Joseph Dickson

Web Developer, Communicator.

I have over ten years of experience designing WordPress themes and plugins for multisite deployments in higher education.

KEEP IN TOUCH

Joseph Dickson portrait

Recent Posts

  • Sketch Self Portrait

    A quick study sketch during my lunch break. using my selfie camera as a mirror and a Pilot Prera with a fine nib filled with Diamine Oxblood.

  • Vim for Distraction Free Writing

    When I’m not using a journal to collect my thoughts I dig up my aging Toshiba NB505, a fifteen year old netbook that I saved from e-waste when my dad upgraded. It’s currently running Debain + i3wm and it’s last practical use if for drafting and editing text. The keyboard, surprisingly is where this machine…

  • The Sterling Pooch by Second Chance Beer Co

    Another quiet evening at home, I wandered to the fridge to find a beverage. A bold high contrast can caught my eye, it features a silhouette of a terrier with a red cape around the collar. The typography, bold newspaper style cutout letters. The kind you’d see on a ransom note from the 80s. How’d…

Web Development Projects

  • Block Child Theme

    The Challenge WordPress 6.1 included the new Twenty Twenty Three theme which features new Full Site Editor Block Theme methodology. However, it doesn’t include Open Graph support, Post Types and remove taxonomy labels from archive pages. The Solution Added practical features to a Child Theme improving user experience.

  • Open Graph Protocol

    A simple function running conditional checks delivering relevant information to social media platforms using the Open Graph Protocol.

  • Homepage Redesign

    The Challenge The College wanted to use the full-width capabilities of the WordPress Block Editor. The Solution I created a custom Child Theme breaking the rigid grid of the college’s other landing pages.

  • Pathway Forward

    The Challenge As the COVID-19 pandemic began to normalize the community updates section needed to be replaced with an evergreen landing page leading to news updates and policies in advance of return to campus. The Solution Using the WordPress Block Editor a simple landing page was created featuring call to action cards and buttons for…

  • COVID-19 Community Updates

    The Challenge With the move to remote learning the campus community needed an at a glance archive to contain all public messages posted during the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic. The Solution Using WP_Query I created an accordion system organized by date. This simplified email notifications by providing a common URL for all updates where…

  • Staff Directory

    The Challenge Human Resources required a simple workflow for adding and removing staff from a public directory. Previously this was accomplished by pasting a shared document into a WordPress page. The Solution I created a no code solution for human resources by creating a Staff Directory Plugin using Custom Post Types and Custom Fields. Each…

Now

Now is a collection of quick often error written, status check-ins and asides. Except without handing it over the data to a third-party platform. Want to know what I’ve been up to without advertisements, this is that place. Inspired by nownownow.com