How did you get into web design?

What first got me interested in web design was struggling to put together my first site: a personal Geocities page, more than 10 years ago, made using only notepad and way too much time. Since then, web design has captured my interest. I learned all I could about it online, practiced all the time on random projects, and in college majored in Information Technology with a Graphic Design minor.

You are doing a lot of small business web design. Is this a specialization for you?

Yes, our clients are mostly small to medium sized businesses. More and more people are becoming aware that a professionally designed website is an absolute necessity for almost any successful business. We are also in a time when many businesses are ready to shed their old and outdated designs and upgrade to something sleek and new.

Where do you get your art for these webpages?

We use mostly in house photography and graphic design, however, iStockphoto.com is pretty handy for any quick art needs.

What will be the next big development in webpage design?

As technologies such as AJAX mature, I believe we will see a substantial shift in design geared toward a much more interactive experience. Streaming video will also continue to play a bigger role, as bandwidth cost continues to decrease.

Have you ever worked with website templates?

Templates are something that can be useful for a quick and easy job with a low budget, but expect the final design to look like just that. For businesses, the extra investment on the image of the company is almost always worth it.

What do you think about Flash technology?

Flash technology can be extremely useful if used in the correct manner, as an easy way to integrate seamless animation. However, sites composed entirely of flash, complete with loading screen and all, should be considered a relic of web 1.0.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of using Flash?

Flash remains one of the best ways to integrate animation and video into a website, however, Flash can complicate search engine optimization.

What are your sources of inspiration?

During day to day web browsing, I take note when a site has a certain look that stands out as looking especially smooth, or a certain feature that I found very convenient. I keep these ideas and try to later integrate them into my own design projects. www.thebestdesigns.com is also a pretty good source of new trends in design, as well as http://www.cssremix.com.

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

Mozilla.org and Iconbuffet.com are both good examples of a modern attractive design. Artsofthemonth.com is an example of a client site we are proud of.

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

Usually, the toughest projects are those that demand a big job be done in a short period of time. As far as technically challenging projects, that would probably have to be one for a local County, which required integration of real-time traffic pattern visualization.

What are your interests and dislikes in webpage design?

In web design, the key is to balance visual appeal with functionality. I prefer sites with clean designs that take advantage of white space bundled with an attractive mix of graphics and colors. I think it's important to stay away from outgoing trends, such as the annoying Flash sites that ask you to wait for a load time, and then bombard you with pesky graphics and annoying sound.

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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Get in touch with Helen: helen.walker4@gmail.com