Visualgui.com

Donny Truong was born in My Tho, Vietnam and immigrated to the U.S. with his family when he was 12. He received his bachelor's in Digital Arts and Multimedia Design at La Salle University.

In August 2002, Vassar College scooped him up to be part of the exemplary web team in College Relations. In January 2008, he relocated to D.C. area and joined The George Washington University School of Business as a web developer.

He designs simple and accessible sites using web standards. He believes that a good design should not only be usable, but should also be visually attractive. He appreciates the art of coding as much as the aesthetic of designing. He updates his blog on a regular basis to practice his English and to stay abreast with design and technology.

I approached Donny to design a web site for our new restaurant and he ended up creating both of our online and offline promotional materials. From the gorgeous web pages to the distinctive logo to the graceful business card to the catchy flyers, Donny is masterful in bringing together a unified brand. He is not only a creative problem solver who takes on challenges to come up with elegant, effective solutions, but also a down-to-earth guy.

My Declaration:

I hold these truths to be self-evident, that all web designers are not created equal, that they are not endowed by their Creator with certain equal skills, that among these are: Creativity, Expertise, and the pursuit of Professionalism.

Creativity, indeed, is clearly indicated by Donny’s design of my new law firm website. He came up with the solution to solve the mess of having two separate sets of navigation, instead he combined the two together and let the fonts set them apart. He desires to create a unique website for you that reflects what you want.

Donny knows enough to know that less is more. Often a reader will read what is on the website if it’s simple and catchy enough.

I truly appreciate Donny’s professionalism, his quick responses to all my emails and questions. He can get things done quickly and way ahead of the schedule even if it means that he has to pull an all-nightner to complete it.

I must, therefore declare that Donny was created with exceptional skills!

“My debut novel Thirsty is being published in October,” I wrote in an email to Donny Truong last spring (2009). “I need a website that reflects the story. I also need a book trailer.”

“Send me the manuscript,” he said, and once I did, he read the whole novel.

The whole novel.

Did I expect him to read the whole novel?

Nope.

Did I appreciate it and think, wow, I’ve chosen the right guy for this project?

Absolutely.

Then he designed the site…and guess what?

It so beautifully reflects the story.

And the trailer?

Well, you’ve got to watch it to truly appreciate his work.

Donny Truong is efficient, reliable, and fast. I worked with Donny for over three years, through busy times and during calmer, more strategic moments. He was consistently eager to work, easy to collaborate with, and deeply engaged in the art of web design.

Donny’s design style is simple, clean, and tasteful. He hand-codes websites, an often underappreciated skill—it makes an enormous difference when someone knows the nuts and bolts so well. Donny is constantly reading, learning, writing, and working to stay ahead of changes in our craft. One could not ask for more in a web designer.

On top of that, Donny is one of the nicest people I’ve ever met. He’s friendly, thoughtful, and positive. Vassar misses him terribly.

Donny gave visual and interactive identity to the web presences of many academic departments and offices on campus. The impact of his personality and style will echo at Vassar for years to come.

I work with Donny Truong at The George Washington University School of Business, and couldn’t be happier that he is a leading member of our staff. Donny is a talented designer and a dedicated problem solver. He makes our Web site more beautiful every day, and manages to keep a demanding and diverse constituency of 125 faculty members at the School happy. Since joining our staff, Donny has taken on many challenges, anticipated and not, and has consistently given us the most elegant and effective solutions. Donny is a team player and dedicated to the highest standards in his craft. He’s knowledgeable and constantly seeks to learn more about his field and emerging technological solutions, but most of all, he understands that the web is a marketing tool that is central to our communication efforts and he helps us make the most of every opportunity.

I have had the opportunity to work with Donny Truong, as he was preparing uniform websites for the entire George Washington University’s School of Business, as well as for the individual departments. Prior to that, each department administered its own website, which resulted in a considerable heterogeneity in the design and content across departments. Donny has done an excellent job in organizing both attractive and functional websites for all groups within the school. He was very easy to work with and extremely responsive to many requests submitted by the faculty. Furthermore, after the uniform sites were up and running, he continued to offer the high level of attention and responsiveness to requests for faculty profile updates. Donny is extremely efficient, and many of my colleagues—other faculty—hold a similar view.

Since Donny joined the GWSB team he has made significant contributions. Our website was completely redesigned by Donny. He has had a major impact on helping us provide better service to our current students, and has helped us attract even better students to GW.

In 2002, Donny joined our web group at Vassar College as a web designer. During the five years he was with us, Donny distinguished himself by his hard work, his design ability, and especially his speed, in a very demanding environment. He constantly honed his skills through research and practice and always shared insights and discoveries with colleagues. He seemed to be able to work with anyone, despite pressures of time and expectations. Donny was a highly respected and valued member of our web group. We continue to miss him.

Donny was a reliable colleague who could pull off a blazingly fast turn-around on projects. He also had a sharp eye for clean, effective, modern designs that formed the basis for a lot of my thinking at Vassar. At present he continues to incorporate the latest standards into his work. I whole-heartedly recommend him.

VisualGui turned tledc.com into a stunning site, in no time at all. I am very happy with Donny’s design: Simple yet bold, pleasing to the eyes, easy to maneuvre. I was looking for a web designer when I came across and admired Donny’s graphics work on his website. An A+ for VG!

“I’ve always associated this cool cat Donny Truong with aesthetics, an informed intellect and very elegant design solutions. I need his creative partnership right now, so get in line behind me!”

Donny does a wonderful job of completing in a very timely manner all of the design, updates, and changes we ask of him for our McCaskey Alumni Association website. He is conscientious of his work and responds and corrects any misinformation or miscommunication between us. We have been happy and grateful for his services over these past six years and proud that he is a McCaskey High School graduate who stays in touch with his school.

Quite a few years ago, The Lancaster Foundation for Educational Enrichment worked with Donny to design our very first website. Donny met with our small staff, took our information, thoughts, and wishes for the site—and in a very short time, we were online! Donny built our web pages with attractive designs and easy to find information. He has continued to serve as our webmaster, updating the site and trouble-shooting any concerns we have. LFEE is very pleased to work with such a helpful professional who is always there for us.