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About

 
>About Ben Shope
Bio

Ben was born in Greenwich, CT in 1989. He attended the Whitby School and later the Greenwich Country Day School.  At Country Day, Ben first began learning graphics and programming; he is remembered there for accidentally making the word “sup?” net send to the screen of every computer in the school.  Outside of school, Ben won several regattas in Optimists (small, bathtub-like boats); this was the peak of his sailing career.

After middle school, Ben attended The Hotchkiss School and worked at his family’s environmental center.  At Hotchkiss, Ben played club tennis in the winter, was an active member of the debate team, and founded the Hotchkiss chess (and bughouse) club.

From 2007 to 2011, Ben was educated at Colgate University; he survived studying English and Art.  In college, Ben was a member of the Colgate D1 track and cross country teams and a staff writer for the newspaper and monthly satire publication.  He spent a semester abroad in Florence, Italy studying wine and fashion.  Over the summers, Ben interned on a feature film, learned kiteboarding, and relaxed.

Ben is currently living in Columbus, OH and working as a creative designer.

>About My Work

I create compelling visuals, write great copy, and build user-friendly web sites. More broadly, I develop strategies that deliver measurable results and help individuals and organizations differentiate themselves with an exceptional online and print presence.

Design

Striking graphic design is my strong suit; I strive for a bold, simple aesthetic in every project. Shaped by a combination of formal training and real world experience, I bring an insightful perspective to all my designs.

  • Logos and branding
  • User experience design
  • User interface design
  • Icons and glyphs
  • Marketing & promotional material
  • Templates and stationary

Copywriting

I write smart copy for agencies, companies, and individuals looking for a writer who can understand their needs, listen to their ideas, and contribute to the creative process.  As a freelance copywriter, I write words. Long ones, short ones, clever ones, funny ones, formal ones. I find the right words to reach your audience, selecting a tone that suits your needs.

Digital Copywriting Services:

  • Web / digital copywriting
  • Conversion rate optimized copywriting
  • SEO copywriting
  • Content marketing strategy
  • Social media strategy
  • Blogging / content management

Print / integrated / advertising copywriting:

  • Print / advertising copywriting
  • Short copy, headlines and straplines
  • Long copy, brochures and newsletters
  • ATL, BTL and through-the-line copywriting

Idea generation:

  • Headlines, straplines, taglines and product names
  • Branding ideas, campaign ideas, storyboarding and scripts

Development

I write semantic, accessible, and well documented code that search engines love.  I help find the right content tools for your needs; usually that means working with a CMS, but, when a project calls for it, I am also capable of building from scratch.

  • Front-end development
  • CMS implementation
  • Back-end & systems development
  • iOS and mobile development
  • SEO services

Accessibility & Testing

Site accessibility will likely affect a fair proportion of your customer base for a variety of reasons. But there are also other things that can hinder your users’ journey, and that is why testing and auditing is important not only for W3C validation, but also as an ongoing measure to ensure you are hitting your targets and keeping your customers happy.

  • User testing and interviews
  • Traffic analysis
  • Automated testing

Consulting

I provide consulting services that will help identify what change is needed and where. This kind of auditing helps maximize the effectiveness of your budget, especially when there is uncertainty as to how to evolve a brand or website.  I can present the results to help facilitate in-house teams, or help you convert the assessment into a project brief.

>About This Website

The background of this page shows Los Angeles, an estimate of your location.  All other pages on the site are presented in front of different places on Google’s map of the world.  These map backgrounds are intended to prompt people exploring the site to consider the nature of their online interaction.  Having the earth behind the content of each page keeps viewers mindful of the relationship between digital content and the outside world.

Additionally, associating a specific place with abstract written information helps the human mind remember that information. I like mnemonic devices.