A headshot of Andrew Kulak earing an orange and maroon Virginia Tech bowtie in front of a bookshelf.

Who I Am

I am a doctoral candidate at Virginia Tech. I study rhetoric and writing and human-centered design, focusing on the teaching, research, and practice of communication and design in digital environments. I have years of academic training and professional experience with web design, technical writing and editing, and quantitative and qualitative digital research including social media analytics. Grounded in my multidisciplinary background, I work with teams or as a team of one to design custom web experiences on brand, on time, and on budget for clients including individuals and organizations.

What I Believe

I believe that great web design is about more than simply presenting information on a website. Whether for an individual, corporation, or non-profit organization, your website should engage with users, develop a personal connection, and tell a story. Using my experience in writing, editing, design, and research, I move beyond the simply functional by developing content and style to promote accessibility, develop identity, and foster a relationship that continues after the browser is closed. My passion is finding creative solutions for your web design projects.

Personalized

I apply my experience with human centered design and user experience methodologies by working directly with stakeholders and users to craft digital spaces that do more than just work—they engage, engross, and excite.

Responsive

I take a mobile-first approach to web design to best connect with the ever-increasing percentage of users around the globe interacting with websites through mobile devices rather than traditional desktop computers.

Distinct

I implement easily navigable websites that provide familiar interfaces to users across platforms but hand-pick custom color themes, typefaces, and social media integrations to make your site your own.

Accessible

I believe accessibility means more than 508 compliance—a truly accessible website exceeds current standards to provide a consistent experience to visitors of all abilities and backgrounds.

Secure

I incorporate contemporary encryption technology into all of my own websites and offer this to my clients as well because encryption provides piece of mind and can help boost search engine rankings.

Searchable

I ensure my websites contain strategic content that makes them easily indexable and searchable to help you make new connections and to ensure users can find the information they need when they need it.

Recent Projects

A screenshot of The Pylon's homepage.

The Pylon

As a founding member of The Pylon, an alternative online newsmagazine in southwestern Virginia, I worked with a team of editors and graphic designers to take their website from conception through design, domain registration, hosting, and launch. The current website features a WordPress content management system with a custom theme to provide streamlined post management with advanced back-end design features and encryption for administrators and visitors.

A screenshot of the Center for Applied Technologies in the Humanities projects page.

Center for Applied Technologies in the Humanities

Virginia Tech's Center for the Applied Technologies in the Humanities updated their website, which included a change in domain name and hosting as part of a broader rebrand. Working with the center's team, I archived and relocated projects to the new server. The new custom WordPress theme features an updated visual identity including colors and typefaces that better reflect the group's modern, interdisciplinary work.

A screenshot of the Language, Violence, and Non-violence Research Group at Virginia Tech's website.

Language, Violence, and Non-violence Research Group

The Language, Violence, and Non-violence Research Group at Virginia Tech needed a simple, functional website up and running within a semester to host and coordinate an ongoing research project. I worked on my own to quickly implement a customized WordPress theme that provided all of the features the group needed. The end result was a clean, navigable site with distinct visual branding and a back-end simple enough for new users to add and edit contributions.

A screenshot of the homepage for financial training firm 20–20 Services.

20–20 Services

When financial training firm 20–20 Services ran into trouble with their website, they reached out to me. They were interested in quickly adding additional online content and minimizing website downtime. I worked with the 20–20 Services team and their existing web framework to add custom features that met their needs, avoiding a potentially time-consuming and costly overhaul. The site remained operational throughout the process, ensuring that they didn't miss any leads.

Get in Touch

See something you like? Have a question about what I could bring to your personal website or your organization's web presence? Send me an email or connect with me on social media. I would be happy to hear from you.