Spicy Web Designer Interview with Pete Hellyer

Pete Hellyer is a web designer from London, England in the United Kingdom. He studied Fashion Writing and Culture at Southampton Solent University which gave him his first taste of web design during his degree studies. Originally he designed his first website in 1997 and has since progressed further using tutorials and books to practice and learn new techniques.

1. How did you get started in web design?

I first studied a web-design module at University as part of my Digital Fashion Journalism degree; I has always designed posters, painted and made huge murals on my bedroom wall. After initially wanting to be a journalist I realized the power of words and images working together, rather than independently as in traditional journalism, and wanted to combine them both. The web is the future of graphic design and being a bit of digital junkie I decided it was the way to go. Four years on I was right.

2. When did you start designing websites?

I incidentally made my first web-site in 1997, aged 12, on Microsoft Publisher. A horrible flashing-gif-background and unreadable mess that I thought was great at the time. Second time around was at university and things went much better.

3. What are the biggest challenges that you face in web design currently?

The biggest challenge I face is balancing commercial-ability and my design process, and walking that fine line. Also just keeping up-to-date with new developments, techniques – let alone ahead.

4. Do you ever refer to yourself as a Front-end developer or a web designer? Do you code any of the web sites that you design currently? If so, what language(s) do you code in?

I am designer first and foremost, but I enjoy making things work and if that includes some development work then so be it. Usually the interactive qualities of a design are what make it ‘special’ – so making sure that they are as I want them is very important. Xhtml, css, php, MooTools and Flash are all in my design tool belt currently.

5. Where did you go to school and has it helped you become a better web design professional?

I studied Digital Fashion Journalism at Southampton, England. I honestly feel that it helped me very little in practical terms and a couple of books would have been as useful. It did open doors however, as only a degree can.

6. Since you first started how has the web design industry changed? Has it changed for the better? If so, how? If not, please explain?

The community side of things, wealth of examples and tutorials has, for me, been crucial to my own development and for that I am very thankful. There is no elitism anymore, and that is very refreshing in design.

7. What are your favorite tools to use when designing a web project? Why are they your favorite tools?

First stop is always Photoshop, and then Dreamweaver. Big fan of MooTools to make things interesting, used sparingly its effects can increase UE without affecting the usability of a site. And if used correctly they can enhance the UE to a level previous reserved for Flash-only sites.