Hudson Ludgero is an interactive designer who works in web projects, print, 3D, teaching and consulting for many companies with over 12 years of professional experience. Ludgero has worked as professional painter for last 8 years, has graduated from communications and studied fine arts in University of UEMG – Guignard and has his postgraduate in Art and Technology and currently studying a discipline for a Masters Degree in Arts. Today he lives in Belo Horizonte in Brazil.

1. How did you get started in web design?

I started as a graphic designer in 1996. During the winter of 1997 I got in to a heavy metal band without a website and suddenly all band musicians were looking at me! At first I adopted front-page, but quickly I discovered the Macromedia Dreamweaver! The website worked, but it was terrible. The visuals weren’t great; with frames and without dynamic content, but everybody liked!

2. When did you start designing websites?

After a first terrible experience I decided go ahead and graduated in Communications in 2000 and then I started another graduation in Fine Arts. I had my first contact with the macromedia Flash in 2001, and I loved it. Flash expanded my borders to express my art. I wasn’t attached to frames or tables from the HTML, I could be free! My first official website, was for an engineering company that I worked for, it was a classical project. At the same time I started working as freelancer in 2003 spending nights studying and reading books. Appealing to several customers of all levels, then I decided to leave my job and work as a fulltime freelancer. In this same year I began teaching in many technology schools including Adobe Center in Brazil and working in consulting for many companies.

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

The internet was getting faster day by day. The flash has been used with creativity and interactivity presenting great possibilities to build big projects. Companies like Coca-Cola and Nike are working with this software bringing sensations and experiences to the user with audio and vídeo using animations as good as any other media.

4. Do you code the front-end of any of your web design projects? If so, what languages do you code in currently?

I was always more visual but in 2003 I was thinking to myself; I spent 2 weeks to build the whole visual interface of site and the programmers that I worked with used to spend a morning to finish their parts and at the end of the project it was divided in half! After that, I decided to learn programming and put an end to the legend that designer does not program and that programmers do not work with visual parts. I work with ActionScript, PHP, mySQL, XML, CSS and Mel scripting (from Maya).

5. Where did you go to school and has it helped you become a better web designer/front-end developer?

Schools are very important full of knowledge to meet people but schools act as a passage full of doors with differents directions and you have to go and choose the door which you want to get in and which way to follow. This helped me a lot, but essentially you must have your own motivation to really grow professionally.

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 web design industry is increasingly becoming more exciting and interesting. The Flash and 3D are becoming evident. The CSS for portals and dynamic languages like PHP have created interesting opportunities in development, different than the first generation of the web. The web industry has changed and is ever changing for better.

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

In fact I don´t leave without my notebooks!! I don´t live without my sketches. When the optical changes to the technology, I use Photoshop and my tablet with softwares like Maya, Illustrator and finish in Flash to create interactive animation and dynamic content. For developing I use dreamweaver and a lot of Flash Development.

Marcello Manso is a web designer and front-end coder from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He originally started designing websites when he was back in school and a band that he was playing in needed a website and since then he’s gone on to work on many web design projects. Marcello recently won a Peixe Grande award and has been featured in web design magazine.

1. When did you first start designing websites?

I started designing websites back in school days. I used to play in a band, and we needed to have a website where we could disseminate our tour dates, music and stuff. I happily accepted the job, because in that time I was studying visual communication and I wanted to take my chances on the internet. It started simple like that.

2. How long have you been designing websites?

I’m doing this for 8 years, at least. Of course, it became professional later, once I went to the college.

3. I see that you recently won an award at Peixe Grande.  How was that experience and has it added to your creditability as a front-end coder?

To be a winner at Peixe Grande was a pleasant surprise! I’ve been studying usability and focusing in user experience above everything lately, and being a winner this year in this category shows me that I’m following the right path. Peixe Grande has a high concept here in Brazil, and my work is being shown all over the country this month, because I was published in the Web Design magazine, that runs the Peixe Grande contest.

Besides the pleasure of being awarded, I’m having some good responses from the market already, like proposals for partnerships and freelancer works.

4. I also noticed that you refer to yourself as a “Front-end Coder” as opposed to a “web designer”.  What is the difference between the two in your opinion?

In truth I refer myself to both. I think they’re different, even though connected. When I say I’m a web designer, I mean I am able and good at designing a concept, turning it into a visually appealing and user-friendly layout. What comes after this is the work of a coder, who translates the visuals into XHTML and CSS, looking forward to make the website accessible, portable (if needed) and W3C validated. It’s also important to make sure the website looks good in most browsers.

They are different works, both important, and both needed to make a well designed website.  While offering my work as a freelancer, I like to show that I’m experienced in both.

5. How do you stay up to date with the latest web design trends?

I read blogs, galleries and some magazines, mostly. You can find some great sources of information just surfing the web. Smashing Magazine, hongkiat.com, Noupe, Usability Post , Css Mania, they’re all great!

6. How do you usually price the work that you do?

It’s based first in the number of the pages and then I take in count the “little flavors”, like flash, JavaScript, and any other effects in general. There are some other variables as well, like a deadline, for example. So in the end it really depends on the project.

7. Has your educational background helped you in your career?  If it has, then how has it helped?

Yes, it helped a lot, because in college I studied the basis of design itself. Then I chose to focus on web design.

The theory came in handy, but practical experience is what makes you a better designer day after day. In my opinion you have to always balance theory and practice.

Marcelo Duende is a 24 year old Flash Designer from Brazil who’s been designing websites for the past 7 years. He considers himself a flash designer first and foremost before anything else and has worked on a number of courses and certifications to become a specialized flash developer. His flash design portfolio is very extensive and showcases his true talent for flash based web design.

1. How did you first get started in web design?  How long ago was that?

I started my career at 17 years in a small town in southern Brazil, called step back. I worked as a web designer for “Madness skateshop.”

2. Did your education help you at all in your career as a web designer?

No, I started maybe not by the need to work together with something that I really liked. Of course, after I made courses, certifications and took as specialized flash developer.

3. What is the most interesting part of a web design project?

Creating and Flash Development

4. I see that the majority of your work is done using flash? When did you first start working with Flash? And, do you consider yourself more of a “Flash Designer” than a “Web Designer”?

I think I am more flash developer before anything else. I program in ActionScript 3, ActionScript 2, AIR and some other things about flash design and animation.

5. How do you handle questions about Search Engine Optimization when your flash design is involved?

Before it was quite complicated, now with the arrival of the flash player 10 everything is simple, Google and Yahoo already were cleared in the “flash movie.” With the flash 10 player and the source of the flash player released, both Google and Yahoo have developed tools to search the entire contents

6. How do you usually price the web design work that you do for clients?

That depends on many variables and constants, provided the briefing to finalizing a lot happens, and you have to provide all this before you drop a price on a project.

Andre Petrini is a web designer from Curitiba, Brazil. His work is very interesting and he has a style that is animated, a bit over the top and reminds me of “Willy Wonka” but it’s an interesting approach towards web design. To better understand where his style comes from you need to know a little more about his background. Andre studied Advertising in school as compared to design which gives his work a “marketing” feel.

1. After looking at your website I can see that you have a unique style in the web design you produce.  How did you develop it?  Do you have a background in illustration?

Since my childhood, I was drawing all the time, and it was just for fun. When I grew up, I started to use the techniques from illustration into my works. However, my real inspiration comes from literature and movies. Illustration is just one way that I found to express this.

2. When did you first start building websites?

The first site I’ve built was in 2002 during the High School, in a social project to help poor children.

3. Is there a web technology that you couldn’t live without that helps you produce great work?

I don’t think so. Of course some fast software and hardware helps a lot in our work, but it’s not the principal. I can’t work without music, and I need a calm place to work and concentrate. The tools should be additions to the ideas, but not the crutches.

4. Do you have formal training in design either professional or from a university or college?

In design no, but I graduated from Advertising.

5. Do you work with agencies to generate business for your freelance web design business?

No. I usually freelance to the agencies I’ve already worked, but rarely with other agencies. Almost all my freelance clients came from indication of friends and other clients of mine.

6. How do you usually charge for the work that you produce?

It was a problem when I started, because I never knew if I was pricing right. I started charging by hour, but it’s not a very effective way. Nowadays I’ve a kind of list price, and usually charge by project.

7. Outside of designing websites what else interests you?

I really like the advertising for web, and this is my focus now. I always liked the traditional advertising, and think in this for interactive medias is really exciting.

Out of work, I enjoy reading, swimming, playing movies and series. Unlike the most part of Brazilians, I really don’t like playing soccer =D.