SpicyWebDesigners.com by Luc Arnold

With well over a decade of web development experience, Simon Young, a front-end web developer from Chester, England in the United Kingdom has a lot to say about his experiences to date in web design.

Even though he is selective at times with the work that he takes on he is highly skilled in WordPress, Magento and Ruby on Rails development and goes by the title of “Front-end web developer”.  Because of his experience he works on a number of projects with varying scopes from planning the build of an ecommerce site to doing layouts in CSS and XHTML.

Simon mentions how much the average project he is willing to take on which clears up a lot confusion when it comes to pricing out his services in this excerpt from his site…

“To set your expectations accordingly, in most circumstances (i.e. unless you are a charity or other volunteer project) I’m usually unable to work on projects with a budget of lower than £2000.”

Whether you are interested in working with him on your next web design project or you are interested to know more about what he does and how he got to where he is today feel free to read on and learn more about this well-versed web design professional…

Luc asks: Simon, since you first started about 12 years ago what are your favorite things that have happened in web design?

Simon says: I think the most significant development during this period has been the advancement of web standards and continued exploration as to what is possible in the browser. From a personal point of view, after many years of working on Microsoft technologies, in 2006 I moved to working on a Mac and mainly using open source web technologies such as WordPress, Rails and Magento.  In retrospect, I wish I’d done this a lot sooner as I’ve found the flexibility of open source and the ease of use of Mac are the perfect combination for web development.

Luc asks: I see that you do a fair amount of web development using Ruby, Magento Commerce and WordPress and I wanted to ask what is your favorite platform/framework to work with and why is it your favorite?

Simon says: The three all have very different strengths and weaknesses and so I go through phases of which I prefer although I would say now that 90%+ of my work is done on one of the three.  I love WordPress because it is the ideal content management solution for many small businesses and it’s incredibly feature rich these days.  Whilst there are lots of more complex CMS products on the market few are as instantly accessible and flexible and for many small businesses it’s likely to be all they will ever need to create a really solid online presence.

I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with Magento.  The feature set is phenomenal for an open source ecommerce project and there is very little that it can’t do out of the box or with an extension and the template system, while initially daunting, is incredibly powerful.  On the downside, the extensive feature set and powerful template system means there is a huge amount of lines of code within the project and so if something goes wrong or you really need to alter a small piece of functionality it can be tough to track down what you are looking for.

I think my favorite platform is Ruby on Rails and I use this for all of the web application builds I am involved in.  The concept of convention over configuration works really well for me and the in-built functionality is supplemented by so much great code in the community too.  I’m still really a beginner in many aspects of Rails but I just love the fact that every day you spend with it you come out at the end of the day with real progress and new knowledge.  Very few frameworks can offer you that!

Luc asks: As a front-end web developer fill in the blank about this sentence “_______ is the most important technology that i use as a front-end developer”

Simon says: “XHTML/CSS” is the most important technology that i use as a front-end developer.

Luc asks: I ask this of all front-end developers, do you prefer designing or developing (coding) websites and do you have any experience developing in the back-end or is your experience solely front-end development?

Simon says: I started off mainly on the design side as most sites were static when I first got in to the industry however now I find myself spending most of my time either coding layouts and integrating with WordPress/Magento or doing back-end development such as Rails.  I’d still class myself primarily as a front-end developer but I’m definitely picking up more back-end development experience at the moment.

Luc asks: Being a professional with more than 10 years of experience in the areas of web design and development are you more selective of which clients you take on or is anyone welcome?

Simon says: I’m selective to an extent.  I generally look out for clients who are going to be rewarding to work with and are keen to benefit from my expertise and with whom I can get along.  I like clients who pay on time too!

Luc asks: How much do you charge for an average project currently and what does this normally include?

Simon says: I don’t know that there is such a thing as an average project!  The charges will vary depending on whether I’m working through a larger digital agency in Manchester or London (where typically I’ll charge a day rate) or whether I’m doing a fixed price project for a small local business.  My involvement can be anything from just bringing PSD files to life as XHTML/CSS layouts right through to a full e-commerce plan, design and build.

David Curran is a freelance web designer based in Cornwall, England in the United Kingdom. David originally studied Geography at the University of London and graduated in 2005 and later fell into web design by accident. In 2008, he started designing websites on a freelance basis and recently went full time designing websites. When I interviewed David he talked about how he started in web design, what it takes to make user friendly websites and his experiences working with various CMS systems.

Luc @ SWD: David, how did you first start designing website and how long have you been building them professionally?

David says: I first started building websites when working for a small computer firm in my local town, I was also servicing and building PC’s but I began to get more business for the websites so started teaching myself web design. I never had any training and pretty much taught myself through reading web articles and a few books. I still have a lot to learn and continue to teach myself from searching Google and checking the source code of sites I like. My first few sites were from using WYSIWYG editors but quickly saw the limitations to such programs, I now try to hand code sites as much as possible and use a minimal amount of standards compliant markup.

After a couple of years with the computer firm I started taking on clients outside of the business and eventually went freelance in 2008 and have been full time designing websites since then.

Luc @ SWD: Where and what did you study at college/university?

David says: I actually studied Geography and received a BSC from the University of London in 2005. At the time I had no idea I wanted to do web design and just sort of fell in to it a couple of years after university. I didn’t even know anything about computers when studying!

Luc @ SWD: How do you go about designing and building a website that is “user friendly”? Do your clients ever want things that aren’t as user friendly in a web design project and how do you deal with that when it comes up?

David says: I always try to design sites that are hopefully ‘user friendly’ by creating clear and simple layouts. Often using a minimal layout only displaying the information necessary to that page means that users don’t get confused as to what they are reading. I try to use traditional and familiar techniques, like descriptive headers, which are both useful for spiders and for visitors to understand the hierarchy of the page and to read the information as it should be read. In terms of clients ever wanting sites that aren’t as user friendly, I have never really had to deal with this as most of the people who approach me for a website do so because they have seen my portfolio and want a clear, simple and user friendly site!

Luc @ SWD: David, I see that you work with CMS (Content Management Systems) in your daily web design work.  Which CMS is your favorite to use or do you have a custom CMS that you use currently?

David says: The first few CMS’s I have worked with were custom built (through an outsourcing website) and these have been successful. Unfortunately I still haven’t much experience with PHP and other such languages used to build CMS’s so have to outsource such systems, although I am trying to teach myself PHP (but find it quite boring!). More recently I have built a couple of sites using Joomla and found that this is a great system which is very customizable. I am currently in the process of building a social networking/directory website and am doing so using Joomla so my client can have full control of the content after the site is built, and hopefully I will learn a lot about Joomla in the process.

Luc @ SWD: What are your favorite web design tools to use when designing?

David says: I mainly use Photoshop to sketch out layout ideas and then hand code in Dreamweaver. I know Dreamweaver, like many WYSIWYG programs does have a tendency to do create unnecessary markup but I do find it useful to hand code in and it has some very intuitive features.

Web design is something that has always been in Chris Godby’s blood. This web designer from Surrey, England in the United Kingdom got his start in web design while he was studying at Portsmouth University where he and a few friends had the idea to start a web design company. The company may have since been dissolved but this experience gave Chris the skills he needed to go out on his own as a freelance designer. While at Portsmouth University, Chris studied Computer Animation and wrote his dissertation on Search Engine Optimization so he is very knowledgeable on the topic and suggests to his clients to analyze the competition and coaches his clients on off-site optimization techniques since he does the on-site optimization himself. Chris Godby had some things to say when it comes to his experience of starting a company with a few friends from school, how he helps his clients with SEO, his experiences at school and how he likes to do business…

Luc @ SWD: Chris, i see that you started a web design company with a few friends and i wanted to ask what did this teach you about the web design business? Do you currently work for this company?

Chris says: I started the web design company as part of my degree (to use in my dissertation) mainly as an experiment.  In the end it was an extremely useful way of learning the ropes of the web design business, and business in general.  I now work as a sole trader, but running an Ltd company is quite different.  We’ve since dissolved the company but it mainly taught me; the portfolio is everything, you have to be very motivated and make sure you’re surrounded by equally motivated people otherwise it will fall flat on its face! And of course to not quit even when business is slow (as it always will be in the beginning).

Luc @ SWD: Did studying Computer Animation at Portsmouth University help you with your web design skills?  Why did you choose to go into computer animation and not a more web related course of study?

Chris says: Coming straight out of school and having to make the decision that’ll affect the rest of your life is always tough. I originally wanted to go into marketing, but I saw the head of 3D Animation doing a presentation and it sounded like it was for me, so I signed up there and then!  The course had a little web design in it, and it covered flash animation which is always handy.  My passion for web design really sparked during the course so I pursued it myself, pretty much taught myself over the summer.  That’s the great thing about web design, thanks to such an outstanding community, there are tons of free resources around to teach you the skills required.

Luc @ SWD: Considering that you did your dissertation on Search Engine Optimization what tips do you give clients about good SEO practices and how do you stay knowledgeable about new SEO trends?

Chris says: Plenty! I find half the battle is teaching them how important it is and that it isn’t a onetime thing – it’s ongoing.  My main tips are off-site as I tend to optimize any sites I create.  I always say; keep an eye on your competition, analyze what they are doing and do better.  Build relevant, preferably one-way links. I’ve found building a blog with great content people will want to read is loved but search engines and users alike and is a natural way of building traffic.

To stay knowledgeable about SEO I’m a member of a number of SEO/Web forums and resources such as SEOMoz, SEOChat, and grokdotcom to name a few.  The sheer number of SEO related resources can be pretty intimidating so I’m sure everyone has their favorites!

Luc @ SWD: How did you first start designing websites? What are the benefits of hand-coding web pages in your own opinion?

Chris says: Haha well I guess it was back in school with an early version of Dreamweaver and a teacher telling us all about tables and how great they were..

I think hand-coding gives you a lot more control over the medium.  It’s also much easier to find errors if you’ve entered every piece of code by hand.  I tend to mix it up with Dreamweaver and notepad plus to get the best of both worlds!

Luc @ SWD: How do you usually approach a web design project? Do you prefer to meet the client face-to-face or does that sort of thing matter to you?

Chris says: I love meeting face to face, much preferred over phone or email, but sometimes this just isn’t possible or productive.  I work with clients all over the world so sometimes we just have to make do with Skype or email, and sometimes Basecamp.

Kean Richmond is a web designer and developer from North Yorkshire, England in the United Kingdom. He first started designing websites using FrontPage and quickly moved up from there. Today his work in web design, web development and front end development is very professional largely in thanks to the education and his drive to learn more about web design. In 5 years from now, Kean wants to be doing what he does currently but better and that’s not to say his websites are bad or not high quality because they are. When asked about how he started web design and how it feels like to work in a company where he is the only designer here is what he had to say.

Luc @ SWD: How did you first discover web design?

Kean says: I don’t quite think this is when I discovered web design but the first site I ever built was one I’d built as part of my ICT course at college. We had to build a site using FrontPage; I think it had something to do with Pirates or Treasure. Of course being a newbie I covered the website in loud colors and odd DHTML animations.

Luc @ SWD: When did you first charge for your services as a web designer?  What was the web design project all about?

Kean says: I was on placement at IBM, which I did as part of my University course. My then manager’s son was part of a band and he asked me to build them a website. The site was a fairly simple one, though it did push my Photoshop skills. Half way through the process one of the band members left so had to be removed from the group photos they have professionally done. Luckily for me the site has since disappeared, and unfortunately I think so has the band.

Luc @ SWD: Kean how has your educational experience at Teesside University helped you to become a better and more confident web designer?

Kean says: Before going to University I didn’t know enough about Web Design to go straight into a job and lacked the drive to learn at home so University was where I felt I had to start. I’m don’t think University made me a better designer but without going to Uni I don’t think I’d be a Web Designer at all. In fact if it wasn’t for Teesside offering a full web course I could have gone on to do any IT related course, as at the time I was certain I was going to University but not sure about what to study.

Luc @ SWD: Where do you want to be in 5 years? Still in web design? Why or why not?

Kean says: Definitely. In 5 years I hope to be doing pretty much doing what I do now just hopefully better. I love the work I do so all I would want to happen is to do more stuff that compliments that. I’ve always liked the idea of getting more involved with clients as well as involved in the larger web design community. I like the idea of being able to pass on the stuff I’ve learnt to others just starting out.

Luc @ SWD: In terms of tools that you love to use, what are your favorites?

Kean says: I don’t tend to use that many different tools, mainly because I don’t work on a Mac where most fun apps live. Instead I tend to just use Photoshop, Dreamweaver and Firefox. These are pretty much all I need and they compliment how I work.

I started using Photoshop and Dreamweaver as they seemed the industry standard at the time. Changing from these would just make simple jobs harder to do as I learnt new software. Firefox I use mainly for the plug-ins, I have stuff like Firebug, Echofon, ColorZilla, MeasureIt and more all installed that make building sites a lot easier.

Luc @ SWD: In your work experience as the lone designer at a company do you find it hard to talk about what it is you do with other colleagues?

Kean says: Probably Yes. Though the people I work with are awesome and really know their stuff I can’t imagine having conversations over border-radius or the 960 Grid System. I don’t think it affects my work though, being the only designer forces me to push my own skills as I’m responsible for ensuring all the design work we do is usable and is a high standard.

Ryan Dean-Corke is a web and graphic designer from sunny ol’ England (Birmingham in the United Kingdom) to be specific. From the time he was in college at the University of Worcester, Ryan’s interest around web and graphic design grew from CAD (Computer Aided Drafting) programs and later he discovered Photoshop and the web. Since 2007 he has been designing websites professional but originally he studied Creative Digital Media at university which has allowed him to lay the ground work for his career. Ryan’s style is board hinging on his passions for web, graphic, identity and 3D design and when asked he had this to say about his knowledge, skills and education.

Luc @ SWD: How did you first start designing websites and how long have you been designing them professionally?

Ryan says: While studying product design at college, I took a keen interest in the CAD programs. My teacher later introduced me to Photoshop 6.0, which changed my life pretty much. I began reading tutorials on the web and experimenting in my spare time. Eventually I wanted to bring life to what i was creating, and initially used Geocities (RIP) to build (very awful) websites for myself and friends. Once i had a taste for the web I self taught HTML + CSS, so i could build sites properly! My first actual paid work was while i was at University (2007), that’s also when i was taken on as a designer for Wapple.net.

Luc @ SWD: Where did you receive your degree in Creative Digital Media?  Has it helped you become a better web designer?

Ryan says: I earned my degree at the University of Worcester, which was a very interesting experience. My course was very broad, so I wasn’t taught a great deal about web-design, but the whole course in general was more about getting a taste of something in lectures, and learning more off your own back. So in that respect, it’s very similar to what I’m doing now (makes me wonder why it all cost so much…). I however did learn a great deal about project planning, time management, usability, collaborative projects, and generally matured as a designer.

Luc @ SWD: Why did you decide to work part-time for Wapple.net and is your goal to go freelance on a full-time basis?

Ryan says: It wasn’t an easy decision to make, but i felt like i needed a change. Now I get to try new things and develop new skills, and continue to work as part of a creative team. Freelancing is probably my end goal, but i personally love working as part of a great team, so i don’t think it’s something I’ll do anytime soon. Besides, i think there’s much more for me to learn from experienced individuals before i can go solo full time!

Luc @ SWD: What are your “tools of choice” when you are designing?

Ryan says: Moleskine note book, Photoshop, Illustrator, skEdit, Mac OSX

(Also, on occasion: Logic Express, 3DS Max, After Effects, Premier)

Luc @ SWD: I see you’ve worked on a number of projects outside of freelancing including AcidPie Productions?  Do you enjoy taking a more “entrepreneurial” approach towards your career as a designer?

Ryan says: Since the early days, I’ve always wanted to create new sites and realize ideas. Very few of them actually come together for one reason or another, but at the moment I working on a couple blogs in my spare time, which i hope to build into community driven projects. The first being Vgrepublic.com and the second i can’t really talk about as it’s just on paper at the moment!

Acid Pie Productions was something me and Tor Burrows (of notorious design) started during university, for our dissertation project. Through this we met some great people, and designed/produced some great work. I just love the thought of people using something I’ve created or been a part in creating, and that’s always been my drive.