Our master of website design and front-end development, Shannon, just finished his 100th web design at WildWeb! He has been making magic for our clients for roughly six years now and we are super proud to have him on our team.
Shannon has always loved drawing – and is pretty darn good at it – and so after two gap years spent not knowing what career path to take, his mom secretly enrolled him in college. She only told him a week before he started – surprise! – and he hasn’t looked back since. Thanks, Ms Govender!
We chatted to Shan about all things web design and development. Here’s what he had to say:
Show us the three website designs you are most proud of.
What website would you most want to design?
That’s easy – Mustang’s. That would be the pinnacle of my career!
In one sentence, describe what web design is.
I think it’s finding a solution to a problem or trying to convey a message visually.
Isn’t design just making a website look pretty? Why is it important?
With web design especially, form follows function. We try to create an experience that is enjoyable and intuitive. A poorly designed or built site can be annoying and frustrating to use, so we aim for a good user experience and incorporate ‘pretty’ into it.
What is the relationship between website design and front-end development?
This is a tricky one! Design wants to be creative, free and not conform to anything, really, while coding is quite structured and logical. Striking a balance is key and I try to push design within the restrictions of development.
Break some graphic design lingo down for us. What do these terms mean in the world of design?
Rule of thirds – Rule of thirds forms part of composition which is critical in design. It’s a delicate balancing act using colour, shape, positive/negative space as well as other aspects to position elements within a design.
Pantone – It’s a standardised colour system used in printing. If the logo on a building needs to be specific blue, you can tell the printers to match it to a Pantone colour to ensure the blue you get is the one you want.
Breadcrumb trail – Used on sites to show a user where they are in relation to other pages or the main navigation structure. Very useful on larger sites when accessing a random page via a Google search.
Vector vs raster graphics – Raster is pixel based (i.e. photos) and eventually cap out in resolution. Vectors are infinitely scalable with no loss in quality. I’ve been illustrating vector art for 12+ years and absolutely love it!
What the hang do HTML, CSS and JavaScript mean, and what is the difference between them? (Oh go on, speak code to us!)
HTML is like the skeletal structure of a website with CSS being the styling language that gives it it’s appearance – skin, clothes and makeup, and it’s my favourite part. Javascript adds more dynamic functionality and interactivity for the user.
Apart from design, what else can you not live without?
Video games, haha!
If you were a font, which would you be and why?
Is this a normal thing for other designers? I’ve never actually wanted to be a font, but if I were, I’d probably be something obscure and roughly structured like Grimpt.
If you were living in the world before computers, internet etc., where would we find you working?
This will sound really odd but I wanted to be a truck driver when I was young.
In your opinion, who is the web design master and why? (No, you can’t pick yourself)
I don’t have any favourites, but as a front-end developer, I might say Chris Coyier from CSS Tricks is pretty good.
What is the most annoying thing someone can say to you as a designer?
A common one is ‘make the logo bigger’, but personally there’s no specific one. They all rank as equally annoying!
We saved the most important question for last. Are bots going to take over the world?
Haha, I sure hope so!
If you need a brand new website or your current one is due for a refresh, chat to us. Shannon also has his own website, so take a moment to check out some of his other work.
