Christine Pham has been a web designer and front-end developer for over five years and currently works in Massachusetts in the United States. She is completely self taught as a web designer, having never finished college or university; however, she takes every advantage to improve her skills and knowledge. When we talked to her, she spoke to us about what keeps her passionate about web design, how she got into becoming a web designer, and her preferences between coding and designing. Please read on about Christine Pham…

Luc Asks: You said that you are completely self taught, Christine.  Did you study something else at university or college before deciding on web design?

Christine says: I come from a pretty strict family, so going to college wasn’t optional after I graduated from high school. I did spend two years in college, switching majors frequently but eventually dropped out. I think I really only attended about a quarter of my scheduled classes each semester. I skipped classes all the time, even in high school, which was a total waste of money. Unfortunately, I don’t think I’m the type of learner who can benefit from everything a classroom can offer. I learn more kinetically; by actually doing things myself and solving problems in a practical work environment. Maybe one day I will go get my degree… I’ve thought about it, but I’m really trying to focus on my work right now.

Luc Asks: With over 5 years of experience designing for the web, what is it that still keeps you passionate about web design?

Christine says: Even though I haven’t had the most sparkling history of being a great student, I do like to learn as many things as I can, and as often as I can. I love that the nature of this industry offers me the opportunity to keep doing that. You have to keep learning to be successful in this field; you’ve got to get your hands on as much as you can, because if you stop educating yourself for just a year… well, you’ll wake up and realize that you’re already two years behind. I’ve been teaching myself about web design since I was 15, and I still have a lot more to learn. Needless to say, I do a lot of “googling”.

Luc Asks: When it comes to typography in your projects do you use pre-built fonts or do you do your own typographic design work?

Christine says: Fonts are like boys to me; I always have a flavor of the week. Just kidding, I’m not that popular with the boys. I do purchase and download fonts for use in my projects, and I go through phases where I like a certain slab font (Rockwell and I had a long term relationship), and then I’ll switch to a script, and then maybe to a sans serif. I love that web technology has evolved to the point that I now have more interesting options than your run-of-the-mill web fonts. I love playing with typography in my layouts.

Luc Asks: Looking at your work experience i see that you’ve jumped around a fair amount since you started your web design career.  Do you think that this is fairly common in the web design career path?

Christine says: I think it’s common for most creatives – in any industry – to jump from job to job, at least in the beginning years of their career. I think a lot of it has to do with ego, to be honest. I suppose a lot of it also had to do with the fact that I was so young and naive that I didn’t realize how much my skills were actually worth. I went through a lot of periods where I’d have to reevaluate my worth and what my salary was at the time. I think I’ve grown up since then – I have gotten to a point in my career where I’m looking for security and stability. I work at a great company now that offers that (shout out to Edvisors!). And I also have a lot of other work that I do at home to satisfy my other needs… so it all balances out.

Luc Asks: Do you consider yourself a stronger coder or designer?

Christine says: I started out as more of a graphic designer – I did a lot of print as well as web design at my first job. But I think now I’m definitely more of a developer. I’m learning PHP right now – I’ve known basic PHP for a couple years, but I’m really learning more advanced things these days. I have some friends that are backend coders and even they tell me that I have a programmer’s head. Being able to code also gives you the opportunity to make sure your designs retain their creative integrity when the final product is made. I am really anal about making sure that the website rings true to my original design. I consider myself a Front End Developer with a strong eye and background in design.

Luc Asks: What web design project are you most proud of in your career to date and why?

Christine says: That’s sort of like choosing between my babies, isn’t it? I guess, if I had to choose, it would be a project that I’m currently working on with my developer friend, Stela, called myCosmeticBag. It’s still in development, so there’s not much I can show for it, other than our blog; but it’s basically a site where girls can come together and talk and learn about makeup, as well as manage the items in their makeup collection. Users will be able to post reviews on their favorite cosmetics products, or read reviews before they choose whether or not to make a purchase. It’s also kind of like my playground for learning PHP and experimenting with HTML 5 and other new technologies. I consider this project my true baby because it’s our own concept, and it’s not a site that I’m just designing for a client. I guess that would make my other projects like adopted children!

Some more of Christine Pham’s Web Design Work: