Designer Interview: Pavel Bukengolts
Refered to by students as "The Russian", Pavel is actually Belarussian. Any native of the region will tell you it is quite different from the surrounding area americans classify as 'post-soviet U.S.S.R.'. Unfortunately to americans, anything on the other side of either ocean is often grouped with casual indifference. I conducted the interview over eMail, If you've ever spoken with Pavel, you'll notice his answers are precise & consice, and these are no different.
My first commercial projects i've done in 1996-1997.
"A journey of a thousand miles
begins at the spot under one's feet.
Tao Te Ching; 64a.
Care at the Beginning
Research-Coffee-Research-Coffee-Research-Rest
I'm never starting a project without doing the research on the subject/client first.
After I've got all the materials, I'm trying to put the project aside for some time and work on something else. After my mind is cleared, I can come back to the project and start working on solution
I'm starting with pencil/paper and/or FreeMind.
Then Axure - Photoshop/Illustrator - Notepad (Visual Studio)
Design is the part of the User Experience.
The good design is invisible - Good UX is noticeable. :)
To close, i've had Pavel for several classes. What have i taken away from his unique form of instruction? Well, he makes you think for yourself. Most questions you will ask are answered by "google it." He doesn't abandon you totally to the web though, he offers guidance and options to help you arrive at your own solutions. His classes are tough, but you will come away with a highly functional understanding of CSS, and some remarkable solid visual and UX design principles for the web. I'm always curious to see what resource our instructors are using to solve real-world problems.