Spicy Web Designer Interview with Mike Precious

Mike Precious is a web designer but foremost a multimedia designer from Brantford, Ontario in Canada. He originally started designing while in college and sought employment with design studios and advertising agency environments which gave him an excellent opportunity to move into web design. He first started designing websites back in 2001 and has since then built his own studio where he works on a variety of web and print projects.

1. How did you first get into web design?

Throughout high school, I had a keen interest in art, communication, technology and music. Through my senior years I began thinking about future career opportunities. Art itself seemed interesting but to be sustainable I would have to bring something truly cutting edge to the art industry, and the for music. However, a venue where art and business collided seemed to be a viable way to make a living and do what I enjoy doing. Insert design and advertising.  High school courses ensued in graphic design, photography, communication technology, drafting, and fine art.

After graduating high school I went through college for Advertising and Communications Media. This program involved me in all aspects of marketing, marketing communications, branding, advertising, design, photography and copy writing. While in college I freelanced as a graphic designer. My first experience in web design came in 2001. Myself and another designer took on a couple of projects, one a fairly sizable marketing and database-driven site. What intrigued me about web design was its breadth and depth of creative opportunities – some of which print didn’t offer. However, over the next few years, I maintained a steady workflow of print media working employed in design studio and advertising agency environments, while freelancing on the side. It wasn’t until 2007 I began taking on more web projects. In 2008 I officially went from freelancing and working fulltime to opening the doors of my own business. In 2008 I maintained a balance of roughly 80% web development projects vs. 20% print projects. I anticipate web continuing to comprise the majority of my work volume in the future.

2. When did you first start designing websites?

I began designing websites back in 2001.

3. What are some of the biggest problems that you face in the web design projects that you work on?

Probably the single greatest challenge I face in web projects is creating a design platform that works across the entire set of pages for the site. That’s probably what makes designing for the web such a challenge. I’m not designing in isolation, but considering how a particular layout treatment or design device will work across the series of pages.

I tend to take this ideology with me into projects: Any web designer can create a stunning, highly functional, and consistent web page. A great web designer can create a stunning, highly functional, and consistent web site. What differentiates a web designer from a great web designer is the great web designer can create a stunning and functional design that spans across a host of pages.

4. Do you prefer to be called a “multimedia designer” or a “web designer” or do you consider yourself both?

I’m kind of on the fence about this. I started off as a graphic designer, then with seniority, moved into an art director role for a couple of years. I run my own studio now serving clients both web and print media design. To call myself an art director sounds a bit stuffy and traditional. To call myself a web designer segregates me into the web-only category. As a multimedia designer I serve clients in need of services for both the web and print mediums. However, I have begun repositioning my studio to predominantly serve web development studios. When a web developer discovers I’m also an experienced print designer, they see the value in hiring one designer for all their web and print needs.

5. What types of media inspire you to create the type of design that you create?

I’m very heavily influenced by XHTML/CSS standards design, Flash based AS3.0 design, and traditional print media. I have a special interest in contemporary European design, and also enjoy immersing myself in retro 50s/60s style design. I’m also very much into studying typography.

6. Has your educational background helped you to people a better web designer?  Was what you studied related to design?

My educational background helped me become a strategic-minded designer. That is, designing with purpose. In a business environment, I find the design process much easier when there is strategic sense directing the design. Without it, design becomes extremely subjective and can cause tail spins of design revisions, and conflicting opinions on what works and what does not.

7. How do you usually price out your web designs and multimedia work?

Quote on per project basis, hourly, or time-based contract.

8. What are a few things that you couldn’t live without on a day to day basis?

My Mac, fonts, Google, and Photoshop. The support of my wife, routing me on with the growth and development of my business. Thanks, Sarah.  : )