Interview: Web Page Designer Job Description

In this exclusive LoveToKnow Web Design interview, Nick Jones sits down to discuss his successful Flash web design business, Narrow Design and provides readers with a very detailed web page designer job description.

Starting out as an art student, and then gravitating into the web design field, Nick is now a respected and established website designer who has created websites for John Travolta, Phish, Toyota, Nick Markell, Neil Young and a very long list of celebrities, media blockbusters and well known corporations. His websites are not only functional and well coded, but also artistically appealing. The secret to Nick's success is his flair for coming up with brilliant designs and creating some of the most stunning web pages on the Internet.

LTK: How did you get started in the Flash aspect of Web Design?

NJ: In 2000, I was working for a company doing websites for actors. We were trying to impress an agency that represented a lot of A-listers. Before we could get their big clients, we had to do something great for a kid named Ashton Kutcher who had a new TV show on Fox. I had been following the Flash work Josh Davis was doing at Kioken and was eager to do a full site in Flash myself. This was my chance. The agency loved it and we did a bunch of sites for big names. As for Ashton, I'm not sure what ever happened to him or his site.

LTK: From your portfolio, it's obvious that you're very much an artist - do you consider yourself more of an artist or a web designer?

NJ: Since dropping out of Art School, I haven't considered anything I've done, Art. I was convinced that I couldn't make a living as a fine artist and I didn't have any interest in the art scene so I tried being a 3d artist, but quickly abandoned that when I got a job making websites. I guess I failed my way from artist to web designer. However, I definitely approach projects with less of a methodical, design process and more from an artistic, gut level than if I were trained as a web designer.

LTK: What is it about Flash that stands out for you above other forms of website design like CSS, mpeg, or other formatting and video delivery formats?

NJ: It’s that I know how to use it. I'm not exactly a Flash defender. It's great for some things and wrong for most. CSS will do for the majority of websites and online apps but I'm not good with it. My favorite thing about Flash is that it's predictable. If you have the plug-in (everybody has it, if you don't, you don't want to see video or animated things online anyway so it's ok that you don't), it's going to look the same to everyone, no matter the browser or OS.

LTK: When you start on a brand new site, what do you use to come up with your ideas for imagery and theme?

NJ: I apply cultural and personal associations that make sense to me. After ten years of doing this, I should probably have a process but it's always different. Often it's whatever I'm into at the time. Music. Something I read. Something my wife said...

LTK: Do you tend to re-use Flash components you've already created in order to save time?

NJ: I'm a designer who does his own programming, not a real programmer. So while I sometimes copy and paste code from one site to another, it's almost always done from scratch. Whenever I re-use something, I feel like I'm cheating the client. It's probably guilt as much as it is poor planning that keeps me from making my own components. I almost never use the ones that are built into Flash because it's harder to skin them to fit a design than it is to create my own. That way I know how they work and can make changes without reading a manual.

LTK: At what point did you decide to build a business around your Flash design skills and artistic abilities?

NJ: Before my oldest son was born, 6 years ago. I decided to try freelancing so I could be home with him. I bet on Flash gaining in popularity as computers and Internet connections got faster. There were only a handful of people who were capable designers, animators and ActionScript programmers at that time. I saw an opening and took it and my bet paid off.

LTK: Did you find it hard to get started in business? Was it a lot of work or did the business seem to grow easily for you?

NJ: Business has been steady from the start without any work finding it. I worked hard to learn Flash and my whole life has been spent determining what looks good to me and what doesn’t but business has been easy. The whole time, I’ve been expecting famine to strike but so far so good.

LTK: Of all of the impressive projects you've worked on and celebrities you've done personal web pages for, do you consider one your favorite - one that you're especially proud of?

NJ: While I appreciate the kind words, just about everything I've done to this point was to promote a product, movie, person or business that aims to make somebody who already has a lot of money, more of it. That's not something I'm proud of but it has paid well. One recent project for a traveling installation by Tom Loughlin called Pictures of You: Images From Iran was different. I had total freedom to design, animate, program and promote artwork that helped show that the people of Iran are human and that the American people aren’t all heartless. Despite the best efforts of Iran’s rabblerousing President and our talk radio hosts to convince us all otherwise. I hope to do more work like it soon. It’s at PicturesOfYouIran.com.

As a successful business owner and Flash designer, Nick Jones continues to take on new work designing and promoting some of the most sought-after clients in the web design industry. His humble, down-to-earth demeanor hints at what may be one element to his recipe for success. LoveToKnow Web Design thanks Nick Jones for his time in providing readers with his own web page designer job description, and LTK will be following his future endeavors closely.

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