HARRY ROBERTS – CSS WIZARD – WEB DEVELOPER

Posted September 28th by admin in Web Designers, Web Developer

I came across Harry on the Design Forums (previously featured) Where I found he was the resisdent CSS geek. He has a great portfolio of work and thought it would be good to share with all you readers! Enjoy

-Interview

Harry Roberts

Hello and Welcome to the Design Splat blog Harry!

Hi Amber, nice to be here, how are you?

I am fine thank you! Now to get us started tell us a bit about what you do:

I work for a web development company as a, well, web developer. I build websites focusing on accessibility, semantics, decent maintainable code and CSS. It’s a lot more in-depth than it probably sounds but there’s a lot of thought goes into building websites properly these days. You have to consider how it’ll work for different people using different browsers on different systems. How will it work when it grows? Will it grow at all? I think about how to most efficiently and sensibly build websites, and then build them.

How did you get into Web Design/Developing?

It was pretty much an accident. A few years ago a friend and myself decided to do some graphics work on the side when we were at school. I started to build us an online portfolio and got really enthralled in the coding aspect. Instead of doing what a lot of graphics people do (you know who you are) and building shoddy websites, I decided I wanted to learn it properly. Much reading and typing later I realized I was in fact rubbish at graphics and much, much better with the web side of things.

In parallel to this I was working at a design and print place doing small stationery design jobs. They caught wind of my web efforts so I started doing maintenance work on their site and I guess it all took off from there, three years ago.

How long has it taken you to develop your knowledge of CSS?

Three years, as above. And it hasn’t stopped yet, I’m sure. You can always learn how to do something, but you can also learn how to do it better. 90% of the time you’ll find that things you’ve done can be made more efficiently, more sensibly, and more accurately. I think I’m at the point now where I’m learning to refine the things I learned over the past few years. I’m no longer learning CSS per se, I’m learning how to make existing CSS better.

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

Honestly? I haven’t a clue. Five years is already more than a quarter of my life so looking at it that way I could be anywhere. I’d definitely like to stay in the web a little longer but in five years time I could be dead! I’ll get back to you in five years time and let you know, if that’s okay?

How many websites have you designed and which in your opinion is the best?

Quite a few, I couldn’t put a number on it I’m afraid. I’ve done a lot wholly on my own, I’ve worked in partnership on some and with working at different companies I have had involvement in far too many to even remember! The best one I’ve designed and built entirely on my own is currently unfinished though. It’s my girlfriend’s photography site which I’m still building. It’s been great as it’s the first time I’ve put progressive enhancement and CSS3 to use on a client site – it’s really nice to fully exercise your CSS skills beyond the scope of regular client builds. I also managed to teach myself loads of PHP, which is new to me. It makes development so much more efficient if you can use it properly. If you want to see that one though you’ll have to follow me on Twitter and wait ‘til I release it (shameless plug!).

How do you rate yourself as a Web Designer/Developer?

As a designer, I’m not too good. As a developer, I’m very good.

That does sound fairly big headed but I guess, thankfully, web development is quantifiable. Design is subjective whereas code is either right or wrong. My code is right.

In your eyes what makes a good Web Designer/Developer?

Hmm, good one. A good web designer can balance client desires and expectations with what does/doesn’t work on the web. It’s a lot trickier than it sounds – something that the client is convinced will work sometimes just won’t. A good web designer finds the middle ground. Another vital attribute is usability from a design point of view. It may look amazing but if they can’t use it, then visitors won’t even try.

A good web developer is someone who makes a site that you’re happy to inherit. There’s nothing worse than inheriting a website built by a bad developer. Good developers adhere to web standards at all costs, build websites that work cross browser without resorting to shoddy and substandard hacks.

This is a tricky one to answer I’m afraid.

Do you think the Web Design industry is difficult to break into as the industry is forever growing?

It is difficult to get into the industry if you’re no good, but real talent will always shine through. I think if you show determination and a real desire to learn things properly, and keep up to date with ever changing standards, you should do okay.

Another key to getting anywhere is experience. It’s all well and good having degrees but if you can’t do anything in the workplace then you’re not a lot of good to anyone.

Do you think CSS is a must for people to learn if they are going to tackle the web design industry?

Without a doubt, yes. However CSS is only useful when paired with equally decent (X)HTML markup. Learning semantic and sensible markup in conjunction with CSS is the only way to learn CSS at all. There really is no place for table based development in this day and age, and you’d be extremely lucky to get a job of any worth if that’s all you know. If you’re going to go into development then knowing CSS thoroughly is a prerequisite – you can’t not know it. However if you’re wanting to go into programming (PHP, ASP etc) then a basic knowledge of CSS and decent markup is advisable. You should at least know that tables aren’t the way to build that form you’re coding up!

What drives you/give you the ‘go’ to keep at it and do everything?

I’m not sure to be honest. I think I must inherently be a problem solver as it’s the feeling of overcoming a problem or obstacle that makes me look forward to the next one. Also I guess I always think about how I can do things better. If I do something one way once, how can I do it quicker the next time? How can I make it cleaner, more expandable, more accessible, more sensible? Web development is all about problem solving at its core.

Does fame attract you?

In terms of the industry? Probably not. It’s bad enough telling people I’m a web developer as it is, imagine having to explain I’m a famous one! Also I think, as has been said before, the most well known web developers are not usually the best. I’d rather be humbly good at my job that publicly mediocre.

Do you ever get bored with your job?

I get bored with certain tasks, but not my job as a whole. Of course you get the boring text amends or image updates to do on a website, but there’s always that new build that really gets the brain working. The layout that will really stretch your abilities, and (as with my girlfriends website) the chance to use those new technologies that you are just dying to use!

Three words to describe yourself?

Overweight, boring, geek? No I dunno. Obsessive, restless, interested are three I think are appropriate in this context.

-Obsessive:

I think I may have undiagnosed OCD, I get overly obsessed with certain things – code indents, use of semantics, doing certain things a certain way. I actually have to have my applications open in a certain order on the taskbar (Firefox, Thunderbird, Notepad++ etc) and all tabs in my Firefox also need to be in a particular order (Netvibes, Gmail, forums etc). I am definitely obsessive.

-Restless:

I can never sleep properly, I have restless legs which are always tapping away, I have to constantly get up and walk about the office, I never stop thinking, I never stop problem solving, I’m always worrying, I’m looking at everything as I’m walking about. I’m a very restless person.

-Interested:
I find I get interested in small amounts by all manner of things. I have so many useless facts it’s untrue. I like to know things about everything. I’m the kind of guy who can read a dictionary. I’m always wittering on to my girlfriend about ‘did you know this…?’

Hobbies and other interests?

At the moment, trials biking is my number one hobby! I can’t get enough of it at the moment, I love it. As well as that spending loads of time with my girlfriend seeing things, doing things – we have awesome weekends. Other interests are quite closely design related – type, web stuff, graphic stuff. Bits and bobs I guess.

Tips to any aspiring Web Developers/Designers? Any Links you would like to share for anyone wanting to learn CSS?

It’s only hard to start with, but it gets easier so don’t give up. If you think you’ve bitten of more than you can chew then just take smaller bites. There are countless resources out there to help you and there’s always help available. I’m always getting emails asking for help, and I definitely lend a hand where I can. I won most helpful member of the year award on a forum in 2008 actually (as well as Web Designer of the Year (shameless plus #2!)).

Tools of the trade?

-Notepad++

Best code/text editor I’ve ever used. Could not live without it.

-Photoshop

I only ever use this if the project requires. If I can I always work straight in Notepad++. I design in code better than I do in graphical applications – it’s just so much quicker to make amends when throwing ideas to and fro.

-Firefox

Decent rendering engine and excellent addons make this my browser of choice.

-Thunderbird

Makes me feel like people want to talk to me.

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Contact details:

http://csswizardry.com/contact/

Websites:

Whitley Golf – http://whitleygolf.co.uk/

Design and build

Leeds.com – http://leeds.com/

Code only – through Sense Internet