Grace Smith is a web designer from Northern Ireland in the United Kingdom. She currently runs a freelance web design business called “PostScript 5” and her own personal site where she discusses the latest web design trends. She graduated with a degree in Multimedia Design from University of Ulster in Northern Ireland. Grace owns, manages and runs a number of sites including CSSLoaf and Thursday Theme outside of her freelance web design work and she has been designing professionally since she left university in 2005 even though her original encounter with the web and design started back when she discovered Geocities.

1. How did you get started in web design?

After I graduated with a Multimedia Design Degree in 2005 I started work as a graphic designer for a local print company. Concentrating so much on print work made me miss working online though, so after a year I started to freelance in my spare time and build up both my contacts and portfolio to the point where I could freelance full-time.

2. When did you start designing websites?

I remember creating sites using Geocities when I was a lot younger, so it’s been a long time since my first site but I didn’t start properly until my first year at University.

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

Keeping your knowledge current and up to date with the latest trends, practices and technology. It’s easy to get comfortable and get into a habit of using the same practices and techniques so I continually push myself to learn new languages and tools as well as keeping a close eye on design trends and movements.

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

I prefer to think of myself as a Front-end developer because I tend to concentrate on the User Interface, combining both the design and front end build in (X) HTML and CSS. Rather than the back-end, simply because my passion lies in user interface design. Although I have experience of working on larger development projects where I concentrated on the back end development and I do think it’s good to have an understanding of the entire development process even if you choose to specialize later.

I work on a near daily basis with WordPress, both on personal and client projects so a good understanding of PHP is essential. I also particularly enjoy working with other languages such JQuery and Ajax because of the added functionality you can incorporate.

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

Personally because I know I am creating websites the way the web should be designed and built. With accessibility and usability at the forefront, knowing you are contributing to this is a good feeling!

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

I went to the University of Ulster in Northern Ireland and it did help progress my design and web development skills but the biggest influence it had was making me aware of web standards and web accessibility.

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?

I started learning web design with Dreamweaver and Tables so the industry has changed enormously since I first started! Most web designers now straddle both the design and coding world with knowledge of both design and style and front end technologies like CSS, JQuery and Ajax.

It has without a doubt been a positive change, with standards-based design and development now best practice, many designers now incorporate user testing, validation and accessibility analysis into their process.

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

While I love Adobe Photoshop and it is the design application of choice for me personally I have to say my Moleskine notebook is my favorite tool to aid in the design of a site. Due to the fact most of the designs I work on start out as a brainstorming session and then a sketch, all of this preliminary work is done in my Moleskine notebook. I sketch out User Interfaces and site structures. This work is then taken into Photoshop to work on the next stage in wireframing and eventually the actual design.

9. Have your experiences in the print industry helped you to become a web designer?

I was a web designer before I was a print designer so I straddle the two mediums quite comfortably although my work is now nearly entirely web based. Great print design usually means an excellent use of typography. This was one of the areas I improved upon most while working as a graphic designer. My appreciation and skill with type is something I can attribute to my time spent working within a printing company.

10. Tell us more about the projects you are currently involved in including CSSLoaf and Theme Thursday? Do you own and operate both of these sites? If so, why did you decide to work on each project?

I own and will be operating the Theme Thursday website which is due to launch in two weeks, as well as managing the Theme Thursday event and twitter account. It was borne out of an idea I had on Twitter to gather resources and links on a new theme on a particular day, as Twitter is so fast paced and sprawling. It means there is a focused set of content each fortnight on a unique theme chosen by those on Twitter, at the moment it has over 600 followers after just a few themes. The site will help it to grow and develop as well as being a real aid to those interested in any of the themes each month.

I’ve been running CSS Loaf for around a year now, it’s been a superb way to see inspiration on a daily basis and to showcase the work of a lot of talented individuals and companies. CSS Loaf was the first side project I took on and it’s been a really enjoyable experience in terms of managing and maintaining it and without much promotion it has a healthy number of RSS subscribers and followers on Twitter. It takes around 15 minutes a day to manage so the time commitment is minimal and as the owner of a design gallery I tend to see a lot of the websites before they hit the mainstream which is great.

I enjoy working on projects which are not client related as it lets me experiment and work at my own pace as well as putting some of creative energy into projects that build up my name and brand. I also have plans for another two projects which I’m currently working on as I tend to have a constant stream of ideas.

11. In your web design studio, Postscript5, explain your approach towards wire framing and prototyping for clients? What can they expect from this process? How does it help you design and put together better websites?

Wireframing is an essential step in my design process. It’s a tool I incorporate on projects as it allows for rapid prototyping and helps both myself and the client to pinpoint any potential problems. I also find it invaluable on projects to have a visual representation of content, hierarchy and layout.

One the initial research and discovery phase has been completed I create sketches (using my trusty Moleskine) of the layout which are turned into wireframes (usually in Photoshop first, using the grey-box method) for review and approval before the actual design process begins.

The wireframe itself gives a strategic view of the positioning of elements within the layout and shows how the content will flow on the page. It’s an important step in determining the placement of content, function and navigation. It really acts as the blueprint for the content, design and construction work that comes later.

By using wireframes I find the entire design process is much smoother and more efficient. I know by talking with my clients that it is a step in the process they have come to appreciate because it makes for a more efficient project.

Dave Harrison is a web designer from Northern Ireland in the United Kingdom. He started designing websites back in 1997 using Netscape composer and Photoshop 4 and has only continued to strive since then. He studied Business Studies from Napier University in Edinburgh in 1995 but he what he learned about web design he learned on the job. Dave is a student member of the Chartered Institute of Marketing.

1. I know this seems like a generic question but how did you get started in web design and when did you start designing websites?

I sort of fell into web design after being offered a year’s work placement at a university funded web company in Belfast, while doing a ‘software creation’ course at a training organization. It was the governments chosen approach to getting people like me off the dole at the time. I had graduated a few years before with a degree in business studies, so design, and computers were completely new to me.

I started way back in 1997. To put it in context, websites were built with Netscape composer and Photoshop 4 or paintshop pro, and people browsed websites with IE3 at a resolution of 640×480 and in 16bit color!! IE4 and NN4 arrived soon after and I remember being so excited by the all the great things they offered (<marque> tag cringe!) (Then the browser wars started for real and the can of worms was well and truly opened. The web standards Project was launched across the pond the following year, but didn’t appear on my radar until quite a few years later.

2. I also checked out your site and see that you dabble in user experience design and i am wondering what you consider the best way to map out user experience when you go about designing a project?

For me user experience is really the reason we should design websites in the first place, Brand and Image are important and certainly have a large part to play in the overall experience but I think the ability to carry out tasks easily and without frustration is the key to successful web design, that and communicating effectively to the user. Before you undertake any web project you must endeavor to find out what the objectives are that you are trying to meet, the needs you must satisfy if you will. It is against these benchmarks that you measure the user experience. If budget allows this can be achieved using, usability studies and testing. There are a number of tools available to assist in this process. Not sure if that answers your question properly, this in itself is affecting my current user experience of this situation.

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

Helping clients understand why they should pay for good design, educating clients. Persuading people to invest in their website and educating them that it can be so much more than being able to say, I have a website.

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

I design and code all my sites. I really am a hybrid, always have been. I design with the build in mind even when working in Photoshop or sketching on paper for that matter I am always thinking ahead to the build and the semantics. All coded in (x)HTML, CSS, JavaScript (frameworks now mainly), PHP, ASP. Dabbling a little with HTML5, but my main deal is making sure all my sites are cross platform/browser compatible guided of course by audience profile and budget.

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?

Completely self taught and learned on the job. I think for me the greatest teacher is my own experience of being a user of the internet myself. You can’t learn by reading alone you must do. Having said that I constantly keep myself up to date with new techniques and develop my own knowledge on an almost daily basis, using books, blogs, forums, video tutorials. Every day is a learning day!. As someone who is self taught, I don’t always know the theory off the top of my head, but I know how to find the information I need, which in my view is the best skill of all.

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 was mentioning to an ex-colleague, who has recently started lecturing at a university teaching a new media design course, that until about 2 or 3 years ago there were hardly any web standard designers/freelancers in this neck of the woods, now we are coming down with them, so in that respect things are looking up for the industry as a whole. Also I think back in the day it was all about “look what we can do” and trying to sell websites on the back of that functionality, (in my honest opinion it rarely served its purpose and certainly didn’t further the interests of the client a great deal. Now there is more of an ethos of OK what is your business issue? Here is what we can do to help. This is the design and functionality we will employ to do this, tailored specifically to you. Of course you could argue that this is the natural progression of any designer/developer and not really a reflection of how the industry itself has changed overtime. I mean back in the day, surely someone was doing it properly, weren’t they??

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

It’s becoming a cliché but pencil and paper for sketching; it’s just a lot faster than trying to do everything with a mouse and keyboard. It’s the only tool that can keep up with the speed of my ideas! I also use Photoshop for the main bulk of the design work, although like most of us I probably only use a tiny fraction of its capability, I would say I am a little bit institutionalized when it comes to the adobe suite.

I am also getting more into HTML/CSS prototypes as an agile approach to web design and so use of CSS frameworks comes into play. I use this approach with clients who I know aren’t going to be to picky and who trust my ability to deliver exactly what they need not what they think they want. It also works on clients who aren’t too hung up on aesthetics and understand that the decoration is secondary to the main purpose of good design, to communicate and solve problems. However if a client is more likely to want to exert their control or presence more than it is definitely prudent to stick with the review approval process right from the outset, including all the design and planning stages

Conceptshare is an interesting tool for sharing comps online with IT savvy clients and get feedback and I hope to try it out in the future

8. Considering you are a “seasoned veteran” of the web design industry which part do you enjoy the most after 12 years of working in web design in various roles?

Being given a problem to solve. Its all about problem solving and communication. Good design is all about communication not decoration! I enjoy combining my years of experience and knowledge into an overall solution that is exactly what the client needs from a visual and functional perspective. So suppose that role would be as ‘solution provider’.

9. What do you find most rewarding about the career and field you are in currently?

Again the most rewarding thing is seeing the look on a client’s face who is totally and completely thrilled with what you have created for them. When their expectations have been blown out of the water then I get a feeling of fulfillment. I enjoy being able to take something that a lot of people are afraid of and put it to work on their behalf. I Work mostly with local people and only do work for people who I want to see succeed. I know this rules me out of a lot of projects, but it is worth it as it means I can put my whole heart and soul into the work I do undertake.

Lee Munroe is a web designer from Belfast in Northern Ireland. He has been designing websites for the past 11 years. He studied Multimedia Design at University and later went on to do his masters in Multidisciplinary Design to further his skills. Lee does a lot of his own front-end coding and has been featured in Wired Magazine for his “Big Word Project” which he worked on with Paddy Donnelly.

1. How did you get started in web design?

One day I missed the bus to school (about 11 years ago) so I did a sneaky, stayed at home and designed my first website on Geocities lol it was a WWF wrestling site and it had lots of animated gifs and .midi background music *face cringes*

2. When did you start designing websites?

I started designing websites for a small web design business, roughly 9 years ago. Back then I had Photoshop 4 I think and framesets were all the rage

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

Managing work load is quite hard. Until a few weeks ago I was always part-time freelancing while studying at University so juggling Uni work and freelance work was awkward at times. Now I’ve finished my masters so should be able to get a better work flow into place now.

Also, working from home as a freelancer it is hard to separate work life from personal life. I’m always on the laptop, night and day, 7 days a week. I really need to get some rules into place.

I can’t think of many challenges design wise. Constant inspiration for new projects might be something that flags up every so often but I try to overcome that by getting daily inspiration from reading blog posts, reading books, ads, magazines, CSS galleries etc.

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?

Yeah, I’ve done a lot of back and front end coding in the past although lately I am concentrating on front-end stuff (XHTML, CSS, Javascript etc.). It allows be to be more creative and with useful tools like WordPress, there isn’t as much need for me to do backend programming.

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

I went to a school called Banbridge Academy, about 25 miles outside Belfast. But there was nothing to do with web design there. I studied Interactive Multimedia Design at Uni (graduated 2007) and some of the course was focused on web design. Did it help me become a better designer? Yes and no. Not so much the first 2 years but final year helped me a lot; we had good lecturers on board then who knew more design wise. I went on to study MA Multidisciplinary Design and that helped a lot to develop my skills further.

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?

Definitely, all for the better. A lot more user focused now. A website doesn’t have to be all singing all dancing with flash and animations now, like a lot of sites were years ago. There are a lot more simple focused designs now and a lot more useful applications.

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

Hmm… I don’t just want to say the cliché Photoshop… but it’s hard not to. Pen and paper (and post-its) for ideas, sitemaps, info architecture. Illustrator for wireframes and then Photoshop to design. Coda is a nice app for writing the html.

8. How have being interviewed by Wired Magazine, BBC Radio and other news sources been?  How did they contact you for an interview?  What have the experiences been like?

Great experience and something to put on the C.V.

My friend Paddy Donnelly and I were lucky to have a unique idea for a University project that the media took an interest in (The Big Word Project) and it helped to get our names out there. It was good fun at the time although people quickly forget so you need to make sure you keep moving forward with new ideas and projects.