I started out as a print designer. After a year spent travelling the world seeing the sights and sounds of California, trimming hedges and running a hostel in New Zealand and running for my life in Fiji and Thailand, I returned to the UK to study what was then called "Multimedia Design".
My first job out of college was for Outsideline as a mid weight designer and junior developer where I worked on projects for EMI, The Beatles, Queen, Jenson Button and Universal.
From there I moved to Diesel in northern italy as International Digital Marketing Manager for 55DSL and later Diesel. My role was to help integrate digital channels into the wider marketing strategy. Not only on the web, but also via in game branding with EA Games and outdoor digital installations.
After that, I spent a couple of years freelancing before taking a full time position as Technical Director for Applied Works, helping them establish a reputation as a leading HTML5, desktop and mobile development agency.
I write all my code by hand, in my favourite text editors, TextMate and Coda.
I regularly use a number of frameworks and development tools such as jQuery, SASS, HTML5 Boiler Plate and Twitter Bootstrap.
I have experience creating resolution independent responsive projects and I've spent a lot of time working with touch screen devices where interaction idioms are still being explored, and device constraints require serious consideration.
I prefer starting the design and wire-framing process on pen and paper. I then develop concepts like most people with the Adobe suite of software. I also have experience in video production and motion graphics using Final Cut Studio.
I find a good understanding of the development process is important in creating concepts that work and take full advantage of a particular platform or device. It also helps me avoid pitfalls and anticipate where a design might fail before it's been built. As new techniques such as responsive design become more and more common place, I find my development knowledge is essential to ensure a project delivers within the budget and timeline.