Interview with Web Designer, User Interface Guru and Blogger Grace Smith

Grace Smith is a designer, self-proclaimed Apple fan-girl and Twitter addict based in Northern Ireland. Her design studio, Postscript5, specializes in Blog and User Interface design. Grace works with individuals and companies based mainly in the UK and USA, on a diverse range of projects and enjoys collaborating with other designers and developers.


Hi Grace. Can you tell us a little bit about how you first got into the web design and development industry?

After I graduated with an Interactive Multimedia Design Degree in 2005 I started work as a graphic designer for a local print company. Concentrating so much on print work made me miss working online though, so after a year I started to freelance in my spare time and build up both my contacts and portfolio to the point where I could freelance full-time and so then created Postscript5, which has now been in existence for nearly 4 years.

If such a thing exists, what is a typical working day like for you?

A typical day means having breakfast and a read through my RSS Feeds (in Google Reader) and morning news at 8.30am. I also use this time to go through my emails so I’m ready to start work around 9. I work through my prioritised tasks until around 10.30 when I have a morning break (at least one cup of tea is involved in this!) I also use this time to return phone calls or contact clients. I work through to 1pm when I stop for lunch and then finish at 4.30pm. I usually leave the office for lunch and meet with friends/family as I feel it helps re-fuel my creative energy for the afternoon.

I finish earlier than most because i like to take 20/30 minutes to plan my next day (using TaskPaper), prepare invoices and generally tie up any loose ends from the day’s work.

This is a typical day but of course every day is different, as I do consulting work I may be out of the office for most of the day or there may be client meetings scheduled throughout the day, but it serves as general overview of my day to day routine.


What do you think are the best and worst things about being a freelance designer?

One of the best aspects of being a freelancer would be the satisfaction of creating and running a successful business and being your own boss. It’s hard work but it’s so completely worth it.

Probably the worst is all the admin, definitely not my favorite aspect of being self-employed!

Yep, I totally agree about the admin! What is your normal workflow for creating a website from start to finish?

I use a consistent documented process for each project which is constantly being refined. It includes the following phases:

My design workflow couldn’t begin without the initial discussion and discovery phase which helps me gather all the necessary information on the project. Along with an overall picture of the intended users needs and goals, target audience or demographic and required personality and intended style of the website.

This is followed by the Wireframing phase where I create sketches of the layout which are turned into wireframes (depending on the project this is either done using the Greybox Method in Photoshop or Mockflow). These are then reviewed and approved before the design process begins.

Once the wireframes are approved the project moves onto the design phase. The wireframes are taken and given the design treatment and polished. They are then presented for feedback (using Notable) and iteration as necessary until approved.

I then build the design into working prototypes using CSS and XHTML (all according to accessbility guidelines). These are presented and given feedback on all aspects of the build. I then work with the client to polish and tweak until the build is finalised and complete.

Although the project is tested through each stage of the build, this stage involves a complete usability test across all platforms and browsers, checking for cross-platform functionality and appearance. I use a combination of my own testing environment and Browsercam to do a complete check, with the results forwarded onto the client for review. We are then ready for launch!

How important do you consider wireframing in the overall web design process?

Wireframing is an essential step in my design process. It’s a phase I incorporate on projects as it allows for rapid prototyping and helps both myself and the client to pinpoint any potential problems. I also find it invaluable on projects to have a visual representation of content, hierarchy and layout.

It really acts as the blueprint for the content, design and construction work that comes later.

By using wireframes I find the entire design process is much smoother and more efficient. I know by talking with my clients that it is a step in the process they have come to appreciate because it makes for a more efficient project.

What are your current favourite tools for wireframing?

While I am an avid user of Mockflow, two tools that I always use when wireframing are:

(1) Pen & Paper

It’s the fastest way to brainstorm and convey as many ideas as possible with the least amount of effort. Sketching enables me to break down ideas and fully explore UI options and I find putting it down on paper tends to raise questions and ideas and leads to changes. I use the Sketch Sheets supplied with the 960 Grid System (http://960.gs/) which display a browser frame and grid lines.

(2) Grids

Using a Photoshop Action (http://bshoults.com/960-grid-actions) that recreates any of the 960 templates, I start creating the wireframes using the grid as a reference point for positioning elements (Cmd + H to toggle the handy guide visibility). As a side note, Grids aren’t for everyone but I do feel they help give structure and a solid foundation to build my designs upon.

You often have lots of exciting side projects going on! How important do you think personal projects are for developing skills?

I enjoy working on projects which are not client related as it lets me experiment and work at my own pace as well as putting some of creative energy into projects that build up my name and brand.

These type of projects are essential to help me explore ideas, new techniques and different methods and technologies. Each project I work on helps me learn something new and helps to improve and develop and knowledge and skills.

Are there any other designers or agencies in the industry producing work that you really admire?

I’ve always admired Jason Santa Maria, he’s an innovator in both his work and writing. I also hugely admire Contrast (based in Dublin) as they are one of the most talented and forward thinking companies in the industry today and I’ve actually had the pleasure of working with them on several projects.

What hobbies do you have and do they help you ’switch off’ from the internet?

I love spending time with friends/family and am also something of a ‘movie addict’ and can often be found at the cinema or in front of a great DVD.

I’m also hugely into photography at the moment, having purchased my first DSLR late last year and find going on photo walks and spending time with other photographers to be truely inspiring.

Finally, do you have any tips for people starting in the industry?

For those just starting out in the industry, having a solid portfolio is essential. Either work on a reduced fee basis with local charities or businesses, to build your portfolio or create your own project briefs, to show what your capable of to potential clients.

The next step is to become involved in the local business and creative community, attend networking events, making sure you have business cards of course! Immerse yourself in the online community through social media, industry blogs and forums.

Most importantly, focus on creating a reputable and accessible brand. Don’t forget to constantly improve your skills and knowledge and keep reaching out to meet new people and build your brand and client base. Via: The Web Design Blog

Thanks for taking part in the interview, Grace!

Alissa Walker Interview About Design

Even before her New York-walking adventure transformed into the architectural guide City Walks Architecture: New York (Chronicle Books, 2009) last year, Alissa Walker has been walking and writing. The car-less Los Angeles resident has been writing about design, architecture, cities, transportation and food for outlets such as Fast Company, GOOD, Dwell, and KCRW’s “DnA: Design and Architecture,” where she is an associate producer. In addition to walking and writing, Alissa is also an avid gelato eater, which she tries to perfect the art of eating of, whenever she can.

Some of my favorite writings that you’ve covered include the Fast Company piece about the design of LA transit, the appearance of architectural dining spots in Downtown in Dwell, and the fake freeway sign that you wrote about for GOOD Magazine. Los Angeles in general seems to be a large component in your writing. How does the City of Angels influence and inspire your ideas?

"No topic inspires me more than LA! It’s a vast, complex, beautiful place. I’ve lived here for almost nine years and I don’t think a day has gone by when I haven’t thought about how lucky I am to live here. I think partially because it has such a bad reputation in the minds of, like, everyone else in the world, and suffers from all these stereotypes, that I feel a responsibility to share these really amazing stories about the people and places I come across.


Los Angeles has so much to offer in terms of culture. Do you feel the design industry reflects that as well?

"I think the really cool thing about LA’s design industry is that it’s the result of so many creative overlays. There’s, of course, the film industry, a heavy street art influence, an awesome DIY community, the tech aspects of the gaming and animation industries, most of the country’s auto design studios, and probably the most innovative architects in the world. Combine all that with lots of space for people to experiment, a history of manufacturing and fabrication, and an authentic focus on sustainability, and you’ve got what I think is the most diverse and exciting design industry on the planet.

You also write about creativity outside of LA. Throughout the nation, have you noticed any emerging trends in design?

"I get really excited about the work that designers are doing in service of their cities. I’m seeing designers get involved in real policy issues, launching projects around big issues like public transit and urban farming. This is something we’ve tried to catalyze through the GOOD Design program where we have events in cities that pair designers with urban problems as proposed by city leaders. We’ve done programs in LA, San Francisco and New York and I just got back from Sarasota, Florida where I saw the presentations made at our second student event, where Ringling College of Art & Design students presented three solutions for conserving and celebrating water. We also just launched a school garden design contest with LAUSD, and we’re going to build the winning designs.

It’s great that designers are out there wanting to make a change in their surroundings. What is it about creative thinking and processes do you feel, bring people together?

"I think there’s a real camaraderie between creatives because there’s always that possibility to collaborate, which is usually what ends up happening when you get them together enough. I organize a monthly design party named de LaB where we have events that range from making t-shirts and posters at a screenprinting shop, to holding a fundraiser at the house of the architect Richard Neutra, to a tour of Chinatown galleries on bikes (with a stop for dim sum of course)…and recently we organized a pop-up shop for people to sell whatever items they’ve been making. These events are so fun because they expose all these different creatives to other people’s practices, and to each other, and we’ve heard so many stories of people going on to work together. It kind of goes beyond networking.

You’re in the midst of working on a new design site for Fast Company, which is very exciting. How is that going?

"Especially now as we continue to hear bad news about everything magazine-related, it’s pretty amazing that Fast Company is able to launch this new experience for its readers. The design content has been the fastest-growing part of Fast Company as far as traffic and it makes sense to corral it into its own curated site. I will be editing it along with the amazing Cliff Kuang, who I’ve been working alongside for a year, and we’re going to break news and report stories where most blogs just publish pretty photos (but we’ll still have photos!). Also, the site was designed by my friend Scott Thomas, who was the person behind all the beautiful and smart Obama campaign websites. That’s about all I can say about it now, but it’s launching soon, so you’ll see for yourself!

Why do you think design content has been the most popular?

"Design has finally been embraced as a way of thinking, not necessarily this obsession with pretty stuff. Fast Company has done an excellent job of not only positioning design as problem solving, but also challenging the typical “business” angle when it comes to the kinds of stories they publish—our editors really push us to show how design can translate to everyday life, or be applied to more mainstream stories. I think that’s the common thread through all Fast Company’s stories—unexpected and innovative solutions for all kinds of problems, from product launches to social issues, executed by really creative people. I think people understand that creativity is good for business.

You’ve been writing under the moniker, Gelatobaby, for years. As an expert gelato-eater, what’s your best memory of eating gelato?

"There are so many! There’s the “original” best memory—the reason that I named my site Gelatobaby in the first place—which was a summer I was kind of aimlessly touring around Europe by myself trying to decide what to do next. I crossed from France into Italy on the train and got off Vernazza, this tiny town that everyone knows about in the Cinque Terre, and could not believe my eyes. There was gelato sold on every corner. There were gelaterias next door to gelaterias and across the street from another gelateria. No one had prepared me for this! No one told me Italy in the summer is basically this technicolor ice cream wonderland. I truly spent the next three weeks eating as much gelato as I could (sometimes three, four times a day) and found myself so creatively fulfilled that I knew there was a correlation.

Site Manager Jeffrey Interview

Most of you are familiar with Jeffrey, for those who are not, Jeffrey Way is the manager of leading web templates Marketplace Themeforest and the editor of the most popular web development blog Nettuts. He is a well known personality and recently was the guest on the jQuery podcast.

1) First of all thanks for the Interview. Can you tell us how did got started in this field and first came across envato ?

Sure. I, probably like many web designers, got started in this field after agreeing to build my parent’s website without a single shred of experience. Needless to say, the “great business idea” never took off. Anyhow, the next day, I walked out of a book store with “Eric Meyer on CSS,” and some other HTML book, $80 poorer. But, as we all know, these books quickly pay for themselves.

My position as Editor of Nettuts with Envato came out of shear luck. Around May of 2008, I contacted Cyan Ta’eed about contributing some articles to Nettuts. However, it just so happened that I soon, serendipitously, discovered that Envato were currently in need of an editor for the new site.

After I submitted my first two articles, “15 Resources to get you Started with jQuery from Scratch” and “Solving 5 Common CSS Headaches” , she offered me the editor position — total luck. Luckily, this role allowed me to continue writing tutorials and recording screencasts for the site, which I really love. ( More tuts from Jeffrey )

2) You are the manager of Themeforest, CodeCanyon , editor of Nettuts, you have your own blog and you have written a book recently. How do you find time to manage all these things and your personal life ?

A few ways. The key is automation. I often joke that I waste so much time researching productivity tools, but the truth of the matter is, these tools have served me quite well. As an example, I use TextExpander religious, and utilize it for all my code snippets, as well as one liners, such as when answering ThemeForest support queries. This is essential; if you find yourself rewriting the same sentences over and over again, you’re doing it wrong.

Beyond that, I use tools like Forklift to expedite working with the file system and S3; and then there’s Teux Deux, which is laughably simple, but is the perfect solution for scheduling weekly tasks. For Twitter, I use a combination of HootSuite and Echofon to schedule tweets, and interact with the community.

But honestly, we find time for the things we enjoy. I genuinely enjoy working on these sites; so it doesn’t feel like work. Isn’t that the goal when searching for a job? Find something that you’d do for free…and then make money from it!

3) Many Authors on themeforest are making high incomes, what do you find in common in these authors ?

The differences between the big earners – meaning the guys that earn five figures every month – is that they treat this as a full-time job; it’s a business to them. The wonderful thing about ThemeForest, or any of the Envato marketplaces for that matter, is that it can be whatever you want it to be. If you’d prefer to sporadically upload a new template once every few months or so, that’s perfectly acceptable.

Passive income is fantastic. However, with that said, some authors go above and beyond what’s convenient — and their efforts really do speak for themselves. This consists of constant promotion on social networking sites, continuously improving and updating older themes, promoting items, via BuySellAds.com, and plenty of other creative avenues.

4) Recently Themeforest surpassed Templatemonster, what is the success factor that is making TF go so well in such a short span of time.

To clarify, ThemeForest recently surpassed TemplateMonster, in terms of page rank. If you examine the graph below:

…you’ll realize just how far ThemeForest has sky-rocketed, when compared to even five months ago. Needless to say, we’re all really excited, especially when ThemeForest was, in response to this new data, declared as the “new king in web template marketing.” On a lower level, this means that, whether you’re a buyer or author, ThemeForest has proven itself to be the premier website for your needs.

So what’s the reason behind our success? I’d ask your readers to tell me even three different marketplaces to sell, for instance, their WordPress templates. It’s not quite as easy as you might think. Many of the popular marketplaces around the web are subscription based, and don’t necessarily appeal to individual WordPress authors. ThemeForest, and its siblings, fills that niche quite nicely. Beyond that, cheap prices, and a strong community are always helpful!

5) What do you think ,the future of web development is going to be ? Will digital stock goods dominate in the near future.

I think I don’t know! If you had asked me a few years ago, I would have wagered that Flash was really the way to go. It was booming in popularity at the time. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still doing quite well for itself, but, between jQuery and HTML5, I think Flash has a tough road ahead. We’re specifically seeing this prove true in the last week or so, with the Apple/Adobe battle in full steam.

Speaking of which, what was Adobe thinking when they, in their global launch video, continued to promote their Flash -> iPhone feature. Shouldn’t that have been edited out? Apple’ not going to suddenly pull a 180 and change their mind. That one baffled me.

Okay, so I really haven’y answered your question. The truth is, I’m perfectly happy letting those far smarter than me determine what the future will be for our industry.

6) What are your hobbies ? I know you love playing guitar, what are your favorite songs and any chance of launching guitar.tutsplus.com.

Growing up, the plan was to be a studio musician. I went to an arts high school, called Nashville School of the Arts, and was on scholarship at Middle Tennessee State University, where I studied music theory. But, life never goes according to your plans. Thankfully, I’m very happy with the way things turned out. Guitar can remain a hobby… an hour or so per day.

So yeah, I jokingly made a comment on Twitter one day about wanting to launch guitar.tutsplus.com. I strangely received a lot of positive feedback on the idea. It would definitely be fun for me — think… the weekly Nettuts video tutorials, except for guitar; things like, “How to Mimic Billy Gibbons’ Playing Style.” But, I doubt that the bosses have any plans at this time. It doesn’t quite fit in with our other Tuts site. But who knows, maybe in a couple years, I’ll convince Skellie!

7) CodeCanyon is almost 4 months old, how is it going and what advice would you give to new authors?

CodeCanyon is doing quite well, but we’re only now just beginning to dig in our heals. The first step is with our newly launched Plugins category. While we’ll be updating this with multiple subcategories over the coming months, we’re launching with Magento extensions (as a companion to our recently launched Magento themes on ThemeForest), and will soon be moving on to a new subcategory, that I’m certain the community will be happy about.

The advice I’d give to new authors is the same advice I always give: solve problems. As an example, we recently received a PHP script submission that could be used to determine if a particular website domain name was available for purchase. Whether or not this item was coded well is moot. Who needs such a script, when there are a variety of free options online? Solve a problem, and the sales will roll in. But that’s the challenge…determining where the problem lies!

8 ) Sneak Peak at new websites or features coming to Envato ?

Absolutely. We’re all really excited about our upcoming Sessions website. At the beginning of each month we’ll be launching a two-week Session on a creative topic. Sessions will cover everything from digital illustration, to typography, to web design. The articles in each Session aren’t like your usual Tuts+ content. Instead of step-by-step tutorials, they teach the theory behind the techniques and practices. You’ll learn the Whys, not just the Hows.

9) Some quick questions -

• Your favorite OS – Mac
• Your favorite game besides Mass effect 2 - “Legend of Zelda: Link to the Past” will forever be my favorite game of all time, if only for the nostalgia. I still play through it once every year.
• Your favorite IDE – Ahh, tough one. More than any other code editor, I find myself using Textmate the most – if only because it’s so dang fast; but that’s not really an IDE. If I had to choose right now, I’ve been super impressed with WebStorm, from the JetBrains guys, though it’s still in Beta. http://www.jetbrains.com/webstorm/index.html
• Your favorite Themeforest and Codecanyon Author – Can’t show favorites.
• Your favorite Nettuts Author - Again, no favorites. But I am truly thankful for people like Siddharth, Jeremy McPeak, Andrew Burgess, Burak Guzel, Dan Wellman, and James Padolsey, who consistently submit incredible tutorials and articles.

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