Spicy Web Designer Interview with Greg Wallace

Greg Wallace is a web designer from Edinburgh, Scotland in the United Kingdom. He started designing websites while he was attending Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh back in the mid to late 1990s and when he left university he started at a data entry job and learned a lot about web design from the other more experienced designers working at the company. Since then he has learned more about the web and design by using best practices, technologies and learning resources available and is largely “self-taught” in the area of web design.

1. How did you get started in web design?

I really got started in web design while at University. I attended Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh between 1995 and 1999, so back then the internet was a completely new thing for me and I guess I was hooked on using it and trying to understand how it worked as soon as I seen it.

2. When did you start designing websites?

Things moved on as soon as I left University, and started a basic website data entry job where the company owner was a big advocate of using the internet to promote and develop the business. The company wanted me to design and develop some web ideas they had for the business so I worked alongside a couple of more experienced designers, and basically taught myself as much as possible at these early stages.

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

I think the biggest challenge I have is balancing the time required to constantly keep up to speed with everything in the web design world, and actually get the jobs done at the same time! I really like to be on top of as many skills as possible, and be knowledgeable in the best practices, methods, and technologies available.

4. Do you code on any of your web design projects? And if so, do you consider yourself a “Front-End Coder”? Why or Why Not?

I do design and code all of my projects, and have quite a lot of experience in backend development also. Being able to understand how the whole web design and development process goes together is a great advantage. I have tried recently to focus more on front end coding, but to be honest, designing the visualizations and layouts is what I enjoy doing most from day to day.

5. Where did you go to school and has it helped you become a better web designer/front-end developer?

I went to school in a small town in Northern Ireland about 15 miles from the North Antrim Coast. I remember drawing all the time from a young age and during Secondary School always enjoyed Art & Design and the various Technical subjects. I also studied Technical Drawing at College, and worked as an Architect’s assistant over a few summer breaks. Having this sort of technical educational grounding, even though it was never web design based as such, definitely has helped me over the years to develop into a better designer.

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?

Web design has definitely changed for the better since I started. Nowadays it is standard issue for individuals and businesses to have some form of online presence when that wasn’t always the case previously. It is now also important for that online presence to look professional and work well for the target audience. The web is an integral part of today’s society and people are now much more knowledgeable about how powerful a well designed site can be to them or their business. This can only be a good thing as it pushes everyone, both client and designer, to produce the best quality work possible.

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

First up, my notebooks and pen for sketching out ideas, and site structures. Then, Well, I’ve been using Photoshop for a long time, so that’s my main web design tool. I jump into Fireworks sometimes as well for some image optimization, which I find can crunch down file sizes better than Photoshop can in certain cases. Again, I’ve used Dreamweaver for many years, so use that’s my main coding tool.