SpicyWebDesigners.com by Luc Arnold

Simona Buzatu is a web designer from Bucharest in Romania. She built her first website back in 2005 and since then she seems to put a little of her illustration into most web design project she works on. Simona studied at the Fine Arts University called “Nicolae Grigorescu” in the Department of Graphic Design. She has 7 years of professional design experience focused in graphic and web design.

1. How did you get started in web design?

That is a long story.

Ever since I was a child I have been attracted by the artistic nature of things and this is what sent me to art school and college. I started working on the computer in 2000 when I had a new computer as a gift from my father. I was fascinated with what I could do and with the function “undo” which I still like. Curiosity led me in many directions. I learnt print, 3d, animation, special effects and I worked in television as Art Director and Creative Director. The web design is a recent discovery, and I started doing this out of need, trying to put together my portfolio, once I chose to become a freelancer. Since then I realized that web designing was all I was looking for actually.

2. When did you start designing websites?

I started my first website in 2005. It was a personal minimal and artistic portfolio done in Flash.

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

I believe that the greatest challenge is the ongoing research in this fascinating field, learning new techniques and keeping up with what happens. It is a serious battle for the first rows where the best are.

4. Do you ever refer to yourself as a Front-end developer or a web designer? Do you code any of the web sites that you design currently? If so, what language(s) do you code in?

I refer to myself as both because I like to create a project head to tail. I do code all the websites I design using XHTML 1.0 Transitional and CSS 2.1. written by hand, sometimes I use JavaScript and jQuery. In the future I want to focus on virtual stores and Content Management System.

5. Where did you go to school and has it helped you become a better web design professional?

I attended the secondary school and high school “Nicolae Tonitza” in Bucharest.

Then followed The Fine Arts University “Nicolae Grigorescu” in Bucharest, Department of Graphic Design.

Surely the 15 years of study were a great help. Studies matter a lot but they are just the first brick in the making of a web designer or a graphic designer.

When I create something I want to do my best and for this reason I don’t think that the learning process ever stops.

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?

There has been evident progress, all the work has become more complex and flexible.CSS and the design standards, such as W3C changed the way the web is made. The growing demand for web designing is clear proof of change for the better. Especially in my country where things are radically different. Even now when we are faced with the global economic crisis, online media are extremely cost efficient, compared to print or TV advertising. How did it change? I believe that people changed, and they made progress possible. The web market is dynamic and we go with it.

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

Certainly my favorite tool remains the pencil or the graphic pad because they help me put my ideas into practice faster.

In creating the layouts I use Adobe Photoshop or Adobe Illustrator, and I write the code CSS/XHTML in Notepad and Adobe Dreamweaver.

Occasionally I use Flash for banner animation, photo galleries or “eye candy” elements.

8. How has your passion for graphic design and illustration helped you in web design projects?

I like very much to integrate original elements in my web projects, whether they are illustrations made by hand or on the computer, 3d elements, photography collages or matte painting. My passion for graphic design helps me a lot because I do everything for pleasure and not as a constraint. Not many people can say that they love their job. For me design in general is a pleasure, a joy, an obsession, I enjoy doing what I do whether it is web design, compositing, 3d, video or print.

Adrian Restantia is an interactive and graphic designer from Timisoara in Romania. He first started in the “online medium” back in 1999 while he was still in high school. Adrian studied at Tibiscus University where he earned a degree in Journalism and New Media Faculty. While he was in Journalism school, in his first year, he had an online media class and shortly thereafter he started learning about HTML and has been learning web design ever since.

1. How did you get started in web design?

I first interacted with the online medium back in 1999 when I was in high school. Later I attended the Journalism Faculty and in the first year I had a class about online media. That was the starting point. I began to think about creating websites and in the second year of faculty I found myself playing with Photoshop and learning basic HTML. It was hard at that point because I had no one to teach me what a layer is, what is vector image, what is a raster image, what do you need to have in mind when you are designing for web.

I always considered that the Internet is an important source of information and also for inspiration. So I began to browse the web …

2. When did you start designing websites?

In 2002 I started collaborating with another guy who was more experienced. I was his junior for one year and I’ve learned a lot about web architecture and design. This collaboration gave me the chance to build a small portfolio so I sent my resume to a web agency in my hometown. I thought that if I want to evolve I need a fulltime job. They hired me and from there it all began.

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

Any new project is a real challenge. If you put passion in what you are doing you will take all your projects like a very big thing.

On another side I think that one of the most important aspects that I face when designing a website is the reviews stage. Many of my customers are tempted to intervene in the creative process and most of the time they don’t come up with the best suggestions. I take as a big challenge the process of making the client understand the fact that the designer is the professional and his decisions have to be respected.

4. Why do you refer to yourself as a Front-end developer over calling yourself a web designer?  Is it a way to brand yourself to your clients?

First of all I’m a web designer. I do front-end development in a serious way just for 6 months and I don’t recommend myself yet as a developer yet.

I must say that I’ve realized one important thing and this is that if you do front-end development besides web design the quality and the workflow of your projects is considerably improved.

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

I’ve studied Journalism and I discovered web design when I was a student. I have no design degree or computer science degree but I have a big passion for all that is related to new media.

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?

I think that at this moment the web industry is like a child who has recently learned to say “mom”.

The standards are changing very fast. The quality of the sites is making big progress both on design and content development. If we will compare what we are having on the web now and what was on the web five years ago we will see a very big difference and in the same time we will realize that the direction toward the things are moving is a good one.

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

I use frequent the following applications:

Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, sometimes Adobe Flash, Corel Draw and recently I’ve started to use Aptana Studio for XHTML / CSS encoding.

Dan Ciobanu is a web designer from Timisoara in Western Romania. He has been designing websites for over 8 years since the spring of 2008 when he designed a travel agency website using Photoshop and shortly after that found Macromedia Flash Kit and there was no looking back.

1. How did you first start designing websites?

I never really designed my first site. There, I said it! I tried to design it, but the end result was as far from design as hair growing on a frog. That was way back in the spring of 2000 when somebody I know wanted a site for some travel agency. Got my hands on a Photoshop kit and started to toy around with it. Later that year I’d seen a flash website and it really knocked me out… The motion, the effects… The very next day I got a Macromedia Flash kit and never looked back! I was amazed about the things designers and developers can do with a little gizmo called Flash. Suddenly the Photoshop layout comes to life with just a drop of Flash! One day somebody forwarded me a .pdf file about the basics of design and workflows and that got me started.

2. When did you first start designing websites? How long have you been designing websites?

My first “by the book” designed website came along later that year (2000), I think it was October. So I suppose I do this for over 8 years now and I am still love doing it.

3. What did you study in school? And, has it helped you become a better web designer?

I graduated with a BSc degree in Chemistry (go figure!) and later on another one in IT. None of those had anything to do with helping me become a better designer. What really helped was having talented people around me, many of them being really, really good at what they are doing.

4. What is the biggest challenge that you’ve faced as a web designer?

Waking up in the morning. No, just kidding. Actually, time is my biggest challenge. But I am planning on moving on a planet where the day lasts 48 hours.

5. Which web technologies could you not live without?

I have to plead guilty and say Web 2.0 in general, but I don’t think I could live without Flash and jQuery. Just like Flash and jQuery, Web 2.0 is a revolution that sweeps through web culture communities all over the world. It literally changes the face of the web. And the best part is? We are all part of it!

6. Are you currently freelancing full-time or on a part-time basis? If part-time, what do you do as a day job?

I am freelancing on part-time basis and as for my day job; I do the same stuff for an employee-friendly design studio called Citrus Design.

7. What are your most favourite tools to use as a web designer?

Right! Well it’s no surprise here: Adobe’s Photoshop, Flash, Dreamweaver and MacRabbit’s CSS Edit / Espresso, and my early 2008 iMac.

Bistrian IOSIP is a web designer from Galati, Romania who started Supraelastic, a small web design studio. Even though Bistrian is the only full-time employee of the company currently (the other two are contract/part-time) this web design studio produces some amazing web design. The web design firm boasts excellent on-time delivery and post-implementation support to its clients and focuses on results.

1. How long has your web design firm been in business?

To be honest all started a long time ago, like 8 years back to be more precise. I was a started using Geocities page builder in an internet cafe and a few months later got employed for the 1st time as web designer. From that point things evolved fast.

Most of my experience was spent as freelancer. Few years ago I was started full-time freelancing as bistrianiosip.com than migrated recently to the agency title. Sounds fancy, we prefer to describe ourselves as a small but powerful creative team. The company is registered in 2008 so we’re quite fresh as an agency.

2. Where are the majority of your clients from?

Our clients are spread worldwide but I’ve been working mostly with US, Canadian and some UK customers.

3. What kind of experience can a potential client expect from your web design firm?

First off professionalism, fast turnaround and respect for the deadlines. Second we really talk a lot, we do our homework researching the competition and we focus on delivering results.

4. What is the biggest challenge that your web design firm has faced?

We are facing our biggest challenge right now, we’re planning and working on two free web apps which we are planning to launch in a few months.

5. How many people does your web design firm employee? Part-time? Full-time? Contract?

We are only three people right now; however I am the only one full-time employee at this point.

6. How do you set your company apart from the rest of your competition?

So far I’ve succeeded to amaze my customers with a bullet-proof service, on-time delivery and post-delivery support. Seems that there are so few people that care what’s happening after they deliver a project that I am always getting greetings for the service and support I provide as well as for the quality of the work.

7. How do you go above and beyond to service your clients better?

I always considered that my work doesn’t end when I hand in the files and collect the payment. I always tried to help and be very responsive even if the customers encountered any further after-delivery issue, no matter if it was someone else’s fault or lack in attention.

Anyway I am always happy to see my solutions working on-line and delivering the expected results. That’s the true happiness for me.