I like to build things. When I was little I used Lego bricks to build houses, now I use HTML, CSS, PHP and other exciting things to build simple and effective websites.
I set up my web design business in 2006 building small websites for friends to gain experience. And in 2008 I began working with real clients and have since taken my business from strength to strength.
If you want more detail on how I got here, then read:
The name Joke is a Dutch first name (for girls) and it comes from Hebrew meaning God is good. It’s pronounced Yoka.
I am not Dutch though, I am Flemish (from Belgium). And in case you were wondering, yes, the combination of my first name and last name does cause for confusion on the web sometimes.
A selection of images I have taken over the years. Some were taken when I studied photography, some were taken when I worked as a staff photographer at the Derby Evening Telegraph, and others were taken just for fun.
When I was little I could think of many interesting things I wanted to do in life: F16 pilot, firefighter, astronaut, … . But in the end I decided to settle on a life as a computer programmer. I was attracted by all those exciting combinations you can make with just a 1 and 0. The craftsmanship it takes to create a computer programme, the beauty of the code, the simplicity of just 2 digits and yet so much potential power, like poetry.
So I went and did a degree in IT and I genuinely enjoyed it too. But it was not to be. By the time I graduated I had changed my mind. The thought of a desk job until retirement did not appeal and along came plan B: photography.
I did a degree in Photography as well (I collect degrees. It’s like a stamp collection, but more expensive) and ended up working as a press photographer for the Derby Evening Telegraph for eight years.
But after eight years of photographing pretty much everything that happened in Derby and Derbyshire I was ready for a change and a new challenge. My collection of degrees had been left abandoned in the corner for too long. I felt the time had come for the hat-trick. Not wanting to waste the previous two, and because I had begun to miss the beauty of code (seriously), I looked for something that could combine the two. And I found it in web design, degree number three (I think that’s enough now). And no, I have no intention to turn this into a desk job until I retire. They have laptops and wireless networks now, so if I get tired of sitting at my desk, I can move into the garden.
So there you have it, that’s me: Joke de WINTER, web designer and photographer – although these days more web designer than photographer.
If you would like to work with me on a project or make an enquiry on web design or photography (other subjects are fine too, but I am rubbish at football) then get in touch.