Desktop 240: Taking A Speccy

The article I wrote for the current issue of Desktop magazine was more controversial than most. It broaches the topic of design contests — a topic that is very polarizing.

One element that designers who abhor design contests as a concept neglect to factor into their criticism is how many designers use design contests as a lead generation activity.

Basically I use 99designs.com as a stepping-stone to get contacts. And for that it has honestly been just amazing. My income, literally just from winning contests, basically pays all my bills. Add to that all the follow-up work that comes in, and you’re rockin’. It’s as simple as that.

You can read the full transcript of the interview that I did with Richard Scott (complete with arguments in the comments for and against the topic, as expected) which formed the basis of my article in Desktop.

posted: 26.06. 2008, 13:29 Comment (0)

Desktop 239: Carbon Currency

A blog post that one of my colleagues penned last year was the inspiration for this month’s column for Desktop magazine.

I’ve always been relatively conscious of minimizing the impact I make on the environment. My first girlfriend was heavily involved in organising environmental protests, clean-up days and the like, and I suspect that some of these philosophies rubbed off on me even after we parted ways.

Mostly though, being environmentally responsible just makes sense. So when my editor informed me that the June issue of Desktop would have a “green” theme, I jumped at the opportunity to not only shed some advice, but look inwards at what I could be doing better.

You know the drill: reduce, reuse, recycle; ride your bike or take public transport; install energy efficient light globes; grab a blanket or open the window instead of using the heater or air conditioner… most of that stuff is common sense. Instead I’ve come up with six ways in which web designers specifically can reduce the power they consume, thereby reducing their carbon emissions.

Read the full article online.

posted: 18.05. 2008, 22:58 Comment (0)

Desktop 238: The Evolution Of A Web Designer

My column for Desktop magazine this month spelled out the path that a web designer follows in their quest for web design nirvana — from novice, to traveller, and then to master, before finally becoming a web standardista.

This article details the stages through which most web designers travel. Hopefully, you’ll be able to identify where along the path you lay. Once you’ve orientated yourself, you’ll know what your next steps should be in order to truly hone your craft.

Suggesting that the goal of every web designer is to become a “standardista” was a little tongue-in-cheek, but the point I tried to make is that keeping our skills up to date is crucial in order to deliver quality solutions to our clients.

As always, the article is available in its entirety online.

posted: 02.05. 2008, 00:23 Comment (0)