Home Archives for UK web designer

Spicy Web Designer Interview with Jon Packman

Posted on May 7, 2009 Written by Leave a Comment

Jon Packman is a web designer from London, England in the United Kingdom. He has been designing websites for the past 2 and a half years since he first started learning about web design originally back in university. Jon created his web design studio, Satellite7, 2 years ago to solve the problem of getting a decent website at a reasonable price and since then Jon has been doing just that, building great websites.

1. How many people currently work for Satellite7?


It’s just myself at the moment.


2. When was Satellite7 formed and what problem do you solve for your clients?


About two years ago. Most of my clients are small businesses or individuals, so I aim to solve the problem of getting a decent website for a reasonable price. Before moving to web design I worked in sales and editorial positions in print publishing, and this gives me a useful set of skills to draw upon. It allows me to offer a broad service, so if need be, my clients get a designer, developer, editor and copywriter all in one.


3. Jon, how did you get started in web design? When did you start designing websites?


I studied the Internet for a few months as part of a university course ten years ago. I suppose that’s when I first decided I liked web design, but I didn’t touch it again for years after that. Then around two and a half years ago I was asked to build a small site, realized I enjoyed it more than my current job as a freelance journalist, and six months later I decided to go for it full time. That was a scary move, but I’m glad I did it.

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


It can be a real challenge getting a client to see their site how I’m visualizing it at the beginning of a project, especially if they don’t know much about the web or a website’s potential. The pace of change is another – there’s always some new technique or technology popping up. You have to keep your eyes open, decide what applies to your work, and learn how to use it. But that’s also one of the reasons I like web design.

Then there’s the constant challenge of building better and better websites. There are some incredible web designers out there, you see their sites all the time, and you realize how far there is to go to match them.

I’m also not that well established yet, so while things are moving in the right direction and I’m happy how it’s all going, it’s still hard work finding clients.

5. 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 design and code all my sites, so I guess I’m both. Usually I say I’m a web designer so people’s eyes don’t glaze over so much. Code-wise, I’m pretty good with css and html, and I’ve also been using PHP and jQuery a lot recently. About a year ago I discovered WordPress, and that opened up a world of new possibilities. Most of my recent sites use it for a cms or blog, or both. It’s bloody fantastic. Whenever I download it I feel like I’ve been given a DIY kit to build a spaceship.

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

Learning a bit of html ten years ago got me interested in web design, but everything I know now is self-taught from the internet and books. I don’t think you need to do a course – it might help in some ways, but a good portfolio is more important than a qualification. Some schools will teach a syllabus that was developed a year or two previously, and web design moves faster than that. I think the best place to learn is on the net.

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?

It’s always changing, and I think mostly for the better. The web is becoming part of everyday life, and there are more reasons to have a website, so that has got to be good for the industry. On the technical side, the web standards and accessibility movements are getting stronger, and open source is proving its worth. Things look pretty good for the future but I wish someone would throw IE6 over a cliff.

VN:F [1.9.10_1130]
Rate This Design:
Rating: 0.0/10 (0 votes cast)
Filed Under: General, Web Designer Interviews Tagged: , , ,

Spicy Web Designer Interview with Daniel Oliver

Posted on April 22, 2009 Written by Leave a Comment

Daniel Oliver is a web designer from Cornwall, England in the United Kingdom. He has been designing websites since he had an internet connection back in 1999 and by 2002 he was learning the ins and outs of designing great sites. Daniel’s web design work has been featured in Web Designer Magazine.

How did you get started in web design?

It must have been back in 1999/2000 when my parents got an Internet connection that I was first unleashed on the web. I was fascinated by it all. It wasn’t long after that I found myself setting up my own free website with a service called freewebs. I started a bunch of websites so I could post pictures of motorbikes online and other bits about the sport of motorcycle trials. Eventually after a few years of pottering about with free templates and trying out services like geocities I realized I actually quite enjoyed it and took it upon myself to buy a couple of books to try and find out what was really going on behind the WYSIWYG interfaces these services provided you with.

It was a natural progression from there really and after a couple slow years of learning HTML in between school work I decided fairly early on in my life that this was something I enjoyed and that I wanted to do for a living. After plenty of playing and experimenting I started to land a few freelance gigs, and it all started from there really.

When did you start designing websites?

It was probably around 2002/2003 after I learnt html that I really started think about the design side of things. Once again I just started to play and experiment and it was once again a natural progression. I was reading up online more and more, learning about basic design principles and trying to apply them to my work.

How did Web Designer Magazine get a hold of you to feature you in their publication?

I used to buy the magazine quite regularly and once I felt confident enough with the quality of my work I just decided to email them my URL and that was it. I didn’t expect anything to come of it, but one month I just opened the magazine and flicked through and one page caught my eye as I thought I recognized a site screenshot. Turns out it was my site along with 3 or 4 others of mine on a 2 page spread with a really nice write up. It was great.

How has that experience helped you in your career as a web designers?

I had a few enquiries come through after that but not a great deal. Where I found it to be of benefit was when I was speaking with potential clients and employers. When you mention that you have had work featured in a magazine and show them the write up, it really seems to go down well.

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

Tricky one! I think technically, there is the obvious challenge of dealing with IE6 and its numerous issues. From a design standpoint, if you’re having to come up with new designs quite frequently it can be a challenge to stay fresh and inspired and not get burnt out. There are so many others I don’t really know where to begin.

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

I refer to myself as a web designer. It really depends on whether or not I code up my designs. If it’s a freelance gig I will always be the one coding up my own designs, however sometimes at the company I work for it will depend on our schedule and what we have lined up. Sometimes I will have to pass off a design to get coded up by someone else so that I can move on to work on another design. I just code using good old fashion xhtml/css.

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

I went to university for 18 months before realizing I didn’t need a degree to do what I wanted to do. I had plenty of freelance work on and I wasn’t learning anything at university. I eventually decided to leave and go into full time work and without question it was the best decision I have made. If I could give one bit of advice to aspiring designers, it’s pick up a book! Don’t rely on university courses to teach you the best practices and principles in this industry because it’s so fast and constantly evolving, by the time you turn up to your first lecture the material you are learning is out of date. For me the best way to learn was to get hands on experience. In the time I have had working full-time in the industry, I have learnt and experienced much more than any university course could have taught me.

Of course I’m not saying that university is a bad idea. It’s bound to vary for different people. For me personally however, I found it was just better to pick up and book and put what I learnt into practice. It’s really important you learn the basic design principles and theories and apply them to your work. It’s important to know why you are designing things the way you are designing them. If you’re just doing certain things because you think it looks pretty your doing something wrong.

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

Firstly, web standards have become the norm. When I first started I had never heard of CSS. Then I saw the term web standards mentioned on a few blogs. Over the past few years I have seen it grow from web standards being used by a relatively small minority to now becoming the industry norm. Without question this is for the better.

Also there is was the emergence of the whole web 2.0 craze and the growth of the social web. Without question things have changed for the better. It’s opened up a whole new world of opportunity for people and I don’t think there’s ever been a more exciting time to be involved in the industry.

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

For designing websites and user interfaces my tool of choice has to be Adobe Fireworks. I just find that Fireworks suits my style and process a little better then the likes of Photoshop.

For coding I use TextMate religiously alongside CSSEdit. Sometimes I may dabble with Coda and I would quite like to give Mac Rabbit’s Espresso app a try soon. That’s it.

VN:F [1.9.10_1130]
Rate This Design:
Rating: 0.0/10 (0 votes cast)
Filed Under: General, Web Designer Interviews Tagged: , , ,

Spicy Web Designer Interview with Ilona Filipenkova of SoulDeepDesigns

Posted on April 14, 2009 Written by 2 Comments

Ilona Filipenkova is a web designer from London, England in the United Kingdom. She is originally from has been designing websites since 2000 when she was in high school but she only considers that she has been designing professionally for the past 3 years. She went to university at the London Metropolitan University for her Bachelors in Multimedia. Ilona currently runs a small freelance studio aptly named “SoulDeepDesigns”.

1. How long have you been designing websites?

Web design has been my full-time profession for almost 3 years. I’ve designed my first website at high school in my home town (2000) and at that time I didn’t even think It would become my full-time job one day. I simply enjoyed the interactivity of content, and without realizing it I used to spend long hours in Photoshop creating the website layout, playing around with colors and fonts.

2. Out of the web design, graphic design and flash development work that you do currently which to you enjoy the most?  Do you have a favorite?

Although I do not have an overall favorite, I do prefer one or the other at times. Recently, I spent a lot of hours in Photoshop and haven’t done much coding for a while. I wanted to concentrate on the visual side of creating websites and improve that area. However, when CodersCode website came along, I did not only all design, but coding work as well and enjoyed it a great deal. That was the time when I once again realized that I will always need a mixture of graphic design and coding work.

3. When it comes to flash development how do you deal with clients concerned about how Flash can affect their Search Engine Optimization?

I don’t bring the clients very good news when I tell them that flash websites are still invisible to the search engines. There are, of course ways of getting the website to the first place in search engines despite the fact they are all in flash (Hollywood movies’ websites are a good example) but I’m no master of these. Therefore I always recommend to my clients a good mixture of text content spiced up with flash parts.

4. Do you code the front-end of any of your web design projects?  If so, what is/are your language(s) of choice to use when coding the front-end of a web site?

I use transitional XHTML and CSS to code up the front-end and PHP and JavaScript to give it more interactivity and power. I love discovering new tools and technologies so I am always out there watching for some nice new tools to implement in my clients’ websites.

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

The biggest challenges are of personal character rather than related to the general problems of web design industry. I find myself wanting to grasp understanding and practical knowledge of all possible disciplines which make me feel I never do or know enough. There are new technologies emerging every day and it is sad for me to realize that I can’t be a master of them all :)

6. How has your education in Multimedia from the London Metropolitan University helped you to become a better web designer?

The Multimedia degree from London Metropolitan University has helped me in many aspects. During the course I was introduced to probably all programs of Adobe Software package and also to other industry standard software tools. We had projects and assignments that needed to be completed using various multimedia software platforms that would create sound, video, code, 3D models and animation and then blend them all into one spectacular piece. I suppose this might be the reason why I find myself so comfortable with all aspects of web design and multimedia production. I think the first steps in any new field are the hardest and if you attend classes at a university and have someone to ask questions to, the journey is quite exciting.

VN:F [1.9.10_1130]
Rate This Design:
Rating: 0.0/10 (0 votes cast)
Filed Under: General, Web Designer Interviews Tagged: , , ,

Spicy Web Designer Interview with Pete Orme

Posted on April 8, 2009 Written by Leave a Comment

Pete Orme is a web designer from Guildford in Surrey, England in the UK. He originally got started working as a support engineer and began to teach himself about the web and sub sequentially designed his first web page in 2001. Recently he teamed up with another designer by the name of Matt Hamm to form a studio called SuperEight Studio. Pete is a self taught web designer with his educational background in industrial design but his passion for web development shines through in the caliber of work he is producing.

1. How did you get started in web design?

I started my first job for a call centre software house working as a support engineer for UK and international banks. I’ve always had an interest in all things creative and this was my first real exposure to the web. As the company’s services started to encompass the web I began to teach myself a little HTML and JavaScript. I decided I wanted to get into web design and noticing that the current design team was really just print designers and artists I thought learning the nuts and bolts of web pages would stand me in good stead when I asked for a career change. So I moved into the design team where I started to get some considerable experience working with industry standard tools and putting the code I had learnt into practice.

2. When did you start designing websites?

I started working on my first web design projects around 2001. I’ve recently founded my own web design company, Supereight Studio, with another partner which I’m very excited about. And busy!!! I’ve only designed for employers before but it’s great to be doing it for myself and gives me a slightly different perspective. I’m finding it very rewarding so far :-)

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

As ever, time and managing workload are always a challenge. But an exciting one. I think it’s important to re-use design elements (buttons, forms, tabs etc.) and adapt them to a specific project to help save a little time. I think this also starts to help build a recognizable style or personality in your work.

I think there’s a real skill involved in repeatedly producing high quality, creative work against the clock and I think this separates top web designers from average ones. As far as generating income goes anyway. Inspiration and a fresh mind are big factors here and I often find inspiration in the most unsuspecting places. Get out there and take everything in!

Another challenge probably all of us face is keeping up with the pace at which things move. With new technology, techniques etc. constantly popping up it’s hard to find time to learn without getting in the way of paid client work. If you can combine these new ideas with new projects and learn that way then even better.

4. Do you refer to yourself as a Front-end developer over calling yourself a web designer?  Is it a way to brand yourself to your clients?

I’ve always called myself a web designer and always will. That’s the way I want to be branded. While front-end development is part of my day to day job, and should be a given for any web designer today, I really enjoy the UX, IA and creative side. I think nowadays if you want to call yourself a web designer then you should have a solid working knowledge of HTML, JavaScript libraries, dynamic content etc. and understand how these can influence your design decisions.

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

I did my degree in industrial design and at the time there was more of a focus on freehand and technical drawing without computers so that hasn’t really proved that useful in my current career apart from feeding my creative side! I’m self taught as far as web design/development goes and I’ve been lucky enough to have the opportunities to take my career in this direction.

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 guess one of the biggest changes has been the adoption of web standards. The benefits for accessibility, natural SEO and general flexibility are considerable. I built table-based layouts many moons ago (and don’t miss them) but I found the transition very straight forward.

Social networking is another biggie and designers have had to shift a lot of their focus from aesthetics to user focused sites and apps. User generated content and the rising popularity of content management systems have also had a huge effect on designers and looking through any of the popular css showcase sites this is plain to see.

I’m a big typography fan and I’m starting to enjoy using formal grid systems a lot more. I’ve really noticed how much more important these have become in the last 18 months. And all for the better!


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

I do all creative layout work in Photoshop and use Illustrator as and when I need it. I like working with layers and find this really useful when organizing my psd’s for developers or for myself to build. Depending on the platform I’m working on I use Visio or Omnigraffle for wireframing. For coding I’m happy hand coding in Dreamweaver or in Textmate, again depending on the platform. I’m comfortable using this range of tools; they’re simple, quick and very powerful.

VN:F [1.9.10_1130]
Rate This Design:
Rating: 0.0/10 (0 votes cast)
Filed Under: General, Web Designer Interviews Tagged: , , , , ,

Spicy Web Designer Interview with Chris Spooner

Posted on March 23, 2009 Written by 2 Comments

Chris Spooner is a web and graphic designer from Sheffield, England in the United Kingdom. Chris earned his BA (HONS) in Art and Design through Hull University and after that he began to work for a few studios in Sheffield and recently he began to freelance full-time. He has been featured in the likes of “Web Designer Magazine” (See issue 137) among other publications and has been designing for the web since he was in university and continues to learn new web design techniques. He currently runs Spoon Graphics, his freelance web design studio and Line25, a web design blog with a lot of tutorials, inspiration and articles related to web design.

1. How did you get started in web design?

I’ve always aimed towards design in my studies, but I didn’t head into web design until later in my education. As a lot of designers I dabbled with the web creating personal sites and such but didn’t learn the ‘real stuff’ until much later.

2. When did you start designing websites?

During my university degree I worked with a friend at his design studio which was where I worked on my first real world web design project. The task was to design and build a Flash website for a local festival.

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

One of the biggest challenges for me personally is managing websites which involve slightly more technical needs. I’m confident in front end design and development, as well as being comfortable customizing the WordPress application, but anything further I tend to outsource to my developer friend!

4. Why do you refer to yourself as a Front-end developer over calling yourself a web designer?  Is it a way to brand yourself to your clients?

I do tend to use the term web designer mostly, although the words front-end do highlight that I concentrate on the client side of websites as opposed to the server side. Generally people class web design as the whole package, rather than the mixture of design and development.

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

I studied in Art and Design right up to degree level which helped in gaining the initial experiences and the piece of paper that makes me look special. I would say the majority of the skills I now use on a daily bases are self taught through following blogs and websites of fellow designers.

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 wouldn’t say I’m one of the most seasoned web design veterans but with the web design industry changing so quickly I’ve seen the transition from table based layouts to XHTML and CSS. Any change is for the better as the technologies advance, right now there’s the introduction of more CSS features in the way of CSS3.

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

I use Photoshop to design website layouts, which I prefer because of the ability to edit on a per-pixel basis. I’ll often use Adobe Illustrator to create certain page elements, and then import the file into the main site layout. For coding I use the manual editor built in to Dreamweaver along with the Firefox browser and developer plug-ins. I’ve tried alternatives such as Coda, which itself is a nifty application but I’ve found myself getting used to the workflow of Dreamweaver.

8. How do you think that the tutorials featured on your Blog help other seasoned web design professionals and beginners?

I always pick up useful tips when reading the articles of others, so I naturally want to give back and help others by sharing what I know in the form of tutorials. I’ve found Illustrator content is slightly out of the ordinary therefore has proved pretty popular for both beginners and hardcore designers.


9.  Tell us more about your “Line25″ project?  It’s a pretty cool site and idea behind the site.  How did you come up with the idea?

Line25 is my second blog; I have plenty of fun developing Blog.SpoonGraphics with articles and tutorials which are primarily aimed at Illustrator and Photoshop. Although I have dabbled in the odd web design topic on Blog.SpoonGraphics I fancied putting together a blog specifically for web design tutorials and such. I’m looking forward to developing the site with more content in the future; so far it’s had an awesome response from the community and has blown me away with the visitor and subscriber stats seen so far!

VN:F [1.9.10_1130]
Rate This Design:
Rating: 0.0/10 (0 votes cast)
Filed Under: General, Web Designer Interviews Tagged: , , , ,

Spicy Web Designer Interview with Albert Lo

Posted on December 5, 2008 Written by 1 Comment

Albert Lo is a web designer from Hertfordshire, UK who specializes in “creating websites with visual flair that are user friendly”. Albert has always had an artistic background and received his education at De Montfort University studying Multimedia Computing and since then he has been designing some amazing user interfaces and websites

1. How did you first start out in web design?

I’ve always had a artistic background using traditional mediums of paints and pencils, having this skill I needed to find a course at university. My parents didn’t want me to study fine art or anything to do with art and design as they thought I wouldn’t make any money when I graduated. I flicked through numerous prospectuses and saw a course for Multimedia Computing which had elements of HCI and design in the modules; I thought it was a good compromise. Having chosen this course it has allowed me to diversity and choose a path into web design by knowing which areas I liked and hated during the course.

2. What did you study in school and has it helped you prepare for your career as a web designer?

I studied Multimedia Computing at De Montfort University for 4 years and done a Sandwich degree which meant that I had to do 1 year working in industry. I think the year I spent working really helped to get my foot through the door for my first job in the New Media field and allowed me to realize what I wanted and didn’t want from a job. I worked as an intranet developer for a large department store in the UK, without this experience I think I would have struggled finding my first role. It’s the classic, how can I gain experience if no one is willing to give me any experience scenario.

Studying for a career path doesn’t really compare to working for real. I think the experience counts for more in my opinion but it does allow you explore different avenues and get some of the theory nailed.

3. How do your clients and potential clients find you to hire you? Advertising? Word of Mouth? Agencies?

I think it’s more the other way around at the moment having recently set up as a Limited company and decide to go freelance/contracting. It feels like a whole new ball game trying to prove yourself as a contractor/freelancer as people are more interested in who you have worked for while contracting, having big agency experience really helps you get ahead of the pack I’ve found.

I think there are two sides to this; marketing yourself for recruitment agencies, this means sending emails to them and applying for jobs. Convincing them you are the right person for the job and having to battle with others for 1 role.

The other side is self marketing, having a website definitely helps showing your best work. Submitting to the various css galleries, having an up to date Linkedin account and also using the power of Twitter allows potential clients find me, every hot/warm lead can lead to much more.

4. Do you feel that you have competition in the web design business?

I use to definitely think so, but less so now. The web design community is so friendly, I don’t really see others as competition in terms of work as such, it’s all about getting along with others and you never know doors it can open.

Design is so hard to quantify and it’s so subjective. Some people might love the work and some people won’t. I shouldn’t think I have competition in terms of talent but this mindset allows me to personally raise the bar on my own work. I’m always amazed by other peoples work and want to be on that level or higher.

5. Where do you find inspiration for the web design / UI design that you create?

My inspiration comes from numerous places, I find taking a break and going on holiday to a different culture provides fresh ideas, it’s an expensive way to find inspiration but when you go on holiday make the most of it, take a small sketch pad or take a camera to record ideas etc for future reference.

I find going to the supermarket and book stores a fantastic source of inspiration to look at food packaging and book cover designs which could be used for the web. I love going to large cities for inspiration, the architecture and the buzz really helps.

I keep up to date with what’s happening in the industry by subscribing to numerous blogs and tutorial sites, I also try and find time to listen to a couple of design podcasts namely Boagworld and Rissington podcast and I also subscribe to a few magazines (.net, Computer Arts and Projects) to keep the juices flowing monthly. These can be good starting points for inspiration.

6. Do you think it’s important to meet face-to-face with clients to truly understand the goals of their business?

If its geographically possible and practical then most definitely meet clients face-to-face, first impressions count and I think it’s really important if you want to build a long term relationship with the client then the clients need to get to know you better and visa versa. There’s nothing worse than not getting along with a client if your personalities clash. I think there is only so much that an email or creative brief can convey about the business or brief. Meeting clients face to face allow you to see how passionate they are about their business and can therefore understand their goals better. It also allows the client to your personality.

7. When did you first know that web design and user interface design was an area you wanted to specialize in?

When I knew I didn’t have a coding mindset, when it would take me ages to figure something out that was fairly easy to code. I don’t think my mind is suited to pure development work. I think it’s better to play to your strengths and concentrate on something you enjoy and know you are ok at. Better to be a master of one than a jack of all trades. Saying that, I think there’s a definite advantage of sitting on the fence and knowing about development and design equally. It allows you to get along with developers a lot better.

VN:F [1.9.10_1130]
Rate This Design:
Rating: 0.0/10 (0 votes cast)
Filed Under: General, Web Designer Interviews Tagged: , ,

Spicy Web Designer Interview with Guilherme Zühlke O´Connor (Part 2)

Posted on November 1, 2008 Written by Leave a Comment

In part one of my interview with Guilherme Zühlke O´Connor I talked to him about his experiences in web design, his experiences in architecture before he started into computer science and his involvement in the “Designers that Blog” site. Here is a link back to the original article if you are curious about “Gui” (that’s the nickname he goes by) and here is part 2 of my interview with him.

1. How has your move been to London?

London is one of the most interesting cities I’ve ever been to, if not the most interesting. It is not top in the list as the most beautiful one, although is certainly on the list, but is just its urban character that is so charming. It also helps that London is one of the best places to be if you are a web type, but the choice has been mostly personal.

2. What is your computer setup like for the web development work that you currently do and what programs do you use day in and out?

At home, I have a dual 20″ widescreen iMac with MacOSX leopard and at Work a MacBook Pro with an external 24″ monitor. Most of the programs I use are free. Software I use includes Textwrangler or Textmate for coding, Cyberduck for FTP and a myriad of support applications like Quicksilver to enhance desktop usability, etc. Also, there is the Adobe Suite, notably Photoshop and Illustrator and VMware fusion.

3. I see that you design for WordPress and that you’ve built a few plug-ins. How did you first start using WordPress? And do you design add-on features for other CMS, ecommerce or other software platforms?

Back when I started my blog I wasn’t working with web development, I was working at Sony Ericsson Prototype lab and I wanted a blog as a hobby and a web-related pet project, the original niche was cooking. It started on blogger and, because of my technical nature, the platform soon became shorter and WordPress seemed the best choice at the moment. I was immediately hooked by its adaptability and, although it may have its defects, developing for it is easy and fun, that’s why there are so many people making extensions for it, just like me.

I have developed (and I do on a daily basis) for several platforms, some open and some proprietary, among the open platforms, I have already worked with Zope and Django, but only ad hoc solutions, no downloadable goodies. I’d be interested in developing something on Django in the future, though; it is an amazing platform and has a fantastic template system.

VN:F [1.9.10_1130]
Rate This Design:
Rating: 0.0/10 (0 votes cast)
Filed Under: General, Web Designer Interviews Tagged: , ,

Spicy Web Designer Interview with Dave Ellis

Posted on October 30, 2008 Written by Leave a Comment

Dave Ellis is a web designer from the UK. He runs a blog where he muses about his experiences as a web designer and his portfolio where he showcases some of the design work that he’s done for companies like Def Jam, Umbro England and Voodoo Events just to name a few. He’s been building websites for about the past 10 years since he made the jump from print to web design and he hasn’t looked back yet.

1. How did you first start designing websites?

About 10 years ago, just as I was about to finish my design course I got approached by a digital company to be their new junior web designer. It was quite flattering and fairly daunting as I’d only ever been on a website once in my life at that point. I took the job (primarily because the money was good), and it’s fair to say it took me a while to adapt from being a print designer to a web designer – but I don’t regret moving into web design one bit.

2. How much of your business comes from search engine traffic and how have you optimized your site to generate more leads for your web design freelancing business?

Around 50% of my work comes from search engine traffic. I spent quite a while last year tweaking and optimizing my old site to get a better position on Google and its one of the best things I ever did, I get some interesting projects, some not so interesting – but it’s really important to be out there and to maximize possibilities.

It’s also worth doing just for the knowledge – the amount I learned while optimizing my site has helped me out with loads of client sites.

3. How did you come up with the idea behind your “NoVolume” portfolio and blog?

NoVolume (the folio) is a fairly transparent site, and it’s intended to be that way. I wanted to show my work off with no clutter, I think it’s important that the work speaks for itself. The blog is a relatively new part of the site and I haven’t really promoted it yet. The blog is everything the folio isn’t. It’s a little bit messy, experimental, it’ a place where I can get things off my chest, test new ideas, spread a bit of knowledge – hopefully someone is out there listening! I want the blog and portfolio to grow and develop together, I have loads of ideas that I want to implement, but at the moment very little time

4. Do you think having a blog as a web designer gives potential clients a chance to get to know you better?

Possibly, but in reality I would doubt that clients are even looking at the blog. At the moment I think the audience is primarily other web designers. That may change as the blog evolves and I refine the content but at this stage it’s very much an experiment.


5. Outside of being a freelance web designer do you work full time currently or is “NoVolume” your main gig?

I work full time as a freelance web designer; I’ve been freelance for 3 years now and before that I was employed as a web designer – the experience you get from being employed is vital and I would recommend getting at least a few years under your belt to anyone that’s considering freelance

6. What are your favorite tools to use when it comes to designing websites?

I’m a bit of a sucker for applications but Photoshop has been the rock over the years, I have it open all day every day. I love the independent software too though – at the moment I really like Coda. I love the idea that it’s possible to be a web designer with almost entirely free software. I don’t know anyone that is doing that, but it is possible.

7. What is the most challenging thing you’ve faced as a web designer?

That would have to be managing the workload; I’m in the fortunate position where I get more projects coming in than I can handle so I never have to go looking for work. The downside is I struggle to say no when I’m busy – so I end up putting a lot of hours in just to keep up – but when you’re doing something you enjoy, it’s difficult to complain.

VN:F [1.9.10_1130]
Rate This Design:
Rating: 0.0/10 (0 votes cast)
Filed Under: General, Web Designer Interviews Tagged: , ,

Spicy Web Designer Interview with Jenna Law

Posted on October 20, 2008 Written by Leave a Comment

Jenna Law is a web designer from Bournemouth in the UK. Jenna graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Film & Television broadcasting with additional qualifications in Art and Graphic design. With over 6 years experience in the web and media industries, Jenna has worked in the web design business as both a Head Designer and New Media Producer with influential UK and international companies specializing in user interface design and designing for accessibility. She has worked with a vast array of noteworthy clients such as, the BBC, Budweiser, Volkswagen, Audi, London Metropolitan University and Mitsubishi. She has also been featured in Web Design 6 book.

1. How did you first start in Web Design?

Design has always been a passion of mine and always will. I was fortunate enough to work in Edinburgh for Net Resources who provide web development as well as training. They really helped mentor me and started me on the design ladder with small projects. I owe a lot to them for investing in me and my skills as a person, not just as an employee.

My next big career step came from working at the Centre for Excellence in Media Practice (CEMP) at Bournemouth University as their New Media Producer. Pretty much from day one I was working on developing the templates for the entire university re-design. This was a challenging project and honed my coding abilities under strict time pressures. AT CEMP it was an exciting time working with different organizations and people. It taught me a lot about the industry, future technologies, web usability & e-learning and most importantly taught me how to push the boundaries. The team at CEMP were also inspiring, again coming from all different areas of specialism and academic arenas. They took a great chance employing me over someone who had studied for an MA in Interactive Media. I think they could see that being a New Media Producer was more than just designing and coding, it involved strong organization, people and managerial skills.

2. I see that your work has been featured in the Web Design Index 6 book. How has this helped you professionally? And how did you get featured in their book?

This was a great story actually. My colleague at CEMP purchased the book to research cutting edge design. I just happened to flick through it one day and found my website. Then to my delight discovered it was also featured on the front cover! I have to say it was one the proudest moments in my career. Being fairly new to design at that stage it was a recognition that meant so much to me from both a professional and personal point of view.

I think the feature is a great selling point to potential clients who are not directly involved in the industry and acts as an accreditation to my hard work. It also helps to gain respect from my peers within the industry who recognize the value of the publication and its authority on great design.

I have never directly asked clients if they have chosen me because of this feature but I think it gives me a head start in their decision making process.

3. Would you say that going to university to study Television and Video Production has helped in your career? How has this helped you?

My university experience was one of the best times in my life. I learnt so much and all the skills I acquired were transferable to any industry. I was lucky enough to be given great opportunities through this degree, having worked for the BBC and directing television documentaries for ITV.

There are a lot of similarities working in TV and film compared with the web. Both involve teamwork, passion and organisational skills matched with creative flair. Dedication and hard work are also key to succeeding in what these highly competitive industries.

Documentary directing taught me to learn about an organization and to convey their messages. This is still a skill I use today when account managing, being able to research a company, ascertain its online presence and convey its message using just a slightly different method. Working in different industries only sets to inform your design and results in having a thorough knowledge of multimedia, which is essential in current web trends.

4. Is there a tool or technology that you couldn’t live without as a web designer? Other than the internet of course.

There are so many resources available that can aid design. CSS galleries such as CSS Mania really inspire me and looking at the diverse ways in which people can create layouts using CSS techniques is endless.

Recently I have started to develop a sketchbook/scrapbook of cutting and idea from various media. This is made up of posters, flyers, adverts, newspaper articles, brochures etc. I found it useful to divide the book into sections of layout, color, typography and imagery so that I can become a quick reference guide for inspiration.

Anything I find goes into that book now because nearly everything we see in this world has been designed or gone through some kind of design process so it all acts as a resource to my work.

5. What are 5 things you want people and potential clients to know about you Jenna?

1) Business Minded. I am very business minded and want people to know that I thoroughly research and develop strategies before I even go near Photoshop. There is a quote summing up designers being misconstrued- “The way something looks is the last thing we figure out”. Design is a process which can involve marketing, copy writing, information architecture. These are all key to my methodology.
2) Build Relationships. It’s important for me to develop a relationship cycle between myself, the client and the end user. If at any stage in this cycle is broken, the end result will lose its impact. It is important that I understand a clients needs and business in detail. It’s also important that they can ask questions and that they too come away from a project learning a little more about the web process. I am always willing to answer questions because we can’t all know about everything!
3) Passion. I am very passionate about what I do. It’s taken a long time to get to the fortunate position I am in now and people should know that I work hard and truly care about what I do. I am a perfectionist in everything I do and in the end everyone benefits form that.
4) Learning. Technology and web fashion trends are changing all the time at an unprecedented rate. It’s important to move with that flow rather than stand still. Education doesn’t end in the classroom and I make a point of keeping track of all aspects of the web industry to essentially aid my client’s results.
5) Hybrid. Working with various companies and other freelancers has taught me a lot about how different organizations do things. This experience has seen me take the ‘best bits’ of those processes to create my own enhanced version.

6. If I were going to buy a web design from you how would the pricing work and what would you tell me upfront?

Pricing is obviously dependent on a projects requirement. That’s why it is paramount that there is an open dialog with the client so that research and specifications are all analyzed before a design is even commenced. Plexus Design solely focuses on helping developers design and account mange their projects. Knowing lots of people within the industry in varying specialism and locations around the world gives me access to a large skills resource base, resulting in clients getting the best possible rates with the best team.

Money isn’t everything of course and I have been involved with charity sites that have been developed for free. The internet is not just a tool to make money but a wide reaching way to gain exposure for important causes. I think we often forget that sometimes, so it’s nice to offer my skills to noteworthy projects.

7. What caused you to leave your position as the Head of Design to freelance in web design?

Freelancing is a great way to afford more choice. I am fortunate enough to be able to select interesting projects and working with new and exciting talent. Freelancing has also offered me the opportunity to travel having working in various locations around the UK as well as the world in beautiful locations such as Sydney, Australia.

Being the Head of Design gave me the experience and confidence to develop my own work and was a great opportunity that people should never pass up. I feel freelancing now suits the way that I work both from a professional and personal point of view. It works for me and allows a certain freedom to explore that I relish.

VN:F [1.9.10_1130]
Rate This Design:
Rating: 10.0/10 (1 vote cast)
Filed Under: General, Web Designer Interviews Tagged: , ,

Spicy Web Designer Interview with Peter Wimrén

Posted on October 19, 2008 Written by 1 Comment

Peter Wimrén is a web designer who is originally from Sweden who made the move to London in the UK and has his sights set on coming to America to pursue his web design career in a place where he can be at “the forefront of web production and online design” as he puts it. He graduated with a degree in Art Direction for the web and decided to move to London to continue to pursue his career and things have being booming ever since for Peter.

1. How did you first get started? How long ago was that?

I knew from quite an early age that I wanted to design and it never changed. In Junior High I had my first experience when we had work experience for a week. I did not want to go to one of my parent’s workplace so I made a deal with a classmates dad and came to his print shop. We did mainly screen printing and signage.

Throughout high school my books where full of drawings and the only subject I really aced was art class. When going off to College I studied Graphic Design and media and as with high school I only really excelled in the subjects I liked, color studies, typography etc. We also had 3 months work experience so I worked at an ad agency making smaller pieces of work.

After graduating I started work at another place doing the same. This was around the time the Internet really started to kick off in Sweden and more and more clients wanted web work done. As no one at the agency I worked did stuff like that I decided to go back to school and learn it.

2 years later I graduated with a degree in Art direction for the web. I then did some freelance stuff but never really got a steady job to learn more. So I decided to go to London, I got a job working for free as an apprentice for 6 months doing freelance stuff on the side. After the 6 months they gave me a job and when I decided to go to America 4 years later, the company I worked for and one other partner company offered me to come on board as a director. So a few months ago I signed a contract to stay with the 2 companies for another 3 years in exchange for 15% shares in each company. The freelance work has taken a bit of a step back but I still do my fair share of jobs on the side. For obvious reasons I try to spend more time building the 2 businesses I now have a stake in. We will for instance be releasing some free WordPress themes and other goodies soon.

All in all I have been working with design since 2000 but I knew what I wanted to do from a very young age.

2. Do you work with other freelance web designers or do you prefer doing all the work on your projects yourself?

As I only do design and front end development I usually have to work with other freelancers on projects. It usually works out quite well; as you hire someone for their time or specific talents they let you sit in the driver’s seat and head up the project. I deal with the client and manage the project and the freelancers. Likewise, when I’m approached by freelance developers for my services I leave project management to them.

3. I noticed the FOWA badge on your site? How are you involved with them? I know that Elliot Jay Stocks another web designer I’ve interviewed has had some involvement with them.

I’ve never had the pleasure of working with the guys over at Carsonified, but as they were giving out free tickets to the FOWA London 2008 if you advertised the event on your website; I gave it a shot. Unfortunately I did not receive a ticket, some other lucky guy got to hang out with the “cool kids”. Who knows, maybe I’ll run into one of them at the Ecommerce Expo in a few weeks time.

4. Where do you get your ideas for the websites that you design?

Everywhere! As I work with print as well, you try and mix the 2 formats and the inspiration works both ways as well. I read quite a few design magazines and books. You are exposed to so much advertisement on a daily basis in London that it is impossible not to be influenced.

Of course you also spend hours and hours looking at other people’s great web design. Not to copy but to look at colour combinations, layouts, clever ways to display information and solve problems. The main CSS galleries are a great source of inspiration but I also try and look at other countries and their way of approaching design. There is a great deal of good design coming out of Asia, unfortunately many of them are made in flash so it is tedious surfing at times.

I think you can get inspired by most things actually, but in the end you need to try and find a design that fits your client’s needs and brand guidelines.

5. What are your favorite tools (software, pen and paper, other?) to design a website?

I use a pen and paper to gather my thoughts before starting to design. I usually do my wire framing on paper and all logo work starts on napkins, bar coasters or paper. Photoshop is the tool I use more than anything on my computer. I always keep about 2 or 3 versions below the newest software to avoid bugs and quirks (and keep costs down). So at the moment I work with Photoshop and Illustrator CS, Dreamweaver MX for my CSS and FTP. I use flash 5 to trace all my drawings, after which I work with them in Illustrator. I have not yet wrapped my head around using the pen tool, it takes to long compared to flash. I guess I could train myself to get faster but it’s like the saying goes; “If it’s not broken, don’t try to fix it…” And some other good freebies are firebug and IE tab (add-ons for firefox), PIXresizer for clients with loads of large images.

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

I usually try and get as much information as possible about the project and what the client is trying to achieve. I then try and estimate how much of my time that would involve. I generally get one or two developers quote how much time they would charge me for their involvement, I use different developers for different jobs. And at the end of it you guess, it is always a guessing job. Some you get right, some you get wrong and you end up spending much more time than you estimated.

It is a lot easier when the client is working towards a budget, then you can tell them how much of what they want they can get for their money.

VN:F [1.9.10_1130]
Rate This Design:
Rating: 9.0/10 (1 vote cast)
Filed Under: General, Web Designer Interviews Tagged: , , ,
« Older Posts
Newer Posts »