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Jonathan Snook gives himself quite a few labels, but one thing he’s for sure is a great freelance web designer! He’s not only designed many great websites, but he’s also a more-than-capable web developer and programmer - in fact, his own blog is run on a self-written platform for CakePHP" target="_blank">CakePHP. Overall, Jonathan was great to interview and I really think he provided some very insightful answers, which are sure to get your design juices, thoughts and ideas flowing!

Here’s the interview…

Hi Jonathan - Welcome to adii.co.za! On www.snook.ca you really give yourself a few labels… I’m however interested in the blogger, designer and developer in you… How did you get into this line of work? Did you studying anything related?

Computers have always been a hobby, ever since I was a kid. As a teenager, I’d hang out on BBSs, spending way too much money on high speed modems, and working on ANSI art. When Windows 95 was released, I got myself onto the internet and learned all I could of the web at the time. It continued to be a hobby, maintaining my own sites, until 1999 when I actually applied for a job at a web agency. I got hired and my career on the web officially began.

Blogging really started out of a few articles I’d write on my site talking about the stuff I was developing at the time. This was back in 2001. In 2003, I tried out Blogger for a bit and really started to get into blogging but my early stuff was essentially just links to stuff other people did. It was a more verbose bookmarking system for me. Then, in September 2003, I made the jump to Movable Type.

Being considered a designer, though, didn’t really come about until I made the jump to freelance in January 2006. Before then, I worked as a programmer. I didn’t get much opportunity to flex my design muscle except on my own site and a few side projects I had worked on. As a freelancer, though, I got to do a lot more design and, through the blog, demonstrate that I have a lot to bring to the table in that regards.

How important is it these days for freelance designers (web and otherwise) to have blogs and produce quality content on a regular basis? Do you feel that you would’ve been so successfull (and would’ve built up the online presence you have) were it not for having a blog?

It’s hard to say. Personally, I believe it’s an integral part of being a freelancer but I’m sure there are many designers quite successful without the need to run a blog. Create a good looking site, get it listed in some of the popular galleries and I’m sure design work can come from that. For me, I don’t think I would be as successful without the blog. It’s a cornerstone of my business and I consider it a major part of my ‘marketing’.

I remember a designer telling me that he designed it in such a way that the client would have to come back to get new photos exported. Sure, they could probably do it themselves but he specifically wanted the client to come back. Blogging goes against that old school thinking. The more information I give away, the busier I seem to be. That’s the most rewarding part.

Many blog writers propose that blogs allow its authors to position themselves as niche experts within their targetted fields. Do you think is possible and / or a viable option?

That’s exactly what they do. Here’s a wealth of information that you’ve put out into the universe that – when cross-referenced with the opinion of your peers through site comments, Technorati, and linkbacks – really speaks to your expertise.

You used MovableType as your publishing platform of choice, before building your own platform with CakePHP. What made you change from MovableType and why did you not consider and / or try Wordpress?

Movable Type was working okay but I started running into dreadful timeout issues and the site was just becoming a hassle to maintain. There was some custom functionality that I knew I’d want to drop in and I didn’t feel that WordPress necessarily solved that problem. I had been using CakePHP on a client project and really liked the flexibility it offered. So, I took a little time to port everything over. I was really happy that I was even able to maintain my URL structure. This speaks both to CakePHP and how the Movable Type database is designed. I don’t regret the switch at all and enjoy having more control over everything (especially spam management, which is the worst part).

What are the key design elements to consider when designing a blog? And is there a fine line where design and usability meets?

First, to consider that design and usability are on separate sides of the table is the wrong way to look at it. Design isn’t just about making things pretty or artful. It’s about creating an experience for someone and usability is a large factor in that. I determine what the goals are for a site and then come up with solutions to meet those goals. That, to me, is design.

In designing a blog, one has to consider what the user wants. They want the article, of course, but is there additional stuff? Categories or tags to understand what you normally talk about? A quick site description so people who visit for the first time know what the site is about?

In designing Snook.ca, for example, I tried to create a balance between presenting the article and creating jumping points to elsewhere within the site. I’d really like people to explore and read more. I try and create ways for them to stay in tune with what I want to share.

I see that you are also a public speaker, right? How many speaking gigs do you get on average a month and what are the requested topics? Again, do you feel that your online presence has promoted your public speaking skills and how would you suggest that anyone looking for a career in public speaking, goes about it?

Admittedly, I’m not sure that my blog has had a large impact on my speaking career to date. Not as much as I’d have hoped! I’ve been lucky to get a few gigs and I still have to balance that with my work and family commitments. If I can get 3 to 4 travel opportunities a year, I’ll be happy, and I’m looking to be on track with that this year.

Right now, I go after the speaking opportunities at various conferences and usually try and focus on either CSS or JavaScript. I’m certainly not against getting the opportunity to speak elsewhere, the opportunity just hasn’t presented itself yet.

Thank you so much for your time and sharing your opinions and ideas. Any last words you would like to add?

Thank you for asking me to do the interview! It’s been a pleasure.