Spicy Web Designer Interview with Ryan McMaster

Ryan McMaster is a web designer from Vancouver, British Columbia in Canada. He originally got started in web design back in 2004 when the local print design market was drying up and he was getting more requests for web design. Ryan is currently freelancing full-time in web design since he left his position as a lead designer in 2006. He currently runs three different sites specific to web design, logo design and web strategy.

1. How did you get started in web design?

I got started in web design professionally when I saw the local print design market dry up. That was in 2004 and I started getting more requests for websites than I did for brochures and signage. The budgets were larger and people were a bit more open to interesting ideas with web design than in print assignments.

2. When did you start designing websites?

I started designing websites in high school and then more in college. The program I went to made sure to cover the bases about Multimedia and even though at that point I was more passionate about print design (particularly publication and identity work) I was able to get started in standards based web design.

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

The biggest challenges that I face in web design would have to involve balance. Finding the right balance between too busy and too slow, between lucrative projects and ones that build the portfolio. Especially when you’re freelancing, working at web design can feel like a juggling act.

4. Do you code any of the web sites that you design currently? If so, what language(s) do you code in?

I hand code a quite a few of the sites that I design. I got the web standards bug when it was a fresh new way of creating websites and I stuck with it. I currently use XHTML/CSS, JavaScript and WordPress for blogs and as a CMS.

5. I wanted to ask if and where you studied at college or university, what you studied and ask how has your education helped you become a better web design professional?  What other skills has it helped you to gain and what else has it taught you about design in general?

I studied at a college. The program was enough to teach a bit about the basics but I felt that I could learn more on my own. There seems to be a real shortage of courses that teach practical solutions to coding, design and business problems. If you’re motivated, just start making sites for everybody that you know. Family members that own businesses or friends that have bands are good starting places. There are so many well written, thorough tutorials online that can teach you everything you need to know.

The thing that college did more than anything else was giving me drive and determination. The school I went to had impossible deadlines for projects that you didn’t know how to complete. That and a friendly competitive attitude among the students pushed me to get projects done on time that scored high marks. That’s about the most practical thing a course can do for someone in the design industry. If you’re freelancing, you need to be prepared to pull all-nighters or work your whole weekend to meet a deadline. If you miss a deadline for a client, you can kiss that income stream goodbye.

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

My favorite tools for design are Photoshop and Firebug. I don’t believe in a lot of extra apps or add-ons. But when I’m designing a site, I need to work in Photoshop and when I’m coding, it doesn’t matter if I’m programming in TextEdit. I just need to be able to test quickly and make changes. That’s why I love Firebug.