Albert Lo – Freelance digital creative

One of the best ways to get inspiration and motivation is to look at our peers in the industries that we work in. If we get the chance to see what goes through the mind of the people we respect in our industry we can use this to further our own skills and refine our working practice.

At Very Inspirational we try to help our community out by running small interviews to give you some insight into how these great artists work.

We hope you enjoy this quick interview with Alber Lo, a fantastic UX web designer & visit his website.

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Hi, my name is Albert Lo, founder and owner of albertlo design. I have been living the dream as a Freelance UX web designer /contractor for just over a year now and live in a leafy suburb in the UK. i like to collect urban vinyl toys in my spare time.

How did you get started in web design / development?

I originally started in Art and Design and excelled in this field when I was younger. I loved painting and sketching…Art class was my favourite subject. I progressed into Web Design as my area of expertise after completing a Multimedia Computing degree.  I knew from the course I didn’t really enjoy pure coding but I found I could combine my creativity with some coding by designing for the web.

How do you start your design process?

I don’t really set any rules for a process as it depends on the project. Generally, if i’ve seen something that has inspired me, I tend to sketch out any ideas on paper first. I sometimes roughly sketch out some wireframes and maybe even doodle until I’m happy with my design. It’s important to understand what the project is and by sketching, it allows me to puts things into perspective. Sometimes, depending on the work and project, I use a mind-mapping session for inspiration. Sometimes, I just jump into Photoshop and experiment with any assets I have been given, and this can spark an idea and develop further.

Where do you go for design inspiration?

Design inspiration comes from anything, A lot of inspiration has come from what I have seen while traveling. I like to look for inspiration outside the realm of the web such as architecture, shop interiors, graphic design and photography. I  also find inspiration from reading magazines. I think finding inspiration is very personal, everyone has their own way, and the beauty is there are no set rules to follow in how you find inspiration.

Recently, I purchased Little Snapper for Mac and I can archive images that I like or find inspiring, which can then be useful for future projects. This has become a really great tool and timesaver.

What is in your toolset? What cant you live without while you design/develop?

My physical toolset comprises of a Moleskine sketchbook, a pencil, biro and Sharpie. I need these to start doodling or sketching ideas out before I start designing digitally.
I don’t think I can live without my MacBook pro, I use it all the time and carry it with me as I prefer to use my own equipment, much better than someone giving you some outdated and old machine to work on.
The Adobe suite is a must these days as it is seen as a standard in the industry. My most used programs are Photoshop CS4 and Illustrator CS4.
Other things I can’t live without is music to work to and twitter to keep in the loop. This can be distracting for some people, but I guess it simulates my working environment and takes my mind off things if it’s all getting too intense.

How do you think your design style has changed over the years?

I think my design style has evolved over the years from influences I encounter. I still strongly believe colour evokes human emotion and I think this has intensified over the years.

I am continuously discovering new techniques and methods so my design style is bound to change in many ways.

What are your best methods for finding/attracting web design clients?

I find participating in social networking and networking of any kind can be really good methods of finding new clients. I have found that it is sometimes who you know, not what you know, that will land you a job, so be ready to hand out your business cards. You never know who you might meet and you never know where it could take you.

I have found word of mouth is the most powerful tool to attract new clients. You are more likely to get a response if you have worked with someone previously and they can recommend you for a job.

Since you first started in your career, how do you think has the web industry changed?

The web industry has changed at such a fast pace, it’s hard to pinpoint how it has changed. For me, the biggest change is the way people code their sites, moving away from table layouts to CSS. I think this has made a huge difference in how the web is now defined in terms of design nowadays. The boundaries of design are being pushed daily.

What do you feel are the most important skills for a designer to have/develop?

Empathy and people skills, master these and you are set to deal with anything, whether working agency side or client side as half the battle is convincing people. Obviously it is also important to have talent but I think it will only take you so far.

Knowing and developing composition and colour combinations is important. Grass root skills stay with you but you also need to develop further and remain on top of news and technology, as well as design trends.

What do you brand yourself as? Web Designer, Web Developer or other?

I brand myself as a Freelance UX web designer / contractor.

What tips would you offer to new designers?

My tip for new designers is to gain experience in the industry as soon as possible; paid or unpaid. It will enhance your portfolio and give it credibility. It can be difficult but keeping up the good work will eventually pay off as people will see you as being pro active.