Design Portfolio

By: Mike Brunet Updated: March 10, 2015

I created a complete enterprise system in Filemaker 13 for an international publishing startup. The requirement was to design for simplicity of use and visual elegance.

Below is a screenshot of the CRM module complete with custom buttons that take advantage of the multi state features within Filemaker to simulate Mac OS X and /or Windows pushable buttons.

In this solution, I utilized Filemaker popover functions to create interactive menus that allow much more flexibility then standard Filemaker menus.

Minimalist Filemaker Desktop

Clean and Easy to Use

Adobe Creative Suite Integration

Going beyond the “basic” layout can add a distinctive look to any custom project. Using custom designed visual elements in Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop is both easy and fun and will add tremendous value to any project.

This portal comes alive in Filemaker using art I created in Adobe Illustrator.

Icons In Filemaker there are 3 button states (normal, hover and pressed). Each require perfectly scaled images.

I have a library of 100s of thousands of icons which I have the ability, creativity and experience to modify as needed to meet individual client needs using the Adobe Creative Cloud (Illustrator, Photoshop etc.)

Below is a sample of icon state images as used in CRM database above.

Flat and Modern

The latest design trend is flat. In flat design, icons are big, bold and FLAT, and the UI is bright and colourful.

Microsoft has adopted this style in Windows 8. Flat design is also the basis of Apple’s iOS 8 in iPhones and iPads.

Flat design is taking over the web and is becoming very popular in custom software.

Using Filemaker and custom designed icons and other custom designed UI elements, flat UI is not just possible, its fun to create and make applications so easy to use.

Colour and TextureToday, we can choose from millions of colours for our interfaces. All colours don't go together. I have access to hundreds of pre defined colour palettes to pick from to create an eye pleasing design.

Below is a small sample of such colour choices available.

Applications have white space. Adding seamless backgrounds in your design can add flair and texture to your layouts.

This is particularly true in Filemaker GO apps for iPhones and iPads.

Below is a small sample of what is possible.

Good design incorporates a perfectly designed user interface and better,

more intuitive code

Better Code The requirement was to simplify a previously written Filemaker solution to search on any combination of eight inter related dimensions of data for a parts database for a north american manufacturer.

The existing interface required multiple key strokes navigating five layouts. I was able to simplify search on eight portals which refresh “on the fly” as the user clicks on any combination of eight dimensional data portals related to a large parts database using executeSQL functionality.

Simplified Design Having everything on one layout using executeSQL made it possible to search for parts in a few seconds instead of a few minutes. This improved both customer service and the manufacturing process itself without causing screen congestion.

Screen congestion can be a huge problem with many layout. Cluttered and congested layouts are both difficult to use and unprofessional to look at. Efficient and knowledgeable use of design techniques combined with efficient code made all the difference.

Filemaker GO

A small chain of restaurants contracted me to develop a modern, sleek, easy to use solution for their operations.

Thanks to Filemaker GO, I was able to replicate their current paper systems which they had used for three generations.

Going “mobile” in this situation meant creating a good design which was both functional and looked good.

The screenshot on the left is the layout as it looks in the development filemaker desktop.

Below is the finished product on the iPad, with a lookup to add a beverage to the check.

This standalone Filemaker GO solution prints to non “air print” POS receipt printers using xPrintServer technology from Lantronix.

Using this solution, I was able to send printed copies of food orders directly to the kitchen and a separate copy of the beverage order to the bar to create a very useful and elegant solution.

That’s good design!

Social Media Login

A local retailer contracted me to create a Filemaker kiosk

solution for their retail stores.

On their corporate web pages they had a process for their

customers to login using their Facebook or Twitter accounts and asked me to provide this

functionality from within Filemaker.

Using adobe design templates and Filemaker’s built in web

viewer working in the background, I was able to re

create this functionality from within Filemaker.