When did you first take an interest in web design? Where did you start out?

Back in 1995 I was already involved in print design and getting interested in typography, and had been playing on the internet on and off for two years or so (bulletin boards, email, etc.). I started learning about the web and trying to figure out how I could translate design to this new medium as soon as it came along. The timing was also good, since I had recently started doing some kiosk projects (using Macromedia Director) and was learning about designing interfaces for the screen.

You're the founder of Webgraph, and the co-founder of Sidebar Creative and Sinelogic. How did you come up with ideas for and get involved in these projects?

Webgraph was my first corporation. I had been working for 5 years or so under my own name (as a sole proprietorship), and then formed Webgraph when my brother (Alex) and I decided to make a partnership.Sinelogic was originally going to be a new design studio that Didier Hilhorst and I were planning to form, and then it morphed into a brand for publishing online. We have a few other PDFs in the works for whenever we have time to finish them, and have helped a few clients with their own digital publications.

The idea for Sidebar Creative (Bryan Veloso, Steve Smith, Jon Snook and I) started back at SXSW '06, when a few of us tossed around the idea of starting a 'design collective' to combine efforts without starting an actual company. It remained an idea until later that year, when Bryan and I started talking about it again (right after he left Automattic, makers of WordPress). He was determined to go solo (rather than working for 'the man'), but of course bigger projects can be tackled by larger teams, so we talked it over and brought Steve and Jon into the conversation, and the benefit was immediately apparent to us all. We launched in January of 2007, and have been working on larger projects since then, as well as creating new apps of our own (the first being MileMarker). It's exciting to create something from scratch with this group?we all get along, and respect each other's views, knowledge and skill-sets, and our goals for internal projects are simple: we'll only build something that doesn't exist yet, unless we're certain we can create a product that is far and away better than anything that already exists.

Do you submit your design works to showcase sites for reviews? How much does other people's opinion matter to you? Has anybody ever told you anything negative about SuperfluousBanter? How do you deal with criticism?

I rarely submit any of my own work to anything, whether showcase sites, awards, etc. It happens from time to time, but I just don't like the idea of submitting my own work to get it noticed. If people recognize my work of their own volition, that's nice, but I don't feel the need to force public adulation for any of my work. I'm always designing for a specific audience, and that's never defined as 'a panel of judges for an award', so I consider my work successful if it appeals to the intended audience, and serves its intended purpose.

As for negative comments about SuperfluousBanter, I've certainly received some over the years, though many have been reactions to major changes in the design (which is to be expected?my favorite comment when I introduced the current 'Orangina' design was 'I don't like orange, it's the color of the devil!').

It's still nice to hear when people like something I've done, and of course criticism (even when constructive) can sting a little, but it usually contributes to a better end result. I think when you're confident enough with your work to not feel like you have to react and change things based on every ounce of feedback, you also have the maturity to process all criticism and filter out the useful bits.

What is your general opinion on current trends in design and development, such as Web 2.0 and AJAX, etc.? What future web technologies are you looking forward to?

While I'm not a big fan of the way some people toss around vague terms like 'Web 2.0', the general direction the web is heading is positive. Responsible use of AJAX and Flash is becoming the norm, web standards are almost commonplace enough to stop capitalizing the 'W' and 'S', and people are becoming used to the idea of the web being more than just brochure-ware.As for future web technologies, my wants are simple at the moment: CSS3 support from all the usual browser suspects would be wonderful, and a method for connecting the 'social' aspect of social networking sites would be terrific. Folks like Chris Messina, Brian Oberkirch and others are working on solutions to the lack of portability between all these wonderful social tools that are becoming such a large part of our daily routine.

Why do you think CSS design is becoming so popular among web designers?

The answer depends on the generation of designer: those of us who have been using CSS to facilitate our designs since the late ?90s were, at one point, bleeding-edge early adopters, who saw the both the benefit of separating content from presentation as well as how much easier it would be to have control over our designs (at least, that was the idea back then); designers who are new to the web are learning CSS as the only way, so its less 'popular' than it is 'the norm', and I think that's a good thing.

If you could eliminate one trend from the Web, what would it be? Why?

The long-standing practice of using Flash to create an entire site. Flash/Flex/etc. works well for certain applications, but it's just maddening when a site that could have been just as useful in HTML/CSS is created entirely in Flash, since it usually results in a less-than-ideal experience. Actually, any use of Flash that doesn't enhance the overall user experience (aka 'make it better, not harder') is bad in my book. If I get a runner-up choice, I'd like to respectfully ask everyone who still designs splash pages to please stop. Right now.

What do you think of XHTML 5 and JavaScript standardization under W3C?

I think they will matter once the browsers used by the general public support them. The standardization process is important (though I can't say I know about it firsthand, although I wouldn't be opposed to helping out one of the working groups from time to time), but it doesn't really affect those of us working on projects today. I was just reading some W3C messages posted in 1998 by Eric Meyer et al regarding alpha transparency and various CSS3 suggestions, and almost 10 years on we've only just reached the point where we can use transparent PNGs (thanks to IE7), and still don't have CSS3.

What does 'clean interface' mean to you?

'Easy to use and understand'. This doesn't mean you can immediately uncover every feature without an FAQ or help document, but you should be able to use the interface to a functional point (such that you can complete the intended task) without assistance. I think to many people, 'clean' only relates to how looks, and not functionality, but if you separate 'visuals' from 'behavior' you aren't really creating an interface.

Tell us about the use of orange color in your design. Is it somehow symbolic? What does it represent? Can you think of the most unique and well suited color combination you ever encountered in web page design?

I could say all sorts of things here, including a reference to the Dutch national color (nods to Didier), but the fact is I was just in the mood for a change from the various and sundry shades of green that had adorned my site since its inception. Green had become a passive color for me, and I needed something more inspiring, something that I felt more of a connection to, and I kept coming back to orange while I was brainstorming. The final inspiration came during my first visit to San Francisco back in April of '06, sitting in a café having Orangina with my breakfast. It was the first time I'd had any in maybe 10 years, and I had the sketchbook out and drew the outline of the design that morning. It was in Photoshop less than a week later.

What language do you use for coding? Why?

I wish I could say I was smart enough to actually program anything from scratch, but so far my languages have been restricted to XHTML, CSS and a bit of JavaScript. I've played with PHP in the past, but never really spent enough time with it to do anything other than make small changes to existing code. Since teaming up with the Sidebar boys however, I've started to look at Rails and Django more intently, and I have a few little side projects I'm using to try and learn these frameworks and their related languages. If I'm successful, I'll have things to launch in the near future :)

You're a web designer, musician, and an artist. Where do you draw the line between these activities?

There isn't really a line that can be drawn, since they are just alternate outlets for the same creative spark. I find, however, that I do try to tone down the technologist in me (read: 'geek') when I'm around musicians, though in reality they are just geeks when it comes to music, so it's all the same thing really. Music, art, design, typography - these are all part of who I am, not just things I do, so there isn't really an option to turn them off. If that means I get weird looks from my musician friends when I start critiquing the typography on a restaurant menu, or sideways glances from the designer crowd when I break into song in response to some random sentence, I think I can deal with it.

What were the mistakes you learned most from while in web design industry?

Mistakes happen on every project, almost every day. In that regard, I'd say the biggest lesson I've learned is to continue learning from every mistake or error in judgment, since the only sure thing is that you'll make another mistake somewhere along the line. This is true for design, usability, accessibility, markup, styles, testing, the whole shebang.

What is it you most like and dislike about being a web designer?

I like the flexibility to change things even after they have launched. It's one of the restrictions that was most challenging about the print world. That said, I also miss the physical aspect of designing for print, and that's what I dislike the most about the web: everything is virtual, and sometimes it feels less like a 'real' profession than I would like. Whenever I get the opportunity to work on print projects, I jump at the chance.

Is there a rule of thumb you're following in your work? What is it?

Users can always tell the difference (even if subconsciously) between low- and hi-quality design, just as they can between easy to use and difficult, so always put in the extra effort to make your product that much better than it would otherwise have been.

Thank you so much for the interview, Dan! It was a pleasure!