Super stoked to have been interviewed for an article in the 2011 edition of Gold Coast Creative mag. The whole mag is a really good read…let me know if you want me to sign your copy…

Alrighty kids time for another interview! This time we have one of Australia’s / the worlds most awesome web dudes in the hot seat…

DG:First off, can you give us a bit of an idea of who you are, what you do and your favourite things?
CT: Hi, I’m Collis Ta’eed and I work at Envato where am CEO otherwise known as Chief Email Officer My favourite things are planning new sites and projects which I do over tea mostly with my trusty moleskine notebooks!

DG:Can you explain the process you go through, from concept to completion,when developing a website?
CT: New sites usually begin with some idea for a hole in the market or an unmet demand. I then spend a lot of time thinking up plans in my notebook or researching to see what else is out there. I will sometimes also start looking for awesome domain names, not so much because it’s important this early on but just because it’s kinda fun Next comes the logo and theoretically I should do wireframes at this point, but in practice I usually open Photoshop and just start designing.

I’ll also often start writing a project spec at this point including use-case scenarios to explain how the site would be used and to document out functionality it should have. I’ll then give this to the developers to go over and then we begin building!

Of course in practice there is lots of back and forth and usually things get delayed while we find the resources, sometimes I will midway throw out an idea, sometimes I’ll get halfway and then find out there is someone doing exactly that elsewhere, and sometimes everything falls into place and we build and launch pretty quickly. It’s very variable and depends largely on the type of project.

The quickest sites to build are sites where we use a platform like WordPress, and the longest are big custom development projects like the Envato Marketplaces.

DG:We’ve seen the internet evolve and change enormously over the past few years, where do you think it is headed next?
CT: I think we’re definitely at the point where mobile technology is finally, really blossoming. I’d say it will be a long while of watching mobile’s implications change how we use the internet. Things like life-logging, location based networks, and so on where we see mobile devices adding new abilities to the internet are very exciting.

Another area I imagine might improve is around our identities online. In a perfect world we would each have a single identity with multiple layers of security for different logins and passwords, a single internet wallet that we use for purchasing, a single set of contact details that then route to whatever clients we wish to use, a single social graph that then plugs into applications and so on. Of course this might be a complete pipe dream, but I do think there will be some improvements in how we manage our online identities in the future.

DG:What sort of projects will does 2010 hold for Envato?
CT: This year one of our big focuses is building an underlying platform for our Tuts+ network. Currently the system is all running on WordPress and aMember and is quite messy and hard to build features on. We’re beginning work now on slowly rearchitecting and building a Plus platform that we will then use for many years to come. It’s an enormous job of course, so it will be a long while

The Final 5
What is your favourite website (that isn’t your own)? I love TechCrunch!
If the internet was never invented, what would you be doing? I think I’d be a historian maybe! I’m reading a history of the United States and I have to say it’s awesome!
Do you have a party trick? I’m able to bore people to tears by talking about internet stuffs that they don’t care about
What is the most played song on your iPod? I don’t have an iPod!
Where is the best place in Melbourne for a beer? I don’t actually drink myself (I’m a Baha’i), but Melbourne’s best burger is at a place called “Andrews” in Albert Park!

DG:Who would you like to see interviewed next?
CT: I’d love to read an interview of the guys behind CampaignMonitor or MailChimp, I love both those services!

DG:Any final shout-outs / words of wisdom?
CT: Just to say thanks for interviewing me and having me on the site!

Be sure to check Collis’ and Envato’s work out at;
Website: www.envato.com
Blog: www.thenetsetter.com
Twitter: www.twitter.com/collis

A MASSIVE thank you to Collis from DelightfulGoodness for the interview…what a champion!

I decided to give this whole interviewing thing a crack and thought who better to start with than my very first Graphic Design teacher, Dominique Falla…

DG: Can you give us a bit of an idea of who you are, what you do and your favourite things?
DF: My name is Dominique Falla. I am creative director of Moonsail Design, which is located in Byron Bay. We develop websites and holistic branding solutions for small, creative businesses, with a focus on sustainability and eco-friendly design.

My favourite clients to work with are artists, photographers, musicians and passionate small business owners. People who understand the value of a consistent branding message and who want to convey a unique personality in their marketplace, while sparing a thought for the planet while they’re doing so. I’m also design convener at the Queensland College of Art at Griffith University on the Gold Coast and I love seeing the students grow and achieve, year after year. It’s very satisfying.

My favourite things are: the freedom to create your own reality, my husband and anything shiny with an Apple logo on it. The Internet is a pretty amazing thing as well. Not sure I like it in particular, but I’m very grateful for it.

DG: How you tackle a new brief, say a logo design?
DF: I ask the client lots and lots of questions that revolve around their Unique Selling Proposition (USP), such as Who are they? Who are their current clients? What clients do they want? Why are they unique in their marketplace? What image do they want to present? My favourite one, where do you see yourself in five years—because designs should really be grown into. Design for the future, not today. Often I have to answer these questions for them, as many business owners don’t know these answers, which is scary really. I then go on the Internet and rip something off.

Hahaha. Just kidding.

I get a pencil and layout pad and begin sketching ideas. They might revolve around typography, if I can work something conceptual into the type I will, but often it’s difficult and people remember images over words anyway so I always try and simplify or stylize a memorable, visual concept. I’ll thumbnail 30 or 40 ideas and take 6–8 into the computer and resolve the typography using a found font or customizing one and creating the image to go with it. I use Adobe Illustrator because a logo should be scalable in a vector format. I rarely use Photoshop for logos.

Once I have 6–8 initial ideas, I send them to the client via email and we workshop back and forth until the client is 100% happy. I then get them to sign off on it and send them a variety of versions for use in print, emails etc. I also sign over copyright to the client as a matter of course so they are not left with ghost IP in the future.

DG: What have been some of the cooler jobs / experiences you have had while working in the creative industry?
DF: I was asked by the Red Hot Chili Peppers to create a poster, so I painted a portrait of them in the studio with producer Rick Rubin that was used to placate fans that they were actually in the studio and not breaking up, as rumors were suggesting at the time. In the end, they didn’t break up, they just sacked guitarist Dave Navarro and got the old one back.

I also won a competition to design a Melbourne tram using a “Water and Wetlands” theme. It was so exciting to see it driving around the streets.

Recently, I’ve just had a paper accepted to a conference in Spain so I’m off to Valencia in March during the festival of the Fallas, which is where my surname comes from. Very excited about that.

DG: You’re currently studying to gain your Doctorate in Visual Arts…what are you researching and what sort of work does it involve?
DF: I’m researching how creative thinking and humor can be used to change people’s perceptions and behaviors. I’m looking at designing public art/installations that involve change, either of the installation or the people who interact with it…hopefully both. I can give the example of musical steps at a train station to encourage people to use the stairs, not the escalators. Signs and encouragement to do the “right thing” don’t work. Making stuff fun does.

DG: Will you ignore or death stare people if they call you Mrs Falla instead of Dr Falla once you have got your doctorate?
DF: I will only respond to Dr Dom or “The Doctor”. The whole Falla thing will probably be dropped permanently.

The Final 5
Most played song on your ipod: I’ve looked at the play count and apparently it’s “The Action” by Keb’ Mo’
One item you couldn’t live without: Still loving my iPhone, but my new 27” iMac would probably be the winner.
Something you love: My husband
Something you hate: I can’t be bothered with that emotion. It’s a waste of energy. When I experience racism first hand it makes me unhappy.
If reincarnation is real what will you come back as? My first thought was as a turtle. I’ve no idea why.

DG: Who would you like to see interviewed next?
DF: Edward De Bono or Collis Ta’eed from the Envato network

DG: Any final shout-outs or words of wisdom?
DF: If you’re not passionate about what you’re doing, do something else.

Be sure to check Dominique’s work out on her;
Website: www.moonsaildesign.com.au
Blog: http://www.moonsaildesign.com
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/moonsail
DVA: http://www.dominiquefalla.com

A MASSIVE thanks to Dominique for being DelightfulGoodness’ very first interviewee!