Interviews by Design

Interview with Jacob Gube

1. Besides the usual online blogs and galleries, from what or where do you draw inspiration?

I draw a lot of inspiration from photography and architecture. These two fields are very related to web design; all three follow similar principles like keeping it simple and making products that are not only aesthetically-pleasing, but also functional.

2. Design-related or not, can you list up to 3 books that you've found beneficial to your growth as a designer?

CSS Mastery: Advanced Web Standards Solutions. The first edition truly opened my eyes to best practices and CSS techniques that I still use today.

Designing Web Usability. Though many things mentioned in the book are now a bit dated (it was published in 1999), at the time, web usability wasn't as developed as it is today. It made me realize how important usable and functional web designs are.

3. If you could name one tool/application/software/hardware that you can't live without (from a design perspective), what would it be, and why?

Photoshop, because it's the most flexible and multi-purpose graphic design software there is. I can name a few more tools that fit in this description, but if I were to pick just one, it'd be Photoshop.

4. What would be your design "dream job"?

A dream job for me is working with a client that values my work and treats me like a partner.

5. What changes would you like to see in the design community in the next 5 years?

I'm very proud to be a part of the design community, so there isn't anything I want to change about the community. We share things with each other and we collaborate instead of working against each other; I hope that sort of attitude and camaraderie doesn't change.

In terms of design trends though, I'd like to see a movement towards more minimalist/simple designs. I think people are getting tired of being overloaded with a hundred site features, and to me, overloading your designs with so much stuff is an indication of poor planning. This "back to basics" approach is what I hope to do with my future and existing web properties.

Reader Comments for this Interview

1. Michael Mason on February 01 2010.

   Hey Jacob, I like what you're saying about architecture and functionality in web design and development. There's a worthwhile parallel in terms of the thinking involved.
   
   Nice point.
   
   Cheers,
   
   M.

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