Yes, I’ve been cruising the web again - always looking for interesting webpages. I was looking for graphic design as incorporated into webpages and found GJ Studios. After looking at GJ’s portfolio I contacted them for information. Laurie March, the Owner and Creative Director consented to interview.

How did you get into web design? “My career in web design happened purely by accident. I was a well known teddy bear artist selling my wares through shows and in stores. I had done a website or two just for fun and I thought that perhaps the internet would be a good way to reach teddy bear collectors and potential customers. I networked with many other teddy bear artists and before I knew it I was designing their websites. Within 11 months I had my first corporate client and had to make the decision of which way to take my career. Here I am - a decade later.”

Do you remember the very first site you designed? “I remember it as if it were yesterday. It was a fun site to share all of my favorite internet finds with my friends.”

You are doing a lot of graphic design, is this a specialization for you? “My specialties are graphic design, layout and writing. Currently I am working on several outdoor adventure related sites (http://www.wildernesscleanup.com and http://www.friendsofchiniguchi.com  which aren’t in my portfolio yet. It is a specialization for me because backpacking and canoeing are also my hobbies. I also own http://www.outdooradventurecanada.com.”

Where do you get your art for these webpages? “I create all of my own art except in a few cases. Often clients will already have a logo or photographs and I will work those into the design. Sometimes I will use elements from client provided artwork.”

What will be the next big development in webpage design? “I think that the next big development is actually a return to a more simple style of page. We’ve already watched it happen with Flash intros. For the longest time everyone wanted a little intro movie for their site. I find that people are going back to basics with the style of the sites. I do feel that along with clean, minimalistic design, you will see more interactivity and personalization.”

What kind of templates have you designed? “I’ve designed templates for customers who needed graphics and simple html that they could work with easily. I’ve also designed graphics/layouts for other designers to use. I only design exclusive templates which can be used in many ways.”

What do you think about Flash technology? “Flash as a medium is interesting, creative and allows for more flexibility. I enjoy sites that combine flash with other technologies.”

What are the advantages and disadvantages of using Flash?
“I find that flash is not very search engine friendly and that editing the site later on requires a little more effort than a standard HTML based project.”

What are your sources of inspiration? “Clients are my main source of inspiration. Sometimes it is their personality and other times it is what they are trying to acheive that inspires. Mother Nature is my second source. Color is everywhere in the natural world and you can see beautiful combinations everywhere you look.”

What are your favorite website designs that you did NOT design yourself? “Now that is a tough one. I really like http://www.blackfeather.com, http://www.guelphflowers.com/flowercare.html and http://www.macrophotography.com.”

What was the toughest project or customer situation you’ve encountered? “The toughest customer situation I’ve encountered was telling a client that the entire site was lost because our business and home burned to the ground two days before the launch of his huge online store. We had a meeting scheduled for 1 pm and everything was lost that morning. I was so frazzled at almost losing our lives that I forgot to call and cancel the meeting and he showed up to a smouldering pile of ashes. He was great about it. Everything worked out in the end, the insurance company covered his losses and I still do work for him.”

What are your interests and dislikes in webpage design? “My interests in webpage design are purely graphical. I love to see a site where a designer has broken out of the traditional mold. I dislike cookie cutter sites that have nothing interesting to offer the eye. I dislike overly cluttered sites and overuse of animation.”

Thankyou Laurie for the viewpoints and the beautiful graphic layouts.

The Maestro of Web Templates,
Arthur Browning