Spicy Web Designer Interview with Dorian Bibbey

Dorian Bibbey is a “chinchilla-obsessed graphic artist” and web designer from Edmonton, Alberta in Canada. She’s been designing websites since she was in grade 6 but it wasn’t since she was in her second year of college that she considered becoming a professional. She studied Digital and Interactive Media at the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology and made the dean’s list. She continues to learn more about graphic and web design and continues her love of chinchillas, clean, well laid out design and her ‘holy trifecta’ of Photoshop, Illustrator and Dreamweaver.

1. How did you get started in web design?

I was always one of those kids who loved making posters and diagrams for school projects. It wasn’t so much the decorating with copious amounts of glitter that got me, I was more interested in organizing the required information in a way that was both interesting and attractive. In high school, I took a few Communication Technology classes and enjoyed them, but it wasn’t until my second year of college that I realized that it may be a viable option for a career. I transferred colleges, and devoted myself to learning all I could about graphic and web design.

2. When did you start designing websites?

I guess technically, my first web site was created when I was in Grade 6 (back in 1997). One of our elementary school teachers took it upon himself to teach us some rudimentary HTML, and we spent a few weeks happily creating poorly coded abominations with salmon pink backgrounds.

3. What are the biggest challenges that you face in web design currently?

I would say keeping up-to-date and modern is a big challenge. I think almost all designers have a habit of falling into design ruts, so it’s really important for me to take the time to scope out what’s new and fresh in the design community. I’d hate to become one of those long-standing designers who just crank out the same layout over and over again.

4. Do you code any of the web sites that you design currently? If so, what language(s) do you code in?

I provide CSS/XHTML 1.0 Strict Templates for my designs. I like to focus more on the front-end side of things, but I do enjoy structuring and coding when needed.

5. Did you study design at school or are you self-taught?  If you went to school, how has your education helped you become a better web design professional?  What other skills has it helped you to gain and what else has it taught you about design in general?

I studied for two years at the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology, and received my diploma in Digital and Interactive Media. Although a lot of the content of the course was refresher material, it was nice to have a community to discuss new techniques with. As well, I kept all of my notes and handouts from the course, and still find myself rifling through the papers at times to find some key piece of information. As well, my profs taught us a lot about the business end of things, and how to best deal with clients. As a freelancer, having that head start was a huge benefit.

6. Since you first started how has the web design industry changed? Has it changed for the better? If so, how? If not, please explain?

The trend right now is for cleaner, sleeker, and more organized designs, and I couldn’t be happier. Fully Flash sites are decreasing in number, and the desire for valid, searchable code is definitely becoming more popular. I think clients are beginning to realize the importance of having a professional, classic site, rather than one that flashes animations and blares annoying audio.

7. What are your favorite tools to use when designing a web project? Why are they your favorite tools?

I use my ‘holy trifecta’, Photoshop, Illustrator, and Dreamweaver. I spend the vast majority of my time in Photoshop, like most designers. It’s an invaluable tool. For vector-based items and print projects, I use Illustrator. I use Dreamweaver to code, but I don’t really use the program itself to code, it’s more of an organizing tool in my eyes. I think my favorite tool, though, is my little notebook. If a random bystander were to pick it up and look at my scrawls and doodles, they probably wouldn’t have much faith in my skill as a designer, but that’s where most of my ideas get their start.