Ben Cuson

Fullstack Web, Mobile, and Software Dev

2D, 3D, Wor-D. I make things. Sometimes they're cool.
I enjoy building optimized realtime digital ecosystems for making applications available accross all platforms (iOS, Android, Linux, Mac, Windows, Web) natively.

Design

Graphic, Logo, and Brand Design

Interested in getting yourself noticed? Why not start with a new logo! Logos can make your brand look modern, sleek, or even retro depending on your target audience. 

Already got a logo? Maybe you need to improve your branding! Knowing the correct way to display your brand and better connect with your audience can make a huge difference.

Need a website? GET A WEBSITE! If you're confused on how to go about making it mobile compatible, hosting, coding, or just managing the thing... then you've come to the right place! Get support or just get it done!

Develop

Web apps

Websites may be good, but accessing your software through your browser is even better! Consider making your next application widely accessible and mobile compatible by building a web app!

Mobile

Need to get more engagement out of your audience? Then mobile is the way to go! With social media and content hosting platforms cornering the market on internet traffic, it's never been a more crucial time to consider making a mobile app. 

Software

Sometimes, traditional is best. But why stop there? With modern programming languages, you can make your systems multi-platform while tapping into things like OS level notifications and optimized real time data handeling!

Deploy

Local

Or

Cloud

Which deployment is best?

As with many important questions, it depends. 

Local environments can vary in initial cost, but tend to have a consistent monthly price tag. If you're running a business that requires you to have access to internal systems and programs, then you'll most likely want to host on a local server. 

Things to consider when going local:

  • You'll need to provide the server
  • You'll have to pay for the monthly internet access
  • Security and OS will be up to you to buy and maintain
  • You'll be directly in charge redundency and server outages

Cloud environments are the cool new thing! If you're hosting an online business or store, then the low initial setup and scalable costs may be exactly what you're looking for. While you won't always have granular control over what you upload, the set it and forget it ways of cloud hosting can save you many hours of troubleshooting.

Things to consider when starting with cloud hosting:

  • You'll have to learn how to use your specific hosting platforms tools to upload and manage your systems
  • Storage and bandwidth costs aren't always consistent month to month
  • Not all your programs or sites will run on every hosting platform
  • You may have to shop around to figure out which system will be best for your business

All in one solutions make everything much simpler for those looking to do minimal work for maximum impact! Platforms like Wordpress and Squarespace offer simple drag and drop solutions that make editing and updating simple or blog style sites much easier! Shops and other services may be available depending on what platform you are on. 

Things to consider when starting with one of these sites:

  • Even though it's simple to use, you still will need a bit of training before you can dive right in
  • You will still need to pay a set price per month to keep your site hosted
  • You may need to search for or pay for plugins if you want more than a basic site
  • These types of sites will be great for advertising/blogs/shops, but will not be best for data handeling

Data Driven

SQL

SQL databases have been used for ages by almost every major company as a way to reliably and consistantly handle data. SQL's strength is in it's ability to keep data consistent while preventing data from partially being deleted. Once you build an SQL database, you'll never have to worry about it again! SQL is best used when you plan on building a system and never changing it's backend structure.

VS

NoSQL

NoSQL databases are a new style of database that are prepared for the modern world. NoSQL's fluid method of data handeling allows for scaling of your project over time without breaking your system. The JSON style of data requesting allows you to more cohesively manage the accessing of your data from database to server to website using file/dot notation. If you want your system to survive comfortably as you upgrade it, NoSQL is for you!

Which database is right for you?

Well... that really is up to you and your programmers. Most modern databases are capable of being both SQL and NoSQL... but there's really no one size fits all option. Figure out what suits your project best. Are YOU maintaining the project? Do you want to just set it and forget it? Are you going to keep building upon your system as the years go on, or is this a one time deal? What's your budget? Does your hosting provider support your chosen database? There are many things you need to know before choosing the right database for you and your project.