How did you get into web design?

It was my brother's fault, he was studying Computer Science in the University. The years passed and I was watching the evolution of the web very close. So in 1996 I made my first step into this world and started to have experiences on internet. I made my first site, non-professional, not pretty, but I like it. So, between 1999 at 2001, the games online start to rule the teens and I was one of them. I love 'Worms 2', an extrategic game, and I play it a lot. I remember that we needed to get into a clan to be good and all clans need a site. So I started to create a lot of stuff for the internet and always trying to find the best designs and ideas for that game. So that's it, I started to create sites for the clans of games online.

Do you remember the very first site you designed?

Yes I do. I remember very clearly my first site. It has the url CJB.NET. I remember all the non-professional sites used in that season. It has my complete name and was very big like www.andreaugustodeoliveira.cjb.net. I made it between 1996 at 1997, it had many animated gifs, pictures and few words. That was my first experience creating things for the internet.

You are doing a lot of Flash, please tell us about your specialization.

It was unexpected that it became to be my specialization. In thr beginning the main reason for me to create flash projects was the full inspiration of the legend studio 2advanced.com. I remember that they did amazing stuff just with the Flash 5 macromedia. I told myself I want to create things like that someday. It was my first target. Along the way I realized other parts of the creative world on the internet, other styles, and it made me fall in love with the job. I like so much to animate as I like to do interface design, usability and illustration.

Where do you get your art for these webpages?

I like to visit portfolios, agencies and designers, I like to visit awards pages, like FWA, DOPE, LOUNGE, etc. I like to keep all the art that I enjoy. I like to keep graphic stuff too, it always brings ideas for my projects. TV, Movies, Music World helps too.

What will be the next big development webpage design?

Actually, many of the new languages and technologies were born by the evolution of the old and the current, I believe that's the secret. For example, if you see the case of youtube, once someone created flash, once created flash video, once created pre-loading, once created one way to use all that stuff for one main target, so, here we go . . . evolution comes.

Have you ever worked with website templates?

I have one experience with templates. In 2006 when I was invited to develop an intranet for a Telecom Company. It was a partnership of marketing and creation with IT. I made the templates and the IT department was supposed to program it.

What website template providers have you tried?

I know templatemonster.com from a long time ago, always like it and sometimes the ideas to animation comes from there. In the other ways we can see on internet, they are really professional and can be an inspiration for many guys.

What do you think about Flash Technology?

As I said, I always enjoy it and it was my main reason to work with creation. But today, I see it differently. New guys are using it the wrong way, making the website a nonsense of usability and user experience. I heard that developers care about technology, not the user. Sometimes people use Flash for their needs, but I recommend the use only when it's fully necessary to make available the message that you want to say. On the other hand, there are many new Flash Projects never see before and people like it, the news, bold, but behind this success is very much work, search, study, etc. Before you judge some project you need to ask yourself how much time people spend to do it, look for details, the art, branding, you can enjoy it and bring it to your projects too.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of using Flash?

The good is that it has absolute flexibility and it's bold, it allows you to creatively present your idea! It's a gun, you just should to learn how to use it and Bing! you can shoot your target right on the center. But if you use it the wrong way as I said, you can shoot your customer and kill his site. Many developers when they face a thousand options they lose control. Sometimes only one pic can tell the message, but people make a show of colors and sounds like a bomb to call the user's attention.

What are your sources of inspiration?

As I said: I like to visit portfolios, agencies and designers, I like to visit award sites. Watch TV, Movies, Music World Helps too.

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

The favorite I did is designbinario.com . I mean, I love the illustration that I did and the main animation too. By the way my favorite I did not do but is always an inspiration is marconi.nu, I love his job because it's perfection, so many details, I mean this guy loves his work, it's clear to my mind.

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

Well, after four years experience I only can remember one case, last year I got a job as a freelancer and the customer ask me to design an interface. So I did and sent to him, he loves it and he pays me. Few days later he ask me If I don't want to develop it too. So . . . I remember I answer him that I haven't time and maybe on the weekend we should talk and maybe I accept to do that job. So he didn't contact me but then he did on monday or tuesday, when I was already busy again. Then he said that I went back on my word and we never work again. Then he told in a design discussion list that I did this wrong to him. nobody there believed me for a long time until I proved with my work along for months to the contrary.

What are your interests and dislikes in webpage design?

I have many wishes in this field. I'm always interested to learn and I love what I do. I wish to start to produce Motion Projects, 3D, Video Campaigns and get a job position out of Brazil. That's my first target in 2008, The way I see it sometimes because I'm Brazilian it can be an obstacle but I believe that I have the skills and talent required to get a permanent position, so If someone gives me that chance I hope I can prove it.

What tool-set do you choose to use in your work and what do you believe the benefits are?

Well, I like to use fireworks on websites. I know that's uncommon but I love it. I believe it is practical, I mean in photoshop I don't feel totally free. But of course I can use photoshop for graphic stuff or even for some effects I want to make. Sometimes I use both them. For vector I always like to use Illustrator and I use Flash for animation. For code editing I usually use notepad, and dreamweaver for css.

Tell us about your use of colors in your designs

I like to blend colors according to the project. . . cold colors with one hot color sometimes helps me to start. I like to use gray as a third option. I really enjoy a clean layout.

What blogs or magazines articles would you suggest reading in to learn more?

I have some tips:

- Illustration: http://www.marconi.nu/

- Blog: http://freelanceswitch.com/

- T-shirt Design: http://camiseteria.com/

- Digital Magazine: http://www.ideafixa.com/

- Web from Brazil: http://www.webfrombrazil.com/.

Thank you, Andre, for the information and ideas. We wish you every success in 2008.

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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