Tell us a little bit about yourself. What is your background? What led you into web design? What other interests do you have?

I got into web design on my placement year at University. I worked at a small communications company for a year and they got me to set up a website for the business. This was about 10 years ago, so the web was just starting to become popular, but I picked up some valuable experience. When I left University, I got a job as web designer with the local council and then later moved on to an agency.

When you design a website, do you do a lot of research and testing?

A key part of the design process should certainly be a research period. This includes checking out competitors, trying out different ideas and styles etc? I also make sure to test my code across the popular browser platforms. This is especially important when producing CSS layouts. Browser differences are the biggest singular cause of stress to all working web designers today!

How do you find new clients?

I think the best way to get new clients is to simply get your best work together and put it out there. If people like what they see, they'll get in touch. Once a potential client shows interest, it's up to you as the designer to advise them on the best way forward for their business. I think people appreciate honesty so it's always best to be straight with a client and not try to blind them with buzzwords. Explain the benefits to their business of doing things a certain way and then let them make a decision.

How do you tell a client 'no'? What is usually the reason for that?

I don't think it's really a matter of telling a client 'No'. You can only advise them as you see fit. If you give them your best advice, explain your reasons and they still want to do something else, then you do it their way. At the end of the day it's their money being spent so sometimes you have to compromise too.

Where do you usually seek advice if needed?

I usually work in a small team with a developer depending on the scope of the project. I do find that the Net is a great source of advice and ideas though. There are a lot of great blogs and community sites out there where you can always find the answer to a problem or that little bit of inspiration when you're having one of those days.

You've done some freelance work. What advice would you give to someone who was thinking about being a freelance designer for a living?

I would recommend that you get some good experience first. Make sure you've got a good body of work behind you to show to potential clients. You also need a decent understanding of the business side of things. You could be the best designer in the World but if you can't get any work, it counts for nothing. Finally, don't be afraid to specialize in an area. Some people try to cover too many bases and end up a jack of all trades, master of none. You'll be more in demand if you're an expert in your chosen field.

Speaking about www.danlindop.co.uk design. How did you come up with such a color scheme?

I tried out several layouts and colour schemes before arriving at that one. I've always liked the bright green colour though. I used the grey as a background as it is a neutral colour. The idea behind my site is to simply show off my work. The grey acts as a base that doesn't distract from the images while the green adds that necessary bit of visual impact. Sometimes simple is best.

Web 2.0 concept advocates call the kind of green you used in your personal website design 'lime green' and consider it the official color of Web 2.0. Is it an accident or coincidence?

I don't think that my site is particularly in the 'Web 2.0' style. There are no shiny buttons, reflections etc? It's just meant to say what I do and showcase my work. As for the colours, I just like them.

Do you consider 'Web 2.0' a real thing or a buzzword? Why?

I think Web 2.0 is both a real thing and a buzzword. Certain people bandy the phrase 'Web 2.0' around all over the shop for anything with a certain look. To me, Web 2.0 is more about the community aspects of sites, and the focus on the user experience. It's about making the web a two-way conversation and getting people involved.

To your opinion, what would greatly influence the kind of work web designer and developers do in the nearest future?

I think the increasing number of broadband users in the past few years has had a big influence on sites. I can't imagine that YouTube would have got so popular if everyone was still on 28k dial up. Having to wait 17 minutes for a clip of some fat kid pretending to be Darth Maul certainly wouldn't be quite as funny. If our connections keep getting quicker then I think you'll see a lot more high def video being used in sites.

What are your favorite development tools? Why?

The ones I use all the time are Photoshop and Dreamweaver. I also use Flash and the occasional bit of Illustrator but those two are the main ones. I use Photoshop for the initial design of layouts before transferring them to Dreamweaver for coding. I could work without Dreamweaver but if you took Photoshop away it would be like you'd cut off my hands. I think everyone develops their own way of working and Photoshop is an integral part of mine.

What web design magazines/sites/blogs do you read regularly?

I read .Net, Computer Arts and the occasional Creative Review magazine. I spend about £35 a month on magazines (not all design related) which is probably slightly excessive. There are loads of sites I visit, too. Some of my faves include:

- http://www.pixelsurgeon.com

- http://9rules.com

- http://www.freelanceswitch.com

There's too many to list here really. I also find that you can get stuck in 'the trail'. This is where you're reading an article on one blog and then that links to another site which looks interesting. That one leads to another and so on until you realise it's lunchtime and you've achieved pretty much nothing that morning.

What makes your day?

Ooh, all sorts of things. It can be hearing a great song, going for a pint with mates, a good film, a bad joke, a tasty sandwich, a large cheque? Anything that puts a smile on my face really.

Helen Walker

Helen Walker graduated with a degree in Mass Communications and Sociology. She worked as a newspaper journalist for two years after that. Having always been interested in cyberculture and its impact on society, Helen switched to online journalism and joined Design Interviews blog in July, 2007. Ever since she's been interviewing web designers and administrating the blog. Helen is a keen movie-goer and she is also a panda lover.


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Get in touch with Helen: helen.walker4@gmail.com