Jade Nagy talks about his journey as a self taught web and graphic designer

Jade Nagy is a web and graphic designer from Melbourne in Australia. He has been designing professionally for the past 8 years and even from about the age of 10 years old he has been interested in art and design so this was a natural transition for him to make. Jade tributes his thirst for knowledge and willingness to learn new concepts as a reason for his own personal success.

Jade has created portfolio that merges his web and graphic design skills together very well. He has a playful sense of design which he is able to apply to the websites that he creates for clients, his logo design is uncluttered for the most part and his other examples of print work are balanced and interesting to look at which speaks to his 8 years of professional design experience.

1. I see that you have over 8 years of professional experience and wanted to know how you got started designing websites?

I’ve always been interested in art and design, even as a young child. I can remember around age 10, while the other kids were out playing sports, I was attending private tutoring with an art professor. Growing up I had a lot of geek friends, and I really enjoyed working with computers but wanted to do something more creative. I started dabbling in web & graphic design and taking on small jobs for friends. I enjoyed the work, and had a lot of good feedback. Eventually I decided to pursue design in a professional capacity.

2.    Jade, did you originally start as a graphic designer or have you always done web design?  Do you feel that your work in graphic design makes you a better web designer?

I started graphic design and web design at the same time. For me, they go hand in hand – one complements the other. I think it’s important to be involved in both worlds, as the trends and marketing techniques spill over from one medium into the next.

3.    What are your favorite tools to use when designing websites?

I can’t live without Adobe Photoshop and Dreamweaver. They’re my prized tools. Also, I like to develop and test in a local environment (i.e. WAMP) before I release a site. I’m a huge fan of Illustrator CS4 as well, but that’s mainly for graphic design.

4.    Where did you study when you went to school? What did you study?

I had been working as a web/graphic designer for a few years before I decided to study in the field. I enrolled in a design course but soon found I was doing more teaching than learning. Most of my design education has been self-taught.

5.    Do you feel your education has helped you to become a better web designer?

Self-education? Definitely. I’m constantly learning new techniques and developing my skills through research, tutorials, articles, and design showcases.

6.    What sites, books and publications do you read to stay up to date on the latest web design trends?

There’s far too many to list but here are some of my favourites – Abduzeedo.com is excellent for inspiration and tutorials (I’m a big fan of Fabio Sasso), and SmashingMagazine.com is another wicked resource I visit regularly. LogoPond.com and LogoFaves.com are great inspiration.