Spicy Web Designer Interview with Mathew Carpenter and friends at Tisme

Mathew Carpenter is the project manager at Tisme.com.au, a recently formed web design and development based in Newcastle, Australia. Both he and the designers and developers that work at Tisme.com.au turn out some amazing work for their clients on a daily basis. Currently, Tisme is a 5 man and woman operation that has been in business for the past 3 months and as they say “Don’t let our age fool you though; our team have years of experience under their belt and are able to compete with the best in the business”.

1. How long has Tisme been in business?

Tisme is still only a baby after being formed a little over 3 months ago with the intention of bringing creativity and innovation back into Australian websites and graphic design in general. Don’t let our age fool you though; our team have years of experience under their belt and are able to compete with the best in the business.

2. How many people currently work at Tisme?

There are currently 5 people employed at Tisme including myself. We have Dule as our lead developer who handles all of the programming and tricky stuff, Branka is our designer and one of the most creative people you will ever meet. Across the table we have Ferdinand (call him FM) who slaves away at his graphics tablet designing awesome mascots and Andi who designs some of the best promotional material including logos, business cards and more. Then I handle the project management side of the business.

3. What does Tisme pride itself upon in the field of web design?

Tisme is all about developing websites and graphics which complement our clients business, service or product. We are here to help their businesses grow by utilising current design trends and incorporating creative solutions. We pride ourselves on these characteristics and our ability to understand and meet the needs of our clients whether it is for a simple logo design or a full website design.

4. How do you and your coding abilities make life easier for people at Tisme and its clients?

Answered by DULE, a programmer at Tisme.com.au: One of the main goals of Tisme is to provide an effective and efficient experience when dealing with projects. In order to complete this, we must use clean, standard-compliant code so that we can refer back and make appropriate changes to the code when necessary. Website developers must realise that during the life of a website, you are not going to be the only person looking at the code. This is why I document and comment in the coding so that the project owner can easily modify and change the source once we have completed the project. This also comes in handy when we are commissioned to make changes to a website we have worked on before.

5. How long have you been designing websites and how do you stay up to date with the latest techniques in web design?

Answered by BRANKA, a web designer at Tisme.com.au: I have been designing websites professionally for the last 2 years but I have been involved with creating websites and graphics for a long time. It first started out as a hobby until I realised I could make a career out of doing what I love; that is, designing attractive and user friendly websites. Although staying up to date with the latest techniques in website design is essential, the ever-changing state of the industry makes it hard to stay current, though I think I do a good job. I am actively involved in several design forums, and I also love reading about current design trends in magazines and on the Internet.

6. What does the role of a “promotional designer” involve at Tisme?

Answered by ANDI, a promotional designer at Tisme.com.au: The role of promotional designer is quite a broad role. Some days it may involve creating logos and stationery for small to medium enterprises while other days could involve working on packaging for a brand new product. By doing this, I am able to work with a large selection of clients and I am constantly improving my skills which will ultimately benefit the client.

7. What kind of projects do you work on for clients and how did you earn the title of “mascot illustrator”?

Answered by FERDINAND, a mascot illustrator at Tisme.com.au: Basically I get called in when the client wants to project a specific personality, image or message through a character design. Mascots work in a similar fashion to any logo in that they represent the company and its ideals, but mascot designs can also give the consumer some things logos can’t; a face, a look, a human touch. We respond instinctively to eye contact and body language, and that’s the area of expertise for a mascot designer – to try to get the audience to relate to a brand on that intimate, personal level.

8. When it comes to managing a project for a client at Tisme what can clients expect from you as the project manager?

Answered by MAT, a project manager at Tisme.com.au: When a client first reaches out to us to create their project, our first main goal is to make them feel secure. We do this by having a free, no obligation consultation regarding their project. Once we receive all of the project details, I go ahead and assemble the first management document to hand over to the client which basically contains information about our business, services we offer and also a brief overview of what we discussed earlier in order to see if we correctly understood the clients requirements. Upon receiving the client’s feedback, a time allocation and pricing structure is sent and reviewed which outlines how our time will be spent on their project and what our initial price estimates are. As you can tell, we focus on providing the client want they want, opposed to creating a project which the client had little to no say in. By following these simple steps, we are able to satisfy the client and become more efficient and effective in delivering a positive result.