David, in the course of your career did you have any favorite or special projects that contributed significantly to your professional development?

In the late 90's, I started working with a marketing agency in San Diego, CA. I worked remotely designing, and developing Flash games. Being in high-school, I needed flexible timelines. But I delivered a new game almost every month. This resulted in a lot of trust and a lot of creative freedom. By the end, they'd just say, "we need a game for some-site.com. We need to sell some-idea. We think it should have monkey's..." And I'd run with it. Gigs like that don't come along often. And thinking back, it was impossible for me to understand all the roles I was playing. But it was a lot of fun, fueled my interests, and certainly set the stage for my career.

What does your day job involve?

I'm a digital art director. It's a hands-on role that involves developing ideas and often designing them. The context of my work varies from project to project. In the past I've done a lot of games, banners and microsites. But right now, I'm focusing more on user-driven work. This includes bigger sites and applications.

How long have you had your personal portfolio MoreMeYou? What was it about before Livebrush appeared?

MoreMeYou.com is almost 4 years old - though it's gone through some big changes. And the "more me/you" brand seems to be evolving a life of its own.

Where did the idea for Livebrush come from? Is it true that it was born out of the MoreMeYou site?

The "you" section of moremeyou.com is the original prototype for Livebrush. But the original reason for creating the prototype was to highlight a relationship between the user and the site. The idea was to create an experience that compelled users to contribute to the site design. Then I just got a little carried away...

Can you briefly describe the tool you created, who is it for and what are the advantages it gives?

Livebrush is a motion-based drawing tool. The idea is to include the speed of your gesture as an input device. This input can then be used to augment the line while you draw. A recent update also adds pressure as an input. The combination of motion and pressure is the most useful feature from my perspective. But the community enjoys drawing with multiple brushes and the brush styles.

What was your motivation for creating Livebrush? It can't be the money, can it?

Money certainly wasn't the motivation. I'm not getting rich off of it, if that's what you mean. I said from the beginning that if one person downloaded it, that was not my mom or dad, I'd be happy. I just loved using the prototype and thought others might find it useful. The decision to make it a real app was partially motivated by my need to do something big. And not being a developer, a project like this was a lot to chew - especially on the side. "The Livebrush Project"  helped me anchor my process and give context to all my work on-the-side.

What rewards are you now getting from having created this tool?

The exposure has been great. I've been overwhelmed by the response from all over the world. But at the end of the day, it was a labor of love that helped me grow in many ways.

Do you use Livebrush in your own job?

I use it more as an inspiration tool. A blank canvas can be very intimidating. Livebrush has a way of taking the edge off.

What other tools are instrumental in your day-to-day work?

I use Photoshop, Illustrator, Flash, pencil and paper.

Do you do any front-end development?

I used to do a lot of development - even a little php/mysql. But those skills have never been my focus. My experience with development has always been in conjunction with a bigger design, interaction, or animation challenge. For example, I made a mobile battleship game. I was most interested in the design, but I also wanted to explore different ways it could work. Technology was limited back then, so I ended up learning just enough ColdFusion to write a few scripts that sent email notifications between users.

Do you think it's important for designers to know the coding side?

This is a controversial topic, and it really depends on the type of work and individual ambitions. Personally, I think it`s important for a designer to push their work beyond flat comps. This could mean sketching animation keys, prototyping the interaction, or even coding your own wordpress theme. If you have a particular interest in one type of development, dig deeper. But it`s also important to know when to use others to solve specific problems. Knowing how to work with, and direct others is also crucial.

With a full-time day job, how are you finding the time to support this personal project?

In this industry it`s almost impossible to work on a side project consistently - even when it`s slow. But I found if I cut out video games, and all but a few TV shows, I had a solid 3-4 hours a night. So when I was building Livebrush, I devoted Monday to Thursday night and Sundays for about a year. I`m still working on new features, but it`s a lot less crazy these days... and I`ve recently gone on a gaming, Olympics and FIFA binge. Productivity fail.

Where do you find inspiration for all the work?

I have an ever-growing library of links and art. Google makes it easy to find quick reference for anything. And Twitter is great for keeping up with the trends. I've written about some of the people I've been inspired by on livebrush.org http://livebrushproject.blogspot.com/2009/10/introducing-blogroll.html and http://livebrushproject.blogspot.com/2010/06/introducing-blogroll-part-2.htm

What advice would you give to starting web designers and developers?

Don`t wait for someone to give you something to work on. Develop your own ideas, work with writers, developers, illustrators, and even other designers. For example, if you see a site that could be better, comp out a few new designs. This applies to day jobs and beyond - because even the best day jobs will have lulls. And you`ll find making a name for yourself is much easier if you`re constantly generating your own work. That`s the most important stuff. But one other thing for portfolio reviews: Don`t be afraid to include your version of the work. You`ll find it easier to defend decisions you made, as opposed to changes the client enforced (generally speaking). This also helps when taking criticism and doing revisions when you`re actually doing the work. In a perfect world, all projects would have the perfect balance between your vision and a clients` needs - and your goal is to get there. But not every project will turn out that way. And when that happens, make sure you balance those forces to show the best work - even if the final product ends in a different place.

Lillian Wells

Lillian Wells has worked on the web for a while but has only recently discovered the joys of blogging. She combines her teaching career with what gives her the most satisfaction - following web trends and taking interviews from outstanding professionals. Her inbox is always open for comments and suggestions. You can also follow her on Twitter.

Get in touch with Lillian: designinterviews@gmail.com