Adelle Charles: Fueling Your Creativity

February 8, 2009, Categories: Web design, Graphics, Logo & Icon Design
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Hi, Adelle! How are you and what have you been up to recently?

Hi! I'm doing well! My days (and nights!) have been pretty crazy and packed full of interesting things having to do with Fuel Brand Group. I'm very excited for all of these projects to be completed and introduced to the world.

How did you get into web design?

I have no formal training in web design, actually. I started out in print design, but I got really interested in web design about 3 years ago. I'm not a coder, but I'm broadening my knowledge of it and love putting what I've learned into action.

You received BFA in graphic design. Do you consider formal design education necessary for someone planning to be a web designer?

No, I don't think it's necessary. I think nowadays most of what you need to get into web design is on the internet and there are a lot of people in the design community that are willing to share their knowledge of the subject. It's a good thing to have it comes to being on the job market, though.

How did you come up with the idea of Fuel Your Creativity?

It started because my bookmark folders were getting way too full and I was having a hard time keeping everything organized. I wanted to have a central location where I could go and have everything at my fingertips. I also love having the chance to trade ideas with other designers so I thought this would be a great way to do that and spread the information around the community.

Why is Fuel Your Creativity unique?

I have a featured interview that gets posted occasionally written by Michelle Krasniak of inherwritemind.com. It's in a different, more feature-type style than these question-answer interviews and we've gotten a great response from them. My viewers enjoy the in-depth look into the lives of their fellow designers.

What do you have in store for the project? Any specific goals?

I've added to the FYC team and I'm opening it up to feature more guest authors and in the next month or so I'm going to be adding some new features (sorry...no peeking!) but I can say that one goal we have is to include other creatives such as writers more in the site and content.

To you web design is more of an art, science or technique? Why?

I think web design is more of an art but the coding behind the scenes is definitely more of a science. Web design is an art for me because a lot of my designs take longer than normal because I will work and rework it until it "feels right."

I know that Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator are your hearted tools. In your interview back in October you said you couldn't wail for the Photoshop CS4 to come put. Well, now that it's out there and is supposedly at your disposal already, what could you say about it? Has it met your expectations? What are the advantages and disadvantages.

You're right! I couldn't wait for it and now I can't wait to afford it :)

Tell us how your design process flows.

I usually start out with sketches and I'll create a wireframe of the structure. Then I go right into Photoshop/Illustrator and I just start playing around with the concept and if I get stuck then I move onto another task and then come back to the original one.

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

A difficult client or a nice Merlot. :)

What projects are you working on now and could tell us about?

Fuel Brand Group and the Fuel Brand Network of sites is a huge project that I am lucky to be a part of. These ideas have been in development for months and we are getting very close to launching them. We don't have a specific launch date yet but everything is right on schedule so keep an eye out for these exciting, unique additions to the Fuel family. You can check out a sneak peak of what's to come from the partners of FUEL at Fuel Brand Network. Another great opportunity I'm involved in is Fresh ID. This company focuses on brand identity and helping companies achieve that.

If you had one thing to change in web design industry, what would it be and why?

I am sometimes uncomfortable with the level of imitation that can happen in this industry. It sometimes seems as if you should guard you ideas more closely that you may want to for fear of them showing up one someone else site. It's great to get feedback from your peers but I think you sometimes have to be careful with whom you associate.

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

I love the freedom to be as creative as possible and how I can change things as much as I want, meaning I can tweak as often as I need to. I dislike clients who don't have a clear picture of what they want so they make it up as they go along and constantly change things. This makes a lot more work for all of the people involved.

What web-related books/blogs/articles would you suggest reading in order to broaden one's knowledge?

I suggest picking up .NET magazine or checking out one of Envato's tutorial sites, PSDtuts, NETtuts, VectorTuts. I also recommend CSSTricks.

What advice would you give to beginning web designers?

Try different creative activities that you haven't tried before such as photography or painting. You never know what you will be good at and you may pick up some really unique design ideas and methods you've never thought of before that you can apply to your work.

Helen Walker

imageHelen 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
- VIRB
- Facebook

Get in touch with Helen: helen.walker4@gmail.com
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Ankit BathijaFebruary 6, 2009
Gr8 Interview... :-P
1Ankit Bathija
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Great interview!
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MichelleFebruary 7, 2009
This is a great interview with a great designer. Adelle is so talented and I think the world is *finally* taking notice!
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Emil WischFebruary 11, 2009
I overheard someone saying that Adelle Charles is going to hold the planet ransom for 1 mill-i-on dollars. She's that freakin' good. Congrats on all your personal success, lady!
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�´�§�ªFebruary 14, 2009
A difficult client or a nice Merlot. :)
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Paul GeorgeMarch 1, 2009
How would you design a commercial website to maintain a professional look and feel internationally.
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I am not sure we will see the next big thing for a long time. Instead, I think we will see things slowly evolve instead. Everything is moving more towards a social stream of content and ideas. I post somewhere I need help. A guy around the world says, â??here is how you fix thatâ??. We are all going to soon become one big user group.
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DADDYApril 13, 2009
Adelle... Just want you to know that I look at your site regularly to see if I can get a grasp of your project !!! L.U. Ciao.....
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Amy SumnerApril 17, 2009
Looks great!!!!!! and your answers are good too!
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Thanks for the inspiration!
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anistockApril 24, 2009
Not sure I'd agree with comment on web design being art, most designs flow out of tracking how much interact/click plus what your competitor is doing. That said I'm a fan of Adelle, makes lots of great points
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Bryan ZimmermanMay 16, 2009
Wow. As a writer, designer, musician and photographer, this interview definitely hit home for me. I am a freelance designer with a 9-5 day gig and a family. Without mincing words, my day job is the pits, but it allows me to pursue my true passions. The downside is that 40 hours of my week are snatched away, leaving little time to do what I love. Due to these constraints, my client base has reached a limit and I have been turning work down, which really hits me where it hurts. On the flip side I do not make enough to do this full time, so it is very frustrating. I could really relate to parts of this interview (like not being able to afford PS CS4), and other parts just gave me inspiration that I am not alone. Thank you for the awesome read, and the very best to you and your team. Regards, Bryan J Zimmerman Communication Design
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Denise HazeMay 18, 2009
Seeing launches like this give me the hope that I can be part of something successful, hen I get out of school. This is exactly what I want to be, and I guess I am on the right track seeing what she is doing. Thanks for the motivation!
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Nice article. I especially like the comment on what can make Adelle walk away from a web design project...
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Enjoyed the interview! I am in desperate need of new web design work for my site! Oh and BTW the only thing that gets me away from work is Merlot. Otherwise I am an office rat! :)
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Shantanu SuryawanshiJuly 9, 2009
Hi Good Article but i have one question how growing the creativity? and what is creativity i hope creativity it just transfer our imagination in to a paper or computer . is this right ? Please send your reply.. I am Also web designer but not better than you!!!!!!! Thanks You...
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Lenen Meer July 13, 2009
I do share the opinion that a good designer can be a autodidact. These days the information you get from your textbook can be outdated before you even finish your study.
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Normaly one have to study to become a master in any field but few individual are God gifted persons and i feel you are one of them. Inspirational Interview.
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The mastery of every thing is art. This is why we use adjective state of the art
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people like you are real inspiration for us who in such competitive time share their experience and try to help out any newbie who is veiling to learn from them.
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Everyone is creative. Every single person is an artist in their own. When we talk of the arts, some people are born more tapped into it than others, while it needs to be cultivated in other people
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Great designer!
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Absolutely. Working with patients, clients, students a psychologist has to come up with different ways to relate, to convey thoughts, and work with people. When something doesn't work, something else has to be tried.
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Dave CharlesNovember 25, 2009
Adelle, when you get rich and famous please don't forget your favorite Uncle (LOL). We are so proud of you.
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Wow, haven't visited this post in a while. Thanks everyone for all the nice responses-really nice to see others being inspired.
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Thanks for great news!
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Try different creative activities that you haven't tried before such as photography or painting. You never know what you will be good at and you may pick up some really unique design ideas and methods you've never thought of before that you can apply to your work.
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Congratulations with your success, to be able to learn design without the formal training is inspirational to others who wish to become self taught designers!
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really liked the question "what advice would you give to beginning web designers" - really liked the response too.i would defenately say photography can influence design decisions for web quite strongly - but i think to be multiskilled as regards web design is useful - just realising whats available on the web and the constraints of websites is also very useful to keep on top of - this really goes more into the realms of web development - but from personal experience working in various areas of design like photgraphy, publishing and also web development has given me the ability to make more informed decisions about website design. great interview by the way
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Adelle Charles

Adelle CharlesAdelle Charles is a designer, blogger, principal & Creative director, and devoted Twitterer. Adelle is the founder of Fuel Your Creativity and co-founder of Just Tweet It. She is also a very talented designer with an amazing portfolio.
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