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Today WebM.ag is speaking with Dan Rubin, Dan is a designer, speaker, writer and educator in all things web design. Dan has contributed to a good number of books and you probably will recognise some of his projects: Make Photoshop Faster and Sidebar Creative to name but a few.

WebM.ag: So Dan, Tell our readers a little about yourself and what you do?
DR: Aside from liking long walks on the beach and piña coladas, I’m a designer of all things, and have been for more than 15 years. I thrive on finding the overlapping spaces between disciplines that use design (usability, experience, interface, product, environmental, etc.) and trying to learn what I can by studying the relationships that others often miss. I also love typography, pixels and detail in all its forms. I’m also a photographer and teacher, spend much of my free time (for the last 20 years) singing with and coaching a cappella ensembles, and I’m leaving a lot of other stuff out in a weak attempt at brevity.

WebM.ag: What would you say where the best and worse experiences of your career?
DR: Both are difficult to choose, but for the sake of an answer, I’d have to say the best experience was my first SXSW in 2006 — it had taken me that long to actually attend an industry event of any sort, and the impact on my perception of the community, its people, and my place in it will continue to have an effect for years to come. The friendships established in that 5 day period have shaped many of my decisions since, and I wouldn’t trade them for anything.

My worst experience—unsurprisingly, for those who know me—has to do with a client. Well, two clients actually: during the same period of time, two separate projects were hijacked by the clients, though in different ways. One client was terribly slow to communicate, changed much of the scope after 80% of the work had already been completed, and refused to pay the remaining 40% of the bill. That project started in late 2008, and the billing issues still haven’t been resolved… The other client (a major educational institution) had a major personnel change 90% through, and the new management decided that none of the work we had already completed was what they wanted, so they instead designed their own version (in Flash, mind you) and instructed us to code it up and implement it. Unfortunately, the management change had occurred before we had enough written approval to use against them legally, so we had to comply in order to get paid for anything.

Of course, we learned valuable lessons about project management and contracts that had not reared their head for the previous 15 years of client work, so those things will never happen again—but they both contribute to my general lack of enthusiasm toward all but the absolute best and most interesting clients (and projects) since.

WebM.ag: What skills would you say were essential for any designer?
DR: Patience, willingness to learn, understanding the role of design and its relationship to content and the reader/viewer, the ability to explore the world around you, constantly challenging yourself to be better.

WebM.ag: Have the designers that don’t deliver what they promise given the web industry a bad name?
DR: Have plumbers who don’t completely fix a leaky pipe given their industry a bad name? I think if you look at *any* industry, you’ll find bad eggs—clients/customers who understand and appreciate quality.

WebM.ag: What are your best methods for finding/attracting clients?
DR: Do good work, respect the project’s goals (to the extent that you’re willing to tell the client when something they want isn’t right, and stand up for that), and don’t be *too* humble. Being the best-kept secret isn’t the best way to continue to get work, and many of the best designers/photographers/writers I know are horrible at self promotion. It remains a skill I feel I will never master, so I will continue to practice.

Every client I’ve ever had has either been a referral from a previous client, or someone who saw work I/the studio have done and contacted us as a result. That isn’t to say advertising is a bad thing, but I do believe it isn’t a necessity.

WebM.ag: Can you take us through your typical design process?
DR: Well, not really My process is different in many ways for almost every project: I try to focus on the end result throughout, and I’ve always felt that having a process would make my work too similar, and more about the methodology than the result. I don’t mind doing things differently for each project, whether those differences are major or minor.

WebM.ag: How long have you been building Websites, and what made you start?
DR: I first played around with HTML back in 1996, though I’d already been online for a few years. I’ve been into computers, watercolours, and oils since I was 12, and design entered my field of view a few years later, so the combination of those interests was a fairly natural progression. As for what made me start, I blame that on an insatiable appetite for new and interesting things.

WebM.ag: I heard you are a keen musician, are you currently in a band, or working solo?
DR: At the moment, I’m on hiatus—for the last year, I’ve taken a break from music to focus on many other things, though that break is coming to an end soon. As I mentioned earlier, everything I do musically involves a cappella groups, male, female and mixed, and I’ve been singing, directing, and coaching for 20 years. It’s quite rewarding, I’ve met tons of amazing people, and frankly it’s loads of fun

WebM.ag: You have done quiet a bit of writing with the web industry, what do you enjoy about that side of it?
DR: I’ve not even begun to scratch the surface compared to some writers in the industry—writing is a challenge, and though I enjoy the result, I loathe the act: it’s not pleasant in the least for me, and I find I need even more inspiration to write than I do to design (which explains, to a great extent, the lack of blogging I’ve done in the last few years). I am, however, already planning a few more books, as well as more articles on my own site and others in the coming year. The result, as I said, is rewarding, as it’s another method of teaching, something I enjoy quite a lot.

WebM.ag: What advice would you give to a newbie starting out in design?
DR: Don’t limit your options, even if it means starting over after you’ve explored a particular avenue for a while. Find what you really enjoy doing, and then put your heart and soul into becoming good at whatever that is. Don’t be afraid to have more than one area of interest, yet don’t feel like you’re restricting yourself if you focus on one thing for a while. Above all else, enjoy what you do—that will make it feel less like work.

WebM.ag: Tell us something about you that you haven’t mentioned in an interview before?
DR: I used to build (and obsessively paint/detail) 1:72 scale WWII model airplanes. In hindsight, it was a definite precursor to becoming a designer (much like my watercolour and oil years), though at the time I was just doing what I enjoy, as usual

WebM.ag: So what can we expect from you going into 2010 and beyond?
DR: I’m spending much more time teaching, training and lecturing, and as I said there are already a few more books in the near future, as well as more writing in general, and of course more travelling for workshops, conferences and the like. Creatively, I’m planning to spend time developing a few online and offline ideas for products and services, which will afford me plenty of design time. Photography is also playing more of a role in my daily routine (even picking up a few paying clients in addition to selling prints), and I’m hoping to have my work in a gallery or two in 2010, and looking forward to spending more time on it all around (and travelling to specific locations I’d like to shoot). As for beyond, well… I’d love to start spending more time in Europe and Asia (I’ll already be spending a lot of time in the UK in 2010, as a second base of operations), and will continue to explore as many avenues of design as possible.

Quick Fire!

Music Of Choice? A cappella jazz, regular jazz, barbershop harmony, electronica, classical. Oh, and The Beatles
What are you reading? Just finished a few Neil Gaimen books in a row; right now the nightstand is waiting for me to choose the next book…
IE6, love or hate? Used to hate it, now I’m just apathetic.
PC or MAC? Mac, of course
Facebook or Twitter? Twitter, hands down.

A Big Thank You To Dan!

Thank you for taking time out to chat with WebM.ag, if you wish to read more about Dan, or learn more about what he does, you can do so here: danielrubin.org or you can contact Dan or keep upto date with his latest news and projects via Twitter: @danrubin

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