1. Michela, would you please tell us about yourself? We’d like to know about your background. How did you get in web design?

I live in Viareggio(Tuscany) and I love the nature of this wonderful place. I’ve been having an unbridled passion for the web since years. I have a degree in Computer Science but when it comes to web design I consider myself self-taught. I get in it because my internship was about a web application and from then on my interest in web design grew.

2. What was your biggest dream when you were a child? Did you always want to become an artist?

One of my dreams was to have enough Legos to build a whole town. I enjoyed drawing(houses above all) and painting by that time; I’ve always had interest in art and design. Can one become an outstanding web-designer without having a formal education? I think so, nowadays web designers come from many different paths. Although ones can be better than others, the best way to improve your skills in this job is to learn from daily experience on field.

3. Do you think artists are born or learned? Does art influence your whole life – the way you dress, behave, perceive the world around you?

Artists are born, but they have to be lucky enough to be able to follow their passion . I think it’s always important to improve technical skills, and this is what I try to do every day. My job surely influences my whole life, every detail of my surrounds catch my attention . This is very stimulating of course, just a bit tiring at time.

4. Is it important for an artist to develop his/her own unique style or should he/she spend the life in eternal motion for something new and fresh?

Research and design fit well together. I don’t think an unique style should be a goal for a web designer, your individual style should develop in a natural way, just experimenting something new with a critical spirit . With this dynamic approach your work will be different from other ones and your own style will emerge anyway. It’s also important to satisfy user/customer expectations with a style they are comfortable with.

5. What inspires you most?

I love the atmosphere you can breath in little towns, full of art galleries and handicraft shops. This is definitely my favourite source of inspiration, but it can also comes from almost everything, sometimes a good advertising, a movie trailer and so on…

6. Can you tell us a little about the way your work flows? What do you usually start with?

My workflow starts from gathering and analyzing project requirements. Usually in this phase the first ideas about look and feel already flow, only sometimes I need more brainstorming. Some projects also require more iterations than others, it depends on their complexity. By the way when I bring a project to life and I have to convert graphic elements into CSS ,I always put some last touches on it.

7. What software do you prefer to use?

Adobe Creative Suite. I use it to do most of my work. In particular I enjoy using Photoshop , but Dreamweaver and Illustrator as well.

8. If there was a possibility to work for a big web design company, would you give up freelancing?

Maybe or maybe not. Every job has its own story. For me the very important thing is to have enough freedom of action.

9. What character traits do you think a good designer should have?

Curiosity, sensitivity, critical spirit and aesthetic taste.

10. What would you suggest to the design beginners?

I suggest to be sure to have a true passion for what they are about to start because they'll have to put a lot of time in web design. It’s also useful to read some good books/blogs with examples and then to try what they ‘ve learned.

We kindly thank you, Michela, for your sincere answers and wish you to score big successes in web design and in your personal life!

Arthur Johnson

archer@designinterviews.com

Get in touch with Arthur: archer@designinterviews.com