Web Design Inspiration Blog | SpicyWebDesigners.com

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.

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.

Mike Robinson is a web designer from Toronto, Ontario in Canada. He began designing websites using Microsoft Front Page and HTML for school projects in high school back in 1997. He didn’t begin to freelance until 2003 while at the University of Western Ontario in London, Ontario when he was studying Computer Science and later on he decided to study Web Development at Humber College. Because of his experiences in programming and design he feels this makes him a force to be reckoned with when it comes to the overall design of a website and the front-end coding needed to give it solid functionality.

1. How did you get started in web design?

In high school, I always did well in Computer Science courses and enjoyed graphic design as a hobby.  I tooled around with Microsoft Front Page and some rudimentary HTML and started making simple websites for school projects.  I got started in the industry during university with my first freelance gig.

2. When did you start designing websites?

If you count the tooling around in Front Page, that would’ve been around 1997.  My first professional freelance gig would’ve been in 2003.

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

This response is probably pretty common place but, I have to say developing for Internet Explorer.  Not only due to the difficulty in developing a cross-browser compatible interface, but more particularly because of its way of limiting the potential of a design and a richer user experience due to its shortcomings and its unfortunately large user base.

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?

Since I come from a Computer Science background I’m more naturally a programmer than a designer.  I like to pride myself on being a rare case of a programmer with an eye for design.  I can and do develop for server side, but I’ve always enjoyed working with front end technologies most; creating XHTML and CSS based layouts, enhancing interfaces with some JavaScript and AJAX.  As of late those have been my particular responsibilities in my day job.

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

After high school I went to the University of Western Ontario for Computer Science, and then to Humber College for Web Development specifically.  Both schools were more particularly geared to programming, but there was an element of design in the Humber course.  Where Humber really helped was the co-op placement at the end of the program.  My co-op position turned into a paying job afterwards and I’ve been in the industry ever since.

6. I like the fact that you do the creative as well as the coding.  Which are you stronger at?

Considering my background I’m stronger in the coding, but I definitely thank my interest in the artistic side of things while I was growing up. I was always playing around with programs like Photoshop or 3D Studio.  Web design was the perfect way for me to merge the things I did well at in school with my personal hobbies.

7. Do you currently work full-time and do freelancing on the side?  Does freelance work allow you do learn outside your current position and why do you enjoy doing freelance web design (outside of the money of course)?

I’m currently working full time at a web and interactive agency in Toronto, and do the odd freelance gig on the side.  Freelancing is great for giving me the chance to work on and improve my skills in the business end of things in this industry that I don’t often get the opportunity to do at my day job.

Patty Ho is a web designer from Toronto, Ontario in Canada. She studied at OCAD (The Ontario College of Arts & Design) for Editorial Graphic Design and then she decided to go to Sheridan College for their Interactive Design program. She first designed for websites in 2003 after finishing schools and most recently she has been working for Torstar Digital which owns the Toronto Star Newspaper and Toronto.com among a collection of other web properties.

1. When did you first start designing websites?

I first started designing websites professionally in 2003. I was hired by a small web design studio right after I finished my Interactive Multimedia program in Sheridan College.

2. What types of web design projects are you working on right now?

Currently, I work for Torstar Digital. The company owns thestar.com, toronto.com, yourhome.ca, parentcentral.ca…etc. I mostly do the front end maintenance work for them. That work could range from designing a new micro site to designing ad banners.

For my personal freelance web design in terms of projects, I did a lot of front end design. The majority of clients want my web design template and their own in house developer to build the website. There are also a few clients that I do the full website design from front to back.

3. What challenges do you face when designing a project for the web?

Oh, definitely client’s requests. Sometimes clients will have million changes, and I always have to work it out with the clients to minimize the changes.  Most challenging part is when design a full website, I have to educate clients to deliver a strategy upon content delivery. After all, website is about delivering key information in an interactive and a user friendly way.

4. I see that you’ve done a lot of work for Canadian media (Chum TV, Much Music, etc.)  How have you found working with companies like these?

Chum (now is called CTV) is a very fast paced company. You get a various range of projects all the time.  I was there mostly creating TV micro sites and sales websites for various channel brands. The creative is set by either the client or the creative department. So most of the website I did is to follow the creative guidelines and make it an interactive piece.  I left Chum after 3 years because I was tired of being a production person that takes orders. Websites for Chum or any TV channels are part of the marketing package, and they never going to be the first to set the creative guideline.  Therefore I went to Torstar for a senior web designer position which I can be the creative lead for most of the projects.

5. I also see that you are a graduate of OCAD majoring in Editorial Graphic Design and Sheridan College’s Interactive Multimedia program where you learned about front-end coding.  Which do you prefer more, Front-end coding or the graphic design of a project?

I personally like the “design” part of the project, mostly because I hate debugging between browsers. lol

However, because of Sheridan, I gained a strong front end coding skill. This favors me when I am designing a website. I will design “around” the cross-browser problem that most people would encounter when building website.  Therefore I can deliver the website in the shortest amount of time and increase flexibility for site expansion in the future.

6. What are some of your favorite tools when designing for the web?

Photoshop, illustrator and Dreamweaver.

7. What do you hope to accomplish in your career next?  And, what drives you to achieve this?

Again, I always have a passion getting myself into a creative lead. I like to deliver the creative concept of a project instead of a production person. If I am going to work half of my life, then I might as well push myself towards a job position that can excite me while I am at it.

Mike Precious is a web designer but foremost a multimedia designer from Brantford, Ontario in Canada. He originally started designing while in college and sought employment with design studios and advertising agency environments which gave him an excellent opportunity to move into web design. He first started designing websites back in 2001 and has since then built his own studio where he works on a variety of web and print projects.

1. How did you first get into web design?

Throughout high school, I had a keen interest in art, communication, technology and music. Through my senior years I began thinking about future career opportunities. Art itself seemed interesting but to be sustainable I would have to bring something truly cutting edge to the art industry, and the for music. However, a venue where art and business collided seemed to be a viable way to make a living and do what I enjoy doing. Insert design and advertising.  High school courses ensued in graphic design, photography, communication technology, drafting, and fine art.

After graduating high school I went through college for Advertising and Communications Media. This program involved me in all aspects of marketing, marketing communications, branding, advertising, design, photography and copy writing. While in college I freelanced as a graphic designer. My first experience in web design came in 2001. Myself and another designer took on a couple of projects, one a fairly sizable marketing and database-driven site. What intrigued me about web design was its breadth and depth of creative opportunities – some of which print didn’t offer. However, over the next few years, I maintained a steady workflow of print media working employed in design studio and advertising agency environments, while freelancing on the side. It wasn’t until 2007 I began taking on more web projects. In 2008 I officially went from freelancing and working fulltime to opening the doors of my own business. In 2008 I maintained a balance of roughly 80% web development projects vs. 20% print projects. I anticipate web continuing to comprise the majority of my work volume in the future.

2. When did you first start designing websites?

I began designing websites back in 2001.

3. What are some of the biggest problems that you face in the web design projects that you work on?

Probably the single greatest challenge I face in web projects is creating a design platform that works across the entire set of pages for the site. That’s probably what makes designing for the web such a challenge. I’m not designing in isolation, but considering how a particular layout treatment or design device will work across the series of pages.

I tend to take this ideology with me into projects: Any web designer can create a stunning, highly functional, and consistent web page. A great web designer can create a stunning, highly functional, and consistent web site. What differentiates a web designer from a great web designer is the great web designer can create a stunning and functional design that spans across a host of pages.

4. Do you prefer to be called a “multimedia designer” or a “web designer” or do you consider yourself both?

I’m kind of on the fence about this. I started off as a graphic designer, then with seniority, moved into an art director role for a couple of years. I run my own studio now serving clients both web and print media design. To call myself an art director sounds a bit stuffy and traditional. To call myself a web designer segregates me into the web-only category. As a multimedia designer I serve clients in need of services for both the web and print mediums. However, I have begun repositioning my studio to predominantly serve web development studios. When a web developer discovers I’m also an experienced print designer, they see the value in hiring one designer for all their web and print needs.

5. What types of media inspire you to create the type of design that you create?

I’m very heavily influenced by XHTML/CSS standards design, Flash based AS3.0 design, and traditional print media. I have a special interest in contemporary European design, and also enjoy immersing myself in retro 50s/60s style design. I’m also very much into studying typography.

6. Has your educational background helped you to people a better web designer?  Was what you studied related to design?

My educational background helped me become a strategic-minded designer. That is, designing with purpose. In a business environment, I find the design process much easier when there is strategic sense directing the design. Without it, design becomes extremely subjective and can cause tail spins of design revisions, and conflicting opinions on what works and what does not.

7. How do you usually price out your web designs and multimedia work?

Quote on per project basis, hourly, or time-based contract.

8. What are a few things that you couldn’t live without on a day to day basis?

My Mac, fonts, Google, and Photoshop. The support of my wife, routing me on with the growth and development of my business. Thanks, Sarah.  : )

Lisa Wilkinson is a Web Designer from Kanata, Ontario in Canada. She is currently studying Interactive Multimedia and Design at Carleton University and has been designing for the last 4 years and is passionate about CSS design.

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

I’ve been interested in web design ever since I took a web development class in high school.  In 2006, I started the Interactive multimedia and Design program at Carleton University, which incorporates a fair amount of web design courses.

2. How long have you been designing websites?

I started designing websites about 4 years ago.

3. How do you generate most of your business as a web designer? Word of Mouth? Advertising? Agencies?

I started my own web design business on the side called DesignAbyss.  (www.designabyss.com). My business is mostly generated through word of mouth and advertising (flyers, business cards, online sites).

4. What is the biggest challenge you’ve faced as a web designer?

My biggest challenge, to this day, is cross browser compatibility. Not only do you need to create a website to work in all major browsers, you need it to work properly in multiple versions of each browser because some people aren’t so quick when it comes to updates!

Another challenge was getting my business known by others and gaining a great reputation for it.  It was difficult for a small business like mine to compete with the big design companies who were already out there.

5. What is your favorite part of a web design project?

My favorite part is the creativity! I love how there are endless design possibilities when making a web site.  You cannot find two websites that look the same.

6. Has your education helped you to become a better web designer and if so, how has it helped?

Yes, my education has helped a great amount with both coding aspects and visual design aspects.  It was at university where I learned most of my CSS skills and basic concepts around Web 2.0.

7. How do you usually price your web design work for clients who are interested?

I would say my prices are generally cheaper than average. I price it based on number of pages and the complexity of the code.

Colin Oakes is a web designer in Elora, Ontario, Canada. He’s been designing websites since he started back in high school and has been learning new techniques and technologies ever since. Recently, Colin graduated from Georgian College from their Graphic Design Program in 2007 and has been pursuing web design professionally ever since.

1. How did you first get involved in designing websites? When did you build your first website?

I first got involved in design back in high school around grade 9 just messing around with Photoshop. I would design logos and posters for bands and friends. I think the first sites I did were just basic HTML table layouts for my grade 10 web design class. After that I created site designs for my own band and other bands in the area.

2. When you are designing a website for a project what is the most important phase to you to creating a successful web design project?

I would say that planning a site is the most important phase when I am making a web site. The better a site is laid out and content in place the smother the whole process goes. Having a site map that is approved helps a lot too. But as web designers we always have to be flexible. Most sites never follow the same path; every client is a little different.

3. Where did you go to school or are you self taught? And, do you think that your particular back ground puts you at an advantage in web design and why do you feel this way?

I originally learned HTML back in high school in grade 9 or 10. After high school I went to Georgian College in Barrie, Ontario. I graduated from the 3yr Graphic Design program and received my diploma in 2007. I took a few web programs in college ranging from basic Dreamweaver to simple Flash. About a month after graduating I was hired on at Digital Chaos Inc. located in the little town of Elora, Ontario. I have been there now for a year and half and over that period my boss has taught me a lot about HTML, CSS, Flash as well as how to customizing CMS systems and Shopping Cart Systems.

I think that having a Graphic Design back ground has helped a great deal with site layout and site creation. Where I work, we do a lot of sites for design firms that need developers so it helps a lot with communication with them. Also web design ties in with marketing and advertising so it is great to have learned about that from my graphic design background.

4. What are 5 things that you want people to know about you and your web design business?

1. Web Design is a passion, not a job.
2. I enjoy making user experiences that can be seen around the world by any one at any time.
3. Accessibility and SEO is part of web design not a choice.
4. I love creating and building every new site has its challenges, so I am always learning.
5. The online web community is great. If it was not for them I don’t know what I would do.

5. What is the biggest challenge that you’ve faced on a web design project?

Probably the biggest challenge so far was learning tables layouts and figuring out how to make them work in IE6.

6. Is there a web technology that you couldn’t live without? Which one and why?

I would definitely not be able to live without CSS. Having the ability to use CSS makes the whole development process go a lot smoother.

7. How do you usually price out your web design work for clients?

It completely depends on features and budget. As well as if they have a site design already or not.

Rolf Johansson is a web designer from Burlington (from my hometown), Ontario in Canada. He started designing websites when he was back in university while majoring in political science. After working with KPMG for a while learning about various web technologies, Rolf decided to eventually make the leap into freelance web design which he currently does full time.

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

I started back in university, around 1996.  I was actually majoring in Political Science, but I was looking for ways to make a few extra bucks.  I had learned about the world wide web around the same time, and thought it was pretty ground-breaking that pretty much anyone could ‘publish’ nice-looking content.  I also noticed that the faculty and my department didn’t have a web presence, so I convinced the dean that it was necessary for them.

Having decided upon graduation that politics wasn’t for me (did I just waste 4 years of my life?), I applied for a short-term internship at KPMG Canada… they were looking for a ‘web-guy’ who could design an intranet for the Human Resources group.  One thing led to another and I’ve been involved with the web in one way or another ever since.

I have to say that I was very lucky in that I was hired by a very forward thinking person who realized the value of the link between the web and a traditional business function like HR.

2. How did you make the move from human resources to web design?

Well, I really never actually made the jump ‘from’ HR to web design.  I guess you can say that they went hand-in-hand early on.  For the first 5 years of my career, pretty much all of my web experience was related to supporting the Human Resources function (intranets, basic collaboration, job boards, request forms, HRIS).  It was really a great experience looking back because I learned a great deal about business processes, organizational politics, power, human nature and how to make technology support all of that – not the other way around.

I formally made the jump out of HR when I joined the technology group at KPMG (first in Canada, then globally).  When I joined KPMG Global, I worked exclusively on their proprietary web-based Global Knowledge Sharing Tool for a few years.

3. How long have you been doing freelance web design?

I’ve been a freelancer for about 3 years now.  I had moved around in the Corporate world doing other things like Project Management and Corporate Communications, but after my 2nd child was born, my wife and I decided that someone should stay home with the kids.  I jumped at the chance.

I had always dreamed of running my own business, and this looked like the perfect opportunity to ‘ease’ into freelancing.  I started by working about 2 days a week while the kids went to pre-school, and I’ve gradually added more time to my work schedule as the kids have become more independent.  I’d have to say this year will probably be very close to full-time freelancing (both kids are in school now).

Looking back, it was a nice approach to take.  It was low-risk for us (my wife has been the major bread-winner), and I’ve been able to ease into the Freelancing thing.

4. How do you usually price your web design projects?

I almost always price by the project.  I’m big into fairness and treating clients well.  By pricing on a project basis, I feel that all the cards are on the table up-front, and there are no surprises for the client.  They appreciate the fact that they can set their budgets.  It’s working well so far.

The big challenge when I first started was making sure that I was pricing projects in a way that was fair to me.  I’m sure I underpriced a few projects early on when I didn’t really know what it would take to build something.  After 3 years though, I’m getting much better at it.

5. Where do you get your inspiration to design websites?

My main inspiration comes from other websites.  I don’t set out to copy, but I do look at other sites for inspiration on tone, structure, overall feel, technology…

The client’s existing identity and objectives, of course, plays a big role in terms of how a site develops visually and functionally.  I’m also big into design magazines.  I think print design can bridge over to web design in many ways.  I think we’re seeing that more and more in websites these days.

6. How do your clients usually find you? Through word of mouth? Agencies? Or
something else?

Referrals for me are everything.  You cannot get a better lead than a referral from an existing client.  That’s why my absolute, number one, main priority is to treat my clients well.  Not only is it the right thing to do (it helps me sleep at night), but you cannot replace the long-term benefits that come out of this.

I have had a couple of cold calls – where I was contacted – which have turned into very rewarding client relationships, but these are definitely in the minority.  Referrals from existing clients have certainly driven my business so far.

7. Do you design exclusively using ExpressionEngine? Or do you use other CMS
systems to design for?  I love using wordpress myself.

Expression Engine is my only CMS at the moment.  I had looked at WordPress early on, but I was seduced by EllisLab’s outstanding support.  They are definitely second to none.  I was also influenced by the fact that a few web designers that I look up to (Veerle is one of them) use Expression Engine and recommend it.  I love working with EE because it’s very flexible, and allows me to offer nearly anything to my clients (i.e. wiki, discussion forums, e-commerce), plus traditional content publishing capabilities.

I will probably look at another CMS or two in the near future, just to broaden my skill-set.  Wordpress will be one of them for sure.  I’m also on the lookout for a good e-commerce tool for small/medium sized businesses.  Magento is on the radar, but if you know of anything else, I’m all ears.

8.  What tools can you not work without when designing a web design project?

I cannot live without the following:

1. My Mac – which allows me to sit in front of a computer for hours and still keep me feeling happy
2. Coda – for all my html, scripting, etc…
3. Fireworks (yes, Fireworks) – I’m not a graphic designer – I’ve found it to fit the bill for me, and the price is right!
4. Firebug (for Firefox) – for finding all my mistakes that would otherwise drive me crazy
5. Basecamp – for keeping clients more than up-to-date on the progress of projects
6. iTunes – to keep me focused
7. My Guitar – to keep the creative juices flowing