As I flounder in the throes of my self-business start-up, I’ve been so grateful for the people who have responded to my gentle (persistent, relentless, unending) nagging for help. Van fits the bill. In fact, Van breaks the mold.

Prior to January of this year, I couldn’t tell a piece of html code from the unedited first draft of A Clockwork Orange. After extensive studying and relentless internet searching, I’ve been able to glean a fair bit about the inner workings of the field of graphic and web design. But I’m nowhere near ahead of the curve yet, and every so often I fall completely flat and clueless once again.

That’s where people like Van come to the rescue. The only thing is, Van doesn’t just resuscitate me after my flailings, he completely rejuvenates. Take, for instance, my latest query: Hey Van, what size should I make my redesigned website?

I had already unearthed a variety of conflicting opinions in graphic design forums, and was nowhere near a definitive answer as a result, which is usually when I call on my graphic design gurus to settle the matter. I figured my request was simple enough that I wouldn’t detract Van too much from his day job. (We established early on in our relationship that my solicitations for free advice would not become a nuisance if at all possible.) As such I was expecting a perfunctory and uninspired reply, something along the lines of “Uh, 900×600, I guess.”

Imagine my surprise when no fewer than 7 paragraphs promptly arrived in my inbox, highlighting the merits of various webpage dimensions while alluding to the fact that the design, not the minority audience with pathetic monitor resolutions, should dictate the size of my site. I can safely say that Van had written the most extensive, all-encompassing response that has ever been written on the topic of web dimensions.

Van is, in a word that might make Anthony Burgess proud, Vantastic.