This month marked eight years since Danny, our Designer/Developer, joined team Smith. During his time here, he’s been involved in plenty of rebranding and design work – including our own!
We spoke to him to find out more about how his role has changed since he first started, what he loves about working here and what to expect from design and development in the future.
How has your role changed since you first started?
When I first joined Smith, the company was far smaller which naturally meant that I had to do a wider range of tasks, for example branding, print and web design. As the team grew, this allowed me to focus on the areas where my strengths are – digital design and development.
What is something you’ve become the ‘go-to’ person for over the years?
Designing and building websites for our clients. Sometimes doing both design and development and other times just one or the other, depending on our schedule.
What do you enjoy the most about working at Smith?
The variety of clients we work with – one day I’m designing a website for a geoscience data company, the next I’m building one for a Lieutenant-Colonel.
What’s been your favourite moment/biggest success story while working here?
One project that stands out is the redesign of the Austin Kemp website. I’ve been involved in their brand and website projects over the years, helping them rethink their designs and develop user journeys in line with what their clients need. We increased traffic to the website year on year and drove hundreds of new enquiries so the hard work definitely paid off!
How has your design style and skillset evolved during your time at Smith?
The biggest lesson I’ve learnt over the years is that great design isn’t about how cool something looks but how effective it is at solving a client’s problem. I think when you’re a less experienced designer, it’s easy to fall into the trap of designing with aesthetics first and function second.
What major shifts have you seen in web design trends since you began?
I’ve seen it go from skeuomorphism to minimalist / flat design to the current push for AI-powered, highly personalised experiences.
What do you think the next big thing in web design will be?
I think it will be a continuation of the personalised experiences we are seeing nowadays but taken to the next level. For example, deeper integration of AI to anticipate a user’s needs and preferences and providing content and layouts based upon these.