Bagpipes and web design go well together.
My day usually starts with a can of Coke and a track from “The Queen’s Own Highlanders” blaring into my ears. I’m not a morning person, but I’ve found that the correct decibel of bagpipes and an appropriate amount of caffeine are the perfect combination to jumpstart my creativity.
I am a web designer and over the course of this internship, I’m helping three to four groups build their websites from the ground up. So, from the bagpipes onward, it’s all an inundation of web-design-related articles, content, and work. Iterations, tweaks, and feedback are all daily occurrences as I strive to help the teams get their website correct the first time.
My beloved work station: dim lighting, Coke, my computer and CheezIts.
My process is very client-centered. Since the client rarely sits more than 10 feet away (one of the most awesome parts about the environment here), feedback about the direction of the design is frequently exchanged. One pro about this approach is that it fosters a sense of trust between myself and the client, while also keeping them informed as to the progress made on the project. I also find that a constant conversation with the client gives me a better picture of how the company this website is going to be representing should be look.
After everyone is happy with how the site will end up, it’s time to dive into the wonderful world of code. I’m a capable front-end builder (as far as HTML and CSS can take me anyway), and I enjoy the control of writing my own code. After I’m done with the static pages, I hand it off to a back-end developer and the site transforms into a dynamically generated, well designed, fully functional website to be proud of.
I haven’t actually gotten that far yet, but soon! Overall, I think this internship is an awesome opportunity for a budding web designer to be a part of the full design process for a real client, something school will never teach you. In the end, I’m going to be walking out of here with three to four websites with my name on them that I can be proud of. Plus, those teams get a website to further their causes and businesses.
Position: Web Designer
School: University of Akron, Class of 2015
