Dusty Johnston
Birmingham, Alabama
I'm an experienced and highly-skilled designer, frontend developer, and leader.
A resourceful and innovative craftsman.
Experience
Web Operations Director
UAB - The University of Alabama at Birmingham
Created and maintained the central CSS codebase for over 700 Joomla sites and other distributed platforms. As a leader of a diverse and talented team of web professionals, I spearheaded several innovative and successful projects that enhanced the digital presence and reputation of UAB.
- Ensuring sites that used our CSS were responsive, accessible, and consistent with UAB’s branding and style guidelines. I used established CSS techniques such as flexbox, grid, animations, and transitions to create appealing and interactive web layouts.
- Collaborating with UAB Web Ops and UAB IT to launch the UAB mobile app, a user-friendly and accessible platform that connects the campus community with essential information and resources. I was responsible for the UX design, icon creation, and aesthetic appeal of the app, as well as working with programmers and vendors to create dynamic features. The app gained over 8,000 active users within the first year of launch.
- Serving on the Disability Support Services Existing & Emerging Technologies Committee, where I contributed my expertise and insights on improving the accessibility and inclusivity of UAB’s digital platforms for students, faculty, staff, and visitors with diverse needs and abilities.
- Overseeing the regular maintenance and updates of the Joomla platform, coordinating with various internal and external parties such as Central IT, Data Security, third-party developers, and hosting vendors. I ensured the platform was compliant with the latest standards and best practices of web development.
- Co-leading the selection and adoption of the first design system platform on campus, which improved the consistency and quality of UAB’s web design across different domains and devices.
- Conceptualizing, building, and testing various UX/UI elements and structures for UAB’s comprehensive degree website (more on that below), which showcases the academic offerings and opportunities of UAB to prospective students. I applied user-centered design principles and data-driven strategies to create an engaging and informative website that increased conversions and enrollment.
October 2015 - June 2022
Technology Manager
UAB - The University of Alabama at Birmingham
- Provided strategic guidance to senior leaders at the university on web technology
- Spearheaded the adoption of WordPress as an additional CMS platform
- Led and participated in the full-stack web development of Joomla, the university’s first enterprise-level CMS
- Managed a team of four talented communications specialists and programmers
- Led and contributed to the university’s first interactive campus map
- Served on the Digital Communications Operating Committee, where I shared insights and helped shape policies
- Designed and developed numerous high-profile UAB websites (like these)
May 2012 - October 2015
Web Communications Specialist
UAB - The University of Alabama at Birmingham
- Transitioned design skills from print to web by learning HTML, CSS, and other emerging web technologies
- Turned focus of University’s web presence to user experience through collaboration with numerous campus entities by assisting with design tasks and consultation regarding UX best practices
- Assisted with creation of departmental websites as well as 2-3 graphic banners per week that appeared on the UAB homepage, mostly using Adobe Flash
- Became team lead on UAB’s migration to the Joomla platform with leadership in both technical and creative aspects
- Created mobile-centric responsive web template still in use by hundreds of Joomla sites at UAB, representing nearly 40 million pageviews a year
Jan 2010 - May 2012
Art Director
UAB - The University of Alabama at Birmingham
- Responsible for art direction and design of print materials, collateral and publications for UAB School of Business and UAB School of Optometry
- Created PowerPoint presentations for UAB President’s Office
- Tech support for department MacOS computer systems
- Implemented cost recovery print billing system, generating previously unbilled departmental revenue
September 1998 - Jan 2010
Skills
Programming Languages & Tools
Areas of Focus
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CSS
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HTML
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User Experience
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Graphic Design & Typography
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Responsive Design
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Cross-browser Testing
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Web Content Accessibility Guidelines
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Adobe Creative Suite
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Fixing Ugly Sites
Work
Henchman's Helper 2025
CSS-only showcase
The original Henchman's Helper website launched sometime in the mid-2000's and had a retro feel reminiscent of the old Batman TV show. It had some animated gifs and vector images laid out in a control panel of sorts. I found the idea very funny and was fascinated with it as an example of fun web design at the time.
My version uses only CSS to acheive a similar vibe utilizing grid, flexbox, animation, gradients, pseudo elements, and evil. The only non-CSS elements are the live webcam images and fonts (which are public domain and free-to-use, respectively).
Check out the site here and begin your plan for world domination!
Find Your Degree
A complete visual catalog of courses offered by a large academic research university
The Find Your Degree site was a massive project undertaken by several groups around campus with the purpose of creating a graphic and engaging way for potential students to investigate all of UAB's degree and certificate options. My team developed all of the frontend and backend code and went through months of testing and debugging before launch. I hand-built all the UI components with CSS, UIkit, and JS.
The university has since gone through a CMS change, so here is a static clone I rebuilt to show the general aesthetic.
Live Sites
A sampling of some of my work out there
I was involved in hundreds of site builds in my illustrious and storied career at UAB, these are some examples. While I can't take full credit—or blame!—for any of these, there are bits and pieces of my handiwork in each site.
UAB App
Comprehensive guide for campus and beyond
I created the look and feel of the dashboard's floating tile design as well all of the initial icons. I tinkered with as much of the UI as I could within the constraints of the platform—there were a lot of constraints.
There is also a web version at https://m.uab.edu/campusm which offers much of the same functionality.
Time Off Accounting System
Making quality-of-life improvements to terrible sites
One of the annoying aspects of working for a large employer is the necessity of using antiquated sites for mundane and repetitive tasks. Luckily, I can improve a site (at least for myself) through CSS overrides using the browser extension Stylus. Occasionally, I have presented "improved" sites to stakeholders and gotten the go-ahead to make my personal pet projects become a reality for the greater good.
But not this time.
The university's time-off system was just too entrenched to be messed with so I had to keep my pleasant update all to myself.
Education
Samford University
Birmingham, Alabama
Bachelor of Science - Graphic Design
Fairhope High School
Fairhope, Alabama
Interests
I enjoy spending time on the water with my family and trying to keep my 1997 bass boat afloat. Occasionally catch a fish.
I like tinkering with a dizzying array of home automation/IoT stuff all around our house including an online personal weather station.
We keep a small flock of laying hens who are hilarious to watch and interact with. @BluffParkHens