Web Design Inspiration Blog | SpicyWebDesigners.com

Hank Toet is a web designer and art director from Los Angeles, California in the United States.  With over 10 years of experience in the field of design he has worked in various positions from “web designer”, “graphic designer” to a “Lead Designer” and most recently an “Art Director” but he received his education in Business Administration.  In one way or another he has been designing for the web since 1996 when Hank discovered websites and wanted to learn how to design and program them.

Hank recently got together with SpicyWebDesigners.com to talk about his experiences in design, why he loves designing for the web and his views on formally educated designers versus self taught designers.

Luc asks: Hank, with your extensive design experiences, how long have you been designing websites?

Hank says: I first started playing around with Micrograpx Picture Publisher around 1996.

I enjoyed browsing around the web and wanted to learn how to design and program websites.

I used Microsoft Front page to put together my websites but when I got my first job working as an html editor I was forced to stop using Front Page and learn how to code by hand. I’m happy I did because Front Page sucked!

Soon after that I left my PC behind and got my first Mac, haven’t look back since!

Luc asks: Are you formally educated in design or self taught?  Do you feel it’s better for a designer to have a formal education or be a self taught designer?

Hank says: Back when I started designing websites there were really no courses you could take or schools you could go to, to learn how to be a web designer.

I really wanted to learn but didn’t know where to go so I was forced to figure it out for myself. In hindsight I think it would have been nice to have had some formal education but the benefit of being self taught is that I’ve never had to unlearn the rules that are imposed on you with a formal design education. I was free to do whatever I wanted which allowed for a lot of experimentation and probably led me to solutions I would not have thought of if I was formally trained.

Luc asks: Why do you love being a web designer?

Hank says: Growing up I never really knew what I wanted to do in life but I always had a strong interest in design, I loved graffiti culture, urban design, underground music and the style that goes

along with that. When the internet started to become popular and I started to design for it. It was like all the puzzle pieces fell into place and I finally found something that was me. Whenever I sit down in front of Photoshop and look at an empty canvas I get this rush and anything is possible. It’s being excited about the possibilities and trying to do the best you can and hopefully being proud with the results when you are done. I also feel this process of learning and getting better at what you do will never stop. At least not for me, I want to keep doing this until the day I die.
Luc asks: I see that you have experience working on mobile design projects, what are your major concerns or considerations you make when designing a project for a mobile device?

Hank says: My main concern is UI; there are a lot of applications out there that just don’t make any sense. It’s easy to make something look good but it has to be usable.

Evan Eckard is a web designer with more than 15 years of design experience who lives in San Francisco in the United States.  Originally starting out working as a photographer later on he enrolled in an art school in San Francisco and after school Evan switched from pursuing 3d design to web design after getting inspired by sites like praystation.com.

Evan considers himself largely self-taught as a web designer but his experiences in photography, 3d and digital design and traditional design make him a very well rounded web designer.  He uses PHP, jQuery, javascript and other web based coding languages only to make his design work “sing” but he prefers to focus on the design work solely.  If you get a chance to check out his portfolio website you check out some of the WordPress themes he’s developed with his designs.

Recently when I talked to Evan about his experiences in design over the past 15 years he had following to say about his experiences to date and how he prefers to sometimes use pencil and paper in his creative process so please read on and learn a bit more about Evan Eckard…

Luc asks: With over 15 years of design experience how did you first get involved designing websites?

Evan says: Around 1994 I started playing around with Photoshop and digital media in general. As the web slowly evolved, I started coming across other designer’s websites and thought I’d like to take a stab at creating one of these. My first portfolio site was built all in frames, was extremely clunky and had a horrible user interface, but it looked awesome to me and was fun to build. Some of the first sites I came across that really inspired me were sites like praystation.com, design is kinky and others.

After that, I would work on web sites here and there for a couple of years, and then I found myself right in the middle of the internet industry working full time on web design and static development. The entire process has been self taught, with a lot of web research on how to code and implement functionality. The design aspect was just in my blood and picked up along the way in art classes at school.

Luc asks: Are you formally educated or self taught as a design professional? If so, where are what did you study?

Evan says: Mainly self-taught, but have slept through some art classes. I’ve taken a lot of traditional art classes, but hadn’t taken much in digital media outside basic Photoshop classes and such. I learned more sitting in front of a computer at home than in a classroom.

Luc asks: I like the fact that you offer free WordPress templates on your portfolio site. Why did you decide to add this feature to your portfolio?

Evan says: I started learning WordPress to run my own sites and gained an interest in theme design in the process. After I had worked on my own site and client sites, I still had ideas for potential themes I wanted to try and it grew from there. A couple I sold off, but a few I just couldn’t find a finishing point. The ones I offer for free are themes I still have ideas and updates for and enjoy working on them when I have the time. Since they were ongoing, I figured I’d just release them to the public to enjoy as well.

Luc asks: If you could tell us just one reason why you love doing what you do what would your answer be?

Evan says: I’ve always loved designing. It just so happened I fell into an area where the main media of choice was HTML. If I wasn’t doing web design, I’d be doing visual design and art in general in a different form elsewhere.

Luc asks: Do you code (using JavaScript, PHP, mySQL, etc.) the projects that you take on or do you consider yourself a hardcore designer not interested in coding?

Evan says: I use javascript and PHP only out of necessity. Ideally, I’d focus all on design, but I still have the need to develop the designs when they’re ready. I use jquery often and had to learn PHP to get WordPress to do what I needed it to do.

Luc asks: Being a designer with a number of years of experience under your belt what experience has helped you most on your career to this point and how have they helped you?

Evan says: Stay sharp. Even though I work full time for a company, I still find the need to work on other projects on the side to keep my creative ideas flowing. Variety is “key” to stave off burnout and keep the enjoyment levels up. I see so many designers that focus on certain niches and when they come up for air, everything around them has changed too much to keep up.

Also, don’t create solely on the computer. Pick up a pencil and sketch anything you can. Real world experiences applied to the web makes designs richer and more natural.

Soh Tanaka is a web designer and front end web developer who’s based in Los Angeles, California.  He first started designing websites in 2005 but he first got interested in 2004 while he was in college after picking up a copy of Photoshop.

When Soh is designing for a client these days his approach is to understand the scope of the project with respect to the person, product or company he is designing for.  He is very critical of his own work and he always strives for better on projects he takes on.

Here is what Soh Tanaka had to say when I caught up with him about his web design background, where his experience has taken him and where he plans to go moving forward.

Luc asks: I see that you started designing websites back in 2005 according to your site and i wanted to ask what were you doing before in terms of design and what got you hooked on designing for the web?

Soh says: I got my first copy of Photoshop in 2004 after taking my first HTML class in college. I was going to school for CIS (Computer Information Systems) and this was one of the only classes that really grabbed my attention. After learning the basics of HTML, I quickly became obsessed and started exploring the world of web design. Before this, I had no prior experience with design or art in general.

Luc asks: When you first start in on a web design project what do you use to inspire your creativity?

Soh says: For every project, I research the background of the company/product/person and try to understand its audience. Sometimes I bounce around the various web galleries out there, but my main goal is to visualize the environment and experience of the users and the goal of the website. To explore the theme and feel of the site, I check out various magazine layouts/design, photography, and other related sources of media to gain inspiration.

Luc asks: How many projects have you worked on since you first started designing websites?

Soh says: I lost count, but I don’t claim a lot of them. I am my own worst critic, and tend to dislike my creations after time goes by.

Luc asks: What are your favorite web technologies to work with currently and why are they your favorites?

Soh says: I would say CSS & jQuery for front-end development. I don’t really have a reason why I love them, but they are my bread and butter when developing interfaces.

Luc asks: I really loved checking out your portfolio.  It’s very professional and pretty slick!  I’ve noticed that your design style on projects is pretty broad.  How do you manage to turn out work that looks unique and different on every project?

Soh says: I actually feel like my designs look too similar. My goal this year is to break out of the box and experiment. I tend to have the typical CSS designer feel, which has a very “boxy” feel to it. I love clean and simple design, but there are times when I feel I lack proper design foundations like typography that I can definitely improve on. There are some inspirational designers out there (Jesse Bennett-Chamberlain, Yaron Schoen, Rob Morris, Martin Balhar to name a few) that make me want to challenge myself further so I can be a better designer. I hope to grow as much as I can and go beyond my usual comfort level. Gotta get back into training mode!

Editha Fuentes is a graphic and web designer who is originally from Chile now living in California in the United States.  Her first experience with the web and web design came in 2003 when she decided to do an internship at a graphic design studio and her curiosity grew from there.

Editha received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Graphic Design and Multimedia in Chile in 2004 from the University of Arts and Communications (UNIACC).  When she starts in on any design project Editha turns to pencil and paper to generate her ideas for a project.  She had the following to say when I asked her about her experiences in design and how she tackles projects.

Luc asks: How did you get started in web design?  How long have you been designing websites professionally?

Editha says: This is actually an interesting question. As a matter of fact, I wasn’t very interested in web design until I moved to the States. In Chile, while I was in college, I was more into print design and animation. Off course I had to create web sites for several courses but that was pretty much it. I had my first real experience in web design when I came to California for the first time in 2003 to do an internship at a graphic design studio in Costa Mesa. I was exposed to the web design boom in the U.S as web presence started becoming important for businesses; in Chile, there wasn’t a need for websites yet. When I came back in 2006, after receiving my degree, and already knowing the importance of web design and corporate identity, I started looking into the possibility of using my talent as a graphic designer in building effective websites for small businesses. That’s how it all got started. At first, I wanted to build all my websites in Flash, but soon my curiosity took me to find other options to offer my clients. For example, I got to an advanced level in XHTML and CSS.

Luc asks:  I see that you received your education in Graphic Design and Multimedia and I wanted to ask do you think that your education has helped you become a better web designer?  Please explain

Editha says: Yes, I received my degree in Graphic Design and Multimedia in Chile in 2004. Although there are some designers out there that are amazing and have never been to college, in my case, college was of invaluable help. College gave me the foundations for everything that I do today. For example, I had to take classes that perhaps didn’t have anything to do with graphic design let alone web design, but, ultimately, these classes had the purpose of opening my mind and making me think outside the box. They taught me how to use art to express different concepts or to communicate specific things. Also, being in a University inclined towards communications, I was required to take courses that had to do with installation art, photography, creating and editing TV commercials, etc. I use all the knowledge acquired at college, most likely unconsciously, in every project that I work on. Nonetheless, I regret the fact that I was not exposed to the business side of the graphic design industry. I truly think that designers should be prepared in college to manage a business, considering that it is a career where you can easily start doing projects on your own. Lastly, our career, specifically when it comes to web design, is continuously evolving as new trends take over and new technologies become available. It is crucial that we keep on learning on our own, either by taking courses or by teaching ourselves by reading articles or books, etc. Otherwise, you become a dinosaur.

Luc asks:  What tools and inspiration do you use when you first start designing a website project?

Editha says: Although it may sound simple, all my projects start with two basic tools: pencil and paper. This is crucial because it allows me to get involved hands-on and focus on the concept rather than spending hours on the computer without a specific direction. Once I’m done with this part and I have a clear idea of what I want to create, I either use Photoshop or Illustrator, depending on the project. To hand-code a website, I use Dreamweaver. Oh, and most definitely, I use a Mac. In regards to inspiration, I believe you’re always getting it from everything around you. But, my biggest inspiration is the web. I have hundreds of websites that I visit on a daily basis, many of them by very talented designers known worldwide. There are also many CSS showcase galleries out there where I keep up-to-date with the latest trends. Besides these, music is also a great source of inspiration.  I can’t create if I don’t have music playing.

Luc asks:  What is the hardest website project you’ve ever been involved in and why was it difficult?

Editha says: One of the biggest challenges I had on a project was the lack of communication with a client. This one client was extremely busy and did not have enough time to get fully involved with the development of his website. He did not respond to e-mails on time and did not return phone calls, sometimes even for weeks. Ultimately, the completion of the project was drastically delayed and it became very frustrating for me. I usually make an extra effort in establishing good communication with clients, especially due to the fact that English is not my first language and I have put a lot of effort in improving it quickly enough to the point where I can communicate fluently (and professionally) with them. Thus, this lack of communication was the hardest thing I had to deal with.

Luc asks:  What advice do you give clients looking for help with search engine optimization or is that something you don’t get involved with?

Editha says: I get involved in the way that I advise my clients regarding the best options out there. I try to do everything that is humanly possible when hand-coding in order to accomplish search engine optimization, but I inform the client about companies that specialize in this type of service. It is also important to talk to the client about creating good content for the website. Identifying target markets or defining goals that they want to accomplish with their site, for example, will help in the wording and in using keywords within the content. Hiring a copywriter might help.

Luc asks:  What are some things you want people to know about you as a creative professional?

Editha says: I take pride in delivering great customer service and in always developing strong relationship with my clients. I take the time to do research before starting a new project in order to get to know the business and its competitors with the objective of understanding what the client wants to communicate. I also work hard until the client is satisfied with the end result. I never over look details and I feel extremely passionate for what I do. It’s interesting that I always get the same question when people find out that I’m a graphic designer: “Oh, so you build websites?” – umm, yes, but that’s not the only thing I do. I would like to take this opportunity to say that clients will find, at Unuidesign, effective design solutions in any type of design project they might need: logos, business cards, brochures, menus, animations, etc., and of course, websites!

Ronnie San is a web designer from San Diego, California in the United States. He has worked with both smaller organizations up to fortune 500 companies. Ronnie has been practicing web design ever since about 1996 and by 2000 he was designing websites professionally. He was lucky enough to be selected into the inaugural year of the AIGA Link program and spent the next few years studying with the top names in graphic design industry.

1. How did you get started in web design?

My first exposure to the Web came in the mid 90s during the AOL era.  I had a 14.4kb modem and it usually took several minutes to download a “graphic intensive” website.  In 1996, my older brother bought a new computer with an HTML text editor pre-installed.  I wasn’t sure what HTML was so I ran through the included tutorial.  After a few minutes I had created my first “Hello, World” website.  I took advantage of the 2MB of free hosting space that came with AOL and posted my first website which consisted of a guestbook and about us page.  There wasn’t much design involved aside from a couple graphic headers and a tiled background image.

2. When did you start designing websites?

I started designing websites professionally in 2000 when I was hired on as web designer for Desgined Internet (www.designedinternet.com) in Chula Vista, CA.  Back then it was named DDS Technologies (Digital Design Solutions).  We were located in an office building filled with dentists and every now and then a random person would walk in asking to make a dental appointment.  I was able to acquire the job after showing off a small portfolio of some personal sites I created.  Most of our clients were SMBs or local governments.

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

I would say the biggest challenge by far is educating the client.  Many clients don’t understand the importance of a good website or the cost involved in creating one.  Aside from that, it’s always a challenge coming up with new ideas and concepts, but a challenge that drives innovation and progress both personally and throughout the design community.

4. Do you code any of the web sites that you design currently? If so, what language(s) do you code in?

I currently work at BusinessOnLine (www.businessol.com) in San Diego, CA.  I actually started there as a coder, but when the designer parted ways, I stepped in to fill the position.  Initially, I would code about 1 of every 4 sites I designed, but as the company grew, my focus narrowed to only design.  Whenever the work load lightens up, I help out the coding department and take on some of the more complex jobs involving database integration or custom scripting.  Away from work I code everything I design.  I think my knowledge of coding has helped me a great deal when designing websites because I understand the limitations and the possibilities.

While I was at Designed Internet, I was exposed to ASP 2.0 and what could be achieved using an Access Database.  I did some research and within a couple weeks had coded my first database-driven custom content management system for my church’s website.  When ASP.Net was introduced, it proved to be a challenge.  This is when I made the switch to PHP.  I prefer doing all my server-side code in a PHP with a MySQL database.  On the front end I use JavaScript with JQuery (www.jquery.com) and—on occasion—Mootools (www.mootools.net).  I also use Flash with ActionScript 2 or 3 every now and then, but never for a full website build.  My jquery file upload plugin, Uploadify (www.uploadify.com) is actually built using Actionscript 3.

5. I wanted to ask if and where you studied at college or university, what you studied and ask how has your education helped you become a better web design professional?  What other skills has it helped you to gain and what else has it taught you about design in general?

I attended a high school with a really good art program.  I honestly learned most of my skills from the 4-year program at that school.  The summer after high school, I was lucky enough to be selected to participate in the inaugural year of the AIGA Link program.  This program allowed me to take classes with some of the top names in the graphic design industry.  I had planned on attending an art school, but the funds were not there.  So I ended up taking two years of general education classes and a handful of design classes at a couple of local community colleges.  During those two years, I ended up getting my job at Designed Internet and never got around to finishing my degree.

In my experience, working in the field has been more helpful than what I was taught in school.  Every project is a learning experience and I’ve been improving my skills from day one.  The biggest lesson I’ve learned is that there is always more to learn.  You have to evolve with the industry if you want to get anywhere.  When you’re not working, spend time reading articles or visiting design galleries.  Another big lesson I’ve learned is that as a designer, you need to have confidence in your work.  Clients are hiring you because you’re the professional, so if you need to push back, do it.  Ultimately your client will have final say, but it never hurts to try.

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

I live and die by Photoshop.  I started using Photoshop before there were layers.  It has so many features that there’s always something new to learn about it.  Some of the other tools I like to use that help make simple tasks more efficient include SnagIt (www.techsmith.com/screen-capture.asp) for screen capturing and AdesClrPicker (www.adesclrpicker.com) for sampling screen colors.

7. Even though you design for both smaller clients and the likes of Fortune 500 organizations what rules do you live by when designing for any client no matter how big or how small?

A philosophy I recently started to follow is this: “Design it how I want it, then let the client dial it back down.”  A lot of clients don’t know the possibilities when it comes to website design.  The majority of the time, clients might think they know what they want, but they really have no idea.  Either the client will love it, or they’ll ask you to take another shot.  Either way, you’ll end up with an approved design.

8. Since I can see that you code and design your own work I wanted to ask do you prefer coding more for the web or designing for the web?  Please explain.

I’m completely middle-brained.  I love the creativity I get to express when designing and I love the logical challenges I can solve through coding.  I don’t think I could do just one or the other.  When I feel my creative juices running low, I can switch over to DreamWeaver and get my coding fix until my brain gets overloaded with code.

Joshua Mauldin is a web designer and photographer from Los Angeles, California in the United States. He first started designing for the web back in 2000 and started professionally in 2002. Joshua studied at the University of North Carolina Charlotte where he got his Bachelor of Arts degree. He uses his skills in photography to help him build better websites and this gives his work a very unique and different style.

1. How did you get started in web design?

I didn’t really think I’d ever find myself here. My first design goals were to design CD packages for bands, and that work proved really hard to find for such a new kid like myself. Instead, I kept finding more and more people needing websites. I saw there was a lot of potential on the web, so I went with it and started growing as a web designer.

2. When did you start designing websites?

The very first website I designed was back in 2000. It was a personal site where my logo was designed with WordArt! I still cringe when I think of it. My first real paid site was done back in 2002 and was an entirely Flash-based site.

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

I’ll go ahead and get this one of the way: cross-browser testing and making sure my sites behave well with a certain bratty browser. Thankfully there are some good solutions like Eric Meyer’s CSS Reset and other practices I’ve picked up along the way that have really helped.

The other is getting clients to see the value in doing it right versus doing it cheaply, and to help them see a good web presence as an investment. Sure someone’s buddy’s uncle’s kid’s niece’s cousin can do it for “way” less than my price, but bargain basement prices and a solid site that works for the client aren’t two things that often equate.

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

I went to school at the University of North Carolina Charlotte and got a Bachelor of Arts degree. It did help me become a better web designer, but not in the sense you’d probably expect. My classes—except for one—didn’t even mention anything about the web. What did help me get better was the time I took outside of class working on freelance projects and exploring web design on my own.

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.

Definitely for the better. We’re seeing lots of cool things being done with the information we’re sharing. It’s becoming more open, so it’s easier to share, repurpose, visualize and tweet. It’s opening up worlds of new possibilities.

We’ve also finally started to see the implementation and awareness of web standards on a more widespread level. More and more people are beginning to consider things like accessibility and how their sites are indexed by search engines, which is great.

I’m also really happy to see things like little bits of JavaScript doing cool things that we once thought only Flash could handle. Now if I want a fun little audio player or slick way of navigating a site, I can just use a little jQuery and be done with it.

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

favorite tools?

Fireworks, Photoshop, TextMate and CSSEdit are some of my favorites. Fireworks makes designing for the web so much easier.  Photoshop has a place here too, because there are just something it can do better with images than Fireworks. I love to hand code as much as I can, so I use TextMate and CSSEdit. Both can ensure my code is well-formed and valid, which is a really big thing for me. Plus, I find writing code a little relaxing.

7. How have your interests in photography helped you in your web design career?

I keep finding more and more ways that it’s helped me, actually. That’s how I first learned about the use of grids in a design. Some other benefits are that I’m able to offer something more unique to my clients by using photos I shoot. As a result, it also helps me connect more with the work I produce.

Justin Meyers is a web designer and art director from Southern California in the United States. He started designing websites back in 2000 when he was playing in indie bands. From there he went to Mt. Sierra College in Pasadena where he focused on print design and branding. Later on he was hired by an interactive agency in Los Angeles where he learned CSS, basic SEO and web standards.

1. How did you get started in web design?

I got into web design and design in general through playing in indie bands. For press purposes, there wasn’t a chance we would get signed if we didn’t have some type of presence, so we individually buckled down and begin to learn web design, screen printing, vinyl cutting and DIY packaging. After my stint in music, I decided to go to a design school in Pasadena, California. During my 2nd year of college, I was hired at an interactive agency in Los Angeles that specialized in the real estate industry. During this time I learned CSS, web standards, basic SEO, etc.

2. When did you start designing websites?

I started in 2000.

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

Keeping up with web standards while utilizing new technologies.

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 a decent amount of the websites I design. I would definitely consider myself a front-end coder. I am only fluent in CSS and XHTML. I have had no success in my efforts of learning languages like PHP or Java Script.

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

I went to Mt. Sierra College, which is a design school in Pasadena, California. My focus in college was directed at print design and branding, so in abstract I would say it definitely helped me in the world of web, but only in abstract.

6. What advantage has studying Art and Design in University/College given you as a web designer?

I feel that traditional design principles are often timeless and easily translated into other mediums. So my time studying at a design school was good preparation for projecting my education into new opportunities.

7. I see that you also do a great deal of print design? How has print design influenced the web design that you do?

I honestly feel that print layout and web layout are relatively the same in theory. Both share the same typographic usability principles. In other instances, I feel that I am less afraid to incorporate illustration elements into a website than maybe other designers are.

Curtis Henson is a web designer and developer from Stockton, California in the United States. He started designing websites back in 1997 using geocities and angelfire accounts while in high school. Later he when to Bluefield State College where he received an associate degree in technical communications and East Tennessee State University where he took some art classes as well as web classes and he’s been pushing the boundaries of web design and development ever since. Curtis runs Grunt Design which is a one man freelance operation and he also runs a personal blog where he can experiment, write about his web design experiences and showcase his skills.  He has recently designed a number of WordPress themes including “Splice”, “Checkmate” and “Solid” which are available at Grunt Labs.

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

I got started in high school with geocities and anglefire accounts, my first site linked to South Park episodes online, complete with animated email GIF. I used to write HTML on my desk at school while I was learning; I was obsessed from the very beginning.  Luckily I quickly grew out of the animated GIF and blinking headers stage and started creating websites for bands and friends.

2. How long have you been designing websites?

Well I guess the first real website I made was in 1997, so about 12 years now.

3. Your web design operation “Grunt Design” has a section called “Grunt Labs”.  Where did your idea for this come from?

The Grunt Labs idea actually came from Bryan Veloso’s Revvyver Labs. At first I wanted a place I could put all my projects, experiments, and downloads. But it has actually turned into more of a place to experiment with different techniques. For instance I wanted to learn more about animation with jQuery, so the current version of Grunt Labs is the result of that. It will probably be an ever changing place I can practice using the latest technologies, and see how things work on a live website.

4. Did you go to College or University?  If so, where did you go to school?  How has it helped you to become a better web designer and developer?

I went to Bluefield State College and East Tennessee State University. I got an associate from BSC in technical communications, which pretty much went over everything from programming to marketing to design. It gave me a good base in just about everything.  At ETSU I took some art classes, which were fun, and some web classes, which were a joke. From my experience most Universities can’t keep up with the technology and are teaching coding techniques that are far behind the industry.  For me just designing and coding were the best ways to learn, and I try to always push my boundaries.

5. Is Grunt Design a one-man operation or do you work with other designers and/or developers?

Grunt has been a one man show so far, but if a project called for it I have a few freelancers to call on for help.

6. What is the biggest challenge that you face designing websites?

The biggest challenge for me is working without content. I feel websites should be designed around the content, to serve up the information on a silver platter with an ornately decorated trim. Another challenge is designing for the future, things on the web change fast, and clients don’t want an outdated website within a year.

7. What technologies do you enjoy using in your web design projects?

Well every website I code is CSS/XHTML, and usually a bit of JavaScript. I like to use libraries like jQuery and frameworks like Blueprint to speed up the process and not be rewriting base code for every project. I’ve loved using WordPress for quite a while now and will continue to use it. But I’ve branched out to Ruby on Rails and have started to get a grip on writing my own backend code.

Tim Resudek is a web designer / developer from California in the United States. He started designing websites back in 1999 using GoLive. He currently freelances on a full-time basis and has been for the past few years. He has become more involved in PHP scripting and programming and recently completed his first WordPress Plugin called “NewsTweet”

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

In 1999 I started work at a small design studio that was mostly doing print work. That was in the days of the first dotcom boom so I started learning about web design so we could better serve our clients. I’ve come a long way in the past 10 years.

2. When did you first start designing websites?

I started designing sites in 1999 using GoLive… remember that software? Similar to Aaron Irizarry, I learned a lot while designing sites for my old band.

3. What did you study in school? Has it helped you to become a better web designer?

I studied commercial art, which involved illustration and typography, print design, identity design… A lot of the basics. Having a background in the traditional media arts definitely helps in all kinds of design. Knowing the basics has helped me to be more efficient as a designer, I think. I see a problem and have some idea of how to rectify it, I’m not just fumbling around until something falls in to place.

I learn a lot by testing myself to create things I know nothing about. This week I released my first WordPress Plugin, called NewsTweet (http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/newstweet/), which uses the Twitter search API, Ajax, and PHP to make life better for WordPress users.

4. What is your favorite web technology to use and why?

I couldn’t live without PHP, Javascript/Ajax, jQuery, CSS.

5. Outside of freelancing do you also work full-time or is freelancing your full-time job these days?

I’ve been freelancing full-time for the last few years. No day jobs for this guy.

6. Do you do most of your web design work because of your relationship with agencies?  I see that you mention a few times that you “help agencies”.

Yeah, I rarely work directly with clients. Most times I have, I have regretted it. I’ve developed relationships with a bunch of great people and agencies and they provide me with more work than I can handle. If you look through my portfolio, you’ll see some of the names, Schok, Clear, Kissd….

7. As well as a web designer do you also consider yourself a “front-end coder”.  I ask because you list JavaScript, AJAX and PHP among your skills.

Yeah, different people use different terms. I can handle everything from design to programming and anything in-between. A lot of my best clients are great designers, so I lean more towards handling code right now. Over the past year or so I have been using a lot of PHP and I find that I enjoy programming more than I ever would’ve imagined.

Jeff Toll is a web designer from Sacramento California in the United States. Jeff graduated from Sacramento State University where he graduated from Graphic Design. Since then he’s become an award winning designer capturing such design awards as CSUS Design Annual in 2004 and again in 2005 as well as International Education Conference in 2003. He currently works as a creative director at BKWLD and does a lot of freelancing in the meantime.

1. How did you first start in web design?

Before focusing on interaction design I was really into traditional art. Art was something I had been involved in since I was a child. My first real inspiration dates back to the good days of Mark Kisler (http://www.draw3d.com/). From that point I was really hooked on drawing and got more serious about it as I grew older. I studied art in college while at the same time perusing a business degree. Water color, sketching and charcoal were my strong suites. I was torn between the thought of making money (business degree) and doing something I loved (art). At around the age of 23 I really got into Dj’ing and started buying Drum n’ Bass albums. The album art work blew me away, I had never really stopped to think about graphic design, so this was my first introduction. From there things instantly clicked. I changed my major and dived head first into design. I then quickly graduated and the rest was history. The core principles of design learned I in college has allowed me to be diverse in all mediums. Interaction design in particular.

2. How long have you been designing for the web?

I have been designing for the web since 2002.

3. Some web designers praise and worship the “User Experience” as being the most important part of the project? How do you feel about this? Is the user experience the most important part of the design?

Yes. User experience is everything. As corny as it might sound, I feel an “effective yet memorable” user experience is the designers “new black”.

4. Where did you go to school and what there a course and really opened your eyes to what was possible in the world of design? If so, Which course or courses was it?

I attended Sacramento State University (CSUS) and studied in their graphic design program. The most inspirational course(s) I took were my first basic flash and html classes. I knew absolutely nothing about the web at that time. I didn’t know an swf file from an ftp client. Totally clueless. Once I was schooled on what was behind the internet and how it all actually worked, I was hooked on interaction design.

5. Do you currently freelance on a full-time or part-time basis? If you are a part-time freelance designer do you work for another company?

I currently work as the creative director for a Sacramento, CA based interactive agency called BKWLD (Bukwild). I still work freelance after hours; lots of them.

6. I see by going through your site that you’ve worked on a wide range of projects every since you’ve gotten out of school and won various awards as well. What has been the highlight of your design career so far?

Man that’s tough. As far as a general highlight of my design career I would say looking back at my early work (which was mainly production based) and now comparing it to my original concept work. Meaning taking credit for conceptualizing an idea/message/goal, pitching it to the client, executing original art direction while creating an overall intuitive UI and functional website. Basically the whole shawbang!

7. What are the biggest challenges that you face as a web designer currently?

Full screen flash haters! Just kidding! Naw, but really I would say responsibly pushing technical design boundaries which serve a true purpose. For example, designing a site that requires elements of  “Papervision” or motion graphics etc that serve a true purpose and aren’t used just for the sake of using them. So many designers are doing a great job at responsibly integrating amazing new technology with beautiful yet functional design. To make it as an interactive designer you really gotta hustle staying up on the latest web technology.

8. When you first started in web design who did you look up to in terms of other designers (either web or other)?

Oh man, so many! The three designers that first pop up in my head are Scott Hansen, Dusty Brown and Robert Reinhard.

Scott Hansen (iso50.com) would be number one by far. He got my foot in the door with interactive design though he is mainly print now. I worked with him for about a year and really learned a lot. Amazingly talented dude!

Dusty Brown and Robert Reinhard (bkwld.com) are two other designer/programmers whom I learned a ton about programming languages from. These guys allowed me to understand the limits of interaction design and how to technically push them.

9. What web technologies could you NOT live without on a daily basis?

Google Analytics, Gmail, Mint Analytics, Facebook, Vuze, Transmit, streaming i-tunes audio, Wells Fargo Online and most importantly AIM! I serious could not live without AIM.

10. When did you first know that you wanted to get into design in general? Was it something you knew you wanted from the time you were a kid? or did it evolve along the way? Did anyone ever object to your career choice?

Yeah it was something I always wanted to do but, the financial security was always concerning. When I tell people whom I haven’t seen in a while that I’m now a designer I always get the same sorta response, ” ahh I knew you’d do something creative for living Jeff”.