How did you get into web design?

I've designing for the web and creating websites since I was 13, in 1996. Back then I used the free storage that AOL gave out along with Tripod. Around the same time I got into some simple programming with Javascript and Applescript, and then when I went off to college my major was Information Technology so I took web programming classes (PHP, MySQL, Perl, etc.). I first learned web standards like CSS and XHTML in 2002, back when most websites were table-based and pioneers like Jeffrey Zeldman were pushing web standards forward. The web standards movement really made up my mind about what I wanted to do professionally, and since then I've been focused on web design.

Do you remember your very first project? Tell us about it.

The first project I designed and released very publicly was The Car Blog in Fall 2004. Back then it was one of the first automotive blogs on the planet, launching around the same time as Jalopnik from Gawker, and it was a lot of fun to see it get featured on all the big CSS galleries back then.

How did you come up with the idea for 9rules.com? How do you keep it fresh?

Paul Scrivens came up with the idea for 9rules in early 2005, and prior to that he used the 9rules.com domain to be the umbrella holding up all his different weblogs. The idea was pretty abstract ? get good blogs together and make them easier to find ? and from that it's been extrapolated into a larger community focused on good content. We keep it fresh by looking at where we'd like 9rules to be, and then doing things to get it there. I'm not sure how helpful that answer is :)

What is good design to you? What's the key to it?

I'm not sure what good design is, but I know what it's not. It doesn't get in the way of users accomplishing tasks or achieving goals. It doesn't send mixed messages. It doesn't complicate simple processes.

What could make you walk away from a web design project?

Having to support Netscape Navigator 4.

If you were to create the WWW again and set up the rules for it, how would it look like?

I'd make it exactly the same, but would allow for a greater range of IP addresses from the onset.

What's your favorite programming language?

I like PHP for its utility, it makes common things easy to do, but it's not the most robust language, so there's a tradeoff between ease of development and the robustness of the architecture you create. I like the syntax of Objective C and hope to devote more time to developing applications in Cocoa at some point in the future.

Are you jealous of anybody on the Web? Who? Why?

No, I've never been jealous of anyone on the Web. There are people I admire for their talents or the businesses they've created, but I've never put anyone on a pedestal so high I didn't think I could reach it. A short list of people I admire would have to include Jared Tarbell, John Maeda, Cameron Marlow, Jason Fried, Mike Matas, and Adam Iser.

Is there anything you would like to learn how to do as a web designer, but haven't managed to yet?

I'd like to be as proficient in 3D modeling as I am creating 2D designs and artwork, but that's related to design as a whole, not necessary something I'd really like to use when designing for the web.

You're a web designer and a creative person - describe the creative process and how you stimulate yourself?

I like to see things down on paper a lot, I'll keep a small notebook on my desk at all times and just start writing down words and ideas that I'm trying to form into a design. I like to think hard about the adjectives that will describe a design before I start getting into it, writing them down, extrapolating overall meaning from the word list I've created, and then I start brainstorming various approaches to the design. For creative inspiration I turn to great print design: magazines, typography catalogs, books, posters.

What recent web design activities or product releases caught your attention?

None, really. The heyday of web design processes and techniques was back a few years ago when everyone was discovering new ways to do something with CSS, writing tutorials for techniques that no one had ever seen before, and then giant conversations sprouted up about those techniques. Now, since CSS-based web design has been around for awhile, people aren't coming up with new techniques but are using those techniques to produce websites, applications, and businesses. That's exciting from an entrepreneurial point of view, but innovation in new web design activities or techniques has been stagnant for awhile, and will probably remain stagnant until another big release of CSS is adopted, or HTML5 hits the radar.

What web design trends do you predict for 2008?

More iconography, more subtle user interaction elements, more usage of quality illustration. More visually rich interfaces, better visual depth.

What are the three must-visit-regularly web sites for you?

9rules, Reddit, Techmeme.

You have your personal blog where you say you "try to completely avoid all things related to technology." Why?

I don't like talking about technology or the web much outside of when I'm working. Most of my friends know about what I do but I'd never bring up new web projects or ideas casually into conversation because I think in the grand scheme of thing, there are a lot more interesting subjects to talk about besides what someone does professionally. I'm a big geek and read hundreds of blogs and interesting articles every day, but outside of people I interact with directly while working I like to keep that whole side separate. That's probably why I get a little freaked out when I'm in San Francisco because it seems no one there has that boundary, they'll talk about technology and programming when they're out socializing after work or on the weekends and I'm completely the opposite. I get my fill of technology stuff during the day so it's nice to turn it off when I'm hanging out with my wife or our friends.

I just resurrected my Typepad blog after not posting to it for about a year, and I decided to go back to what it was when I started (July 2003) which was personal, non-techie stuff. If I do have opinions on technology or business, I'll post them to 9rules Notes or to 3by9.com, a collaborative blog written by myself, Tyme White, and Paul Scrivens.

What are the three must-have apps you use everyday (web and/or desktop based)?

Hmm, well I've always thought that Apple Mail was a central part of my day but that's a boring answer. The add-on for Mail that I've been using for awhile now is called Mail.appetizer and it's probably one of the most important things on my computer as far as improving productivity. Adium is the IM client I use, and I've been using it now for probably 4 years so I'm really attached to it, also because the original creator of Adium is around my age and he's just so talented. Recently I switched from Camino to WebKit as my default browser and it's been fantastic. I'd recommend the WebKit nightly builds to any Mac user serious about the Web.

You are the author of famous How C.R.A.P is Your Site Design article. Could you briefly analyze how C.R.A.P. is Web Design Interviews design?

I think the site design is great, nice contrast between main content areas and the navigation. The only thing I'd suggest changing is how people access the interviews. The whole site is about interviewing designers but the Recent Posts navigation is below the fold tucked under some other navigation lists, even though that's the focus of the site.

What advice would you give to a beginning web designer?

I'd tell them to learn everything they can about the Web ? design, usability, accessibility, programming ? because all those disciplines help you at some point. Think up ideas and then build and execute them, from design and programming all the way to promoting it through nontraditional means. The things you learn from creating something from nothing on the Web are limitless.