Resumé [HTML][PDF]

Who I am...

My name is Dustin Sparks. I am a web designer turned developer. A passionate creative technologist involved in pushing the limits of any and all current technologies with community driven open source projects.

How to get ahold of me...

I can be found in Muncie, Indiana, Noblesville, and the Greater Indianapolis area. Virtually you can find me on various forums and online communities concerning Flash and Web Design and Development. Online I go by the pseudonym Pixelmixer. You can also find frequent personal updates on Twitter under my Pixelmixer account.

Contact Information

Email: djsparks@bsu.edu Phone: (765) 760 3900



What I can do...

I have a very wide skillset that can be applied and adapted to most any situation that arises. As any developer should be, I am great at solving difficult problems.

Skills

Software

Design 6 years Flash (MX - CS3) 5 years
HTML 6 years Photoshop (6 - CS3) 5 years
PHP 4 years Dreamweaver (MX - CS3) 4 years
PHP 4 years After Effects (7 - CS3) 2 years
CSS 3 years Illustrator (CS2 - CS3) 2 years
Javascript 3 years Quicktime Pro 1 year
Actionscript 2 3 years Dashcode <1 year
Actionscript 3 1 year Quartz Composer <1 year
Web Architecture 1 year Maya 8 <1 year
3D Studio Max 9 <1 year
Softimage XSI 6 <1 year

Where I learned to do what I can do...

Ball State University 2005 - 2009
Pursuing a bachelor of arts degree in Multimedia Telecommunications with minors in Digital Media and Computer Science.

Self Taught 2002 - ∞
Around 6 years of self-motivated research in new media and open source software. Self-motivation allows one to specialize and pursue knowledge in whatever medium is most useful.

Where I do it...

Ball State Digital Corps 2007 - Now
Digital Media Master
Responsibilities included developing web sites and mac widgets from the ground up. It also consisted of developing interactive installations with Quartz composer and teaching workshops for students interested in learning to create and present new media using Flash, Dreamweaver, Photoshop, Maya, and After Effects.

Ball State Center for Media Design 2005 - 2007
Graphic Designer
Responsibilities included creating report cover graphics, updating website graphics, and creating interactive applications in Flash.

What else I do that matters...

International Digital Media and Arts Association (IDMAA) 2005 - 2007
President IDMAA Ball State Chapter
Responsibilities included teaching beginner, intermediate, and advanced workshops for Flash, Dreamweaver, After Effects, and Maya. Organized competitions and immersive digital media projects for undergraduates and graduates who were interested in learning how the digital media production industry works.

My Professional Certifications...

      

Digital Corps Messenger Widget

Digital Corps Messenger Widget

This widget was given to me as a quick project that is meant to help out the computer lab workers in taking messages for the Corps administrators. The problem in the lab had to do with student lab attendents taking sub-par or incomplete messages from people who call in, or in some other way attempt to get in contact with a manager or administrator of the Corps.
Directions
  • Allow the video a few moments to load completely.
  • Click play to see a screen capture of the widget in action.
Dreamweaver CS3Photoshop CS3DashcodeAJAX
view
Mac OSX Cardcat Widget

Ball State University Libraries Mac OSX Cardcat Widget

I took on the project after the original team left and needed to re-write most of the existing code. I finished it and added some extra, unplanned, features in about 7 weeks. It was built entirely on OSX 10.5 Leopard while Leopard was still in its beta stages. The project uses PHP, Javascript, and XML to interface with Ball State's library servers. The widget is installed on all the university library's OSX capable computers.
Directions
  • Allow the video a few moments to load completely.
  • Click play to see a screen capture of the widget in action.
Dreamweaver CS3Photoshop CS3DashcodeAJAXPHP
view