Ryu Graphix Denver Graphic and web design studio

Our Creative Director Justin Cline was interviewed by Luc at Spicy Web Designers and they just posted it. Check out the interview here, or follow the link below and visit out the site: Spicy Web Designer Interview of Justin Cline from Ryu Graphix.

In their words:

Justin Cline is a web designer and art director from Denver, Colorado in the United States. Justin currently runs a one man design outfit called Ryu Graphix Design Studio. He originally started learning HTML in high school and started designing “real” websites until about 7 years ago. Justin is entirely self taught when it comes to web design by buying books and reading online which allowed him to advance his web design skills.

1. How did you get started in web design?

I got started because of my natural curiosity for how things work. Just like playing with LEGOs I wanted to see how websites worked so, I found online tutorials. I remember learning html by hand in whatever plain text editor was in OS9 – then uploading to a geocities account via my dad’s blazing fast 56k dial-up modem.

2. When did you start designing websites?

I started playing around with html in my earlier high school years, but didn’t start trying to build “real” websites until about 6-7 years ago.

3. What are the biggest challenges that you face in web design currently?

I’d say that trying to create something unique is fairly challenging these days… with all of the galleries and resources, it’s a lot easier to pull in ideas, but it also stifles some of the creativity. Also, learning to enhance my JavaScript (specifically jQuery skills) has been a challenge. I’m definitely wired to the designer side of things, rather than developer.

4. Do you code any of the web sites that you design currently? If so, what language(s) do you code in?

I do… I hand-code XHTML and CSS. Dreamweaver aids in speeding the little things up (like closing tags, formatting, etc.). I also know enough PHP to get by, writing custom functions and seriously hack up a CMS… and enough JavaScript to tweak existing code to my needs.

5. I wanted to ask if and where you studied at college or university, what you studied and ask how has your education helped you become a better web design professional? What other skills has it helped you to gain and what else has it taught you about design in general?

I’m entirely “self taught” — if I wanted to learn something, I read up online or bought books. I lucked out in having both parents with strong artistic background, so I was constantly immersed in art growing up.

I think these days, in web-design especially, that aside from the basics (which you can learn online easily) — by the time a curriculum was developed, it’d be outdated. Technology moves so fast these days that you really need to have the desire to learn and stay “plugged in.”

6. What are your favorite tools to use when designing a web project? Why are they your favorite tools?

I almost always will start with pencil/paper to develop the basic layout and user interface, and then flesh out the various types of pages. The paper is perfect for rapid prototyping and getting your ideas out.

From there I create a basic grey box layout in Photoshop based on a grid and make sure things are still working in a more “real life” form. From there I start adding some colors, imagery and embellishments. Depending on the client/project I fully refine the concept(s) in Photoshop or just enough to get the idea across. I find some projects are better suited jumping into coding early and doing most with CSS, but again it depends.

I use Dreamweaver to speed up the process, but mostly hand-code in there.

7. Do you currently run Ryu Graphix Design Studio? How many people currently work for Ryu Graphix?

Yes I do. Currently I am the only official employee and contract out the work I need done that I can’t handle myself. There may be some exciting developments on this soon though. Mums the word.

8. How do your commitments as an Art Director make you a better designer?

Leading an in-house team has been great; it’s helped force me to step “out” a bit. It’s good having people under me, whom I trust so I don’t have to be the “pixel pusher” but rather director. Our team is small enough though where I still get to do my fair share and step into the projects I want to.

CALL FOR REFEREES. SUPER AD SUNDAY IS HIRING OFFICIALS.

During the Super Bowl, the real action happens between possessions. Vote on your favorite Super Bowl™ ads through the magic of cell phone text technology. And call fouls on the rest. Join the officiating team at Jackson’s Sky Lounge

The massive event that is the Democratic National Convention is coming to our home in the next week, and the art community is also getting involved. Make sure you check out the Manifest Hope show at Andenken Gallery during the DNC.

Denver hosts AIGA Design Jam ‘08. Designers have 15 min to complete their solution to a design problem. This 3-way head-to-head competition pits local designers against each other…