Web Design Inspiration Blog | SpicyWebDesigners.com

Kyle Fiedler supports women’s breasts (at least in the month of October, which is national breast cancer month) and his clients’ websites. He calls Woburn‚ Massachusetts outside of Boston in the United States his home. Like a lot of web designers he started designing in college and with a lot of passion and determination continues to design to this day. Aside from a full-time web design position he also freelances through his personal web studio, Fiedler Creative, where he showcases his skills. I had a chance to ask him some questions about his experiences in web design, where he finds inspiration and more about his personal background…

Luc @ SWD: Kyle, how did you first get into web design?

Kyle: When I was a sophomore in college my roommate (kivodesigns.com) and I took a web design class. I loved having people really interact with my designs and the unique set of problems that come with designing for the web. Our energy and passion for the web really feed off of each other and it still does to this day.

Luc @ SWD: How long have you been designing websites professionally?

Kyle: Really not long after that. A friend asked me to redesign his current site that he had built based off a template his hosting service had provided. It was pretty gross, so it was an easy score for me. He was and has been great with letting me fiddle with his site. I am currently in process of building the third revision of his site.

Luc @ SWD: Where do you find your sources of inspiration when designing a new project?

Kyle: I never really know what will kick start an idea or design solution so I am always on the lookout. I love using LittleSnapper to collect things that I find on the web. I’ve got over 4 thousands images that I’ve collected from websites, logos, posters, photos and more. If I see something that grabs my attention when I am not at the computer I’ll take a picture with my phone or try to sketch it down.

When I start a design I will usually refer to my LittleSnapper library and flip through it while I am sketching out ideas. I’ll refer back to it every-once in a while during the design and development to hopefully spark some additional ideas.

Luc @ SWD: What are some of your favorite web technologies to work with on a web design project?

Kyle: I am more of a designer so my favorite thing to work with is my sketchbook which isn’t a web technology. I love using CSS and watching the site take its shape and sprinkling some jQuery to create an extra layer of interactivity. When faced with some real development work I use WordPress. It’s pretty easy to get started and there are an incredible amount of add-ons to help me with whatever functionality I need done.

Luc @ SWD: Where and what did you study at college or university? Has it helped you become a better web designer?

Kyle: I majored in Visual Communication with a focus on Graphic Design. It gave me a starting point for the web and a solid base for core design concepts like color layout and typography. The nice thing about the program was that it gave me a sampling of different disciplines from print and branding to 3D, motion graphics, multimedia and web.

Jon Brousseau is a web designer and an associate creative director from Boston, Massachusetts in the United States. After studying at The Art Institute of Boston and earning his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Graphic Design, Jon was hired by an interactive agency that focused on web design, application interfaces and mobile devices. He has been designing websites for the past 8 years professionally. He has earned various awards for his design work including being on the Dean’s List 4 times during his education at the Art Institute of Boston. He recently completed his Master in Fine Arts in Graphic Design from Boston University in 2008 and is working for Boston University as an Associate Creative Director.

1. How did you get started in web design?

My first job out of college was for an interactive agency where I focused on design for web sites, application interfaces, and mobile devices. I had the opportunity to work with some talented folks there and was exposed to technologies which I knew little about. It was a great learning experience for me.

2. When did you start designing websites?

My last year of college in 1999. I got interested in web design and taught myself the basics and put together my first concept site for a college project. My first professional site was in 2000 for a company I worked for at the time.

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

Ha! Internet Explorer 6! Seriously, understanding a client’s needs and being able to see long-term goals and how they coincide with the scalability of a project is always a learning process. Add to the mix project management and coordination among different vendors and the challenges increase.

4. Do you 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 prefer web designer because ultimately it’s about the design. For me the development portion is a means to an end – I learned the technical aspects so I wouldn’t be limited by them and I wanted to be able to bring my designs to life myself. I do my own development and hand-code the CSS, XHTML, and integrate with PHP, JavaScript, databases, etc as needed. I’m using WordPress a lot these days and have learned how to manipulate it to suit my needs. There’s quite a bit to be said for taking a project from concept to completion – I enjoy being involved in all aspects of a project.

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

I graduated from the Art Institute of Boston in 1999 with a BFA in design. From there I worked primarily in the interactive field and started my graduate degree in design at Boston University in 2006. I received my MFA in 2008.

My education definitely informed my work. Since I had a few years of experience before going to graduate school I knew which questions to ask and which specific things I wanted to work on as a designer. While at grad school I stayed away from interactive design altogether and focused solely on design itself, doing projects on which I normally don’t get the opportunity to work, such as identity and brand; book covers; publication design; and posters. What’s amazing to me is how much these types of projects inform what I do in the interactive world.

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?

Things have certainly changed in web design since I started. For one, there’s much more of a focus on user-syndicated content. Folks like having control over information themselves and relying less on having it generated for to them. There is also more of an awareness of good usability and functionality. Users expect information to be easily and quickly available, without the marketing speak that was so dominant in 1999-2000. Folks who know little about how technology works still have an understanding about how it should function, and there’s a very low tolerance for things that fail to deliver.

In terms of aesthetics, design is less experimental too, dropping gratuitous imagery and design elements in favor of more meaningful and useful design. You can see this ideal reinforced across different types of devices as well, such as mobile devices, interfaces on digital cameras, etc.

These things combined help to make the web (and any device that requires an interface) more user-friendly and ultimately provide a better user experience. While we have a long way to go, I feel it keeps getting better and more interesting all the time.

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

For design there’s pen and paper during concept, then there’s Photoshop and Illustrator for finalizing the design. For development I use BB Edit and Coda. I love the control these applications afford me and I’m a bug for neatly commented and formatted code. I prefer the hand-coding tools over WYSIWYGs because I don’t want to be limited to any program’s interpretation of the language – I want complete control over it myself.

8. In your most recent role as an associate creative director, how has your involvement on web design projects changed?

I’m now accountable for projects on which I’m not directly working! I have the opportunity to work more closely with other designers in my office, which is a great opportunity – I work with some truly talented individuals. It’s too easy to have “tunnel vision” when working on a project, and working with others fosters a more collaborative environment, one where we all learn from each other. The ultimate result is more informed, stronger work.

Fred Yates is a web designer from Boston, Massachusetts in the United States. He has been designing websites since 2002. After studying at the New England Institute of Art for 3 semesters in Interactive Media Design and began designing professionally after that. Even though he is only 22 years old web designer he is a very experienced and skilled designer working full-time.

1. How did you get started in web design?

When I got started in web design I was playing video games, specifically Counter-Strike 1.6 semi-professionally and being on a team without a website was the equivalent of not being on a team at all. To make it in the community you needed to appear professional and get a decent amount of exposure, a website helped this out a lot. At about the same time I had started dabbling in graphic design, influenced and helped by a good friend of mine Jeff Daley (http://eatyourguitar.org/luckyhole/). I decided to turn my novice design skills into a website for my team. It began with me taking pre-existing templates, dissecting them, rebuilding them, and turning them into something that fit my needs. Eventually I knew enough to start making my own sites from scratch and my knowledge and love for the industry has grown exponentially ever since.

2. When did you start designing websites?

I started around 2002 during my sophomore year of high school. My friends were all getting into graphic design, playing around with Photoshop and Illustrator and I was amazed at some of the things they were producing. Obviously, I wanted to ride the cool train with them and with their help quickly picked up Photoshop. Eventually my eye for design started to develop and before I knew it, my love for design was well on its way.

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

I find sometimes it’s pretty hard to find inspiration under pressure (i.e. for a deadline or under strict guidelines). I’m lucky enough to have a job that understands I’m not going to produce earth shattering design every day and as long as the final product is a great piece of design, those off days fall by the wayside.

Obviously, as I’m sure anyone could agree with this answer. IE6 is just a huge pain. I’ve gotten relatively good at making my code work in it but only because of countless hours of frustration and anger. I’m sure anyone that’s got some significant design under their belt has wanted to throw their computer out the window because they couldn’t figure out a particular bug in IE6. Regardless of how good one can get at developing for IE6 compatibility, it’s always going to be some extra hours and never fun.

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 code the HTML, CSS, and JavaScript for all of my personal projects. For all of my projects at work I pretty much do the HTML and CSS then pass it off to my developers who take over with their amazing Ruby skills. I am most definitely a Front-End Coder. I had a knack for the little bit of programming I did in the past but it’s not my cup of tea. If I had my choice I’d never write another if/else statement in my life, but that’s not really a realistic option, hah. I definitely enjoy design way more than programming, while I do love turning my work into functioning HTML, I don’t enjoy back-end coding.

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

I went to school for three semesters at The New England Institute of Art studying Interactive Media Design. This is a pretty sore subject for me, and I preach my feelings about it often. The school was great, the instructors were all very professional and knowledgeable but it just wasn’t worth the price tag. After the first semester I had established myself as the guy to go to when you needed help with a web or design project and even the instructors found themselves asking my opinion on certain things. I tutored for my final semester there but it wasn’t long before I realized I had the skills needed to become a full time, professional designer. My big stand on the subject is that you should really think for yourself when deciding about school. I absolutely abhor parents, guidance counselors, and high school teachers that pressure you to go to college. All too often I was being told by my honors classes teachers that I wouldn’t be able to succeed in life without a degree. They basically told me that my only option if I didn’t want to serve tables and bag groceries for the rest of my life was to major in some lucrative career. Frankly, this is unacceptable and I just feel everyone should think for them self and avoid too much outside influence when decided on school, or anything for that matter.

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?

Since I first started I think web design has definitely made huge improvements. CSS3 is very exciting, as is HTML5 if it ever makes it to our computers. The introduction of the JQuery library is one of my favorite advancements and even Adobe’s new Flex Builder is taking huge leaps in the right direction. The things I’ve seen my coworkers do with Ruby on Rails is phenomenal and I know similar is achievable with other languages. All of these tools are very empowering to us as web designers and not many of them were available 7 years ago when I started.

The industry has changed a few ways that I don’t really approve of though. First and foremost, I think the W3C needs to come together and find a way to enforce one rendering engine for all browsers. Cross browser compatibility is a term that shouldn’t even exist but all the big browsers seem to want to render layouts their own way. Worst of all, and probably needless to say, Internet Explorer and Microsoft’s awful Trident engine seriously needs to be dealt with, hopefully IE8 can stay true to its web standards promises. I’m aware of all the organizations and individual users that run still run ie6 and are not going to upgrade until there is no other option, but if we don’t try to start changing things now, it’ll just be even longer till anything gets done about it. We really need a universal rendering engine that everyone can agree to develop for.

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

I think I can safely say I use Photoshop and Textmate for every single site I design. I’ve grown very comfortable with both tools and since I love my profession so much, I love the tools I use most often. I’m starting to get into Flex, and I’m falling in love with it. I remember when it was coming out and I was in school my professor told me it was basically “Actionscripting for designers” and I can see what she meant by that now. It’s a blast. Tweetdeck (my twitter [ @fredyatesiv ]) is my favorite distraction and Parallels is my least favorite program because it means I’m opening Windows on my Mac and testing in Internet Explorer

Brian Wilkins is a web designer from Boston, Massachusetts in the United States. He has been designing websites since 1997 when he first started experimenting with HTML and web design. Brian is constantly evolving to improve his skills. He studied at UMass and graduated in 2006 and also attended the Art Institute of California for a year and even though it is out of school he is still learning new ways to do things when it comes to web design especially.

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

I’ve always been interested in art. My parents were both heavily involved in art while I was growing up. My mother worked in photography and my father worked as a designer at Wang Laboratories. He would also do these huge murals in his spare time. Being constantly surrounded by creative people, I started drawing before I could walk. I took art classes through school and had some big aspirations of becoming a comic book artist. Sometime in 1997, I began experimenting with web design. Back then, I began playing around with basic HTML code along with creating and designing what would look like archaic images, now.

2. When did you design your first website? Was it for a client or a personal project?

1997. It was a self-promotional website where I’d scan in pictures from my life and write about them. I guess it was my first exploration into blogging. [Laughs] I wish I still had some of those old files to look back on. It’s been 12 years since then? Man, I’m getting old.

3. What do you think is important to becoming a great web designer?

It’s a constant evolution. Just keep in mind that your design style evolves in the same way that you do as a person. So, take from your experiences in life, learn who you are as a human being and also as a designer.

4. Where did you go to school? Did your education help you land a job in the web design field?

I graduated from UMass in 2006, but I also attended the Art Institute of California for a year. Education definitely helps you smooth out some of your rough edges. It also teaches you the correct way to use these programs. But you have to love what you do. That’s most important. For every hour I spent in a design class, I spent 5-10 at home playing with different techniques. I’ve been out of school for a few years now, and I still learn new techniques almost every day.

5. What is your favorite web technology (PHP, CSS, XHTML, etc.)? And, why is it your favorite?

I love CSS. It’s just so powerful. The options it affords you visually are almost limitless.

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

Designers are obviously creative individuals; sometimes we take on projects that, at first seem to limit our creativity. You have to teach yourself not too look at them that way. In some way, learn to love each project, make it important to you. Push down the barriers and let your creativity, and love for design shine through. It will show in the final product. Aside from that, never stop learning.

7. Would you consider yourself more of a front-end coder or a graphic designer when it comes to web design?

First and foremost I’ll always be a designer. Front-end coding has just become so important in what we do, as web designers; you’d have to go out of your way not to learn it. In today’s game they really go hand-in-hand. Each of them working together to enrich the end-users experience.