Spicy Web Designer Interview with Michela Chiucini

Michela Chiucini is a web designer from Tuscany in Italy. She first started designing websites about 5 years ago in 2003 and has been hooked ever since. She has her degree in Computer Science but she still considers herself “self-taught” when it comes to web design. Besides designing in Photoshop and Illustrator she also codes using a variety of languages including PHP, JavaScript and ActionScript.

1. How did you first get started in web design?

I started developing interfaces for intranet applications. Then some clients approached me for a website and after trying this experience, I decided to make of web design my job.

2. When did you design your first website?

I designed my first web site in 2003…just for fun

3. What did you study in school (College/University)? Do you feel it helped you to become a better designer?

I have a Degree in Computer Science. Even if I’m definitely self-taught, of course my background school helped me.

At the University, I attended to a course about Web Interfaces and my stage has been about it. Sincerely, I think this helped me because it taught me to build simple interfaces and allowed me to learn faster about new technologies and new software features.

4. What are some of your favourite tool to use when designing for the web?

I use very often Photoshop, but also Illustrator. My favourite tool to code is Dreamweaver but occasionally I can use also other html editors.

5. What is the biggest challenge that you face as a web designer?

There are two big challenges for me as web designer. One of them is to obtain the perfect creation as required by the client.

I always try to choose the most precise style which matches the type of work my customers are carrying out in their particular field. Meanwhile I try to bring my own taste

in what I do.

The second challenge is to learn something new every day and use the latest creative technologies with awareness of the latest web Standards.

6. Do you do freelance web design? If so, do you do it on a full-time or part-time basis?

Yes I do. Of course I do it on a full time basis and it couldn’t be different to keep a quality work with growing new technologies.

7. Do you ever do any coding for the front end of a website?  If so, what languages do you use?  How long have you been doing this for?

I managed the coding for most of websites I built.

My favourite language is certainly PHP, but I use also JavaScript and some Actionscript if required. Anyway, for big projects I have some developers as partners.

It’s hard to say because I did it in my free time, sometimes I worked on it all day long and sometimes I stayed away from it entire weeks; anyway the idea came in September and the site has been published at the beginning of January.