes in CSS sometimes are needed, and some additional extensions are also added depending on a client's need.
TemplateMonster: What tools do you use to power up your site's back-end?
Ruann van der Hoff : We use a variety of extensions depending on what the clients need.
TemplateMonster: What gadgets do you think are indispensable for a web developer? Which ones do you use?
Ruann van der Hoff : I use Firebug on a daily basis and Dreamweaver to edit all of my code be it PHP,HTML or CSS.
TemplateMonster: How much time did it take you to create and make your site live? What aspect of the site's creation was the most time-consuming for you (customization of the theme, content editing/creation, etc.)?
Ruann van der Hoff : Usually it takes 3-4 weeks to make the site live. But we have done it in a shorter time. Sometimes we need support from TemplateMonster as the client's needs differ from the original template and this also takes some time as there might be some additional coding needed to modify the site to clients needs. Customization is the one thing that is the most time consuming. Clients provide us with content, but this also needs to be edited and checked before we can just use it on the site.
TemplateMonster: Do you prefer working in silence or with a light music playing in the background? What is your favorite band/singer/composer?
Ruann van der Hoff : LOL... that's a good question... sometimes in silence and other times with my favorite radio show playing in the background
I like anything from rock to some deep house even some classical music.
I like anything from rock to some deep house even some classical music.
TemplateMonster: What are your recommendations for other users who are just planning to launch their site?
Ruann van der Hoff : Template Monster has the best themes whatever platform you are working on (Prestashop, Joomla, Shopify, Drupal, etc...) at great prices. Downloading the purchased template is easy and installation even faster. The support team is especially supportive and always ready to answer any questions; they go out of their way to make your site look the way you want it to look.
TemplateMonster: How do you spend your free time? What's your hobby?
Ruann van der Hoff : I like the outdoors and I think sometimes it is good to get some fresh air especially after spending many hours designing a website. I also like mountain biking, hiking or just relaxing with my family and friends.
TemplateMonster: Is there anything else you'd like to add that will be interesting to MonsterPost readers?
Ruann van der Hoff : The support from template monster team is amazing. Whether you are a bigger or a pro, they always advise and assist at a very professional level!
TemplateMonster: Are you an active social media user? Don't you mind providing links to your social media profiles that our readers could follow?
Are you eager to see your interview published at MonsterPost? Email marketing@templatemonster.com and we will get back to your shortly.