An interview with Alasdair Monk

Hello Alasdair. Please can you tell us a little about your background?

Hello! I’m a twenty year old student at the University of Reading studying Computer Science. For the last year or so though I’ve been living and working in London which started with 10 months with digital agency Work Club and has ended up with me freelancing (via small stints with Nation and Studio Juice).

Alasdair was the sole front- and back-end developer on the Work Club website, working with designer Gui Seiz.

It is very unusual for a computer science student to make the move into web design. What prompted your shift in focus, and how did you learn design?

I’ve always been interested in design - especially concerning user interfaces, I just didn’t realise until this past year that there was a whole field to do exactly that. That sounds pretty naive thinking about it, but it’s because technical university courses barely give any time to usability or aesthetic design which I find a bit frustrating. I am lucky enough to have worked amongst some very talented and patient people over the last few months who have really taught me everything I know about design.

The best way to learn, I found, is to just make things. Do little projects for people, even if its free of charge. The more work you do, the faster you’ll get better. Also, keep an eye on design blogs like siteInspire, The Grid System and A List Apart - all of these are great places to learn from.

Pizza Express: more information can be found about Al’s involvement at his personal website.

You recently worked at Work Club, which is one of the most exciting digital agencies around right now. How did you land the role, and have you enjoyed your time there?

About a year and a half ago I was browsing the internet and happened across the portfolio of a designer called Simon Whybray. For reasons I can’t really remember, I sent him a couple of pounds via PayPal for a plectrum he was selling on his site at the time. We got talking and stayed in touch. After a few months Si asked if I’d like to come and “hang out for a week” where he was working which turned out to be Work Club.

I really didn’t know who they were or what they did when I started but I loved the projects I was working on, the amount of input I had and the atmosphere. A week turned into a month and a month turned into a permanent position. The chance to work with and learn from their incredibly talented design team was invaluable.

If you’re trying to get a job as a young web designer or developer you really have to be proactive and have an appetite for learning new skills. Set yourself the challenge of experimenting with new programming languages, working with different Content Management Systems, CSS and Javascript frameworks, and finally, keep up to date with your peers in the industry because it moves very fast. Remember that being confident and having a smile on your face will go a long way too.

What website are you most proud of?

I’m always most proud of my latest piece of work which happens to be Anorak Magazine’s new website. Anorak Magazine is quarterly publication aimed at kids but is full of such beautiful illustration and stories that a lot of grown ups read it too. I think the site brings the personality and passion of the printed material onto the web really succesfully, thanks in no small part to designer Gui Seiz who worked with me for this project.

Anorak was also the first site I built using Expression Engine and so I had a steep learning curve to conquer. I can’t recommend it highly enough though, I use it for all my clients now. The client is really happy with the ease of use on the backend, and ultimately my goal is to please them and their users.

What was the most difficult project you have worked on, and why?

Without a doubt, my own site. I think lots of people will empathise with me on this, making something for yourself, that has to reflect you is really hard. I spent weeks in my spare time sketching out some design ideas, building the site 80% and then hating it and throwing it all away. I must have gone through at least 10 completely different designs and wasted a lot of time before I settled on what I have now which is doing the job for now.

What happens next?

I’m back off to Reading in October for my final year and after that, who knows. I’d come back to London but I also like the idea of working in a city abroad perhaps in New York or Paris.

Follow Al on Twitter - @almonk - or visit his personal website.

— Posted on August 26th, 2009 by Daniel in: Interview

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