Please tell us briefly about yourself and your background.

I'm Pete (or Buzz) and I'm a digital designer. I come from a print background, but now design digital things... anything from websites and brands to iconography and interface design. I'm a freelancer and work both in-house and independently for all kinds of people, in lots of different places.

What kind of education did you get? How long have you been designing and developing sites?

I did a degree in graphic design at Falmouth College of Arts. Unlike a lot of design courses, the one at Falmouth focused more on the formation and development of ideas rather than the execution. So after graduating I was used to coming up with ideas, but didn't really know what specific area of design I wanted to go into... so I ended up in print. Designing and developing sites has been quite recent for me - professionally I've only been doing that for 3 years or so.

Did you have any agency experience? Was is useful?

Yes. I've worked full-time for a few agencies in London, from small boutique places to giant global companies. I think that my time at agencies has been an essential part of my career. You learn to work fast, hard, varied, late and as part of a team - skills that are often hard to get as a freelancer.

You started in print design. How and why did you convert from print into digital design?

I don't know exactly when it was, but I definitely remember clients started asking for micro-sites in addition to their print campaigns. Initially I hated designing websites, but I slowly began to enjoy experimenting with different styles and techniques. I eventually ended up leaving the print agency I was working at, and moved to a much larger agency that focused almost entirely on digital.

When and why did you decide to go freelance? Was it the right choice? Did you face any difficulties with freelancing?

Not long ago really - it was when the UK began to go into recession. That wasn't what prompted it, and I remember people telling me it was the worst possible time for me to go freelance... but it really felt like the right thing to do. I'd always done a bit of freelance on the side, so when I went full time it was just a matter of increasing my workload - so the move wasn't too difficult. My sole aim is to do really exciting, interesting and innovative design for cool brands... being freelance has enabled me to do that. I also get to work in some really interesting places... I was even recently flown to Australia for a contract, so it's not all bad!

How do you find work as a freelancer, especially work for huge companies like Skype?

I get most of my jobs through recommendation. If people ask me to do a job, and I'm busy... then I recommend a freelancer who I know can do the work. So I guess people re-pay the favour. There's a strong community of freelance designers in London - so helping each other out is a big part of getting work. Otherwise, my jobs come from existing clients and more recently from people who find me via the web.

What benefits do companies like Skype get from hiring freelance art directors to work with their in-house teams?

I think the main benefit is that they get experienced designers who can take a fresh approach to their brand - sometimes it's hard to take a step back when you work non-stop for one place. Skype have managed to get a hold of some industry-leading interface and experience designers to make-up their team - which means the quality of output is always really high. It also means that I get the privilege of working with some really inspirational people, like Eva-Lotta Lamm.

Do you prefer to tackle projects alone or in a team?

I always prefer to be able to bounce ideas off someone else, so when I'm doing projects on my own... it's usually my fiancé who has to put up with my constant need for feedback. Luckily she's a packaging designer, so she gets the process. I find that working with other designers means that you're constantly pushed and challenged to produce better and better designs.

Please explain the name of your portfolio. Why Buzz?

Buzz has been my nickname for years now... way before I became a designer. People mostly know me as Buzz, although when I'm at Skype I go by Pete... as Buzz is the name of the creative director here.

Your portfolio is strictly minimalist. Why did you decide to make it such? On the whole, what do you think of minimalism as a web trend?

I wanted a style that let the work speak for itself. So many portfolios completely overshadow the work they're showing - which for me ruined the whole purpose. In general, I like the minimalist style - but ironically, I find it one of the hardest styles to get right.

How would you describe the style of your designs?

I try not to stick to a particular style, instead I design to match the individual needs of the brief. I also aim to avoid developing a 'house style', so whilst some of my designs will be clean and corporate (like Skype), others will be dark and flashy (like Russian Standard and Jelly Hill). But when I get to design my own projects like Prevue, they tend to be very structured and minimal.

Please say a few words about your Prevue project. How did you get the idea for it? How long has it taken to develop? Has it attracted many users yet? How is it different from other sharing sites, e.g. Dribble?

Both in agencies and with my personal work, I struggled to find a way to simply present concepts (especially web design) to clients. Emailed images would re-size, clients wouldn't realise PDFs had multiple pages and things like Basecamp were too confusing and intense for my clients. So I built Prevue as a personal tool to share concepts easily with my clients. It took around 8 months to go from an idea to a reality, and when I launched in May it got a great reception and continues to grow faster than I'd ever anticipated. Prevue only does one thing, but does it well... that's the main difference between Prevue and Forrst, Dribbble etc - it's not a social tool.

Who is supporting the site now that it's in use? If it's you, how do you find time to continue working on other projects?

It's just me... I'm working hard to maintain it in the evenings and weekends. It costs me quite a lot in time and money - but I'm happy that I'm able to provide a tool that the design community finds useful. Slowly I'm adding the features that people are asking for - but it's not something that I can afford to do full-time.

You don't only design, but also code your projects and even do back-end development (I understand, you built all the functionality behind prevue.it?). What part - design or development is your favorite?

When I moved from print to digital, I learned CSS - I figured that knowing how things worked would make me a better designer. Three years later, I'd say that I'm a designer first and foremost, but being able to develop helps me push the boundaries - it's also good to know that everything I design is possible to code. Designers who also develop are becoming more common now, but I stay well out of the whole 'you must be able to code' debate!

Please give a few quick tips for beginning designers and developers.

Relax. It's only design :)

Pete, thank you for your insightful responses!

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