An Interview with AI Dallas
I was recently interviewed by a designer from the Art Institute of Dallas named Rachel Ochoa. I'm not sure if the interview will be published in any way, but I thought it might be at least slightly pertinent to my blog and/or the industry.
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RO: How long have you been designing websites? How did you get started?
CN: I have been designing websites since 2002. Originally I was a studio artist, mostly painting and drawing. When I was part of an internship for an ad agency that needed websites designed, I thought I would tackle the projects. I loved designing on the computer and with Photoshop. I suppose I have not stopped since.
RO: What was your major in college? Was it computer or web related?
CN: My major in college was Visual Communications. It encompassed web design, graphic design and multimedia.
RO: How long have you had a career in the web design field? How did you get your first job?
CN: My first job designing websites was actually in an internship. Mostly I would produce graphic design work, but I also directed and edited some television commercials there as well.
RO: What are some common mistakes that new, incoming web designers make?
CN: New web designers tend to rely on one thing too often. If they are designers, they usually try to make beautiful websites but do not know how to make them function properly. The opposite involves developers relying on function, not knowing the importance of design, layout, navigation and visual hierarchy. As web designers we are an amalgam of both an artistic field and a technical field. We must embrace both sides, design and coding. The best web designers will be ones that strive for balance in this area.
RO: Can you think of some mistakes you made when you first started making web pages?
CN: Certainly. I would say that my skills in both coding and design grew together, and in that aspect I am quite fortunate. Unfortunately, I stuck to one particular style or look, and it took me a long time to get out of that and grow my abilities as a layout designer using negative space, color and visual hierarchy appropriately and uniquely.
RO: What are some daily tasks that you do each day at work?
CN: I can only say that I check my email, open Photoshop, open Dreamweaver and a couple of different browsers (for compatibility checks) and start my day.
RO: Do you ever find your job to be routine?
CN: Never. I like to break up my time between projects throughout the day so as to gain fresh perspective when I start to work on them again.
RO: What resources do you use to help learn new web tricks or tools?
CN: I use several different online resources. I always check Design Shack if I need some information or quick inspiration for design. To learn new things, I have found that the best collection of tutorials can be found at Tutorial 9.
RO: What is a typical work day for you like?
CN: Luckily, I work from home, so I am able to start my day a bit easier than most folks. A typical work day starts with coffee, gets multiple breaks from designing and coding throughout the day, and ends in a nice hot-tub, movie or a good book. Most of my correspondence with clients is electronic, so I usually do not have to set aside any time to work with them. Basically, I work on multiple projects all day, for about 12 hours all together on average.
RO: What do you enjoy the most about your job? Least?
CN: Most? Designing. Least? Lack of human interaction!
RO: What advice would you give to an up and coming web designer?
CN: Design until you cannot design any more. Then get up, and design some more. You simply cannot stop designing in order to grow and develop. On a more technical side, it is always helpful to work on projects that force you to solve problems or work on a challenge. 90% of my web design and development knowledge comes from having to solve problems and create solutions all by myself, outside of school. School can point you in the right direction and open the door- but in the end, a designer has to walk through it.
___________________________________________________
RO: How long have you been designing websites? How did you get started?
CN: I have been designing websites since 2002. Originally I was a studio artist, mostly painting and drawing. When I was part of an internship for an ad agency that needed websites designed, I thought I would tackle the projects. I loved designing on the computer and with Photoshop. I suppose I have not stopped since.
RO: What was your major in college? Was it computer or web related?
CN: My major in college was Visual Communications. It encompassed web design, graphic design and multimedia.
RO: How long have you had a career in the web design field? How did you get your first job?
CN: My first job designing websites was actually in an internship. Mostly I would produce graphic design work, but I also directed and edited some television commercials there as well.
RO: What are some common mistakes that new, incoming web designers make?
CN: New web designers tend to rely on one thing too often. If they are designers, they usually try to make beautiful websites but do not know how to make them function properly. The opposite involves developers relying on function, not knowing the importance of design, layout, navigation and visual hierarchy. As web designers we are an amalgam of both an artistic field and a technical field. We must embrace both sides, design and coding. The best web designers will be ones that strive for balance in this area.
RO: Can you think of some mistakes you made when you first started making web pages?
CN: Certainly. I would say that my skills in both coding and design grew together, and in that aspect I am quite fortunate. Unfortunately, I stuck to one particular style or look, and it took me a long time to get out of that and grow my abilities as a layout designer using negative space, color and visual hierarchy appropriately and uniquely.
RO: What are some daily tasks that you do each day at work?
CN: I can only say that I check my email, open Photoshop, open Dreamweaver and a couple of different browsers (for compatibility checks) and start my day.
RO: Do you ever find your job to be routine?
CN: Never. I like to break up my time between projects throughout the day so as to gain fresh perspective when I start to work on them again.
RO: What resources do you use to help learn new web tricks or tools?
CN: I use several different online resources. I always check Design Shack if I need some information or quick inspiration for design. To learn new things, I have found that the best collection of tutorials can be found at Tutorial 9.
RO: What is a typical work day for you like?
CN: Luckily, I work from home, so I am able to start my day a bit easier than most folks. A typical work day starts with coffee, gets multiple breaks from designing and coding throughout the day, and ends in a nice hot-tub, movie or a good book. Most of my correspondence with clients is electronic, so I usually do not have to set aside any time to work with them. Basically, I work on multiple projects all day, for about 12 hours all together on average.
RO: What do you enjoy the most about your job? Least?
CN: Most? Designing. Least? Lack of human interaction!
RO: What advice would you give to an up and coming web designer?
CN: Design until you cannot design any more. Then get up, and design some more. You simply cannot stop designing in order to grow and develop. On a more technical side, it is always helpful to work on projects that force you to solve problems or work on a challenge. 90% of my web design and development knowledge comes from having to solve problems and create solutions all by myself, outside of school. School can point you in the right direction and open the door- but in the end, a designer has to walk through it.
Labels: blogging
posted by Christopher Nelson at
1:26 PM
1 Comments:
I think this is a great interview. Nice little bytes here and there. :) Way to rock it.
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