How did you get into web design?

I started my career as a computer programmer and quickly burned out on writing code all day. I was in graduate school for Industrial Design and started to pick up some graphic design skills. I quickly learned that I could apply my knowledge of computers and coding to something more visual, which happened to be web design.

Do you remember the very first site you designed?

I pretended I was a professional photographer and built myself a little web site and photo gallery, just to have a reason to make a web site.

You are doing a lot of XHTML/CSS is this a specialization for you?

Production-wise, I spend most of my time building XHTML/CSS web site templates. Of course, there is graphic design on the front end of that and integration with applications on the other end.

Where do you get your art for these webpages?

I generally get imagery - photos - and identity-specific materials - logo, color schemes - from clients, and produce the actual template graphics myself.

What will be the next big development in webpage design?

Personally, I am planning on integrating AJAX more into my interface designs.

What do you think about Flash technology?

I like to use Flash very subtly as small accent pieces in my designs sometimes, where appropriate. I also think Flash Video is a great alternative to either Quicktime or Windows Media, as you generally don?t have to worry about people having the software installed necessary to play it.

What are your sources of inspiration?

Designs on the web are often viewed by thousands - sometimes millions - of unique people. That inspires me to produce something unique and modern each time.

What are your favorite website designs that you did and did NOT design yourself?

I haven't designed my favorite web site yet, nor has anybody else.

What was the toughest project or customer situation you've encountered?

The toughest situations to deal with as a web designer always involve getting the small amount of things you need from a client to be able to finish a project.

Thank you, Chris! I appreciate your take on the world of internet design.

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.


Look for me on:
- Twitter
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- Facebook

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