What's your specialty?

I'm a flash nut. Been working w/ mostly flash for about 4 years now. I'm a decent annimator, but am expert when it comes to development and functionality w/ AS2.0 OOP flash development. I love everything about Flash.

You got flash issues, you're welcome to ask me:) I'll probably be bugging you for freehand stuff!

PS: no head up my ass either! Though I know how you feel, at my day job (HK is my attempt at something better than slaving away for a bunch of dickheads) I manage 3 junior designers and we're looking for a 4th....but 99% percent of the applicants have their head up their ass so far its coming out of their neck again.

I was trained in the fine art of visual media and proceeded to plunge into careers as a web designer, graphic designer and production manager.

I've basically now drifted into Icon production for software and interface projects as I was always fascinated in user interaction and interface design. Usually the first idea for a visual metaphor that pops into your head is the correct one. Designers can over anaylse things far too much.

I used to design a lot of websites for credit unions and finding out what information people actually use on a website was a revelation.15-20% of people came to the site purely to get the phone number of their local credit union. If people use your design unconciously, you've done your job. Otherwise, you're just pulling wheelies on the screen.

I design by the maxim now of "Don't bore us, get to the chorus". For partly that reason I avoid Flash like the plague unless I can't do it through simple HTML. I hate designer sites in Flash that spend the majority of the browsing time thowing visual ideas at the screen to see what sticks...build your site for Google and no one else.

Just my own wee opinion.

For the love of god, design for yourself! Not the number of drooling googlers that manage to push a button and end up on your credit-union site.

In the Fountainhead Roark said "I don't intend to build in order to have clients, I intend to have clients in order to build". I suppose it all depends what you value, or how far you're willing to push an envelope.

I would add that its far more important in some cases that the experience of the user not be overshadowed by the numerical measurement of 8 second visitors. I'm sure having a huge page w/ a phone number easily accessible is important for credit union sites, but am also sure that though the middle class corporate world may drive the bulk of e-commerce, they do not drive its innovation.

i do, did lot of things really. i'd like to know my speciality myself. :) i think i'm good at packaging design and identity. i'm comfortable with below the line very much. i'd like to do more web sites and above the line advertising.

Jeff,

Wasn't a slight at yourself, was just expressing my assertion that an ego needs to left at the door when designing anything, and for me, websites are where a lot of people let their ego run rampant.

Designing exclusively for myself is something I never do. Runs against everything I enjoy in good design

A majority of sites are there to attract traffic, by search engine and by recommendation. As the ratio of Google to Word of Mouth is always weighted in favour of the search engine that's where I put in the work. Doesn't mean the design has to suffer but it's a central tenet for me when designing any web project.

Really nice topic!

I'm pretty strong at identity design ( www.senses.hu/reference ), illustration and photography ( www.senses.hu ). Nowadays I'm interested in webdesign.

Balázs

No worries at all! I enjoy the topic of what drives designers, and how it effects their designs.

I for one am all about ego. I am a selfish selfish designer!

My big thing is interface design. I've always liked doing that for my web projects and coming up with cool different ways of doing interface. At work I do alot of concept design, so I work out layouts for books, brochures etc, then my design is implemented by other designers more inclined at copy layout. I've done lots of covers for books as well.

Though I've always had an affinity for web design and flash. I think I like the mental challenge that comes from programming a layout instead of just straight design. I expect in the next couple of years I'll move more and more into that field of work.

I have been in book design since finishing college. As an in-house designer, I handle the covers, marketing/ad design and everything else that is thrown at me. I definitely agree that the ego should be checked at the door, but that doesn't mean it has to be completely silent. Design is your interpretation of the message, but the product/company should still be the star of the design.

I myself am more suited for web design, particularly in flash. The browser wars have been unable to sway Flash one way or another, and the scripting language of Flash allows me to break free from the shackles and restrictions of HTML and filesize limitations. Vector is the way to go, most of the time. I love a good scripting challenge every now and then.

How ironic,

Was just approached about a bank site. Its actually a pretty familiar bank too. Anyhow, the irony is that they're seeking a flash driven site!

I might have to ask mr.anti-flash for advice!!

hyperkulture.com wrote:

How ironic,

Was just approached about a bank site. Its actually a pretty familiar bank too. Anyhow, the irony is that they're seeking a flash driven site!

I might have to ask mr.anti-flash for advice!!

Sketchpads, 4 html tags and a nested table are all you need :)

My best friend is a Flash animator who lives and breathes the program but I could never get used to the timeline convention. Used to do all my interactive work in Director which seems like the shabby old uncle in the corner these days.

Here's to Diversity in design to keep it spicy.......

very useful thread! anybody does coding in php? i have yet to find a designer with good coding skills. that would be a winner!

php, asp/vb, perl, as2, mysql........I had to learn all these to build flash applications that can connect and interface w/ databases. I've since built a few CMS (content management systems) packages w/ these so I don't have to update content on sites as frequently.

Its only so much fun to design for the sake of looks to me, making it useful and powerful is at least half the fun.

Well, i'm not exactly a designer, but a software engineer. PHP is not my best skill, but i've experience with Python, ASP, Java, and so on. Also with databases (MySQL...). And in my free time i have fun with design and photography. Hope soon i could show you a DIN A2 poster which i'm preparing right now (Illustrador made)

As I think designer is a universal professional I claim to be able to do any design work. I enjoy creating web sites just as much as simple banners. I don't do techniques - I do final projects and prefer to be free in choosing the tools.

As for business - I specialize in corporate presentations - combine business knowledge with understanding of technology and ability to visualize it properly and attractively. In other words, I take complex business/technical stuff, rethink it and present graphically making people understand the it, remember and have a pleasant time while looking at it.

Done some works for Microsoft and IBM and actually was one to create a new graphical style for Microsoft Business Solutions presentations after they've acquired danish Navision.

There is more about it on the company's web site ;-)