Website Inspiration Blog | SpicyWebDesigners.com by Luc Arnold

Robin James Yu is a web designer from Manila in the Philippines. He first started designing websites at the age of 12 years old and has been professionally designing websites for the past 3 years. He studied computer science and received his degree from Ateneo de Manila University but he says that did not help him learn to design websites and that was something that he taught himself over time. Robin James or “RJ” as he prefers to be called uses a wide array of tools to craft his sites including Apanta, Photoshop and Firefox add-ons and stays up to date by using books and experimenting with the latest trends in web design.

1. RJ, I read that you started getting interested about designing website when you were 12 years old and I wanted to ask how you first got started designing websites.

My Dad’s a big technology junkie. He owned his own print shop in Toronto so he had a computer before many people even saw one. So anyways, he introduced me to the computer and how it worked when I was about 5. Fast forward to when I was 12, I watched as my dad built his first website with the use of HTML and JavaScript so I guess you can say I owe a lot to my dad. He showed me the basics of the syntax and I got started just browsing the source code of my favorite websites. That really got me interested into designing and developing my own websites. I just opened notepad and started playing away.

2. How long have you been professionally designing websites?

I’ve been professionally designing websites for 3 years now, although I’ve only been doing it on the side. It was either I was still in college or while I still had a day job. Last month I decided to quit my day job and go full-time freelance. It’s been great!

3. I was reading on your “About” page that you studied and received your Bachelor of Computer Science Degree and I wanted to ask how has that helped you to become a better web designer?

Well, I’m not sure what you meant by “designer” as sometimes it’s mixed to mean a developer as well but I’ll answer it both ways. Strictly speaking, a degree in Computer Science has not helped me at all be a better designer. Everything I learned in design I learned on my own. But the degree did help me to be a better web developer. Although I knew how to write code that translated into websites, when you learn by experience sometimes you jump ahead into the intermediate level without going through the basics. With building websites I already knew what to do, a degree helped me learn the reason behind why something was done a certain way as well as allowing me to see what really happened underneath all that code at the machine level.

One thing to note about college education in the Philippines is that they’re never cutting edge. What they’ll teach you will almost always be outdated. Most of the things they taught me that wasn’t theory (like languages and syntax) was outdated and I had already known most of the web languages they were teaching. What I did get out of the experience though was aside from what I mentioned above, was the discipline and work ethic needed to succeed outside of school.

4. What are some of your favorite tools when you are building websites and why are they your favorites?

When building websites, the first tool I use is of course Photoshop. Everyone uses it; it’s that powerful that it can’t be neglected. Aside from the graphical tools built into Photoshop, I like the slicing mechanisms that allow you to export sliced images with ease. I use Aptana as my main IDE for coding up websites (It’s built from Eclipse). You won’t hear that from many web designers because it’s mainly a developer’s tools. Designers I guess would be more familiar with Dreamweaver, but I find Aptana more powerful and convenient than anything I’ve used before. It’s the most complete IDE I’ve ever used. It’s a bit bloated and a resource hog but it comes with most of the features that I consider essential.

Other favorite and essential tools I have are Firefox and the abundant add-ons like Web Developer tools and Firebug. Firefox just makes coding convenient. I also almost always have xrefresh on, which monitors your file system for changes and then refreshes the browser accordingly. It’s very handy for not having to hit the refresh shortcut all the time in the browser.

5. Being from a Computer Science background I am curious about how you learned to use Photoshop, Illustrator and Flash to design sites?

Well I’ve always had a passion for design since I was a kid. I loved coding first but then fell in love with design as well eventually. The only reason I chose to take a Computer Science degree was that at the time of my enrollment, the university I entered, which is one of the top in the country, did not yet offer a Computer graphics or new media degree which was a shame because they initiated one 2 years after I entered. Anyways, I’ve had a passion for good design ever since and I found out the best way to learn was just to experiment. Books help, but it’s really what you learn on your own that’s going to make an impact on yourself and the way you do things. First thing I do when I try to learn a new program is to just dive in and let loose.

Ronnie Morales is a web designer and graphic artist from Manila in the Philippines. He has been interested in web design ever since he read a tutorial on HTML back in 1998 and started to design professionally in 2004 after graduating from college. Ronnie studied Electronics and Communication Engineering at Mapua Institute of Technology so he definitely considers himself a “self-taught” web designer. With that said after 5 years of professional experience in web design his goal is to make “well-designed websites accessible to everyone”.

1. Ronnie, how did you get started in web and graphic design originally?

I’ve been always interested in graphic design ever since I was young. I believe I got it from my father, he’s an old school layout artist and it’s only natural that I follow in his footsteps.

I got started on web design after reading an HTML tutorial I stumbled upon back in 1998. I learned everything that I can about designing and building websites. I remember using only notepad to code websites those days and using tables and frames to layout web pages. The web was relatively young back then and the design trends were very different. Keeping up with new design and usability standards all these years has been a fun challenge.

2. When did you first start designing websites and how long have you been designing for the web professionally?

I started designing websites as soon as I learned how, signing up on tripod and geocities for free hosting just to play around and experiment. I really didn’t take web design seriously; it was just something for me to do on my spare time.

But as the years went on, I found myself more and more interested on web design and I just kept on reading tutorials and improving my skills while trying to finish a degree in engineering.

I started designing professionally in 2004; I applied for a web designer job as soon as I graduated from college. I worked in an outsourcing company working small websites for various clients around the world.

3. Where did you study and specifically what did you study and has it helped you to become a better web and graphic designer?

You might be surprised but I took up Electronics and Communication Engineering at the Mapua Institute of Technology in Manila, Philippines. I’m a self-taught web designer and even though I didn’t study in a design school, college has helped a lot because I believe that school offers much more than just lessons and books. School also teaches us how to deal with problems and prepares us socially before heading out to the real world.

I do wish that I did go to a design school and I have been trying to find a good one locally but with no success so far.

4. Why did you choose a one-page portfolio layout over a multi-page portfolio to showcase the work that you do?

Being a one-man team, I don’t really think I would need a multi-page website. I wanted to keep everything simple and to have all the information a visitor might need available as soon as my website loads.

I did consider using a multi-page layout but it just didn’t represent me well. I wanted a website that says: This is me, this is what I do and this is what I have done so far.

5.  What are your favorite web technologies to work with when designing websites?

I’m not really a programmer but I enjoy coding my designs using valid XHTML and CSS codes. It’s just an awesome feeling to see your design in a browser windows looking just the way as your designed it in Photoshop. I also use jQuery to improve usability of a website as well as adding minor visual effects or animation.

Lendl Allen Trazo is a web designer originally from Cebu in the Philippines (currently in Dubai). He graduated from AMA Computer University with a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science. He started designing websites back in college and has been designing professionally for the past 5 years. He is mainly “self taught” in web design but has an extensive technical background.

1. How did you get started in web design?

I was first exposed to web design in one of my subjects in college. I decided to make it as a career when I applied for a job as a web designer and was rejected. I took that experience as a challenge and motivated myself to study the craft.

2. When did you start designing websites?

I started designing websites when I was in college but I never took it seriously because I was into programming during that time. I started creating websites as a professional when I landed a job in one of the prestigious international publishing companies in Cebu, Philippines.

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

One of the pros in this industry is that you don’t need to have a degree to become a web designer, all you need is talent, passion and self-motivation, and because of that, one of the biggest challenge is keeping up with the competition and technology. A web designer needs to be up to date, unique and innovative to be noticed.

4. Do you ever refer to yourself as a Front-end developer or a web designer? Do you code any of the web sites that you design currently? If so, what language(s) do you code in?

Yes, most of the time I refer to myself as a web designer. I code my designs into valid XHTML pages and use DREAMWEAVER to do it.

5. Where did you go to school and has it helped you become a better web design professional?

I studied Computer Science in AMA Computer University. While studying there, I was introduced to HTML and MS Frontpage, I learned the basics of HTML there, back then I was only using MS Frontpage to do everything, I never knew what Photoshop was. I developed and learned all the skills I know today mostly through self-studying.

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?

Yes, it has improved without a doubt. Before, nobody really took websites seriously, it was not a necessity but now, I think 99% of the entire world’s companies have their own website and they generate a significant amount of money through it. The web design industry is officially one, if not the best mediums to advertise and sell products and services, it is also cheaper than traditional means and it reaches a wider audience.

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

My main weapon of choice is Adobe Photoshop, my secondary weapon would be Illustrator. In my opinion, Photoshop is the best design tool available today, It gives designers flexibility and it offers many tools to aide designers with their projects and it’s very easy to use. There are also times where the designs are required to be done in Illustrator, when I create designs for FLASH or create interfaces for RIA’s/FLEX, I prefer using Illustrator.

Dino Latoga is a web designer from the Philippines. He has been designing websites since about 2000 when he was introduced to it by a friend. Dino is a “self taught” web designer who learns and continues to learn from books, magazines and other websites about web design. He develops websites using a blend of Javascripting, XHTML and CSS and also designs for specific web software platforms like WordPress, Blogger and Typepad.

1. How did you get started in web design?

I really don’t remember the exact year but I had a friend who was really into skateboarding at that time and he showed me a website that he created for their skateboarding group. I was like amazed at what he did. There were these cool automatically created JavaScript rollover effects and I think they were something extraordinary. That’s the story on how I totally got interested into creating websites.

2. When did you start designing websites?

Like my answer on first question, my friend introduced me into creating websites and as far as I can remember I think that was between the year 2000 and 2001. The first website I created was made in Adobe Image ready. Adobe Image ready has this thing that lets you create cool rollover effects. Creating websites back those days was much easier than today because you don’t really have to write the HTML part anymore. Programs such as Fireworks and Image ready has special table based HTML generators which makes work much easier.

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

I think the greatest challenge in the web design industry is catching up with all the emerging latest technology and putting yourself above all the designers out there. It’s a huge crowd so in order to stand out, you must be totally passionate and hardworking.

4. Do you ever refer to yourself as a Front-end developer or a web designer? Do you code any of the web sites that you design currently? If so, what language(s) do you code in?

I refer to myself as both. I do all the design and I also do all the coding. When I’m designing a website, I always think ahead of the coding part. For example, do I want to make the edges of this box to be rounded or not? Will it require extra mark-up when I convert it to HTML? I always find the need to ask myself those kinds of things. It saves me time in the future. I wouldn’t want to be going back to the designing process when I’m in the middle of coding something. I really like to be organized at things. This is based on my own personal experience so other people’s experience may vary.

I’m really good at writing HTML and CSS. In fact, I’m very good. It’s one of my expertises which I learned to do on my first job. I learned it all in a book called “HTML Utopia: Designing Without Tables using CSS” from Sitepoint. The cover of that book is a family having their dinner on an invisible table, hence, table-less. I have a basic knowledge of PHP but I do understand most of the codes. I just don’t know how to write my own very well. As for JavaScript, I use jQuery and I do write a bit of functions which I base mostly on jQuery’s resource sites. The other thing I’m also very good at is hacking and writing WordPress themes to achieve that customized look that I am aiming for.

5. Where did you go to school and has it helped you become a better web design professional?

I think school didn’t really help me much as a web designer. There are really no good related to web design courses here in my country at that time. I guess I can say that I learned everything from books, magazines and the internet.

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?

When I first started web design, most websites were table-based and people have personal websites not personal blogs. There were no things like SEO, social networks, twitter, DIGG, YouTube and there were only a few blogs. Getting yourself known was a hard because there were no feeds, no CSS Galleries, no DIGG or reddit to cling on to. People were just visiting the websites for information or emails. Only few people were visiting the web because there was no interaction. It was like a one way street. Converting designs to HTML was easy as clicking a button. The only challenge was creating the design.

Right now, the web has become more challenging. With the rise of blogs and social networks, the web has become a jungle. Today, the internet is a part of the household so you are no longer designing only for the web geeks and nerds but for everyone including your grandma. That’s where usability comes in. Before, people design flash websites with weird navigation styles that only designers and web savvy users will understand. Right now, we have to consider everyone in our designs.

I can say the web has totally changed for the better. Websites are better. The codes are cleaner and future proof. Information is coming in both ways and there is more interaction. It’s more exciting and challenging at the same time. I can only think of the future.

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

I have 3 favorite tools that I always use at work — Fireworks, Illustrator and Notepad.

Most designers that I know do their web designs and layout in Photoshop but not me. I do it in Fireworks. For me, Fireworks is a great and easy tool for creating those web design and layouts. I love the support for creating symbols. Most of all, I love the grid and vector feature. I used to be a Photoshop guy but as I grew up I knew it was not just the right tool for web design and layout.

I love a vector that’s why I am an Adobe Illustrator guy. Back at the old days when I was just starting out as a designer, Photoshop was my main tool. But when I was asked to create super hi-resolution graphics, my PC just can’t handle it. Then I heard about vector graphics. I learned that they were resolution independent. You can blow them up to any super-size that you can think of. So I opened it up and tried it. The first time I tried Adobe Illustrator, I was confused of the tools because I was used to the Photoshop interface. After several tries and experimenting with it, I finally learned how to deal with it. But right now, I’m still learning lots of things.

Dreamweaver used to be the code editor that I use. That was back the old days when most of the websites were wearing tables. It was really helpful especially it supports live preview. I wasn’t hand coding then. But people grow up and learn from their mistakes. I realized Dreamweaver was a bit of bloated software. So I tried to look for a very lightweight program that will do the job. And that’s why I found Notepad++. The need has changed. Right now, the challenge is to write clean and lightweight code. Notepad++ does the job very well. It supports a lot of languages and it has a number of good plugins that I find very useful.

Camille Del Rosario is a web and multimedia designer originally from Manila in the Philippines and currently working in Singapore. She started designing websites in 2004 while she was in school studying Multimedia Arts and eventually started to take on freelance projects. Before she studied Multimedia Arts at school she was studying Export Management and decided to make the change.

1. How did you get started in web design?

My humble beginnings aren’t really in web design; it’s an ongoing fascination with art. I’ve always loved creating things (doodling, painting, mixed media, etc.). I was also interested in all things multimedia – merging art with digital technology and creating design solutions for clients. So I shifted from my Export Management course to study Multimedia Arts.

It’s one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. Ever since then, I’ve been dabbling with video work and illustration, but I always had a soft spot for web design. I decided to commit myself to web design after landing some freelance projects and my first full time web design job.

2. When did you start designing websites?

I started designing websites, I guess around 2004? Around this time, I was starting out to do pro bono work and some freelance work as well (while in school). I used to do my own html and basic flash animations.

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

One of the biggest challenges is the huge influx of competition. There are thousands of others out there, trying to carve out a name for themselves. As designers, we are not part of an elite few any longer; we are the norm. The key thing now is to find your own value proposition and differentiate yourself from the rest. What makes you so special? Why should they hire you instead of other folks?

Another challenge would be the fact that users and clients are now more tech savvy than ever; hence, there’s a premium on channeling your web design efforts in the right manner – to find the key strategies that would empower your client. It’s not simply about just being a web designer – it’s now a trade of understanding user experience, goals, understanding business objectives and how your design can meet these objectives. It’s about trying to be indispensable to your clients.

4. Why do you refer to yourself as a Front-end developer over calling yourself a web designer?  Is it a way to brand yourself to your clients?

Formally, my title would be “a web designer” or a “multimedia designer” – since I’ve designed for print, the web, applications, etc.

I’m not too fussy about titles though, I believe titles usually have little or nothing to do with your potential as a designer

I also don’t call myself a developer, as I primarily focus on user experience and design alone – I don’t code all my sites; I usually work on collaborative efforts with other freelance developers and studios as well.

I still feel a bit iffy about branding myself to clients.. hehe ( I’m thinking “hey, I’m Camille, I’m not a brand name…” ) lol

When I was freelancing, I believe it was reliability and a good thought process. I try my best to consult with the client and give him/her a design solution, not just a web design. We would compromise, I would prepare for my meetings, and I would try to ask the right questions.

5. Since you first started how has the web design industry changed? Has it changed for the better? If so, how? If not, please explain?

With regards to the web design industry, a lot has changed!   I’d say that design that stands out from the crowd is those that have been well-thought of. The web is now a multi-platform communication tool, wherein people engage and interact – it is no longer a monologue (as compared to the web’s early days.).

I wouldn’t say it’s a bad thing; it just forces people to step up their game. People are forced to think better - in order for their website to stand out from the crowd. The web is saturated with so much clutter everyday; It is our job as designers to make our online spaces as beautiful and as user-friendly as possible.

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

Adobe Photoshop & illustrator, by far are the best. I find that they’re the most user friendly and versatile.

I also love taking inspiration from the offline world – textures, print media, and illustrations – anything that can help with the creative process.