CSS Gallery for Web 2.0 Designs

Our first designer interviewed of 2008 in our CSS Designer Spotlight is Matt Rossi.  Matt has over 10 years experience in web design, but also does logo & branding, print and multimedia.

CSS Burst: What are some of your latest designs that you are most proud of?

MR: Visit http://ifohdesigns.com/our-work/web (there you can find my latest work, or at least the latest that I have uploaded).

CSS Burst: How did you get into web design?

MR: A band that I was in needed a website to list shows and offer a discussion forum. My friend who was all ready familiar with HTML offered to help us out and design the site, but he became too busy with work. I started to read up on HTML from http://lissaexplains.com/, this was around 2002 so as you could guess it was mostly table based, image ready slice fest garbage heh. I took great interest in hand coding without a wysiwyg aid, so I became acquainted with HTML and some simple JavaScript. I decided to go to school, and graduated from New England Institute of Technology in 2007 with a degree in Information Science with a focus on Multimedia & Web Design.

CSS Burst: How do you prepare yourself mentally for a new design?

MR: Inspiration, CSS gallery sites, such as your own, and trying to notice aspects of web design in real every day life.

CSS Burst: Does your mood affect the design you put out?

MR: Absolutely, working a 9-5 job can put a stress on creativity and that is never a good thing.

CSS Burst: What is one of the most important pieces of information you get from a client? Colors? Logo tie in? Audience?

MR: Content. A client can speak all they want about what they want, or what they like, but until you see their content for yourself, it is all a bunch of nod-and-say-yes.

CSS Burst: Do you have any advice for designers just getting into web design?

MR: Be honest and true to yourself. Always think "would I actually use this?" and "how can I make this better?"  Making things complicated is much easier than making things simple, and simple key. Users are dumb, so try to be a user more often and your designs will work!

Thanks Matt for taking the time to answer our questions for our CSS Designer Spotlight series.  Stop back by for more CSS Designer Spotlights in the future.