Web Design Inspiration Blog | SpicyWebDesigners.com

Heath Waller is a web designer from Calgary, Alberta in Canada.  Up until 5 years ago she hadn’t really touched a computer let alone designed a website but about a year ago she became very interested and started learning about and designing websites.  With her educational background in visual arts she became a “natural” designer because of the parallels with her visual arts background and since then she’s been designing for the web.

Lately her interests include learning all that she can about web development covering everything from jQuery, HTML5, PHP and other languages.  She also works with a number of CMS systems from WordPress to PageLime and Surreal CMS but prefers to work with WordPress.  I hope you enjoy learning more about this impressive web designer.

Luc asks:  Heath, when and how did you start designing for the web?

Heath says:  5 years ago I had barely touched a computer. I was living in the Australian outback without water, plumbing or electricity!

I designed my first site a couple of years ago as a favor to a friend, using a WYSIWYG program. A couple of other giveaway sites followed. I had no idea of what I was doing beyond adding window dressing to a template.

About a year ago I met someone who was working as a freelance graphic designer who suggested that if I were to learn how to design websites I might get some work sent my way. I’d never thought about doing anything like that before, but I like a challenge! So I learned what I could about tweaking code to make things beautiful – while doing everything possible to avoid learning actual coding.

Eventually, partially through osmosis and partially through painful hours spent reading books about coding, I began to pick up enough of it to get templates to start looking how I wanted them to.

Then, about 5 months ago I met some young fellows who were looking for a developer to join their new web design company. It seemed a wonderful opportunity, and I told them I may not yet know how to code, but I’d be able to figure it out if they hired me. I just needed a week to study…

And the rest is history. I am now working as a developer, improving my coding skills through practical applications. There are many late nights of studying involved, and much of my weekend is spent reading the latest in online tutorials and design/development articles.

I am also looking to pick up some freelancing work in order to exercise my design abilities and to be able to improve my portfolio. And I am still learning like crazy.

Luc asks:  Do you feel you are a stronger coder or a stronger designer? What do you to improve your weaknesses?

Heath says:  Design comes naturally to me – probably from my fine art background. Color, composition, typography – these are my real loves. I get giddy over beautiful websites!

But I do find there is beauty in coding, too – turning something static into something dynamic through a magical combinations of characters, letters and numbers. To be able to take a project from idea to completion is immensely gratifying; and understanding the skeleton required for the skins I imagine makes the design process feel much more holistic.

I know where my development weaknesses lie and work diligently towards improving them. Sometimes it feels overwhelming – there is just so much to learn! JQuery. PHP. HTML5. CSS3. But then I just force myself to tackle things in bite-sized pieces, while allowing myself a bit of room for play, and things slowly come into place.

Luc asks:  Do you work with or design for any content management systems in particular?

Heath says:  WordPress is my CMS of choice. I’ve also found PageLime or Surreal CMS are good choices for smaller projects. I am a big proponent of open source. I am not yet at the stage where I am able to contribute much, but the collaborative nature of it really appeals to me.

Back when I started this journey I tried just about every one of the possible CMS solutions out there. They all felt too overwhelmingly complicated at the time. But I credit the vast number of tutorials created by the WordPress community that took me through step by baby step. I still have a lot to learn, mind you. But learning WordPress is always a pleasure.

Luc asks:  What are some of the most important lessons you’ve learned since starting your career in design?

Heath says:  That the best way to really learn something is to take a crack at it. The reading can get you primed, but it is in the actual doing that the greatest lessons are learned. I can work on trying to debug a code for 20 hours strait, and be on the verge of tears, when something just “clicks”. And, suddenly, it all becomes perfectly clear. And I know I’ll never make that same mistake again!

The other really surprising thing is just how generous the design community is in helping you out when you have a problem. StackOverflow has been a lifesaver to me! People are so quick to help you out, often in ways that you know required a lot of their time and energy.

This Internet is the playground of the web design and development community; and it is wonderful to see such fair play at work.

Luc asks:  Where do you want to go in your professional design career?

Heath says:  That is such a great question! I think this is a career where the sky is the limit. And a career that one can literally take “anywhere” there is an Internet connection. Thinking: tropical island… desert oasis… majestic forest…

Web design is truly a 21st Century craft.

I’d love to better learn how to code WordPress themes from scratch so that I can set up clients to independently grow their websites. I’d like to create the kind of websites that excite viewers and make other designers want to inspect my element.

And, most importantly, I’d like to known for producing powerfully simple, attractive, content-focused sites for happy clients.

I recently caught up with Rebecca Bollwitt who runs a blog called Miss604, a guide to Vancouver, Canada and one half of the team heading up Sixty4Media along with her husband and business partner John Bollwitt.

Rebecca has been producing website since 1997 when her first website was launched and since then she’s had a hand in web development.  She was able to take some time and answer some questions about the blog she currently runs (Miss604), what people should do if they are thinking of starting a blog and what live blogs are exactly.  So sit back, relax, drink a coffee and read on…

Luc asks: For those people out there who may not have visited your “Miss 604 Blog” can you tell me what the focus of the blog was when you started and how has it changed since you first started.

Rebecca says: When I started Miss604 in 2004 it was simply a hobby and I would write every week or so about the mundane details of my life. I realized one day that I really loved writing and sharing information about my hometown – being an independent voice and resource for locals. It evolved into something I love to do every day; mixing writing about local news and events along with my passion for technology. In 2006 I started taking it more seriously and in 2008 I went full time with my blogging career.

Luc asks: You also run a media company called “Sixty4media” with your husband, John.  Why did you choose to focus on consulting on WordPress projects and what other types of projects do you work on?

Rebecca says: I have been in the online media realm for the last ten years and it’s always been a dream to run my own company. My husband and I had been using WordPress since 2006 and really got into the technology and the wonderful worldwide community. Things lined up just right for me in the summer of 2008 and I was not only able to take my blogging full time, but also jump in head first into business ownership.

Luc asks: What tools do you use to market Sixty4Media with on an ongoing basis?

Rebecca says: We organize all of our projects using an internal wiki system. That way when both of us are working on a client site we don’t need to run through old emails to dig up mockup images and passwords. With a wiki we have every project sorted by date and all elements (images, passwords, to-do lists etc.) are available to both of us anytime.

I also run the administration side of things using Freshbooks; an online accounting system. It’s really been a lifesaver in terms of doing estimates, tracking expenses and invoicing.

I promote Miss604 mostly through Twitter and Flickr photos and also by posting daily using relevant keywords (Google is my #1 referrer). As for sixty4media, I promote it as my business and in all of my biographies. The company has a Twitter account and my husband and I are both active in promoting our work and showcasing our clients online through our personal sites and accounts.

Luc asks: What tips do you give people looking to start a blog of their own?

Rebecca says: The number one thing about blogging is loving your subject matter. When you are passionate about your topics then you a) won’t have to struggle to come up with post ideas b) your voice will be genuine in the articles and c) it will be fun and not a chore for you.

Find something you love to talk about or something you’re passionate about learning or sharing and go from there.

Luc asks: How much money do all your online businesses bring in currently a year?

Rebecca says: I don’t usually like talking about income but sixty4media is 80% of my current income and Miss604.com projects bring in the rest. Miss604.com has limited advertising however it is responsible for my speaking engagements, consulting, and overall marketing of sixty4media. People know Miss604.com better than they know sixty4media so it’s always nice when they find out that I’ll share blogging and social media tips with them through my actual business. Through Miss604.com I have also been able to get a book deal and “Blogging to Drive Business” will be on store shelves (and in e-book form) in early 2010. (Shameless plug, sorry!)

Luc asks: I wanted to ask you about your book deal.  Can you tell us more about what you cover in the book and how and where people can get it?

Rebecca says: The book is “Blogging to Drive Business” and I co-wrote it along with Eric Butow of California. We cover the basics of blogging for business, how to get started, and some best-practices/common sense when it comes to having a corporate online presence. The Kindle version is on Amazon.com right now but the hard copy will be published and available online (and in stores) at the end of January.

Luc asks: I see that you produce “Live Blogs” and i wanted to ask what are they and what types of clients usually benefit from a live like these?

Rebecca says: Live Blogs are real-time posts that are most beneficial for events. I go to a conference or special event for a client and write a blog post about my experience, in real time — meaning I’m writing and uploading photos as its happening. I’ll toss in quotes from speakers, video, images, and by the time the event is over, my post is fully published.

The benefit of this is to engage an audience that might not be in the room at the time. It helps your event be accessible across the internet and draws in more people through the blog posts and Twitter updates as well. It’s documentation that will last on Google and on social media networks for years to come.

Coming to us from the West coast of Canada, Vancouver, British Columbia to be a little more specific, S. Preston has been designing and developing for the web for over the past 8 years. He originally studied at the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT) and graduated in 1997 from the video and new media production program where he learned that he had a passion for making things look nice and video. According to S. Preston, the day that the WordPress CMS came around was the day that he started to plot his exit strategy from corporate life. After getting a chance to ask S. Preston a few more questions about his business he revealed his preference of designing for a CMS, working with an agency and his particular vision and style of design.

Luc asks: How exactly did originally start designing websites and when did you turn professional?

Mike (S. Preston) Chuhon says: My first internet experience was in 1995 and I immediately knew that this was something that I want to be a part of.  But it took me a little while to figure out that web design was what I wanted to do.  Not to say all the experiences of web development, database design, and online video was a waste, in fact, I believe those experiences all play a role in SixSix8.  But I am an artist at heart, and creative web design is my passion.

Luc asks: I see that you studied at the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT) and i wanted to ask you how did your education in video and new media production helped you in your career so far?

Mike (S. Preston) Chuhon says: My springboard into web design was creating video players for webcast and video applications.  In a room full of broadcast engineers and video editors, someone had to make things look nice.  I’m still pretty passionate about video, and many of my friends and colleagues are in the film industry.  So projects like Riese the Series and Time before the Light are great fun!

Luc asks: Do you prefer designing for a standard CMS platform like WordPress or do you like working on custom projects?  Also do you think it’s more beneficial to design for a well recognized CMS application?

Mike (S. Preston) Chuhon says: I think the day WordPress became a CMS, was the same day I started my exit strategy out of my corporate desk.  In my former-life as a ColdFusion programmer, I was well aware that websites need constant maintenance and frankly it’s a chore to upload a new PDF, or change 2 dates.  I might be preaching to the choir, but CMS software allows me to focus on the creative aspects of my business and provide better service to my clients.  It does help that I’ve got a programmers background so I’m quite able to make WordPress work for me.  And the second question, yes, I’d love to use more CMS software. ExpressionEngine and Drupal will be in my repertoire soon!

Luc asks: Do you prefer to work exclusively with design agencies like Sixty4Media when freelancing or do you develop your own contacts as well?

Mike (S. Preston) Chuhon says: You know, it’s arrogant to think that one person can do everything.  We all bring skill sets to the table.  I was told early on in business, you don’t need to eat the whole pie and I’ve incorporated that into my business values.  Let’s work together to provide the best service you can!  Sixty4Media and I have a great relationship and knowing Miss604 and her husband John (Mr604??) have been invaluable to me.

Luc asks: What should people know about you, your vision and design style when they hire you?  What services should they expect?

Mike (S. Preston) Chuhon says: I believe in websites that are clean and clear.  Especially on the internet, content is still king!  But what I do is make that content more appealing and engaging and helps bring an emotional connection to your communication or marketing.  Not to mention that there’s a lot of crap on the internet getting tossed around, so I like to think my designs help make you stand out from the crowd.

Luc asks: I see that you work in print design aside from your web design work and i wanted to ask you if this experience designing for print makes you a better web designer in your opinion?

Mike (S. Preston) Chuhon says: You know, experimenting in art mediums is part of being well rounded.  I won’t say I’m great at print media, but I do love to try to translate my skills on to paper.  To be completely honest, many clients have trouble differentiating between print and web, so it makes sense to provide both services whenever it fits.

Les Reynolds from Burlington, Ontario in Canada is web designer who currently runs, L Squared Design, a full service web design and development studio. Les received his first taste of web design while working for an electrical contracting company while learning to design an email newsletter. He credits his experiences before he got into web design as part of his success where he learned the ins and outs of operations, marketing, purchasing and business in general. Les has been designing professionally for the past 3 years and when I asked him about his experiences to date he had this to say…

Luc @ SWD: How did you originally get started designing websites?

Les says: I was working for an electrical contracting company, and they wanted to send out an email newsletter. So I taught myself HTML using articles and tutorials I found on the web. Once the newsletter was done, I couldn’t stop, and the more I learned the more I realized that this is what I wanted to do as a career.

Luc @ SWD: What are some of the benefits of working with platforms like WordPress, Textpattern and others?

Les says: The biggest reason I use a CMS is so clients can update a site themselves. However, it makes updates easier for almost any type of site. Another bonus is being able to change repeating content like footer or navigation in only one place, similar to using PHP includes. I haven’t used WordPress, but I love the flexibility that Textpattern offers. With the built in features and rich suite of plug-ins, it is suitable for a very wide range of sites.

Luc @ SWD: Les, you’ve been designing website professionally for the past 3 years.  How have you continued to stay up to date since you first started?

Les says: The speed that things change in the world of web design/development means that if you stop paying attention, you’ll be passed by. RSS feeds from people like Jeffery Zeldman, Dan Cedarholm, Cameron Moll, Jon Hicks, Andy Rutledge, Dave Shea, Jonathan Snook, Jason Santa Maria and other has helped me to stay up to date, and learn so much. And recently Twitter has been a great way to keep in touch with changes as well.

Luc @ SWD: Where did you go to school and what did you study in college/university? How has it helped you with web design?

Les says: When I started getting into web design, I did some research and found that most college/university web design & development programs have trouble keeping up with the fast pace of the web world. I think that is beginning to change, but at the time I decided that I’d be better off going the self-taught route.

Books like Designing with Web Standards, CSS Mastery, Bulletproof Web Design, and Transcending CSS have served as my curriculum, as well as articles on A List Apart and the blogs listed above.

I’ve actually thought about taking some courses in graphic design at the local college. I think graphic design and marketing are both areas of education that would be useful.

The other things that I think has helped me are the jobs I had before web design. The experience in management, sales, operations, marketing, purchasing, accounting, etc has been very valuable.

Luc @ SWD: What are your favorite tools to use on a web design project?

Les says: I started using Photoshop, but a light went on once I opened up Fireworks. It has done a great job of merging vector and bitmap editing, in a way that works really well for the web. However, as I’ve looked at upgrading, tales of buggy, bloated software have made me think twice. There is lots of complaining about Adobe’s apps, and i think it’s time we moved on. I’m currently trying out Acorn and DrawIt. I actually wrote a post about it, and plan to follow up with some comparisons.

For coding, there is lots to love about Espresso, although there is still refining to be done. FTP is handled by the wonderful Transmit, debugging CSS with Safari’s web inspector.  I find small tools like Pipette, Free Ruler, Skitch, and Little Snapper quite helpful for various tasks. Somewhat unrelated, The Hit List for todos, Notational Velocity for notes, Dropbox for file access, SuperDuper for backup, and Tweetie for Twitter are all invaluable.

Victoria Mach is a web designer from Edmonton, Alberta in Canada. She first became interested when she was about 14 years old using “HomeSite” and eventually found herself studying at Northern Alberta Institute of Technology. Victoria studied their Digital and Interactive Media Design program majoring in Flash and Web Development. Since entering the working world after school she has been working for a design studio and learning the ropes as a web developer and learning more and more about coding as she goes.

1. How did you get started in web design?

There was this online social media for the city I live in called “Edmonton Online” aka. EO. On there, was users were able to create their own personal website. I saw some neat stuff aka. AWESOME FLAMING TEXT and I wondered how they made it. Little did I know, it was the start of my future career.

2. When did you start designing websites?

I think I was around 14 years old and started viewing sources on websites to see how the sites were created. Then I used this old school program called “Homesite” ring a bell anyone? haha I slowly progressed into Photoshop and started learning how to design web layouts.

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

Probably having to work at a design studio as the only web developer. When I have problems with some code, I can’t really ask my colleagues for help. Good thing I have great web friends on Msn for help! Also Google is my best friend

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

I mostly do front-end programming so the typical XHTML and CSS. Currently I’m learning ExpressionEngine so probably down the road I’ll be programming some of that.

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 went to Northern Alberta Institute of Technology for two years and took Digital and Interactive Media Design. There I majored in Web development and Flash. The classes did help me in a general sense of web, but after graduating and working in the “real world” I’ve learned a lot more on how to improve on my web layouts with the help of my fellow colleagues and web friends.

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

My favorite tools are Photoshop, Flash, and Dreamweaver. The typical web applications I’ve been using for a long time. Photoshop is my number one tool to design sites (I’ll occasionally open up Fireworks too). Flash… what can I say… I’ve got some powerful tweening skills and for Dreamweaver is my favorite tool to use to code sites.

7. I see that you use a lot of JavaScript effects on your portfolio.  Are you pretty comfortable with JavaScripting in general?

I’m alright with JavaScript, I do a bunch of tutorials until I find something I feel comfortable using and that is compatible on all the browsers.

Ryan McMaster is a web designer from Vancouver, British Columbia in Canada. He originally got started in web design back in 2004 when the local print design market was drying up and he was getting more requests for web design. Ryan is currently freelancing full-time in web design since he left his position as a lead designer in 2006. He currently runs three different sites specific to web design, logo design and web strategy.

1. How did you get started in web design?

I got started in web design professionally when I saw the local print design market dry up. That was in 2004 and I started getting more requests for websites than I did for brochures and signage. The budgets were larger and people were a bit more open to interesting ideas with web design than in print assignments.

2. When did you start designing websites?

I started designing websites in high school and then more in college. The program I went to made sure to cover the bases about Multimedia and even though at that point I was more passionate about print design (particularly publication and identity work) I was able to get started in standards based web design.

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

The biggest challenges that I face in web design would have to involve balance. Finding the right balance between too busy and too slow, between lucrative projects and ones that build the portfolio. Especially when you’re freelancing, working at web design can feel like a juggling act.

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

I hand code a quite a few of the sites that I design. I got the web standards bug when it was a fresh new way of creating websites and I stuck with it. I currently use XHTML/CSS, JavaScript and WordPress for blogs and as a CMS.

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 studied at a college. The program was enough to teach a bit about the basics but I felt that I could learn more on my own. There seems to be a real shortage of courses that teach practical solutions to coding, design and business problems. If you’re motivated, just start making sites for everybody that you know. Family members that own businesses or friends that have bands are good starting places. There are so many well written, thorough tutorials online that can teach you everything you need to know.

The thing that college did more than anything else was giving me drive and determination. The school I went to had impossible deadlines for projects that you didn’t know how to complete. That and a friendly competitive attitude among the students pushed me to get projects done on time that scored high marks. That’s about the most practical thing a course can do for someone in the design industry. If you’re freelancing, you need to be prepared to pull all-nighters or work your whole weekend to meet a deadline. If you miss a deadline for a client, you can kiss that income stream goodbye.

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

My favorite tools for design are Photoshop and Firebug. I don’t believe in a lot of extra apps or add-ons. But when I’m designing a site, I need to work in Photoshop and when I’m coding, it doesn’t matter if I’m programming in TextEdit. I just need to be able to test quickly and make changes. That’s why I love Firebug.

Dorian Bibbey is a “chinchilla-obsessed graphic artist” and web designer from Edmonton, Alberta in Canada. She’s been designing websites since she was in grade 6 but it wasn’t since she was in her second year of college that she considered becoming a professional. She studied Digital and Interactive Media at the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology and made the dean’s list. She continues to learn more about graphic and web design and continues her love of chinchillas, clean, well laid out design and her ‘holy trifecta’ of Photoshop, Illustrator and Dreamweaver.

1. How did you get started in web design?

I was always one of those kids who loved making posters and diagrams for school projects. It wasn’t so much the decorating with copious amounts of glitter that got me, I was more interested in organizing the required information in a way that was both interesting and attractive. In high school, I took a few Communication Technology classes and enjoyed them, but it wasn’t until my second year of college that I realized that it may be a viable option for a career. I transferred colleges, and devoted myself to learning all I could about graphic and web design.

2. When did you start designing websites?

I guess technically, my first web site was created when I was in Grade 6 (back in 1997). One of our elementary school teachers took it upon himself to teach us some rudimentary HTML, and we spent a few weeks happily creating poorly coded abominations with salmon pink backgrounds.

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

I would say keeping up-to-date and modern is a big challenge. I think almost all designers have a habit of falling into design ruts, so it’s really important for me to take the time to scope out what’s new and fresh in the design community. I’d hate to become one of those long-standing designers who just crank out the same layout over and over again.

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

I provide CSS/XHTML 1.0 Strict Templates for my designs. I like to focus more on the front-end side of things, but I do enjoy structuring and coding when needed.

5. Did you study design at school or are you self-taught?  If you went to school, 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 studied for two years at the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology, and received my diploma in Digital and Interactive Media. Although a lot of the content of the course was refresher material, it was nice to have a community to discuss new techniques with. As well, I kept all of my notes and handouts from the course, and still find myself rifling through the papers at times to find some key piece of information. As well, my profs taught us a lot about the business end of things, and how to best deal with clients. As a freelancer, having that head start was a huge benefit.

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?

The trend right now is for cleaner, sleeker, and more organized designs, and I couldn’t be happier. Fully Flash sites are decreasing in number, and the desire for valid, searchable code is definitely becoming more popular. I think clients are beginning to realize the importance of having a professional, classic site, rather than one that flashes animations and blares annoying audio.

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

I use my ‘holy trifecta’, Photoshop, Illustrator, and Dreamweaver. I spend the vast majority of my time in Photoshop, like most designers. It’s an invaluable tool. For vector-based items and print projects, I use Illustrator. I use Dreamweaver to code, but I don’t really use the program itself to code, it’s more of an organizing tool in my eyes. I think my favorite tool, though, is my little notebook. If a random bystander were to pick it up and look at my scrawls and doodles, they probably wouldn’t have much faith in my skill as a designer, but that’s where most of my ideas get their start.

Michelle Holden is a web designer from Etobicoke (just outside of Toronto), Ontario in Canada. She recently graduated from Humber College from the Multimedia Design program and also studied 3D Multimedia Animation. She uses video blogging to showcase some of her skills on her website currently and even though she is a relatively new web designer she is very skilled.

1. How did you get started in web design?

I took a program at Humber College called Multimedia Design and Production Technician. My mother was the one who got me into it because since I have a 3D Animation background she thought I would be interested in web design.

2. When did you start designing websites?

When I first got into this program I knew nothing about creating websites, nor did I know how to use to program Dreamweaver.

Eventually I became just as strong as everyone else is out there. To answer your question, I started designing websites the minute I took this course.

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

I really don’t have a problem with web design, but I do have challenges in my life. For example, I’m fresh out of my program I just graduated from a 2 year program. I find it very difficult to find a job in my field because my experience isn’t as intermediate as others. So that’s a disadvantage with me. I have all this talent and it takes me much longer to get a job.

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

Yes, I code all my websites. Even when I interned at Rogers Publishing, I coded micro sites for them as well.

It depends on assignments I usually code HTML, CSS. Sometimes I code PHP, Java Script, and ActionScript 3.0.

5. Did you study design at school or are you self-taught?  If you went to school, 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 studied at Humber College. The education has helped me a lot because I learned new things everyday that I never knew about.

It was a lot to consume in 2 years but it was worth it.  In terms of design, I would say that was more “self-taught”, because we did learn design in my program, however nothing too advanced. But I’ve always had a love and passion for Photoshop, so I think my drive to design websites was all based around me fooling around in Photoshop. I am taking a part time course in Illustrator to strengthen my skills in that program. Like I said before, I have never used any coding programs before so that was very new to me and to learn that all in this program was definitely worth it. I can now go out there and show the world I have what it takes to design and code.

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?

I think that the web industry has changed a lot. Everything you see around us is basically web based, it’s like art, what would the world be like without art? We just have to realize that this industry changes drastically as generations go by. I think the only downside to this industry is the whole recession period…but that doesn’t change the fact that employees won’t get hired.

I love how everything is becoming so popular, social networks such as facebook have become really successful.

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

I generally design my websites starting with Photoshop. My favorite tools, hmm that’s a hard one, I like all of them!

All these tools help me design my websites that are now being aired. I can’t live without any of them.

Marie Poulin is a web designer from Toronto, Ontario in Canada. She recently graduated (in 2005) from the Graphic Design program offered jointly through York University and Sheridan College in Ontario. Marie runs a workshop for designers looking to learn about creating a portfolio using a combination of TextPattern, HTML and CSS called “PrettyInPixels”. She has been designing websites since 2000 and recently left her position as a Lead Web Designer & Developer with ThinkHouse Design and has been working full time freelancer since March of 2009.

1. How did you get started in web design?

While in university I had taken a few courses, but had never considered it as something that would be part of my career. After graduating, I got my first job after graduating at Thinkhouse Design. I was the only one that had any knowledge of the web and HTML/CSS, and my boss was kind enough to allow me to learn during my 9-5 hours. I began stumbling upon sites like alistapart.com, stylegala.com, bestwebgallery.com and smashingmagazine.com, seeking out tutorials and articles. Once I saw what was possible with the web, I was hooked, and began learning as much as I could.

2. When did you start designing websites?

I made my first geocities web page in 2000, which I used mostly for photo galleries. I bought my first domain and server space in 2002, but I didn’t start building professional, standards-based websites until 2005.

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

There are a few that I have been experiencing lately. One is that people do not understand the time it takes to put a website together. Everything from determining the purpose of the site and the target audience, to designing and coding it. People want tight deadlines, but they don’t want to pay for the skills and talent it takes to build them properly.

Clients tend to want their websites designed and coded before they have final content, which makes the entire process take infinitely longer.

I am often approached my other designers asking me to fulfill the developer role on their projects.  While I don’t mind doing this once in a while, it’s not something that I am interested in doing all of the time. I am a designer and strategist first, and a developer second. I prefer being part of the whole process of a project, and I think I have a lot to offer in the initial planning and design stages because of my experience with how the site gets constructed.

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?

Lately, I have avoided calling myself a front-end developer. It can be difficult to find the right term for what I do. When you say “web designer” or “Front-end developer,” people make certain assumptions about your capabilities, and I want to be recognized not only for my standards-based code, but for my strategic abilities as well. At the moment I consider myself an interactive designer/developer, until I can find the right term for it!

I do code all of my own websites using XHTML, CSS, and JQuery.

5. Why do you enjoy coding your web projects using web standards?

Not only because it produces quality work, but clients also appreciate that you stand for quality work. This way you are also ensuring that your website reaches as wide an audience as possible, it just makes sense. And as always, I love a good challenge.

6. I read on your site that you graduated with honors from the York University/Sheridan College Program in design. Has it helped you become a better web design professional? If so, how?

It has absolutely helped me become a better design professional, without a doubt. I learned conceptual thinking, quality execution, typography, and business practices. Did I learn about web standards, designing for the web, usability, HTML and CSS? Not really, no. I am sure the program has evolved since I graduated, but when I attended, the interactive side of design was very much in a fledgling state. However, the program equipped me in so many other ways; I don’t believe I would be able to be a full-time freelancer without my experience there.

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

As social networking becomes more important, websites are becoming less static. Clients are recognizing the need for having their sites built on content management systems. Websites are becoming living, breathing things, and must be nurtured and maintained over time, whether it be by the web designer/developer or by someone on the client-side. Website owners are beginning to realize that their audiences are getting more and more web-savvy, and they can no longer get away with bombarding them visually. The web is now a place for communities and relationships. I’m excited to be part of that evolution.

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

I use Textpattern as my CMS of choice for all of my websites. I find it logical, incredibly powerful yet versatile, and it’s open-source with a great community behind its development. I hand-code my XHTML and CSS in Dreamweaver (using it mostly as a text-editor) – It helps me develop my CSS quickly, and I use it for its FTP as well. I also use Photoshop and Illustrator for designing my web layouts. I develop on Firefox, and use Firebug for testing/development. It’s a great way to make non-permanent edits and see them in real time for testing.

Adrian Balkwill is a web designer from Winnipeg, Manitoba in Canada. He has only been designing sites since 2005 but has learned a lot in a very short period of time. Even though he never went to school for design he has taught himself and continues to learn more and more.

1. How did you get started in web design?

For me it all started when I got into computers. When I was in my teens I got a job at a popular computer store where I live. As I started to gain more and more knowledge about computers I thought at the time that I should put up a website all about modding PC’s and fixing them. So I put up a website, and made a lot of the graphics myself. After making all these graphics for the site I thought hey this is fun. So I put up a website all about Photoshop and started learning more and writing tutorials. And it really all just grew from that.

2. When did you start designing websites?

I started designing websites back in 2005. It was a much simpler time. Pixel fonts and shout boxes were all the rage, if you didn’t have a shout box on your site you just weren’t with it!

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

My biggest challenges now are not what you would expect. They aren’t trying to make everything work with browser compatibility (which there is too many of these days) and things like that. But they are things like trying to get rid of speculative design, and pixel pushing.

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 am actually somewhat new to coding. When I first got into design I hated doing it, but as the years go by I am getting more and more into it. Right now I am just doing a lot of the CSS for my sites and nothing else. And yes I guess I would consider myself as a “Front-end Coder”. Why, because I am doing the design of the layout/how it looks and the CSS. Right now I work full-time as a web designer and UI designer for a software company; we have no shortage on coders/programmers around here!

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

I always love getting asked this question….because I have never gone to school for design. I never did because I didn’t feel it was necessary. I have a few friends who either are or were in school for design and I have always has no problem keeping up with them, and if you were to ask them they would say the same.

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?

Wow a lot has changed since I started, and totally for the better. Websites used to be so flashy and not user friendly or user oriented. Now it’s all about simplicity, and ease of use. But at the same time with standards changing on screen resolutions and bandwidth no longer an issue you can really make some cool stuff.

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

Well first off, and probably the most obvious is Photoshop. But I also could not live without Illustrator, and Zend Studio. But I also use a little Air program called “Doomi”. It’s just a simple to-do list but I would be lost without it sometimes.