Soh, please tell us how you got into web design. What did you study in college and how did you learn to design and develop?

I attended school at DeVry University taking CIS (Computer Information Systems) courses and went through everything from C++ and PHP, to Oracle. I quickly realized programming was not for me. But one semester I took an HTML course which sparked an interest. I was in a Popping crew at the time and the idea of making a website for the crew drove me to learn as much as I could on the topic. Since DeVry only taught beginner level HTML and didn't cover anything related to design, I was constantly online searching for tutorials so I could learn on my own. After completing my first website, I was completely hooked and I was on a mission to learn everything about it.

What made you turn towards CSS and jQuery?

CSS: I first started writing CSS when I was hired as a Jr Web Designer at 4 Wheel Parts in 2006. My director, Kevin Rourke, was big on CSS and pushed me to learn it for the new version of our site. This was back when tables still dominated the industry and CSS was just starting to get popular. No one in the department was an expert on CSS at the time, so everything I learned was by trial and error. I even remember a time the site almost fell apart when IE7 was released. That was the beginning of my understanding of how to write clean and cross-browser compatible code.

jQuery: I first took a stab at jQuery when I became frustrated constantly relying on the developers in the department to pull off simple UI controls for our sites. The animated effects were not clean and they never came out the way I had imagined it. Around the same time I wrote an article on my blog called "So You've Mastered CSS. What's Next?" where I asked my favorite dev and design bloggers what should be learned after mastering CSS. Most of them pointed in the javascript direction and jQuery seemed to be the most frequently brought up library. I decided to take a stab at jQuery and started my learning process all over again as I did with CSS.

You are now a successful, sought after web designer and a popular blogger. How did you get to that place in a relatively short time?

I feel it was my blog that lead me to where I am at today. When I was first starting to get into blogging, I had asked Chris Coyier for some advice since I was a huge fan of CSS-Tricks. He gave me great advice which was to write original, quality, and honest articles. I took that advice and stopped looking at other blogs for inspiration and just started writing articles on everything I had learned. I shared any practical technique that I picked up through my experience that I felt could benefit someone. The articles seemed to catch on and traffic steadily started to grow. I still feel I am nowhere near some of the web designers I look up to in the industry. I hope I can continue my flow and to just keep learning as much as I can, and continue pushing my boundaries.

You have published lots of specific info-laden tutorials on CSS and JQuery. You must have read lots, too. How important have they been in your career?

As a front-end developer, it has been an important factor in building my profile and perfecting my skills in writing code. Writing tutorials on my blog has made me much sharper as a front-end developer and it has forced me to relearn the techniques I was teaching. It forced me to simplify and write efficient code as well as helping me with my communication and writing skills.

You still keep posting tutorials on your blog. Do you enjoy sharing or is it mostly done for publicity?

The main reason why I decided to start blogging was to give back to the community. I was self taught and my resources relied heavily on many of the top professionals teaching their techniques and methods on their blogs. If it wasn't for them, I would not be at the level I am today. With that said, I am dedicated to sharing as much of my experiences as I can to those who are hungry to learn.

How did you learn about SEO and user experience?

I learned SEO and user experience at my current job (4 Wheel Parts). Chris Casarez (the SEO specialist here at 4 Wheel Parts) taught me most of the things regarding SEO. I have been practicing and reading up on the latest trends and news ever since. As far as user experience, it's a constant learning cycle for me and I seem to learn something new each day I work on a project. Understanding user experience is not something you just read upon or just take lessons on, it's something you cultivate as you understand your product and your audience. I feel I still have much to learn in both fields.

Is SEO an art that designers should master? Why? How much of good SEO is determined at the stage of creation?

I think anyone that is working with any online product should have awareness with SEO. Whether your are a designer or developer, understanding how your design/code affects search engines has a big impact on how your site is ranked. If you are purely a visual designer then I feel it is up to the front-end developer to make consideration for SEO techniques to effectively carry out your design with good markup that helps rankings in search.

You run a popular CSS showcase gallery Design Bombs. How was it created? Is it just a hobby?

DesignBombs.com was an inside joke at first. One thing lead to another and eventually turned into a gallery style website. At the moment it is purely just a hobby, a place where I like to keep track of all of my favorite sites.

How do you choose "the bombs" to be posted? What are your criteria for a good design?

I look for anything that is unique and original. I turn down a lot of good websites because the gallery is meant for the ones that really stand out from the rest. It can be anything from a unique navigation, clever layout, great typography, to even the smallest details that the designer crafted in.

How many people are there on the Design Bombs team? How much of your time and energy does the gallery take? Does the input pay off? How?

I have a couple friends who are helping me scan the quality of each entry. We try to approve around three website each day, but with the tight schedule recently we approve them when we are available. The great thing about having your own gallery is that it's a great way to see what people are designing and being able to see the trends that come and go. It also allows me to go back to find inspiration and it's also a great way to archive all of my favorite designs that I can easily access.

You seem to love illustration. Where do you find inspiration for your exotic images?

I am a huge fan of artists like Greg "Craola" Simkins, Alex Pardee, James "Dalek" Marshall, and pretty much everything from the crew at Upper Playground. I have always loved to draw as a kid but never really took it very serious. One of my first inspirations as a teenager was Ed Templeton at Toy Machine, he always had the most twisted cartoons on their skateboards. For some sick reason I loved it and wanted to draw little freaky characters just like him. I picked up drawing again when trying to learn illustrator a couple years ago, and people like Greg Simkins and Alex Pardee have been a big inspiration since.

Soh, thanks for your great informative answers.

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