HOW DID YOU GET INTO WEB DESIGN?

I've always been a creative person, for as long as I remember. I wanted to be many things growing up, and thought about various creative professions, like writing, animating, acting, singing, etc. However, I have a very large practical streak and have always been interested in business, computers, and technical matters. I went to college and majored in Design & Digital Media, and built a large print portfolio amongst my digital works. I thought I was eventually going into animation, when I discovered the hobby that began when I was thirteen (designing Sailor Moon websites from scratch, hosted on Geocities) was a lot more intriguing to me because it seemed like the right marriage between my creative and technical side. Also, I've always loved the web, and the ease of it to communicate with people around the world and the various opportunities that opens up with that, both professionally and personally, so working on the web seemed like the best type of choice.

YOU SAY YOU 'CREATE WEBSITES THAT ARE NOT ONLY ATTRACTIVE, BUT ARE SEARCH-ENGINE FRIENDLY, FLEXIBLE TO DESIGN AND EASY TO UPDATE.' WHAT DOES FLEXIBLE DESIGN MEAN TO YOU? WHAT ARE THE MAIN POINTS TO CONSIDER IN DESIGNING SUCH WEBSITES?

When I say flexible design, that means that every site I produce is web standards based and the visual elements are controlled by CSS ? that way, if someone wants to make small or massive changes over colour, layout, or image items, they can simply manipulate the CSS file to make site-wide changes.Flexible design can also mean that you need to be aware if a client wants to expand the site in some way or other. If you look at sites like Facebook, it's not a static site? it allows users to manipulate the layout at the very least to have the ordering of 'widgets' they prefer. These days, we have to be more and more aware of user habits and patterns on how they interact and want to interact with a site, to remaining flexible when designing a website means you're keeping your user in mind.

Finally, flexible also means that you understand the reality of the web. It has an organic life-cycle and there are also technical limitations you have to be aware of that isn't prevalent in print. For example, you want to be consistent with your brand across all channels, but the reality of the web is that custom typefaces are not intuitively easy to implement, especially for large body copy. Or, your client wants some type of implementation of their site or web app, but you have to be mindful of the intended and eventual volume of visitors they want and may need to offer a different set of solutions.

The web has more than one right answer, and it's up to you to be flexible to adapt each solution to your client or project.

WHAT ARE SOME SEO TRICKS YOU COULD SHARE WITH DI READERS?

When marking up titles in your HTML in a CMS for a blog or static page, make sure that the title of that page or blog post is first before your site name? Google ranks the first few words higher in the title than most.

Otherwise, the white-hat practices of using the right type of keywords within actual content, updating that content as much as possible, and making sure your site is linked in reputable sites that have high page rank is always a safe bet.

YOU RAN A SESSION ON BUILDING A BRAND THROUGH DESIGN AT THE FUTURE OF WEB DESIGN CONFERENCE IN NY. HOW IMPORTANT IS PERSONAL BRAND? WOULD YOU DO A LITTLE RECAP OF THE SESSION FOR OUR READERS LISTING THE KEYPOINTS AND GENERAL DO'S AND DON'TS?

A personal brand is very important especially if you want to stand out in these competitive times, whether you work in a corporate, studio, or freelance setting. In my presentation, I mentioned that there is a huge interpersonal disconnect these days and we often forget that people are behind every single decision, triumph and failure behind a company. Well, personal branding is a way to take control of your identity and bring back a humanistic approach to marketing, positioning, and other general positive business aspects. Branding is an all-encompassing endeavor for a business because it encapsulates everything a company displays to their audience. A brand is an idea and perceived value formed by its intended audience based on a company's culture, product, and service. I encourage each person who tries to brand themselves to pretend they have amnesia and be able to ask basic questions so they can get into the core essence of their self. It is not just the logo.

Some general dos and donts:

- be honest

- be consistent

- be brave

Don't:

- be complacent (always evolve & reflect)

- be inflexible

- forget others.

WHAT ARE THE MAIN STEPS OF SELF-BRANDING?

I called it the '3D Approach' which is essentially: Discover, Design, and Deliver. The longest and most important step is the Discover section, where you do all the types of research you can about yourself or your client to be able to justify your decisions to yourself and to others. Design is when you actually apply these concepts. Then, Deliver is how you present and implement your brand.

DO YOU AGREE THAT 'IF PEOPLE BELIEVE A WEBSITE LOOKS GOOD, THEN THIS POSITIVE QUALITY WILL SPREAD TO OTHER AREAS, SUCH AS THE WEBSITE'S CONTENT?'

Absolutely. According to a study by Reeves and Nass, 'People attribute personality to products based on their appearance and how they interact.' In Blink, Malcolm Gladwell asserts that it only takes a few seconds for someone to make up their mind about a person, and according to The Guardian that cites a Canadian study, someone judges a website 'within one-twentieth of a second.' If your website is well designed, it is their first impression of the site, even before they actually read the content. The content is absolutely essential and it's what keeps people coming back, but the design is what gets them hooked in the first place. If the initial impression is 'this site looks beautiful and professional' that might actually translate to: 'this site looks credible and the people behind it are professional. I may decide to purchase their product or service.'

YOU'RE AN OFFICIAL REVIEWER AT STYLEGALA TO HIGHLIGHT EXCELLENT DESIGNS THAT ALSO PRACTICE WEB STANDARDS. BESIDES WEB STANDARDS, WHAT ARE THE TOP 3 CRITERIA THAT ARE OF THE HIGHEST MATTER TO YOU?

It's been a while since I've submitted a review to Stylegala, however, I do have criteria over how I judge what makes a good website. Essentially:

1. Is it wow? Does the design immediately draw you in visually?

2. Is it consistent? Does the entire site actually look cohesive and share the same messages?

3. Is it relevant? Does the design actually reflect the content and target audience?

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE DESIGN TECHNOLOGY? WHY? WHAT SOFTWARE DO YOU USE AT HOME AND WORK?

At the end of the day, my favourite design technology will always be Photoshop. It's such a flexible piece of software that's unfortunately gotten more bloated over the years, but so far nothing has surpassed it for its design capabilities. Other software I use for work include HTMLPadPro which is a lot like a cheaper type of Homesite. Firefox is my default browser of choice and I use Miranda IM to chat with my friends and colleagues.

WHAT COULD MAKE YOU WALK AWAY FROM THE WEB DESIGN PROJECT?

A client who refuses to listen and communicate in a civil manner, and uses bullying tactics to try to get what they want.

HORIZONTAL SCROLLING IS GETTING ITS BUZZ AROUND IT. WHAT DO YOU PERSONALLY THINK OF THAT DESIGN FEATURE?

I think it works for personal or experimental sites. For commercial projects, not so much.

IS BRYAN VELOSO REALLY A STEP BROTHER OF YOURS? DO YOU COLLABORATE ON PROJECTS? :)

Hahaha, this is a misnomer. We aren't actually related in any way. In my recent blog, I described him as a 'brother from another mother' but I meant it in an urban slang way. Otherwise, we haven't formally collaborated on any projects yet but we have given each other valuable feedback over various things over the years.

WHAT WEB DESIGN BLOGS/SITES/MAGAZINES ARE YOU FOLLOWING ON REGULAR BASIS?

Honestly, I follow design blogs/sites/magazines sporadically as opposed to regularly. The sites that I usually have on 'speed dial' are Facebook, Flickr, and Twitter. At each of those sites, most people end up forwarding links of interest anyway. Otherwise, I do like looking at CSS Beauty for upcoming web news as well as design inspiration, and I cycle between Digital Web, Vitamin, Design Observer, and Speak Up as blog/sites regarding design and design on the web.

WHAT BOOKS WOULD YOU RECOMMEND READING TO NON-/PROFESSIONAL DESIGNERS?

- Art of Looking Sideways

- Logo Savvy

- The Art of the Start

- The Creative Business Guide to Running a Graphic Design Business

WHAT WEB DESIGN TIPS WOULD YOU GIVE TO SOMEONE WHO WAS THINKING OF BECOMING A WEB DESIGNER?

Being good is never enough. You have to be able to justify your decisions beyond, 'I think it looks good'. Specialize. And of course, always always continue learning.

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