Jenaro, how did you get into design and how long have you been in it?

I got into graphic design when I knew I wanted to be an interactive designer, back then when interactive CD ROMs where introduced, about 15 years ago.

What was your education? How much did you have to teach yourself?

I went to college for a graphic design degree, but pretty much everything I know about computers and interactive development I learned by myself, actually as soon as I graduated I got an offer to be a teacher in the same school in "computer sience."

Have you had any international experience? If yes, how has it influenced your work?

Yes, I have clients in different countries, and that helped me open my criteria in design, because every region is different, from country to country and sometimes from city to city in the same country. What works in LA definitely doesn't work in NY, clients from Australia have a whole different taste, etc.

How and why did you start designing with Flash?

Kinda funny story... While still in school I was looking for ways to start doing interactive design, so one day, a neighbor Federico Jordan, who was already a very famous freelance illustrator, came by my place and handed me a Flash 3 CD. He told me he had bought it a few weeks before, but it was a very complicated piece of software for him, so maybe I could figure it out... So I spent the next 2 days playing with it, barely sleeping, and when he came by, I showed him what I had done and he just said "I knew you'd figure it out." That was back in 1999, I think, and the rest it's just practice and more practice.

Do you develop with HTML/CSS? Why or why not?

I used to do HTML code by hand, long time ago, before flash picked up, but very basic stuff, so no, I don't do HTML anymore at all.

What do you say to people who claim that Flash is vicious: a 3rd party compiler, long-loading, hard on the battery and not user-friendly, etc.?

Flash's worst enemy is Flash itself. Why? Put Flash in the wrong hands and you'll get all those things: long-load, hard on battery, "flashy", etc. I mean, if you do your project right from the beginning and if you optimize it the right way, nothing like that happens. Before using Flash for a project, you need to analyze if Flash is the best solution for it. I don't try to sell Flash to every client if they don't need it.

What types of websites does Flash work best for?

Movies, TV shows, games, portfolios, e-learning, virtual tours - anything that will actually engage the user to interact with the website. If it's just an informational website, then it doesn't need Flash, but if you want to entertain your users, then Flash is the best solution.

You have a vast agency experience. Was it any useful? Why did you start working for yourself?

I always wanted to work for myself, I actually want to start my own agency, but with this economy it's better to keep it small for a while, and also in this line of business, too. Working with agencies is great because you are part of a bigger team to develop bigger and better projects, so that's always good.

What advantages and disadvantages are you finding in your freelance status?

The best advantage is that you control your time and decide whether to take projects or not. The only disadvantage is keeping the work load full for a couple of slow months a year, but that's it.

How do you find your clients (or how do they find you)?

Most of my clients have found me by referral. I really don't promote myself other than my online portfolio.

Is it paying off to have a smoking award-winning website for a portfolio?

It is, but in a weird way. It does scare away those clients who are not looking for very interactive projects by having such a "complicated" way to browse it. I've actually been told that at least 3 times so far. I've also been advised to make it more user friendly, but having that result has been helpful to be honest that I'm keeping it that way for a while.

What do you need to do before you start developing a project?

Before starting any project, I have a long conversation with the client to understand the reasons for his needs, so we can offer the best solutions. Once we have that better plan, I start developing. Sometimes clients have general ideas or unclear ideas, and that's something I also help them with, so we end up with a better product.

How do you describe your vision of a project to a client, e.g. do you do mockups, how do you present flash effects?

First we do hand mockups and try to describe what's going to happen by sketching on a piece of paper. After that we deliver layout design mockups. Once design is approved, we go to the Flash phase where I do 2 or 3 examples of animation, interaction, transitions, etc. Once the client picks one, we refine those effects and apply them to the rest of the project.

How would you describe the style of your designs and flash effects?

Minimal, elegant, clean. Putting those 3 together is challenging as hell!

What part of your job do you like more - design or development?

Development 70% design 30% I guess.

Do you have any favorite projects? What makes them such?

My favorite projects are the most challenging, and I guess my favorite project is always the latest one. But since I have to choose, I would say these ones: www.charlieuniformtango.com, www.lepereinc.com, www.crisiscore.com, and obviously mine www.djnr.net. They were all pretty challenging and fun to build.

How did you come to develop so many games? Are you a gamer yourself?

Well, I think all of the web games I've developed are for the same agency, and I really like to work on challenging projects, that's the main reason. I try to stay away from games as much as possible, not that I don't like them - they just make me waste so much time.

What are the major differences between website and games development from a developer's perspective?

A very interactive website is no different than a web game, other than "keeping score," but from my point of view it is pretty much the same.

What would you recommend to beginning interactive designers and developers?

Practice, lots of practice. Try to figure out how other projects were developed and replicate them to practice.

Thanks a lot for the great interview, Jenaro!

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