Your resume looks fantastic! One of the best I’ve ever seen!

So, if you find yourself facing unemployment (I’m not going to use the “R” word, or even the “D” word, but do feel free to ruminate on the current economic climate in whatever manner you’d prefer), you should invest in a custom-designed resume! It’s cheap, it’s fun, and it may even get you a job. And I get that warm-and-fuzzy feeling that comes from helping someone out.

Process

1.Do you start with a rough comp or go straight into a “finished” design?

Usually when working for clients I’ll start with four different initial rough mockups. We then revise back and forth, and with each stage of revision I start pulling the pieces together into a more polished final, along with applying the client’s suggestions.

1a. Do you mock up on paper or in photoshop?

A little bit of both, usually … though I usually don’t show the paper mockups to anyone!

2. How much time do you usually spend creating a home page design?

This tends to vary depending on the client and their budget. Most of my clients are small-budget so I keep things as quick as possible without sacrificing aesthetics too much. Usually, to take a design from mockups through to completed template (before any coding happens!) takes around 10 hours, including all the stages of revision.

3. How much time do you typically spend “polishing” a design?

I have been known to spend tens of hours, but generally, as I do try to keep an eye on the clock and not indulge my perfectionist side too much, it tends to average out at about 5–10 hours, depending of course on the complexity of the design!

4. Would you say you are more “get it done, get it out” focused or “get it perfect” focused?

I think I’m naturally more the latter … if I’m designing something for myself or for a client who doesn’t have time restrictions, I can spend a good deal of time poring over the minute details. But most of my clients want it done now, and don’t have a lot of money to spend indulging me, so I do quite effectively steer myself towards the “get it done” line of focus.

5. How do you manage design quality vs. time available?

I try to make it so that my process facilitates better quality, and obviously, as I get better, I find that I’m able to do better work in less time, and spend less time on work that goes nowhere. I try to really restrict the amount of time I put into rough comps, as a lot of this can be “wasted” time. I’ve got to the point where I can do comps far more quickly, and am then left with more time near to the end of a project to refine and polish. I also try to make myself focus on the things that people will actually notice, rather than the things that only matter to me, and this keeps my perspective in line a bit.

Style

1. How would you describe your artistic style?

I do tend to vary—one of the things I love about design is that you don’t really need to pigeonhole yourself into one aesthetic, as different projects require different styles. However, I find my style usually tends toward being rather clean & simple, with bold lines and colour. I like to offset this with the use of textures and typographic flourishes, so that things aren’t quite so stark.

2. Who would you say has influenced your design style?

That’s another thing that I love about design! Influences come from everywhere … I can be as inspired by a bottle of juice as I can be by a stunning website. I find my style is most influenced by beautiful things that I find around me—good recent examples of this are this gorgeous PaperBlanks day planner I bought, a book called “The Modern Gentleman”, and the shape of the tree outside my window.

3. What do you think should drive the visual style of a website?

The most important thing is that it reflects the message of its content, and is in line with its company’s marketing objectives. That comes first—some sites require a textured, elaborate look, while others demand something simpler or more professional-looking. I always try to ensure I have a good idea of what the design should be “saying” prior to even thinking about a design. Design can communicate so much before anyone reads even so much as a word on the page; it’s vital that your first impression be the right one!

4. What are some examples of sites (not yours) that you like?

butterlondon.com, alistapart.com, chicagomanualofstyle.org, giohalifax.com, walnutgrovespring.com, marketcircle.com, 37signals.com, klf.org, webdesignerwall.com

5. What are some examples of sites that you dislike?

MySpace! about.com … there are so many, it’s really hard to just name a few!
Misc

1. To what extent were you taught/receive formal training on design vs. learning by yourself?

I actually learned web design, and, by extension, the basics of PS, when I was about fourteen, so I’d been doing it relying on a “good eye” for some time before I went to school.  School gave me a decent understanding of the basics and of how to apply them, but I found that I’ve learned much more since being out of school! I read a lot: websites, magazines, books, and I’m always trying to learn new things. I feel constantly like a student.

2. What design websites do you read regularly?

A List Apart, Vitamin, Veer, design.Principles, Be a Design Group (since defunct), Graphic Define, FreelanceSwitch, The Book Design Review.

3. What is your a recent blog post or article on design you enjoyed?

There was a fantastic article in the last issue of Design Edge magazine about book cover design that I really enjoyed, and another one about this redesign of a honey manufacturer’s marketing materials. (I tend to enjoy reading magazines more than I do websites! I spend too much time staring into the screen.) I recently really enjoyed this History of the Ampersand.

4.What are your top three “must read” books on design?

Stop Stealing Sheep, The Elements of Typographic Style, Universal Principles of Design.

5. What are the latest trends in web design?

Gradients, things reflected in invisible mirrors (this usually is done without any logical consideration), that curly/flourishy vector look, extra whitespace to create a long long scrolling page, use of large icons and directing graphics, increased simplicity, grunge elements seem to be back again, but in more of a texture/background sort of a way…

I think I could have probably fleshed out some of my answers a little more fully, but didn’t want to fall into the trap of becoming overly verbose, which I have a tendency to do.

What enthused you to enter this line of work?

In school, I was always a bit of an academic, and I had a lot of troubles deciding between the arts and sciences. I love that design allows me to use my whole brain–some aspects are very creative and visual, and some aspects require more analytical thinking and problem-solving. It’s constantly challenging me, and I’ve always found that it keeps me striving to do better. I’ve always enjoyed visual arts but have never felt particularly gifted at them. A more typically “academic” line of work might not have been as much of a challenge for me, and I think that I would have lost interest at some point.

Is there anything you dislike about this career? What would you change?

Because its tools have become more widely available, more and more people are calling themselves designers because they can run a Photoshop filter or cobble together a website. And while it’s great that it’s become more accessible, it also means that there’s more semi-professionals undercutting those of us who are trying to pay our bills this way, and there’s a whole proliferation of really terrible design running around (especially online!)

I wish that the public perception of the industry were a little higher. The GDC is doing a lot of work towards this, and there are loads of people who do understand the value of professional design work, but there’s still a lot of people who think that their neighbour’s kid who knows how to use Photoshop can provide them with a valuable branding package for $50. I don’t mean to be elitist about it; having training or being a “professional” doesn’t necessarily mean that you’ll be able to create more valuable work than a self-taught amateur. But I do think that design is important enough to a business that people ought to be willing to pay reasonable prices for it! And don’t get me started on the Indian companies who’ll create an e-commerce site for 40 rupees, or the online companies that create you a “custom” logo created from clipart for $300.

What is the most challenging part of your work?

The easiest answer is “the client”, but that gives the wrong impression. Clients are an integral part of design, and it is their presence that differentiates “design” from “art”. Clients can be incredibly frustrating to work with–they ask you to do horrible, ugly things to a formerly clean and well-crafted design, they change their minds all the time, they change the scope of the project and complain about inflated costs–but they also foster good design by creating challenges and forcing a designer to think around, and for, their particular requirements.

When creating a design what do you feel is the most important aspect?

That it fits its content and message.
Being gorgeous comes second.

Did you draw as a hobby before your career choice? If yes, how has it affected your hobby?

I used to do a lot of drawing, painting, etc. I don’t do it as much as I’d like as often, but I need to do more and I know that doing so will help me with my digital design. I’ve often heard it said that designers don’t NEED to know how to draw, but it really does help. It adds extra dimension and understanding to your work, and it develops your “eye”, which is integral to good design.

Who are some of you artistic influences? What is it about their work that inspires you?

I’m a little all over the map with this. I love Georgia O’Keefe, I’m a big fan of David McKean, I love Aubrey Beardsley. I’m fond of Expressionism and Surrealism, as well as Russian Constructivism. I’ve always really enjoyed well-crafted, finely detailed work in general (bottle labels, book covers, websites). And I really like dark, stylized illustrations (a lot of graphic novels have some stunning examples of this).

I find that when something really strikes me as beautiful, it inspires me to make something equally lovely. Usually it’ll help me think in new directions, and consider things from a new perspective.

How did you get started in design and how long have you been doing it for?

I’ve been designing websites since I was about 14–I lived in the middle of nowhere and basically had nothing to do, so I taught myself how to design. I actually never considered it a viable career choice until I’d finished a year of university (philosophy & journalism) and realized that a degree might not actually translate into a viable career.

So I turned around and took a year of design at my local community college, NSCC. (It’s usually a two-year program, but I managed to get by a portfolio review in order to do it in one instead.) What had formerly been more of a hobby became a passion, and school is a great place to get really excited about something. I’ve always been more of an academic with an interest in artistic things, but I never thought that it’d be practical to pursue as a career, so it was really exciting to find an artistic endeavour that also had practical applications!

What is the best school to go to, and how long did it take you to complete schooling?

I don’t know what the “best” is. I did it in a year, but in hindsight, I wish I’d done more. From what I’ve seen, college courses tend to be more practically-oriented (tech-oriented), but university courses are more comprehensive (theory-oriented). I think it’d be best to have a mix of this!

What are the most important skills do you feel a designer needs to be successful?

Perseverance, determination, and the ability to stay up all night.

What is the salary like for this career?

Well, if you’re working for yourself, it’s variable. But I’ve been really lucky, and my first job paid $38 000 with tons of benefits. If you can find a copy of the GDC’s salary review, that’s a great source for salaries across the board–it really ranges depending on who you’re working for, how long you’ve been working, and what particular aspect of the industry you’re in.

Thank you so much

You’re welcome! I hope this has helped, and if you have any follow-up questions, do feel free to send them my way. (And this goes double for the rest of you, too!)